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  </channel><item rdf:about="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pennsylvania-cracks-down-shell-plastics-cracker-plant-rcna82750">
    <title>Months after residents sound the alarm, Pennsylvania 'cracks' down on Shell plant</title>
    <dc:date>2023-05-26T11:06:56+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pennsylvania-cracks-down-shell-plastics-cracker-plant-rcna82750</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[MONACA, Pa. — Shell has agreed to pay $10 million to Pennsylvania for exceeding emissions limits during the troubled launch of its massive new plastics plant in Beaver County. The sum includes a nearly $5 million civil penalty and another $5 million to fund local environmental projects.

“With this agreement, the Department of Environmental Protection is taking steps to hold Shell accountable and protect Pennsylvanians’ constitutional right to clean air and water while encouraging innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth,” said acting Secretary Rich Negrín.

The “ethane cracker,” as the plant is called, is a 384-acre-wide industrial complex that heats ethane — a byproduct of fracking in the region — and “cracks” it under high pressure into ethylene to produce polyethylene pellets, a building block for plastic. 

The Shell ethane 'cracker' plant in Beaver County, Pa.Hannah Rappleye / NBC News
It officially switched on last November, with an interim permit that allows it to emit a yearly total of 516 tons of “volatile organic compounds” — chemicals such as benzene, toluene and naphthalene, which are linked to a range of adverse health effects, from respiratory irritation to nerve damage.

But state records show that before operations even began, Shell had exceeded its 12-month VOC emissions ceiling due in part to “flaring” events — when excess gasses are burned off instead of released into the atmosphere.

“It’s not normal to look up in the sky and see flames,” said local resident Hilary Flint, 31. “The sky has been a completely different color since they’ve become operational.”

The enforcement action comes three weeks after NBC News and the Global Reporting Centre first started asking Shell and DEP questions about the plant, and not long after environmental advocacy groups sued Shell over its excess emissions. The agency’s consent order details a range of violations. In addition to repeatedly breaching emissions limits for VOCs, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and “hazardous air pollutants” — otherwise known as air toxics — DEP cited a slew of malfunctions at the plant dating back to June 2022.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_PA industrial discovery environmental benzene carbon_monoxide toxics</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-former-pes-refinery-site-cancer-causing-benzene-will-not-be-monitored-in-2023/">
    <title>Former refinery stops measuring cancer-causing chemical</title>
    <dc:date>2022-12-27T11:48:19+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-former-pes-refinery-site-cancer-causing-benzene-will-not-be-monitored-in-2023/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The company redeveloping the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery site in South Philadelphia plans to stop monitoring for benzene at the end of this year.
The cancer-causing chemical has been found at high levels at the property line even after the refinery shut down. Neighbors, advocates, and experts have called for the monitoring to continue.
“One way of showing good faith and that you care about the community is to keep monitoring to see if we’re safe,” said Shawmar Pitts, a managing director of the activist group Philly Thrive who has lived near the refinery all his life.
Benzene is found in things like car exhaust, tobacco smoke, and crude oil, which was processed at the PES refinery before it shut down following an explosion and fire in 2019.
WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor
The massive site is contaminated from more than a century of industrial use, and remediation has been going on for years. The refinery itself is now at least 88% demolished.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_PA industrial discovery environmental benzene petroleum</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Benzeneagain-found-personal-care-products/100/i38">
    <title>Benzene is, again, found in personal care products</title>
    <dc:date>2022-10-27T10:40:01+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Benzeneagain-found-personal-care-products/100/i38</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The carcinogenic chemical benzene has cropped up in another batch of personal care products, this time dry shampoo sprays.
The consumer product giant Unilever has recalled more than 300 lots of aerosol dry shampoo from its Dove, Nexxus, Suave, Rockaholic, Bed Head, and TRESemmé brands, citing “potentially elevated levels of benzene.” Dry shampoos generally use starches to absorb oily substances in hair without the need for a water rinse. Unilever says in its recall notice that the benzene comes from the products’ propellants: isobutane and propane.
The recall is the latest in a string of such incidents. In March 2021, the independent analytical lab Valisure informed the US Food and Drug Administration about benzene contamination in alcohol-based hand sanitizers; it found benzene in sunscreens two months later. Since then, benzene contamination has forced recalls of sunscreens, after-sun lotions, antifungals, antiperspirants, and deodorants from several major consumer product makers including Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble. Most but not all of the affected products have been aerosol sprays.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/the-vault/is-it-a-killer-cloud-1992-benzene-leak-blanketed-and-terrorized-portions-of-minnesota-and-wisconsin">
    <title>'Is it a killer cloud?’ 1992 benzene leak blanketed and terrorized portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin</title>
    <dc:date>2022-09-07T10:38:34+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/the-vault/is-it-a-killer-cloud-1992-benzene-leak-blanketed-and-terrorized-portions-of-minnesota-and-wisconsin</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In the early morning hours of June 30, 1992, Duluth’s newly minted police chief, Scott Lyons, answered a phone call that would turn an otherwise pleasant summer day into a nightmare.

