Monitoring Pollution of Shell Ethane Cracker with Dr. Lau, Part 1

An ethane cracker is a plastic factory that produces polyethylene from ethane gas. The Shell ethane cracker in Monaca, Pennsylvania, is set to come online in late 2022 after several construction delays. Plastic PSA host Alexis Goldsmith visited the Shell cracker in February, where she met with local scientists who are monitoring pollution from the plant. In this interview, she spoke with Dr. Clifford Lau, a chemist who is heading up a citizen air monitoring project.

CC image by Drums600: A Pittsburgh towboat pushes a barge down the icy Ohio River. Behind is the on going construction of the Shell Cracker Plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania in January 2019.