Refinery working to clear 'terrible' odor, neighbors angry they smell it on daily basis

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Many in the metro Detroit area noticed a strong gas-like odor over the weekend. It's since been linked to a problem at a Marathon Petroleum refinery in southwest Detroit. 

There was a release from a flare that wasn't functioning properly. The substance is added to natural gas to give it a noticeable smell. 

Wind blowing from the west carried the odor north and northeast. Some people noticed it miles away in Warren in Macomb County.

Marathon reps apologized and said they're working on a fix, but that it would take until the end of the day Monday, Feb. 4.

Neighbors who live in the area next to the plant though say the smell is something they experience on a daily basis. 

"I was like, 'Oh really? So they're getting a dose of our medicine.' They're getting a dose of it," neighbor Joyce Harrison told us when she heard the smell traveled past their neighborhood. "So if they don't like it what makes them think we like it? It's terrible. This is what we deal with all the time."

Residents there gathered Monday morning and told us they're concerned for their health and possible lasting effects. 

A spokesperson with Marathon told us that no harmful substances have ever been found in the air. 

"We continue to have air monitoring on a 24/7 basis and we're making that air monitoring information available to regulatory agencies and emergency responders," Jamal Kheiry with Marathon's communications told us. "To date, we have not detected any dangerous levels of any substances."