In the minutes before 3 a.m., as Minnesota's Northland slept, a freight train carrying hazardous materials just south of Superior, Wisconsin, had derailed, sending train cars carrying chemicals sailing 71 feet into the waters of the Nemadji River.

The result was catastrophic — the chemical cocktail created an orange-colored vapor cloud measuring 20 miles long and 5 miles wide — and it parked itself over the populated area of Superior and neighboring Duluth, prompting a mass evacuation.

 “We had know idea what was in that cloud,” Lyons said in a recent interview with Forum News Service. ”And so that was our biggest concern: You know, what is it? Is it a killer cloud? Is it nothing?”

While Lyons and his crew were scrambling to figure out what chemicals the rail cars were carrying — and, therefore, what chemicals were swirling around in the sky — police officers attempting to alert residents began coming down with troubling symptoms.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_MN transportation follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.ajmc.com/view/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-led-to-60-higher-risk-of-later-asthma-for-cleanup-workers">
    <title>Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Led to 60% Higher Risk of Later Asthma for Cleanup Workers</title>
    <dc:date>2022-08-28T14:10:30+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.ajmc.com/view/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-led-to-60-higher-risk-of-later-asthma-for-cleanup-workers</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Workers involved in cleaning up the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, the country’s largest oil spill, were 60% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma or experience asthma symptoms 1 to 3 years afterwards, compared with those who were not involved in the cleanup.

An ongoing study of the tens of thousands of oil spill response and cleanup (OSRC) workers involved in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has discovered that they were 60% more likely to develop asthma in the years after the environmental disaster

The oil drilling rig exploded and sank April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers, and the spill was not capped for 87 days.

Until now, not much has been known about the effects of oil spills on respiratory health or on links between specific chemicals and lung health. Observational epidemiologic studies have found a higher risk of respiratory harm for oil cleanup workers, but quantitative measures have been lacking.

The Deepwater workers were exposed to airborne total hydrocarbons (THC); a subgroup of chemicals from crude oil (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, and p-xylenes and n-hexane, known collectively as BTEX-H) as well asPM2.5 from burning/flaring oil and natural gas. These chemicals are classified as hazardous air pollutants according to the US Clean Air Act and are linked to other health issues.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>industrial discovery environmental benzene petroleum toluene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://ktla.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/3-batches-of-banana-boat-sunscreen-sprays-recalled-due-to-traces-of-cancer-causing-chemical/">
    <title>3 batches of Banana Boat sunscreen sprays recalled due to traces of cancer-causing chemical</title>
    <dc:date>2022-07-31T10:42:55+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://ktla.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/3-batches-of-banana-boat-sunscreen-sprays-recalled-due-to-traces-of-cancer-causing-chemical/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[(WFLA) — Edgewell Personal Care Company issued a recall Friday for three batches of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp sunscreen sprays after an internal review of product samples found traces of benzene.

Benzene is a human carcinogen that can lead to leukemia, blood cancer in bone marrow, and other blood disorders. People typically are exposed to the chemical in their environment through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion.

The chemical is not an ingredient in the sunscreen spray, but the FDA said that “unexpected levels of benzene” came out of the spray bottles’ propellant.

As of this report, Edgewater said it has not learned of any illnesses related to the presence of benzene in their products nor does the FDA believe exposure to the benzene in the sprays could be particularly dangerous.]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:0824fca8274d/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/epa-report-plainfield-walmart-warehouse-fire-carcinogens-levels-temporarily-increased/531-174854cf-91f7-43f4-aee8-d0dfd732efd0">
    <title>Carcinogen levels temporarily raised after Walmart fire</title>
    <dc:date>2022-06-17T10:11:29+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/epa-report-plainfield-walmart-warehouse-fire-carcinogens-levels-temporarily-increased/531-174854cf-91f7-43f4-aee8-d0dfd732efd0</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[LAINFIELD, Ind — An EPA-commissioned report showed concerning levels of benzene and other chemicals in the air immediately after the Plainfield Walmart warehouse fire in March. However, the agency says the cancer-causing chemical levels decreased over time and does not expect the fire to result in long-term health problems for most residents.
“I would say it's not something to be worried about," said Sarah Commodore an associate professor at IU Bloomington’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
Commodore says residents in the area should keep an eye on their health as a precaution, but "there's no need for fear."
The EPA said in a statement, "Concentrations detected are not expected to result in adverse health effects for short exposure durations, such as a fire lasting several days."
Three months after the fire, the mangled semi-trucks and burned husk of the building remain. However, the large plume of black smoke and the pieces of debris are gone.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_IN industrial follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/wildfires-contaminate-drinking-water/100/i20">
    <title>How wildfires can contaminate drinking water</title>
    <dc:date>2022-06-06T10:28:02+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/wildfires-contaminate-drinking-water/100/i20</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In November 2018, a wildfire blazed through Paradise, California, a town of 26,000 in the forested foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Flames raged for more than 2 weeks, killing 85 people and incinerating many of the buildings, making the Camp Fire, as it was called, the state’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire.
Related: Benzene found in the water supply of fire-ravaged Paradise, California

