Sorry I didn't see this until I made my own post on this. Something must be done. Can't they just get a giant bottle of Febreze and a giant fan? There must be some kinda way to fix this. Im thinkin that with all the great minds on this forum that someone could engineer a solution to the problem.
There are many configurations of "scrubbers" that filter the exhaust from a factory by the air passing thru various devices. Water curtains, carbon impregnated corrugation, condensers ( for water vapor or steam borne odors) an others are very often used -
*BUT* they are expensive, and if the air quality is not impacted in a measurable manner, they are not breaking any laws. As for testing and measuring remember: you have to know what chemicals/pollutants you are testing for - then select the instrument and correct chemical reagents which will react and be indicators to confirm and quantify the said offenders.)
Segue.....
I was in a manhole in downtown Charlotte NC years ago, assessing the condition and repairability of it. It was so old it was hand laid red brick approx 23 feet in depth. The mortar was completely eroded away.
The manhole was immediately downstream from a Fleischmann's vinegar plant. Commercially, many vinegars are made by diluting glacial acetic acid. "Glacial" is pure ( 99.5% or higher) and will form crystals as if it is freezing at 63 degrees F. SO - it is heated, raising the "vapor pressure" of the material.
A new employee caused a rupture of a 500 gallon holding tank of C2H4O2. It rushed into the storm drain connected to the containment sump it was setting.
Immediate flushing with water pursued - but the concentrate were the "head of the wave" .... I was above where water came thru the bottom of the manhole, or I would be a couple of feet shorter now...
I remember hearing what I thought was water coming -tho it was not aiming (?) - looking up ( was was in full rigging, and attached to a safety line, on a tri-pod with a winch mounted on it ) No one expected this to be in the storm drain. So - I was not wearing SCBA ( self contained breathing apparatus). I took one breath - and my lungs were on fire, could not breath - gagging - passed out. I woke up in the hospital, on O2.
I do not recommend spending time like that!
