Analysis shows alarming level of benzene at fence-line of facilities in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Indiana and US Virgin Islands
Highlights
- A dozen US oil refineries last year exceeded the federal limit on average benzene emissions.
- Five were in Texas, four in Louisiana, and one each in Pennsylvania, Indiana and the US Virgin Islands.
- EPA estimates 6.1 million people in the US live within three miles of a refinery, with low-income people and people of color represented at rates nearly twice that of the general population.
- Nearly half of these refineries released benzene levels above 3 micrograms per cubic meter, which the Environmental Integrity Project defines as a long-term potential health threat.
- The higher the level of benzene, the higher the health risk, according to the EPA.