After the fire was extinguished, residents who wanted to return home and start rebuilding their lives were dealt another blow: testing revealed toxic levels of benzene, a carcinogen, in the drinking-water system. New research implicates plastic pipes as a key source of contamination.
Immediately after the fire, the Paradise Irrigation District, which supplies the town’s water, didn’t know how the pipes became contaminated, how to clean them up, or how to safeguard the system against future fires. So it asked environmental engineer Andrew Whelton, who leads Purdue University’s Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, to launch an investigation.
Most immediately, the district wanted to know how to get rid of the benzene. But it turned out that this was far from the only volatile organic compound (VOC) in the water system.
There’s never a silver bullet with hazard mitigation.
Jenna Tilt, social scientist, Oregon State University
The state asked the testing laboratory for only the benzene results of its gas chromatography analysis. But Whelton asked for all the results and saw so many contaminants that “the chromatograph lit up like a Christmas tree,” he says. Other VOCs in Paradise’s water included naphthalene, styrene, toluene, and xylenes. “You need to know how to look for unknowns,” Whelton says. “The state didn’t know what questions to ask—it’s a gap in policy.”
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene styrene toluene xylene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:121193b48bf2/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:xylene"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.fox61.com/article/money/personal-finance/recalls/mickey-mouse-mandalorian-hand-sanitizer-recall/507-f731146e-f34c-4375-872a-b5f09539b164">
    <title>'The Mandalorian' hand sanitizer recalled for possible carcinogen</title>
    <dc:date>2022-04-03T11:13:51+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.fox61.com/article/money/personal-finance/recalls/mickey-mouse-mandalorian-hand-sanitizer-recall/507-f731146e-f34c-4375-872a-b5f09539b164</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Two lots of hand sanitizer marketed with Mickey Mouse and the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" are being recalled. Each could have a different, potentially hazardous chemical.
The Mandalorian Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 68% that is being recalled comes in both blue and green colors. Best Brands Consumer Products said the recalled lot may contain benzene, a potentially cancer-causing chemical. While benzene is found in multiple everyday products, significant exposure can lead to cancer.
The 2.11-ounce bottles have the "Star Wars" and "Mandalorian" logos and a photo of the character Grogu, colloquially known as Baby Yoda. The liquid is green or blue. They have lot number 20D21, NDC number 74530-013-02 and expiration date of June 30, 2022.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene ethanol</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:3f05b633ae50/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://safety.blr.com/workplace-safety-news/safety-administration/OSHA-and-state-safety-compliance-enforcement/OSHA-issues-139427-in-penalties-after-flash-fire/">
    <title>OSHA issues $139,427 in penalties after flash fire</title>
    <dc:date>2022-04-01T11:13:37+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://safety.blr.com/workplace-safety-news/safety-administration/OSHA-and-state-safety-compliance-enforcement/OSHA-issues-139427-in-penalties-after-flash-fire/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced it issued a combined 11 serious violations to 4 employers and proposed penalties totaling $139,427 following a flash fire and subsequent explosion that seriously injured 6 workers on September 27, 2021, at Westlake Chemicals in Sulphur, Louisiana.

The agency cited Turn2 Specialty Companies LLC with 4 serious violations and proposed penalties of $58,008. OSHA cited Turn2 for 3 serious violations of the welding, cutting, and brazing standard and a serious violation of the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Moreover, OSHA cited Westlake Chemical Lake Charles South with 3 serious violations of the process safety management and permit-controlled confined space entry standards and proposed penalties of $30,453.

The agency also cited Leak Sealers Inc. with 2 serious violations of the process safety management standard and proposed penalties of $26,104.

Finally, the agency cited Wastewater Specialties LLC with 2 serious violations of the benzene and permit-controlled confined space entry standard and proposed penalties of $24,862.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_LA industrial follow-up environmental benzene sulphur</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:8f0328e30637/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.wbir.com/article/money/personal-finance/recalls/suave-antiperspirant-recall-benze-cancer-causing-chemical/507-39ca19fc-0a7a-4231-a788-94adaa1c922e">
    <title>More antiperspirant recalled for cancer-causing chemical benzene</title>
    <dc:date>2022-04-01T11:11:45+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.wbir.com/article/money/personal-finance/recalls/suave-antiperspirant-recall-benze-cancer-causing-chemical/507-39ca19fc-0a7a-4231-a788-94adaa1c922e</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A popular brand of antiperspirant is being recalled because it may contain a potentially cancer-causing chemical. It's the latest such recall involving aerosol health and beauty products in the past few months.
Unilever is recalling two versions of Suave 24-hour Protection Aerosol Antiperspirant. The company said an internal review found unexpected, slightly elevated levels of benzene from the propellant that sprays the product out of the can.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TN public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/wayne-county/epa-and-egle-say-chemical-spill-in-flat-rock-is-contained-but-source-remains-mystery">
    <title>Source of Flat Rock chemical spill remains mystery</title>
    <dc:date>2022-02-24T11:32:40+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/wayne-county/epa-and-egle-say-chemical-spill-in-flat-rock-is-contained-but-source-remains-mystery</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[FLAT ROCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — The EPA collected more samples Wednesday and shipped them to an out-of-state lab. The goal is to find out what the oil-like chemical is that is seeping into a backchannel connected to the Huron River.

