TRENTON NJ (February 7, 2020)–The Environmental Integrity Project released a report today which monitored benzene levels at 100 refinery fence lines across the nation. As of the third quarter of 2019 (which ended on September 30, 2019), fence line benzene levels at 10 refineries exceeded the EPA “action level”. Facilities like the
Philadelphia Energy Solutions in Pennsylvania had the highest benzene levels where net concentrations were 49 and 444% greater than EPA Action Level and three times higher than California’s chronic reference exposure level. The refinery filed for bankruptcy and has been closed since July, they are looking to sell.
“The recent report by the Environmental Integrity Project should be an alarm bell going off to the Murphy Administration. The fenceline at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Facility had benzene levels that are over 5 times the EPA standard. This is the biggest release of benzene in the country and the EPA is not cracking down on mitigating it. Benzene has serious impacts on public health, including respiratory diseases, higher cancer rates, and even premature death. The facility is also right over the Delaware River and prevailing winds could have caused major impacts to South Jersey, including the Camden area. It’s good that the facility shut down but not because the EPA forced it too for polluting our health and environment,”
said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System indicates that inhaling benzene concentrations as low as 13 micrograms per cubic meter over a lifetime is likely to cause one additional cancer case for every 10,000 people exposed. The EPA requirements include if the benzene level at any of the monitoring location exceeds an average of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air over a one-year period, the EPA regulations require the facility to conduct a root cause analysis to determine the source of the toxic emissions and to then take action to fix the problem and lower the concentrations.
“Oil refineries like the one in South Philly need to be held accountable for emitting toxic chemicals like benzene and other toxic pollutants. Benzene is known as a human carcinogenic and Communities living near the fenceline of these facilities can have long term and chronic exposure to this chemical. Since Trump’s EPA have let these facilities get away with putting our environment and health at risk, it is even more important that states step up,”
said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.