Peculiar odors and residue reported by residents of Orange County have led to emergency and environmental agencies to conduct investigations to determine the source of these reported occurrences. The odors and residue were presumed to be the after effects of the train crash that occurred several weeks in the Village of East Palestine, Ohio.
In response to the various calls over the course of the afternoon, the Orange County Department of Health released the following statement to their official Facebook page on Friday, February 17: “Orange County, NY Department of Health has received reports regarding residents smelling an unusual odor and seeing residue on their cars. There is not enough information currently to determine a cause. However, Orange County has Environmental Health staff in the field investigating. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is also sending staff to Orange County today to investigate. In addition, the Orange County Fire Services Haz-Mat team is investigating, and the New Windsor, Cornwall, and Washingtonville police departments have checked manufacturing businesses in the area for any releases or leaks. None have been found at this time. Currently, there is no known urgent public health threat. We will continue to assess the situation and provide updates, as necessary.”
New Windsor Town Supervisor George Meyers said that he initially became aware of the situation when an employee who resides in the Town of Crawford had made him aware of the odor.
“I called our dispatch. They had had a number of calls from people who were smelling the same thing. I asked them to get a hold of the [Orange] county emergency services at 911. They called them, they said they were getting reports from Blooming Grove, Monroe, I think Cornwall. So the thing seemed to be all over the place,” said Meyers.
Meyers reached out to the New Windsor Emergency Medical Services and no emergency calls had been reported as a result of the odor detection.
“Orange County has been working closely with NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to investigate the odor complaints. DEC staff visited Orange County today as the first step in this process,” said Dr. Alicia Pointer, Orange County Health Commissioner “Following their visit, they released the following update: “DEC’s comprehensive investigation into the odors reported in the #HudsonValley is ongoing. DEC staff determined that the odors are strongest in Orange County, indicating a localized source. No imminent public health or environmental threat was detected based on initial air readings taken by DEC. We will continue to update the community as the investigation progresses.”