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Officials hold meeting on gas leak that caused foul odor to waft across South Jersey

Updated  August 16, 2022 10:19pm EDT
New Jersey
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Officials hold meeting on gas leak that caused foul odor to waft across South Jersey

Officials in New Jersey held a public meeting Tuesday about a lingering concerns from a tractor-trailer gas leak that caused a foul odor to waft across several counties. 

EAST GREENWICH TWP, N.J. - Officials in New Jersey held a public meeting Tuesday about lingering concerns from a tractor-trailer gas leak that caused a foul odor to waft across several counties. 

East Greenwich Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey hosted the town hall meeting at their local municipal building Tuesday night that included a panel of experts.

CTEH Project Toxicologist Michael Reilly told the crowd several time throughout the night that the hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans released into the air pose no long term health risks.

Officials said a TransChem USA trailer was hauling 7,000 gallons of Lubrizol, a chemical additive to natural gas that contains Mercaptain. Mercaptain, officials said, caused the "nuisance odor."

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The foul smell traveled into surrounding counties and prompted officials to advise residents to stay inside while air quality tests were conducted. 

Neighboring Camden County reported fielding over 4,000 calls over the 72 hours after the leak. 

Air quality tests conducted by local Haz-Mat teams and the Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that there is no risk to the public. 

Those who attended the meeting appreciated hearing from experts, but naturally some concerns remained. 

Dave Edmondson with TransChem said that the company still doesn't know what caused the chemical reaction, but the leak is contained and the tanker remains on site. 

"We fully understand the magnitude of how we’ve affected community, that's why we are here," Edmondson said.

According to Gloucester County Emergency Management, a Health and Claims Information Center is now open and staffed by TransChem USA & CTEH for anyone who would like to speak to a Health Professional or needs information regarding a claim. 

The Health and Claims Information Center:
- 141 Berkley Road, Clarksboro, NJ 08020