I live near an oil refinery and the smell is unbearable! Is it dangerous?

There's an oil refinery in my neighbourhood, and sometimes I can sense the smell coming from it. On a warm day (and days are starting to get really warm where I live) the smell is even worse. Can anyone tell me what that smell could be if it's coming from an oil refinery. How dangerous is it?


(I know people are gonna think - why doesn't she move away - but I can't, I'm a student and a live in a dorm (the ony one in this town)I live near an oil refinery and the smell is unbearable! Is it dangerous?
I'm orig. from S.E. Texas, where there are a lot of refineries.





There is no telling what smell it is, as there are many from a refinery. You might want to check with the local office of the E.P.A. as far as if any of it is dangerous. The only thing that I know of, is if you get what appears to be colds or sinus problems, have your doctor test to see if you are allergic to hydrocarbons that the refineries disperse into the air. My dad worked for the old Gulf Oil refinery and we took him to work almost every day, except when he had his own work car.


They didn't find out until I was 16, that I was highly allergic to the hydrocarbons! Dad was able to get early retirement and we moved. You can also check with a Chemistry professor on campus and see what they may know.I live near an oil refinery and the smell is unbearable! Is it dangerous?
Thank you for choosing my answer. Report Abuse

The common odors you might smell from the Refinery will


not have serious impact to the average person鈥檚 health if


released in small amounts.The Refinery abides by the


most stringent regulations in the nation with regard to air


pollution and air quality.Refinery emissions are carefully


monitored,controlled and reported to the local air quality


agency.





The smell is the sulfur from the refining method. I was given this as a handout and the refinery near me passes inspections all the time. I don't care it still stinks!!
There are many dangerous chemicals at those plants. Stuff gets vented into the air all the time. Check with your insurance company to see if the area is a high cancer risk.





Just to be on the safe side I would move(Preferably upwind)
In my area of CA, I would have the environmental safety people out TO your dorm, to see just how harmful that IS for you. In CA, the places that cause odors are only allowed to let a certain amount of 'whatever' be in the air. I used to live by a winery, that was just horrid smelling. The new homes in that area were just pummeled with the smell on hot days, as you mention you are having. Since it was So. CA, our hot days went on for months and months. We turned in the winery to be checked for emissions. The winery had to clean up their act. Check out your environmental emissions control dept, and let them know your problem. ASK about health problems, when you do. They may be not doing all they can do to keep their oil smells down, and their health risk items out of the air!

windows mail