Waste that contained iodine was the cause of pink smoke that was emitted at Ecomaine’s Portland waste facility on Thursday morning.
The smoke was initially noticed by an employee at around 9:20 a.m., according to Ecomaine spokesperson Nate Cronaue.
The facility worked to identify the issue, and the smoke had returned to normal appearance by the afternoon.
The Maine Bureau of Air Quality was called to the scene, and an investigation is ongoing.
While there were no immediate health concerns, bureau director Jeff Crawford said that the DEP would work with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to issue an alert if there was a risk to the community.
While high concentrations of vaporized iodine can cause health issues, the amount that likely burned on Thursday is not likely to have significant community impacts.
