The massive 2018 Christmas Eve fire at U.S. Steel Corp.’s Clairton Coke Works caused nearby asthma sufferers to reach for their inhalers even if many didn’t know why, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that following the fire, which destroyed the coking facility’s pollution controls, asthma patients living within 10 miles of the plant had an 80% increased risk of worsened symptoms.

And despite multiple news reports that the nation’s largest coke works was continuing to operate without its pollution controls while repairs were made, the study found 44% of study participants were unaware of the pollution emissions that made their asthma worse.

“In addition to verifying that people living within a 10-mile radius of the coke works had higher rates of asthma exacerbations and use of albuterol rescue medication than those living outside the radius, we learned that nearly half of the people with asthma closest to the fire were unaware of the pollution problem and, therefore, unable to take steps to avoid exposure,” lead study author Brandy Byrwa-Hill, a Ph.D. student in Pitt’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, said in a university news release Wednesday.

After the fire, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker continued to use unfiltered coke oven gas as fuel at the Clairton coking facility and its two Mon Valley steel mills in Braddock and West Mifflin for 102 days. During that time, the Clairton plant emitted sulfur dioxide at levels 25 times higher than it typically does, the university news release stated.

Sulfur dioxide is one of six primary or “criteria” pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act. At high concentrations it can affect breathing and aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

“When we asked the participants if they would want to know about an environmental disaster, of course they said they would,” said senior author James Fabisiak, associate professor of environmental and occupational health and director of Pitt’s Center of Health Environments and Communities. “Our study reveals that there is a need for a more robust notification system that uses many modes of communication so people can make informed, timely decisions to protect their health.”

Chris Togneri, an Allegheny County Health Department spokesman, issued a statement in response to questions saying the department has taken “substantial steps” in recent years to make more and better air quality information available to the public.

“The expanded use of Allegheny Alerts, social media and web-based information are just part of that effort,” Mr. Togneri said, adding that new, more stringent coke oven rules now undergoing regulatory review will help “ensure the public is aware of potential issues with air quality and what sources have been asked to do as a result of those issues.”

Earlier this month, the Health Department announced it had opened a new electronic dashboard to provide more transparent, “easily digestible” information about specific air pollutants, including airborne particles or soot and sulfur dioxide. However, last Saturday the dashboard was shut down due to technical issues. The department did not say when it would become operational again.

The study also highlighted the benefits of establishing a registry of geographically identified asthma patients who are willing to participate in research studies, said co-senior author Dr. Sally Wenzel, chair of Pitt Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Study researchers used the Pitt Asthma Institute Research registry to collect information and responses in the six weeks following the fire from 39 asthma patients living within 10 miles of the coke works and 44 others living beyond that 10-mile radius.

“I’d encourage any city or county that is home to a significant point source of air pollution to create a similar registry,” said Dr. Wenzel, who also directs Pitt’s Asthma and Environmental Lung Health Institute at UPMC. “People with asthma are particularly sensitive to air pollution, and their experience can be informative to all of us when it comes to maintaining healthy air quality.”

Amanda Malkowski, a U.S. Steel spokeswoman, issued a statement saying the company has spent more than $300 million since the 2018 fire on environmental improvements at its Mon Valley Works in Clairton, West Mifflin and Braddock.

According to the statement, that investment has helped reduce air pollution and improve sustainability. The company is also supporting the county Health Department’s inversion rule, part of which includes Mon Valley air quality alerts to increase community awareness when weather conditions trap pollutants close to the surface.

“Since 2018, we have improved transparency, communicating with local officials and agencies with great frequency and engaging with our Community Advisory Panels,” the company stated. “Safety and environmental performance remain our top priorities, and we value our commitments to our employees, communities and the environment.”

In December 2019, the company agreed to an $8.5 million settlement of a 2017 class action lawsuit that alleged the company was negligent in allowing air pollution and odors from its Clairton Coke Works to impact residents of the surrounding community. That lawsuit involved emissions from the coke works prior to the December 2018 fire.

The asthma patient study pertaining to the fire was funded by the National Institutes of Health, The Heinz Endowments and the Dellenback Funds.

Don Hopey: dhopey@post-gazette.com.

First Published: April 28, 2021, 8:19 p.m.