Neighbors complain of chemical smell near Sherwin-Williams plant in Beaver County

Residents in the area of Rochester, Beaver County, say a persistent chemical smell has taken over the air. Neighbors believe it's coming from the nearby Sherwin-Williams manufacturing plant. 

"I just am not going to live in a house that I own and can't go outside and enjoy the air, open my windows," Rochester resident Kristina Warnick said. 

The Sherwin-Williams site in Rochester formulates coatings that are transported by truck to distributors and blending facilities. Warnick, who moved into her home about a year ago, says she's close enough to toss a stone and hit the plant.

"It was a nice house. It fit my family. It was move-in ready," said Warnick.

She says when she first toured the property, neither the home nor the surrounding air had a noticeable odor. But in recent months, she says that changed.

"The community itself, their biggest problem is the outside air," she said. "Mine and a couple of my neighbors, we have it inside as well." 

Warnick says the smell is strongest in her son Jaylin's downstairs bedroom. An air purifier in her basement reads "red," indicating poor air quality for most of the day.

She has contacted the Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Sherwin-Williams plant, but says she still hasn't received answers.

"At its worst, it smells like pure chemicals," said Warnick. "We refer to it in the community as nail polish remover."

Trying to find the source, a plumber even cut into the wall in Jaylin's bedroom to check the sewage lines, but found no leaks. 

Warnick then called the fire department.

"The fire department came and they walked in the house and said, 'Oh, it smells like Sherwin-Williams in here," she said. 

KDKA Investigates discovered the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the plant a violation at the end of January. According to the DEP, the facility failed to install a thermal oxidizer — an air pollution control device designed to destroy harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and other hazardous air pollutants released during industrial processes.

The DEP also says the plant failed to perform required stack testing on its scrubbers. That testing measures the concentration and emission rate of pollutants released through exhaust stacks to ensure facilities comply with environmental regulations.

KDKA reached out to Sherwin-Williams about neighbors' concerns. A spokesperson said it's working with the DEP to "resolve any issues that investigations determine to be related to site operations." 

"Sherwin-Williams is committed to excellence in Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) and compliance with applicable regulations across our operations," the statement said, in part. "In addition, the Company is committed to being a responsible neighbor and an active partner in the community as demonstrated by our longstanding relationship with the local Rochester community."

Some neighbors have also questioned whether the smell could be connected to sewage lines, particularly if chemicals somehow entered the system.

The Rochester Area Joint Sewer Authority released a statement saying the homeowner did contact the agency and noted that agreements involving the plant date back decades.

"The individual did contact the authority and indicated she was a new property owner," the statement said. "There is an agreement with Valspar and now Sherwin-Williams dating back to 1985. The most current agreement is from 2016. All the agreements are on file with the DEP. The agreements can be obtained by the authority by filing a Right to Know request. Finally, the board takes the safety and wellbeing of the community seriously and is in full compliance with the DEP."

In the meantime, Warnick says the smell is affecting daily life inside her home. Her son now avoids sleeping in his own bedroom.

"My son is sleeping in the hallway because he can't sleep in his room," said Warnick. "So I want them to take accountability."