LaPlace, Louisiana - EPA Response

EPA Actions

EPA's 2011 National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), a screening-level assessment, for the United States was released in December 2015 and estimated higher than expected levels of chloroprene in the community of LaPlace, LA. Over the last several years, EPA has taken actions to investigate and understand air quality in LaPlace, as summarized in the timeline below.

Timeline

EPA verified the modeled emissions data used in the 2011 assessment with the facility owners, DuPont and Denka Performance Elastomer (DPE) prior to releasing the 2011 NATA.
EPA issued an information request to DPE on December 18, 2015 to gather information to validate the facilities emissions inventory submittals and evaluate compliance with their Title V air permits.
EPA shared the NATA results with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to allow them to evaluate whether an investigation of worker exposures to chloroprene at the facility was needed.
EPA also conducted verification modeling and assessment using more recently available air monitoring information from the 2014 Emissions Inventory data. The refined modeling effort can be utilized to attribute concentrations of chloroprene within the community back to emissions source(s) and calculate source attribution. The verification modeling generally confirmed the assessment noted in the 2011 NATA.
Since the release, EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) have been working closely with DPE representatives to fully assess actual conditions near the Pontchartrain facility in the community of LaPlace, LA.
In preparation for air sampling, LDEQ conducted an initial air monitoring survey on six days between March 1 through March 10, 2016. LDEQ collected 25 grab samples from different locations in the community of La Place. The samples detected chloroprene and indicated the need for additional monitoring in the community.
During the same period, EPA collected a total of twenty samples, up to 24-hour in duration, from five different locations within the community of La Place. EPA sampling results confirmed LDEQ's findings and the need for additional air monitoring in the community.
EPA conducted a site visit at DPE on May 18, 2016 to gather information on the processes and air pollution controls at the facility. The information gathered is being utilized to develop an information request to require additional emissions testing at the facility as part of the Agency's risk and technology review of the Polymer Air Resins I MACT.
EPA and LDEQ developed a long-term air monitoring plan to measure chloroprene at several locations in the community of La Place. View the latest air monitoring data.
EPA's National Enforcement Investigation Center conducted a focused Clean Air Act inspection the week of June 6 - 10, 2016 at the Chloroprene Unit, the Neoprene Unit, and the HCI Recovery Unit to evaluate compliance with the Clean Air Act MACT standards and permit requirements and to identify potential unregulated sources of chloroprene emissions.
In June 2016, EPA developed a comprehensive document called the St John the Baptist Action Plan. The action plan served to inform interested parties and report the status of planned activities in the community. The action plan also includes a brief historical background of the Denka plant and specific activities by EPA and LDEQ to address the chloroprene emissions from the plant. EPA's Action Plan for LaPlace, Louisiana.
In March 2020, EPA deployed a network of six SPod air monitoring stations into community areas around the Denka facility. These monitors were installed to provide a better understanding of the frequency and magnitude of chloroprene emission “spikes” (high short-term concentrations) and to help identify possible actions to further reduce chloroprene in the community. Results from the air samples collected by the SPod monitoring system were posted as they became available.
In September 2020, EPA concluded its community monitoring program, having collected over 2,500 air samples from May 2016 through September 2020. The summary of the data is found here: https://www.epa.gov/la/denka-air-monitoring-data-summary
On June 15, 2021, and July 7, 2022, EPA issued CAA Section 114 requests to Denka asking the company to submit a protocol to monitor chloroprene and 1,3-butadiene emissions inside the property boundary of the facility using Methods 325A and 325B of 40 CFR Part 63 Appendix A, and to submit results to the EPA every 28 days. The summary of the data is found here: https://www.epa.gov/la/denka-air-monitoring-data-summary
The July 7, 2022 CAA 114 Information Request also asked Denka to submit to the EPA monthly chloroprene sampling data for 24-hour Summa canisters placed at 6 locations surrounding the facility. Methodology and frequency of sampling were previously established in a letter dated May 6, 2016, in response to a request made by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, where Denka voluntarily agreed to periodic sampling of chloroprene in ambient air at certain locations in the community. The summary of the data is found here: https://www.epa.gov/la/denka-air-monitoring-data-summary
In September 2023, EPA concluded its continuous monitoring program using the six SPod monitoring stations. EPA has analyzed over 748 air samples for the timeframe from March 2020 through August 2023, the duration of the program.