Nov
15
The smell of natural gas — or some other chemical with a similar odor — spread throughout Northwest Indiana and Northeast Illinois yesterday, according to news reports.
I’ve smelled various chemical odors when travelling on the Indiana Toll Road, but I’ve always attributed them to some of the industries — green or not — present in Northwest Indiana.
I might have even smelled something yesterday as I drove along the toll road from I-65 to Chicago, but since it isn’t an uncommon experience, I thought nothing of it until reading of the natural gas-like odor overtaking the area.
Yesterday’s chemical bouquet was widespread, but the source of the odor couldn’t be located by officials.
Writes the Northwest Indiana Times:
From Crete to Crown Point, Nicor and fire departments on Wednesday received numerous calls from residents about a natural gas-like smell wafting through the air.
A Nicor investigation was unable to find a source or cause for the odor, agency spokesman Richard Caragol said.
“We can confirm it was not natural gas,” he said, adding the odor can travel with the wind.
I don’t want to be alarmist — but the situation raises the question of what could happen if someone intentionally or accidently releases a deadly chemical into the air.
Would we be able to figure out what was happening and isolate the source before the damage was done?
I’m sure if the effects were immediate, first responders and others would figure out the danger and react accordingly. But, what if the chemical released was a biological agent or other slow-acting agent that didn’t cause immediate effects?
Most Commented Posts
Comments
Leave a Reply