This is happening in Flat Rock, a community still traumatized by a benzene leak at the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant in September. The past event forced many to leave their homes for weeks due to safety concerns.

Now residents want to know what is in the river their community is built around.

“Everybody loves the river,” said Jamie Warren, Atwater Street Tacos Manager Trainee.

Tricia Edwards with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says they can see a substance that appears to be some kind of oil bubbling up from the water, just downstream from a bridge over a back channel that fortunately does not rapidly flow into the river.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_MI public follow-up response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.opb.org/article/2021/12/27/oregon-wildfire-smoke-voc-cancer-air-quality-chemicals/">
    <title>Analysis suggests Oregon’s wildfire smoke comes with a side of cancer-causing chemicals</title>
    <dc:date>2021-12-28T11:45:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.opb.org/article/2021/12/27/oregon-wildfire-smoke-voc-cancer-air-quality-chemicals/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Over the past decade, there’s been a noticeable uptick in wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. With those fires come smoke and air quality issues for surrounding communities.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality monitors particulate at more than 20 air quality stations scattered all over the state. At nine of those sites, they’re also monitoring for a host of chemical compounds known to be dangerous to human health. Several of these chemicals were detected at elevated levels during the wildfires of 2020.

“We take VOC (volatile organic compound) measurements every six days and if it happens to overlap with a forest fire smoke plume, then we can see some of that,” said Ben Ayers, a DEQ air quality scientist.

The results of that monitoring were presented at the December meeting of the American Geophysical Union, an association of scientists and science enthusiasts.

Overall, tiny particulate matter — called PM 2.5 — has been the main focus of DEQ’s monitoring. These particulates are so small that they can absorb from the lungs into the bloodstream. They’re associated with respiratory and heart disease, but recent research has shown that the particulates can even pass from the bloodstream into the brain.

But there are other chemicals connected to wildfire smoke that state and federal agencies recognize as cancer risks.

DEQ found some of these compounds were present in locations across Oregon at near or above levels of concern for health impacts other than cancer.

“So benzene and we’ll also see benzo(a)pyrene. We’ve seen very high levels of formaldehyde. All of that is actually not that great for your health. So we want to be able to incorporate that eventually into the app that we use for air quality index,” he said.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_OR public discovery environmental benzene formaldehyde</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/power-city/fire-chief-stay-safe-chemical-gas-leak/502-e2cc5ffe-84ec-4ca4-a8de-4b389105738f">
    <title>Fire chief explains how to stay safe during chemical, gas leak</title>
    <dc:date>2021-12-23T10:44:02+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/power-city/fire-chief-stay-safe-chemical-gas-leak/502-e2cc5ffe-84ec-4ca4-a8de-4b389105738f</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[BEAUMONT, Texas — With three chemical leaks in less than three weeks, people are asking how to stay informed and what can they do to protect themselves.
First, it was the Saturday, Dec. 11 hydrogen sulfide from a tanker at a Nederland business. 
Then on Wednesday, Dec. 15, a benzene leak from a Port Arthur plant triggered a brief shelter in place.  And Tuesday night, a pipeline leak in the area of LaBelle Road lead to a shelter-in-place order that lasted for nearly 24 hours.
Some people are concerned about how they can protect themselves when they were never alerted of the leak.
"I have children, and I have to consider the well-being of me, myself, and my kids," said Beaumont resident Joanna Freeman.
Freeman said she smelled gas in the air, but she never received an alert about a pipeline leak.

"There would have to be a formal warning. So we would know, because, you know, seeing it on Facebook, it's not acceptable," said Port Neches resident Vickie Smith. 
"The residents of this area that have experienced chemical explosions, the TPC explosion, and now we've got gas leaks. I just feel like there's no one that has our backs," Smith said.
Fire Chief of ESD No. 4 Jeremy Hansen said the primary system of alerting residents in case of emergency is the Southeast Texas Alerting Network or STAN.

"It primarily exists here for the petrochemical hazards that exist and the chemical hazards that exist in this region,” Hansen said.

But registering for STAN isn't a one-and-done deal.

"Even if you've been registered in the past, it's important that you update your registration annually and make sure that you're subscribed to receive the top alerts on your cell phone and/or home phone," Hansen said.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public discovery environmental benzene hydrogen_sulfide petroleum</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.sbsun.com/2021/12/20/dozens-of-pantene-and-herbal-essences-shampoos-recalled-for-cancer-causing-chemical/">
    <title>Pantene, Herbal Essences shampoos recalled over cancer-causing chemical – San Bernardino Sun</title>
    <dc:date>2021-12-21T11:22:18+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.sbsun.com/2021/12/20/dozens-of-pantene-and-herbal-essences-shampoos-recalled-for-cancer-causing-chemical/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Procter & Gamble has recalled more than 30 aerosol spray haircare products, including many dry shampoos and dry conditioners, warning that the products could contain benzene, a cancer-causing agent.

