Community engagement with engineering to address the environmental and public health impacts of a fertilizer fire

Abstract On 1 February 2022, six hundred tons of ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ), at the Winston Weaver Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, ignited and caught fire. Surrounding homes and businesses, within a 1 mile radius, were evacuated while the fertilizer burned for two days. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) conducted air quality assessments for ammonia (NH 3 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). USEPA detected levels of NH 3 at 45–151 ppm (USEPA Action Level is 30 ppm) and NO 2 of 0.700–5.200 ppm (USEPA Action Level is 0.500 ppm), during day 2 and day 3 of the fire. Following the extinguishing of the fire, ambient air levels were documented as safe (below action levels) by the USEPA. Members of the Piney Grove Neighborhood—a historic African American community, located 0.4 miles from the now defunct Winston Weaver Company—were concerned about the long-term health impacts of exposure to the chemicals from the fire. At the request of the community, researchers from Wake Forest University conducted soil quality tests (nutrients and heavy metals). Results from the soil heavy metals test showed that the highest concentrations of arsenic (4.9 mg kg −1 ), cadmium (0.76 mg kg −1 ), copper (51.1 mg kg −1 ), and lead were below the World Health Organization (WHO) action levels of arsenic (20 mg kg −1 ), cadmium (12 mg kg −1 ), copper (100 mg kg −1 ), lead (300 mg kg −1 ). However, the concentrations of nickel (19.3 mg kg −1 ) and zinc (289.9 mg kg −1 ) were close to the WHO action levels of 36 mg kg −1 and 300 mg kg −1 , respectively. The concentrations of nutrients were, notably, within acceptable ranges of highest concentrations at nitrate (2.93 mg l −1 ), ammonia (2.63 mg l −1 ), and phosphorus (997.5 mg kg −1 ). There is a need to document the longitudinal environmental assessment with the community. Thus, the WFU researchers and the Piney Grove community are in agreement for annual testing and communication of data directly to residents.