Refinery Odor Triggers Widespread Complaints

A pungent odor wafted across a wide area of southern Los Angeles County on Thursday afternoon after a malfunction at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance released sulfur dioxide that drifted eastward.

The fumes, which officials said were not hazardous, were reported by residents in Torrance, Carson, Long Beach and Signal Hill.

Nearly 60 complaint calls, an unusually high number, were made to the South Coast Air Quality Management District between 2:45 p.m. and 5 p.m., said spokesman Sam Atwood. He said the agency might issue a notice of violation to Exxon Mobil for nuisance fumes.

Officials at 10 schools called to complain, and inspectors were dispatched to take samples at Hudson and Webster elementary schools in west Long Beach, Atwood said.

The incident, first reported at 2:20 p.m., occurred after a problem in the sulfur recovery unit at the Exxon Mobil refinery, said Torrance Fire Department Capt. Steve Deuel.

Refinery officials activated their emergency flaring system, sending the gases up a tall smokestack and igniting them, Deuel said.

Flaring can cause heavy smoke and flames but is a safety measure that releases pent-up gases.

“It’s not pretty and it’s not nice, but it’s effective,” Deuel said.

Fire Department inspectors detected trace levels of sulfur dioxide inside the refinery and no hazardous levels outside.

Sulfur dioxide is heavier than air, so if it becomes airborne, it may travel several miles and then descend, which may have prompted the complaints, Deuel said.

The flaring lasted less than an hour, said Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Carolin Keith.

An automatic telephone system to alert nearby residents of refinery problems was not activated because the release was not considered significant, she said.

The refinery did not shut down, and the unit was returned to service after the problem was resolved, she said.

The incident is at least the second time in two months that emergency flaring occurred around the harbor area.

Several Wilmington refineries set off their flares during the Sept. 12 Los Angeles power blackout, adding to community calls for more restrictions on flaring and better notification of residents.