The affected items include assorted Pantene, Herbal Essences, Hair Food, Old Spice and Aussie products, according to Friday’s recall notice, which is P&G’s second within a month. A full list of recalled products is available on the company’s website, including the production code numbers affected by the recall.

P&G said in a statement that the affected products likely will not expose people to levels of benzene high enough to cause health issues. However, the company noted it has not “received any reports of adverse events,” but it’s moving forward with the recall out of “an abundance of caution.”

“Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers, including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening,” the recall notice said. Retailers have been told to remove the recalled products from shelves.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:044114dbe790/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Finding-benzene-everywhere-look/100/i1">
    <title>Finding benzene everywhere we look</title>
    <dc:date>2021-12-21T11:16:18+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Finding-benzene-everywhere-look/100/i1</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Hand sanitizers. Spray sunblock and sun aftercare lotions .Athlete’s foot and jock itch sprays. Deodorant and antiperspirant sprays. Dry shampoo and conditioner sprays.
These are all products found to contain benzene over the last year. The rash of discoveries raises three big questions: How big of a problem is this? Where is the benzene coming from? And, is it a new problem, or just one that no one had noticed? None are easy questions to answer.
Benzene is found in petroleum and most kinds of smoke, and its derivatives are ubiquitous in natural and synthetic materials. Acute exposure to benzene carries the normal asphyxiation and central nervous system depression risks associated with inhaling organic solvents. Benzene can also be absorbed through the skin or digestive tract. Chronic exposure is linked to leukemia and other blood disorders.
People use many of the contaminated products on a daily basis. “That is chronic exposure, if you’re using it every day,” says Mary Fox, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies air pollutants.
Benzene’s metabolites seem to do the damage, according to a 2010 World Health Organization report. Benzoquinone, benzene oxide, and muconaldehyde, in particular, make their way into bone marrow, where they interfere with DNA chromosomes, leading to structural changes, cell death, and cancer, among other ill effects.]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/11/26/some-old-spice-secret-deodorants-recalled-due-to-cancer-causing-chemical/">
    <title>Some Old Spice, Secret deodorants recalled due to cancer-causing chemical</title>
    <dc:date>2021-11-27T12:42:59+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/11/26/some-old-spice-secret-deodorants-recalled-due-to-cancer-causing-chemical/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Procter & Gamble Company is recalling more than a dozen Old Spice and Secret aerosol spray products because they could contain a chemical that has been shown to cause cancer.
The recall affects Old Spice and Secret aerosol spray antiperspirants and Old Spice Below Deck aerosol spray products sold in the United States with expiration dates through September 2023.
The chemical benzene has been detected in the products. Benzene is a chemical that is classified as a human carcinogen.
“Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening,” according to P&G’s recall notice.
P&G said the recall is out of “abundance of caution” because the level of benzene detected is not expected to cause adverse health consequences. There have been no reports of injuries to date.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:1f08f369d993/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/Johnson-Johnson-recalls-sunscreens-benzene/99/i26">
    <title>Johnson &amp; Johnson recalls sunscreens with benzene contamination</title>
    <dc:date>2021-07-16T10:18:40+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/Johnson-Johnson-recalls-sunscreens-benzene/99/i26</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Johnson & Johnson issued a recall July 14 for all lots of several of its Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreens because of benzene contamination. Benzene is a known carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin, lungs, and digestive tract.

The recall follows a late-May report by the independent research lab Valisure, which detected benzene in 78 sun-care products, including several from Neutrogena. J&J says it did its own testing and found benzene in five product lines.

Valisure CEO David Light says he isn’t aware of any other public actions taken by makers of the sun products, though the drugstore chain CVS appears to have stopped selling a store-brand aloe spray in which Valisure found benzene at high levels.

The source of the benzene is still unclear, and Light says his firm is eager to collaborate on ways to figure it out. He says the ethanol used in some aerosols could be the culprit; in March, Valisure found benzene in 44 ethanol-based hand sanitizers.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:27c095d27e25/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2021/06/24/fuel-truck-tips-over-us-41-hancock-shuts-down-surrounding-area/">
    <title>UPDATE: Fuel truck tips over on US-41 in Hancock, clean-up continues</title>
    <dc:date>2021-06-26T11:40:26+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2021/06/24/fuel-truck-tips-over-us-41-hancock-shuts-down-surrounding-area/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[UPDATE 5:10 p.m.: More details surrounding the clean-up of the fuel tanker spill in Hancock have been released Thursday afternoon.

According to the Hancock Fire Department, the gasoline tanker, carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline, tipped over Santori’s Corner on US-41 at about 8:00 a.m. June 24.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Currently, it is unknown how much spilled,” the fire department said in a release.

The fire department said here have been no injuries caused by the incident and spill, and that drinking water has not been affected.

Hancock Fire Department says some gasoline has gone into the storm sewer system, and ended up into the Portage Canal. Because of this, the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, Michigan EGLE and the EPA have closed the Portage Canal and beaches. Read more about that here.

