Odour or smells have been one of the main problems associated with the former Polkemmet Colliery site with the chief culprit being Polkemmet No 3 Bing, which is located at the southern end of the Polkemmet reclamation scheme. The bing has been burning for some time resulting in the emission of smoke and fumes and combustion of minerals under the surface of the bing may have resulted in, and continue to result in, the emission of a variety of gases, including Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) or the rotton eggs smell, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and other odorous gases. Complaints associated with emissions from the burning bing came to the fore after the closure of Polkemmet Colliery in 1985. A large number of complaints came from Whitburn residents, hardly surprising considering the town is located downwind (in prevailing conditions) of the Polkemmet site. Most of the complaints arose between December 1985 just after the colliery closed and 1990 when the conical top of Bing No 3.was removed. Since the end of 1985 several monitoring programmes have been undertaken to assess the composition and dispersion of emissions from the Bing.

In the UK, while statutory objectives exist for eight pollutants contained within the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are no similar statutory objectives for odour, although odour nuisance is regulated through a complaints procedure regulated under the Environmental Protection Act (1990) Section 79.

How smelly is too smelly? and what constitutes an odour?

Once an odour is released from an source such as a burning bing, it is dispersed and diluted in the atmosphere. The concentration of the odour on release, the extent of the emission, and the degree of dispersion and dilution that the odour undergoes in its journey from the source to the receptor (e.g. a neighbouring house) are the key factors which influence whether or not the odour is perceptible at this location or....too smelly.

Odours are often expressed in odour units (OU).which is defined as one cubic metre of air containing an odour at the 50% detection threshold concentration in laboratory conditions. These thresholds are established through 'olfactometry', where a panel of people is exposed to an odorous compound at known concentrations. Under laboratory conditions, the concentration is diluted until the odour is just detectable by half of the panel. With regard to the concentration at which an odour occurs, a general consensus has emerged. Between 5 OU and 10 OU, a faint odour would be detectable and would become recognizable towards the upper end of this range. Above 10 OU, the odour would be recognisable and distinct. As to the exact level of odour that would cause annoyance or generate complaint, it would be difficult to define an actual concentration, because this would depend on the circumstances and be the person involved i.e. some people are more sensitive than others.
There are also a number of factors to be taken into account

However, it is fair to say that frequent occurrence of odour concentrations above 10 OU would generate annoyance and encourage complaints.
Because of its condition, the removal of the burning No 3 Bing is a relatively complex procedure that involves the removal of the Bing in layers. An outer bund of a minimum 5 m height will be retained at all times to screen the working faces from the prevailing wind. The bing will then continue to be lowered in successive layers of around 5 m height until the core is effectively hollowed out from the inside.

Although the Bing will be removed over a period of around 58 weeks, during the latter phases of opencast operations, these operations will not be continuous, because of the discrete nature of the areas of burning. However, it is likely that odour emissions will increase when the source of the burning (odour) is being excavated and transported to its final resting place, although given the scarcity of data from previous operations of this type, it is difficult to predict the degree to which the odour conditions will deteriorate. The weather will have an effect on the extent of the odour and well, we know how changeable the Whitburn weather is. This is turn (to some extent) will depend on the time of year that site operations in this part of the site are undertaken. We would expect the odour generated from the site to worsen during the summer months. However, the main point is that any short term adverse effects will be more than offset by the removal of the bing. Think of the phrase "No pain, no gain". After years of suffering, the bing will be gone.