Buffalo, NY - That huge fire that broke out in July at Niagara Lubricants was the topic of conversation as neighbors, the Buffalo Environmental Management Commission and the Clean Air Coalition gathered together to discuss the emergency response to the toxic blaze.
Monday night was the first chance for people to ask questions about the availability of air testing, the emergency plan for the site, plans for future evacuations, and the health impacts from the fire.
Clean air samples found benzene levels over ten times what the EPA says is acceptable for short term exposure.
Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield says, "That's not what I'm seeing from the report, for the most part the levels were very low, that's what the samples show now... any smoke is toxic."
Erin Heaney the Executive Director of the Clean Air Coalition of WNY says, "We documented over one hundred cases of respiratory illnesses, itchy eyes, breathing problems, people are definitely feeling the after effects."
Many neighbors also they are extremely concerned about their exposure to toxins and the fact that they were not evacuated from the neighborhood. Officials did tell them to stay in their homes with windows and doors shut while the fire was burning.