Many areas in the vicinity have been evacuated. Evacuations are in place in west Hancock from Santori’s Corner on South Lincoln Drive (US-41) to Michigan Street, Michigan Street up to Elm Street and down to the Jutila Center, and Minnesota and Ohio Streets between Ethel Avenue and Michigan Street (see map below).
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_mi transportation release response gasoline benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:8a8aa995881a/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:gasoline"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Lab-finds-benzene-78-sunscreens/99/i21">
    <title>Lab finds benzene in 78 sunscreens and sun-care lotions</title>
    <dc:date>2021-06-04T09:49:37+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/business/consumer-products/Lab-finds-benzene-78-sunscreens/99/i21</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The independent analytical laboratory Valisure says it has found traces of benzene in sunscreen and after-sun-care products from a variety of manufacturers. Valisure has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to request recalls of the affected products and conduct investigations into the source of the contamination.
Benzene is a known carcinogen and has other toxic effects, primarily involving disruption to the creation and function of blood. The US bans it in the manufacture of drugs and cosmetics except when it is “unavoidable in order to produce a drug product with a significant therapeutic advance.” Even then, it is restricted to 2 parts per million (ppm). In drinking water and groundwater, the US Environmental Protection Agency has set a maximum level of 0.005 ppm and a goal of zero.
In Valisure’s analysis, conducted by chromatography and mass spectrometry, benzene appeared at 2.78–6.26 ppm in 14 samples of sunscreen and after-sun-care products. Another 26 samples had levels between 0.11 and 1.99 ppm, and 38 others showed benzene at < 0.1 ppm.
The company found benzene in chemical sunscreens, which use organic molecules such as avobenzone and homosalate to absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as physical sunscreens, which use inorganic compounds like zinc oxide to reflect UV rays. Sprays are heavily represented in the highest benzene concentration bracket, but gels and creams appear there as well. Valisure CEO David Light stresses that the firm found no benzene in more than 200 other samples and that sunscreen is an important safety measure.
Neutrogena and Banana Boat, both of which have several products in the two highest-benzene brackets, tell C&EN that they do not use benzene as an ingredient or in the manufacturing of their products and that they are reviewing Valisure’s results. BASF and DSM, two manufacturers of sunscreen active ingredients, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Light says his lab recently added benzene to its standard contaminant screens, which it performs on medicines and other products for retail pharmacies and other clients. “Honestly, I thought it’d be a waste of time,” he says. “Benzene has been banned in industry for decades. There’s no argument about how toxic and carcinogenic it is,” he adds. “I was quite shocked we were finding it at all.”
]]></description>
<dc:subject>laboratory discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:700120f4d09e/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://afinancebroker.com/index.php/2020/12/24/plastic-pipes-exposed-to-high-heat-drinking-water-can-filter-out-hazardous-chemicals/">
    <title>Plastic pipes exposed to high heat drinking water can filter out hazardous chemicals</title>
    <dc:date>2020-12-24T10:11:12+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://afinancebroker.com/index.php/2020/12/24/plastic-pipes-exposed-to-high-heat-drinking-water-can-filter-out-hazardous-chemicals/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In August, a huge forest fire ravaged the San Lorenzo Valley north of Santa Cruz, California, destroying nearly 1,500 structures and exposing many others to extreme heat. Before the fire was extinguished, laboratory tests revealed benzene levels of up to 9.1 parts per billion in residential water samples, nine times the state’s maximum safety level.

This isn’t the first time the carcinogen has been following forest fires: California water managers found unsafe levels of benzene and other volatile organic compounds or VOCs in Santa Rosa after the Tubbs Fire in 2017 and in Paradise after the Camp Fire in 2018 .

Scientists suspected that, among other possibilities, plastic pipes of drinking water exposed to extreme heat released chemicals (SN: 13/11/20). Now, laboratory experiments show that it is possible.

Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and colleagues subjected commonly available pipes to temperatures of 200 ° C to 400 ° C. Those temperatures, hot enough to damage but not destroy the pipes, can occur as the heat radiates. of nearby flames, says Whelton.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:89f852d82a71/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://thecounter.org/unsafe-drinking-water-wildfires-california-rural-towns-tainted-water/">
    <title>Unsafe to drink: Wildfires threaten rural California towns with tainted water</title>
    <dc:date>2020-11-25T10:59:57+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://thecounter.org/unsafe-drinking-water-wildfires-california-rural-towns-tainted-water/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[For more than a month after a wildfire raced through his lakeside community and destroyed his Napa County home, Kody Petrini couldn’t drink the water from the taps. He wasn’t even supposed to boil it. 

And, worried about harming his 16-month-old, Petrini wouldn’t wash his youngest son Levi with it. Instead, he took the extraordinary precaution of bathing him in bottled water.

This story originally appeared in CalMatters, an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Among the largest wildfires in California history, the LNU Lightning Complex fires killed five people and destroyed nearly 1,500 structures — including whole blocks of the Berryessa Highlands neighborhood where Petrini’s home stood. 

Camped out in a trailer on his in-laws’ nearby lot, the 32-year-old father of two, along with all of his neighbors, was warned not to drink the water or boil it because it could be contaminated with dangerous compounds like benzene that seep into pipes in burned areas. 

