The stench from Oil One “suffocates” Drapetsona angering residents

The drama that the residents of Drapetsona and the surrounding areas have been experiencing for many years due to the strong stench coming from the boilers of the Oil One company, owned by D. Melissanidis, was highlighted on election day.

Because the schools may have been closed and spared for the time being the children who studied with the windows closed due to the incredible situation prevailing in the region, however the polling centers and those who went there to vote experienced the unbearable stench.

The issue refers to the 2nd primary school of Drapetsonas, which functioned on the day of the vote as a polling station, is typical.

The windows and doors were kept closed, despite the heat as the smell “polluting” the air of the area could not be tolerated by party representatives, the election committee and voters.

And it’s not just this particular building. In the entire region the windows in the houses remain closed for many days as the situation is unbearable.

Residents are once again complaining about what they are living through, as, especially, on days when the heat is suffocating and the wind brings the stench from Oil One’s facilities, there is a danger even for the lives of vulnerable groups of the population who have difficulty breathing.

In addition, there are many complaints from children’s parents that after school their children return with a headache due to the strong stench.

This nightmare students undergo, teachers and all residents remains alive as the stench and dangerous substances present in the air threaten people’s lives.

Despite the mobilizations that have taken place, despite the fact that measurements have been taken on certain days and it has been proven with evidence that the strong stench “covers” the entire area, and not just the neighborhoods near Oil One, nevertheless the necessary procedures have not been carried out in order to find a definitive solution.

Not even any substantial information has been given by the competent services to the residents about this smell and about the dangerous substances in the air they breathe.

What the mayor says

The mayor of Keratsini – Drapetsona, Christos Vrettakos, spoke to MEGA channel about the huge problem.

“The Ministry of the Environment had the responsibility to inform people what this smell is, but also what it can cause to the health of citizens. We have been experiencing a situation for a long time.

“An answer must be given, it is not possible for children to study in schools with the windows closed. There is no response to our requests to move the establishment of this industrial area.”

Speaking to MEGA, the mayor emphasized that benzene creates serious problems for people’s health.

In.gr has highlighted with extensive reports the crime that has been taking place in Drapetsona. A year ago in.gr was at the area and talked to the residents. “In the last three days, we have had a great environmental burden in the area from the pollutants. We have the ships with the departures as it gets summery and at the same time we have the stench that has started again. Over the years, we have some minor disturbances at regular intervals, but not of this nature,” Stavros Kostoglou, Director of the 2nd Primary School, said last year to in.gr. The same school that today as a polling station was “choked” by the stench.

“How much longer are we going to breathe cancer?” said Maria, 45 years old, who has been living in Drapetsona for the last 15 years. “We came here for a better life, away from the center of Athens and the exhaust gases. We wanted our children to live in a cleaner environment and instead we are forced to send the children to the village in the summer so they don’t have to breathe this filth. The situation is tragic.”

Mr. Kostas, who owns a restaurant in the area, highlights the impact it has on his business, especially in the summer months, as there are many times customers have chosen not to dine there, but to pick up their orders.

On June 3, 2022, i.e. about a year ago, a large mobilization was organized on behalf of the lives of the residents.

The municipal authority carried out an environmental awareness campaign in the area of fertilizers, with the participation of students and teachers.

Residents, professionals and teachers, as well as the community of Drapetsona, had asked with one voice from the state to act immediately, in order to stop the unbearable stench and to be able to reopen the windows in their homes and take back their lives.

The revelations of in.gr

Three years ago the in had brought to light evidence – fire about the environmental pollution coming from the facilities of Oil One. The final conclusion from the EKEFE Dimokritos clearly stated that the source of the unbearable stench that suffocates the area and threatens public health, are the facilities of this particular company, as all pollutants appear to be extremely high in its perimeter.

Aggravating for Oil One is also a document from the Athens Observatory, in which high values of benzene (a carcinogenic substance) are recorded at a measuring station located near the company’s facilities.

in.gr exclusively presented the bombshell findings of the “Democritos” investigation and a document from the National Observatory of Athens on pollution in the Drapetsona area.

Both “point” to Oil One as the source of the stench and dangerous chemical compounds.

As for the stench in the wider area, the report defines “Industrial Activities with emissions of odorous compounds” as the source.

The description of the specific activity and the way it is related to the directions of the winds – in relation to the 5 measuring stations in the area of the Municipality of Drapetsona-Keratsini, leave no doubt that it is indeed the facilities of Oil One.

The 2nd primary school of Drapetsona is in the eye of the storm

The unpleasant odor comes from petroleum components. Crude oil contains organic compounds, thiols, such as methyl mercaptan. Emissions of odorous compounds come from industrial activities, processing of petroleum products or waste, states the conclusion of “Demokritos”.

If one looks at the map with the locations of the measuring stations and the corresponding wind directions, one can reasonably conclude that these are exactly the Oil One facilities.

The high benzene values at a measuring station very close to Oil One’s facilities cannot be attributed to vehicle traffic alone but to a source that apparently points to an industrial facility, the Observatory said.

Another reference to the Observatory document is of particular importance. The first indications of investigating the geographical orientation of the emission sources indicate higher values from the northern sector, while low concentrations are observed when southerly winds prevail.

Local bodies and residents find no other solution than the immediate relocation of industrial activity and the transformation of the area into an innovation park as they have been promised.