US oil refineries spewing cancer-causing benzene into communities, report finds | Air pollution

A dozen US oil refineries final yr exceeded the federal restrict on average benzene emissions.

Among the many 12 refineries that emitted above the utmost degree for benzene, five had been in Texas, 4 in Louisiana, and one each in Pennsylvania, Indiana and the US Virgin Islands, a new evaluation by the Environmental Integrity Project revealed on Thursday.

Benzene is a known carcinogen that is highly poisonous and volatile when exposed to air. Much of the surplus emissions come via leaks from valves, tanks, pumps and other means which are laborious to detect.

The Environmental Safety Agency estimates 6.1 million people within the US stay within three miles of a refinery, with low-income individuals and folks of color represented at rates almost twice that of the final population.

Out of 129 operable oil refineries in 2021, 118 reported benzene concentration registered at or near the location, otherwise known as the fence-line.

Practically half of those refineries launched benzene ranges above 3 micrograms per cubic meter, which the Environmental Integrity Challenge defines as a long-term potential well being menace.

The EPA requires amenities to take motion if they exceed an average 9 micrograms per cubic meter, or above “motion degree” emission of benzene.

“If [facilities] can’t get their benzene below the action degree, yr after 12 months, we really must see enforcement from the EPA,” stated Eric Schaeffer, the manager director of the Environmental Integrity Challenge, in a press conference. “You should start paying penalties when your fence-line levels persist,” he added.

Lifetime publicity to benzene at levels as low as 0.13 microgram per cubic meter may cause a threat of as much as one additional cancer case for each one million exposed, in line with the EPA. The higher the level of benzene, the higher the well being threat.

Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery in Texas Metropolis had the highest average internet benzene levels in 2021, in accordance with the evaluation of the self-reported data. Roughly 37,000 individuals live within a three-mile radius of the refinery. Amongst them, 62% are individuals of color and 47% are low-income.

“This analysis provides vital perception into why the Houston area is an industrial most cancers hotspot,” stated Leticia Gutierrez of advocacy group Air Alliance Houston, at the press conference.

“People living close to these services have higher [exposure] to lifetime cancer danger than another part of the state, yet the regulatory companies liable for protecting us continue to approve permits for these services,” Gutierrez mentioned.

Environmental Integrity Challenge notes that its evaluation did not measure concentrations of benzene within neighborhoods adjacent to refineries, and doesn't reflect the precise levels of benzene within the communities.

Marathon Petroleum and the EPA did not instantly reply to a request for comment.