When wildfires spread across California, they leave a cascade of water problems in their wake: Some communities have their drinking water poisoned by toxic substances. Others wrestle with ash and debris washed into reservoirs and lakes. And many living in remote stretches of the state struggle with accessing enough water to fight fires. 

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:98e2b911f766/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/10/02/wildfires-water-contamination">
    <title>How Wildfires Are Contaminating The Water Supply With Benzene, Other Hazardous Chemicals</title>
    <dc:date>2020-10-03T10:47:56+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/10/02/wildfires-water-contamination</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Scientists are just beginning to understand how the catastrophic fires in the West are leaching cancer-causing chemicals like benzene into groundwater.

Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil engineering at Purdue University, often gets called in when there's an issue with water. Three months after the Tubbs Fire in 2017, he says he was called to Santa Rosa, California, as the city tried to flush contamination out of its water system.

“And they had not thought ahead about the fact that the contamination can actually go into the infrastructure,” he says. “It takes a while to come out.”

Santa Rosa issued a boil water advisory for the 13 homes left standing in the area most impacted by the fire, he says. A month later, someone reported to their utility that the water in their house had a strange smell.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:dfc2421969d6/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://abc3340.com/news/abc-3340-news-iteam/what-chemicals-have-been-released-into-the-air-from-the-forestdale-dump-fire">
    <title>What chemicals have been released into the air from the Forestdale dump fire?</title>
    <dc:date>2020-09-22T12:10:49+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://abc3340.com/news/abc-3340-news-iteam/what-chemicals-have-been-released-into-the-air-from-the-forestdale-dump-fire</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Forestdale, Ala. — Smoke continues to rise from the underground fire at an illegal dump in a Forestdale neighborhood. The fire started on May 29th. Jefferson County crews have been digging out burning debris since August.

On September 1st, 95 days after the fire started, the Jefferson County Health Department took samples to determine the chemicals in the air.

On Friday, the Health Department released the raw data to us and residents. The department turned down our request for an interview to interpret the results.

We asked the environmental group GASP to take a look. GASP says chemicals like Benzene, a known human carcinogen according to the EPA, and Naphthalene, a possible human carcinogen, have been released into the air.

“As we know, this fire’s been going on for more than 90 days and people are exposed to other pollutants in their lifetimes. So, it increases the chances that someone might get cancer,” said GASP Executive Director Michael Hansen.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_AL public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:3823cdce8d6f/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.reformaustin.org/environment/pre-hurricane-chemical-plant-releases-calls-for-stricter-control/">
    <title>Pre-Hurricane Chemical Plant Releases Calls for Stricter Control</title>
    <dc:date>2020-09-03T11:28:55+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.reformaustin.org/environment/pre-hurricane-chemical-plant-releases-calls-for-stricter-control/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[With Hurricane Laura threatening the Gulf Coast region, the oil refineries and petrochemical plants that stretch across the Houston area and Southeast Texas took their customary precautions of shutting down operations. In doing so, they released about 4 million pounds of pollutants into the air.

In reports to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Beaumont Gas to Gasoline Plant announced the release 3.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, and the Motiva Chemicals plant in nearby Port Arthur reported that it would release more than 130,000 pounds of polluting chemicals, including benzene, a known cancer-causing substance.

Instead, Motiva’s emissions totaled nearly 90 tons, including a half-ton of benzene. The plant reported releasing more hazardous pollutants during the hurricane than it did in all of 2018.

Environmental groups are growing increasingly alarmed at the health risks to nearby residents as a result of shutdown and startup pollution releases. The pollution releases due to Hurricane Laura were anticipated to be about half the amount released during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Equipment breakdowns, process malfunctions or operator error during the startup and shutdown of equipment can cause unauthorized pollution releases, according to Environment Texas, an environmental watchdog group. ]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial release environmental benzene carbon_dioxide gasoline petroleum</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:d231302624aa/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:industrial"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:environmental"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:carbon_dioxide"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:gasoline"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:petroleum"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_2a030ce4-4e89-11ea-a720-6fcae35453c7.html">
    <title>ExxonMobil fire released carcinogenic chemicals, report says, but monitoring found no local risk</title>
    <dc:date>2020-02-14T11:40:28+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_2a030ce4-4e89-11ea-a720-6fcae35453c7.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The massive fire overnight Tuesday at the ExxonMobil Refinery in Baton Rouge is suspected of releasing cancer-causing chemicals benzene and 1,3 butadiene, as well as other chemicals that are toxic at high enough concentrations, a Louisiana State Police report says.

But the amounts of those releases are unclear and likely will remain so for about a week, when ExxonMobil provides estimates to state regulators in what's known as a "seven-day" report.

State officials have said the blaze likely combusted many of those harmful chemicals, converting them into other materials — some of which are also toxic. Air monitoring inside, around and away from the plant did not detect harmful concentrations of chemicals being released into the air or among the broader public, according to state officials and public data. 

