Last updated: Monday, July 14, 2014, 6:31 AM
A volatile organic compound caused the noxious odor that spurred dozens of Skippack Township residents to be evacuated from their homes Sunday night.
Emergency crews received a call about a mysterious odor at the Fairlawn Court townhouses at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday. About 150 people were evacuated as authorities responded to the odor and investigated.
Fire officials said early this morning that high readings of a volatile organic compound had been found in basements there and was coming from sump pumps.
Volatile organic compounds include a variety of chemicals that are emitted as gases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Some can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat; headaches; nausea; loss of coordination; and damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system, the EPA says, and have been linked to cancer in humans and animals.
Skippack fire officials, the Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team, and state and federal EPA officials are working to identify the specific compound that caused the odor and its source.
High VOC levels were found in multiple homes in the development, the fire company said.
All residents on North Gorski Lane, Karlyn Lane, Alana Lane, Elm Court, Red Oak Court and with an address of 955 or greater on Dogwood Lane should have their homes tested before returning. Testing can be scheduled by calling 610-454-0909 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania responded to the scene to assist some families who were displaced. The Red Paw Relief team was also helping pets that needed emergency shelter.
Contact Emily Babay at 215-854-2153 or ebabay@philly.com. Follow @emilybabay on Twitter.
Contact the Breaking News Desk at 215-854-2443 or BreakingNewsDesk@philly.com. Follow @phillynews on Twitter.
Entities 0 Name: EPA Count: 2 1 Name: North Gorski Lane Count: 1 2 Name: Skippack Township Count: 1 3 Name: Alana Lane Count: 1 4 Name: Karlyn Lane Count: 1 5 Name: Elm Court Count: 1 6 Name: Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania Count: 1 7 Name: Environmental Protection Agency Count: 1 8 Name: Red Oak Court Count: 1 9 Name: Fairlawn Court Count: 1 10 Name: Emily Babay Count: 1 11 Name: Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team Count: 1 12 Name: Red Paw Relief Count: 1 13 Name: Dogwood Lane Count: 1 Related Keywords 0 Name: odor Score: 29 1 Name: lane Score: 23 2 Name: skippack Score: 20 3 Name: compound Score: 20 4 Name: volatile Score: 16 5 Name: epa Score: 13 6 Name: philly Score: 12 7 Name: evacuated Score: 11 8 Name: fire Score: 10 9 Name: red Score: 10 Authors Media Images 0
