"Smells like sulfur, kids' socks turn black": Valjevo residents fear hospital boiler fumes

Residents in the Serbian city of Valjevo are complaining about toxic fumes emanating from the local hospital's heating plant. They report that the emissions, particularly when the wind blows towards their homes, create an unbearable smell of sulfur and black soot.

Residents of the Senjak neighborhood say that while the hospital's chimney emits a bluish smoke, it sometimes releases thick, black smoke. "When that black smoke starts and the wind carries it towards us, it becomes unbearable. It smells strongly of sulfur and enters the apartments; we have to close everything up to prevent the smoke from coming in," said Dušan Stojnić, a resident. Another resident, Đurđica Asanović, described how her children's socks turn black after playing on the terrace, and she refrains from drying laundry outside due to the smell, which she compares to burning tires.

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When that black smoke starts and the wind carries it towards us, it becomes unbearable. It smells strongly of sulfur and enters the apartments; we have to close everything up to prevent the smoke from coming in.

The Valjevo hospital was connected to the city's heating system last heating season but still uses its old boiler room for hot water and other needs. This boiler room burns mazut, a type of fuel oil, which is reportedly of poor quality and causing problems. Stojnić learned that the gases produced from burning mazut are highly toxic.

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I have to clean the terrace literally every hour. My son goes out on the terrace and his socks turn black. I don't even dare to think about drying laundry outside. The biggest problem is the smell, as if someone is burning tires.

Hospital management informed Stojnić that a switch to gas heating is planned, but they have no information on when this will happen. The local communal inspection has visited, and the hospital acknowledged issues with the poor quality of the mazut. The Ministry for Environmental Protection stated that an environmental inspector visited on August 5 and ordered the hospital to inspect and clean the chimney, implement technical measures on the boilers and mazut combustion system to reduce dark smoke, and conduct emissions testing afterward.

Gas pipelines have reached the hospital grounds as part of Valjevo's ongoing gasification project. However, city officials indicate that the connection point has stalled progress. Reliable information on when the hospital will be connected to the gas supply and its boiler room converted remains unavailable. Inquiries sent to the Valjevo hospital have not yet received a response.

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The inspector for environmental protection ordered the Health Center Valjevo to ensure inspection and cleaning of the chimney, undertake appropriate technical-technological measures on the boilers and mazut combustion system to reduce the occurrence of dark smoke during the start-up of boilers, and after implementing these measures, ensure measurement of pollutants in the air on the boiler plant emitters.