Report finds benzene escaping US refineries

Air samples collected at the perimeter of 10 refineries found levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, that exceed a federal "action level" meant to protect health, according to a new report.

US independent refiner HollyFrontier recorded annual benzene concentrations that were four times the action level at its 100,000 b/d Navajo refinery in Artesia, New Mexico, said the report by the non-profit Environmental Integrity Project. The environmental group's report was based on the first full year of data collected under a 2015 federal rule that required refineries to install and self-report data from fenceline air quality monitors.

Total's 240,000 b/d refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, recorded benzene levels that were nearly 2.5 times higher than the federal action level during the one-year period that ended on 30 September. Chevron air monitors at its 100,000 b/d refinery in Pasadena, Texas, recorded benzene levels that were double the action level, according to the report.

"These results highlight refineries that need to do a better job of installing pollution controls and implementing safer workplace practices to reduce the leakage of this cancer-causing pollutant into local communities," Environmental Integrity Project executive director Eric Schaeffer said.

The report analyzed air samples from more than 100 refineries. The seven other refineries that reported elevated levels of benzene include Flint Hills Resources' 70,000 b/d East refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Chevron's 330,000 b/d refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The highest levels of benzene, at more than five times the action level, were recorded at Philadelphia Energy Solution's now-shuttered 330,000 b/d refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The 10 refineries identified in the report are not necessarily violating the law, according to the report, but will be required to conduct a root cause analysis and take steps to curb emissions. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required the fenceline monitors and the root cause analysis as part of a 2015 rule meant to protect communities from toxic air emissions.

HollyFrontier said it has developed and implemented multiple actions that will help in reducing benzene emissions below EPA's action level, including removing a tank from service it found was the primary contributor to elevated levels of benzene. Benzene levels declined by more than 30pc in the last quarter of 2019 compared to the prior quarter, the company said.

Chevron said its Pascagoula and its recently acquired Pasadena refineries are in compliance with EPA regulations. The company said the Pasadena refinery submitted a corrective action plan to Texas regulators that included enhanced monitoring. Chevron in a post on its website traced "elevated" benzene levels at its Pasadena refinery to a cooling tower leak in November 2018, months before it completed its acquisition of the refinery.

Flint Hills said parts of the report were "misleading" and that ambient air monitors around Corpus Christi indicate benzene levels far lower than the report suggests. The company said it was constantly working to minimize emissions, such as by recently changing its marine vessel loading operations.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions did not respond to requests for comment.

The trade group the American Fuels & Petrochemical Manufacturers said its members are committed to the health and safety of their workers and nearby communities. Fenceline monitors allow refineries to detect benzene early on and correct potential problems, it said, but that data is not intended "as a measure of community exposure or health risk." The trade group said fenceline air monitors sample benzene levels from refineries and other nearby sources.

EPA did not respond to a request for comment.

By Chris Knight