Purple vapor continues to billow out of Portland waste management facility

PORTLAND, Maine — For the second day in a row, mysterious purple vapor is once again billowing from the smokestack at Ecomaine’s waste management facility in Portland.

The purple vapor was spotted on Thursday and again on Friday.

Ecomaine and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection are investigating, but Ecomaine says that the smoke was likely caused from burning trash that contained iodine.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, iodine vapor that is inhaled or comes in contact with the eyes or skin can be an irritant and may cause stomach pain. Long term exposure could lead to insomnia, inflammation of the eyes and nose, bronchitis, tremors, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Ecomaine says employees first noticed the colorful vapor around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. They soon stopped feeding trash into the burner and say within two and a half hours, they were back to normal operations.

Ecomaine said on Friday they believe it is still iodine and are taking steps to address it.

Ecomaine burns around 170,000 tons of commercial trash a year. Customers are reminded to properly dispose of their trash.

No health alerts have been issued in the Portland community as of Friday afternoon.