Day 3 of rotten egg smell making people physically ill in southern NJ

EAST GREENWICH — The rotten egg smell from a venting tanker at a truck stop continues to linger over parts of South Jersey for the third day.

Gloucester County Emergency Management said complaints inundated the county dispatch center as well as PSE&G and South Jersey Gas on Thursday about the smell that continues to come from the tanker parked at the TA Travel Center on Berkeley Road.

Crews are still collecting and scrubbing the vapors coming from the tanker carrying 7,000 gallons of the odorless Lubrizol-1389 (zinc alkyldithiophosphate) that began to vent its load Wednesday afternoon.

There is no timeframe for the completion of the job.

Wind direction

"The odors could fluctuate in our communities while the mitigation efforts continue until the incident is fully complete as low lying vapors could be carried and moved by winds," the county OEM wrote on its social media.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said winds Friday will be straight out of the north and a bit stronger than the past few days.

Effects of the smell

The odor from the chemical used as a lubricant with heavy machinery can cause mild symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, sore throat, headache and vomiting, according to the county OEM.

Anyone experiencing more serious symptoms should check with their doctor or seek medical attention.

The OEM said long-term effects from the odor have not been formally studied.

A live call center has been set up to operate 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for residents with concerns surrounding this incident. The number is 856-384-6800.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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