Smell in Attica: scientists talk about illegal gas release

Cutting smell of gaswhich covered Atticalooks less and less like a natural mystery. The most likely version is illegal release of liquefied gaspresumably propane or butane.

This was stated by Nikos MichalopoulosResearch Director Εθνικό Αστεροσκοπείο Αθηνών (National Observatory of Athens)commenting on the incident of strong gas stench that residents of many areas Attica felt on Tuesday May 19.

According to him, excesses on the so-called “regulated pollutants” not yet identified. Primary data showed no alarming changes in key air pollution indicators. But this does not mean that there was no emission. This may mean that the wrong substances were measured. A very convenient situation: people smelled it, and the devices pretended that everything was fine.

Why is the nature version weakening?

Michalopoulos noted that such odors are usually associated with sulfur-containing chemical compounds. They can appear due to both human activity and natural causes, including the marine environment.

However, in this case, the nature of the smell, according to the expert, does not indicate a natural origin. Version of leakage from objects natural gas was excluded, and the marine version also seems weak: natural emissions do not produce exactly the stench that residents described.

The most likely scenario is a blowout liquefied gas into the atmosphere. We can talk about propane or Bhutanin which sulfur-containing substances are specially added so that the leak can be smelled.

Source not found yet

The expert does not rule out that the smell could have come from the sea – for example, due to a cargo dump or a leak from a ship. A land source is also possible, including the area Eleusinian Gulf.

According to Michalopoulos, for a smell to be noticeable over such a large area and with such intensity, it must be about significant amount substances. All the data, in his opinion, rather point not to a natural phenomenon, but to anthropogenic releasepossibly illegal.

And here the story becomes no longer an environmental mystery, but a question of control: if the release was indeed illegal, the authorities must answer not only “what was that?”but also “who did this?”.

Why is everything so difficult to check?

The main problem is that Greece does not have sufficient specialized equipment to instantly register such connections as propane And butanein real time. Such measurements require expensive instruments, and sometimes analysis can only be done after the fact.

In other words, once the smell has passed, it becomes much more difficult to prove its exact source. But for a country with ports, industrial zones, ships and fuel infrastructure, this does not sound like an excuse, but like an admission of a large hole in the control system.

Editorial comment

The story of the smell Attica It’s getting more and more unpleasant. At first, citizens were told that the sensors did not show anything dangerous. Now it turns out that the necessary sensors for such substances may simply not exist.

If the version of illegal release liquefied gas confirmed, this will no longer be just an episode with a bad smell. This is a matter of control over ports, ships, industrial zones and fuel infrastructure.

When the smell covers dozens of districts, and the state cannot quickly identify the source, citizens have the right not to calm down, but to be angry. The air is ventilated. Mistrust – no.

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