The initial incident report from State Police details ExxonMobil's response to the blaze, which took nearly seven hours to extinguish. The report shows brief updates over an 11-hour period from 11:58 p.m. Tuesday to 11:16 a.m. Wednesday, hours after the fire had been put out but while flaring was still underway.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_LA industrial fire response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:d90946e4a24c/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:industrial"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:fire"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/ten-u-s-refineries-emit-cancer-causing-chemical-above-epa-limits">
    <title>Ten U.S. Refineries Emit Cancer-Causing Chemical Above EPA Limits</title>
    <dc:date>2020-02-07T12:34:52+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://e360.yale.edu/digest/ten-u-s-refineries-emit-cancer-causing-chemical-above-epa-limits</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Ten oil refineries in the United States are emitting levels of the pollutant benzene well above the federal government’s “action level” limit, according to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental watchdog group. Long-term exposure to benzene can cause blood disorders and leukemia, Reuters reported.

Oil refineries with high levels of benzene are not technically breaking the law. But these facilities are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the pollutant and take action if levels exceed EPA’s limit of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over a year. Benzene is a colorless or light yellow chemical that evaporates from gasoline and oil. Exposure to it can cause vomiting, headaches, anemia, and an increased risk of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The new report from the Environmental Integrity Project analyzed a year of air monitoring data from 114 refineries around the U.S. Philadelphia Energy Solutions had the highest benzene concentrations in the nation, measuring nearly five times the EPA limit. The Philadelphia plant, once the largest refinery on the East Coast, closed in 2019 following an explosion and fire. But former employees are pushing to reopen the facility, backed by the Trump White House, InsideClimate News reported.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:a3c1a266f32e/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/18527-dangerous-for-workers-study-looks-at-air-quality-in-colorado-nail-salons">
    <title>‘Dangerous for workers’: Study looks at air quality in Colorado nail salons</title>
    <dc:date>2019-06-06T11:27:39+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/18527-dangerous-for-workers-study-looks-at-air-quality-in-colorado-nail-salons</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Boulder, CO — The amount of air pollutants in nail salons can make working in one comparable to working at an oil refinery or in an auto repair garage, according to a study from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Researchers from the university’s department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering monitored levels of volatile organic compounds in six nail salons in the state. Workers studied averaged 52.5 hours a week, and some worked as many as 80 hours.

The most common chemicals salon workers were exposed to were formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, xylenes and ethylbenzene. All six salons had higher-than-expected levels of benzene, which has been linked to leukemia and other cancers of blood cells, according to the American Cancer Society. In one salon, the formaldehyde levels exceeded NIOSH recommendations for exposure limit.

The researchers found that 70% of the workers experienced at least one health issue from the chemical exposures, with headaches (22%), skin irritation (16%) and eye irritation (14%) the most commonly reported.

Chronic air pollution can cause health problems, including an increased risk for cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The researchers said salon workers face a lifetime cancer risk up to 100 times higher than baseline EPA-issued levels.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>industrial discovery environmental benzene formaldehyde</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:83fcee377c79/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:formaldehyde"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://abc13.com/small-flash-fire-reported-at-itc-facility-in-deer-park-/5299884/">
    <title>Small flash fire reported at ITC facility in Deer Park</title>
    <dc:date>2019-05-15T11:39:16+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://abc13.com/small-flash-fire-reported-at-itc-facility-in-deer-park-/5299884/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) -- A small flash fire was reported at Intercontinental Terminals Company's Deer Park facility on Tuesday. 

This incident comes nearly two months after a huge fire erupted at the facility on March 17. 

Officials said the flash fire happened while crews were working to deconstruct tank 80-15, which was one of the tanks that burned during the March fire. 

Officials released a statement saying that pre-staged firefighters extinguished the fire immediately. 

Air monitoring during the incident did not identify any elevated benzene levels during the time of the fire, officials said. 

There were no reported injuries. 
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial fire response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:d6cb84d3fd30/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/Benzene-found-water-supply-fire/97/web/2019/04">
    <title>Benzene found in the water supply of fire-ravaged Paradise, California</title>
    <dc:date>2019-05-01T11:43:17+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/Benzene-found-water-supply-fire/97/web/2019/04</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[After the October 2017 Tubbs wildfire, the northern California town of Santa Rosa was blindsided when it discovered that some of its fire-damaged water systems were contaminated with the carcinogen benzene. This phenomenon, never before reported, threatened to add millions and months to recovery cost and time. Little more than a year later, it happened again.

In November 2018, the Camp Fire—California’s most destructive wildfire in history—leveled the town of Paradise. Water officials there now report they have discovered the same problem with benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that plagued Santa Rosa, but on an exponentially greater scale.

Whereas Santa Rosa will be replacing up to 500 service lines at a cost of several million dollars, Paradise has 10,500 affected lines—roughly 280 km of pipe. Paradise estimates replacing the pipes could cost as much as $300 million, and it may be 2 years before the city can provide safe drinking water to its residents. The legal limit in California for benzene in drinking water is 1 part per billion, while average levels in benzene-positive samples in Paradise have been 31 ppb.

The contamination in Santa Rosa and Paradise paints a grim picture for wildfire-vulnerable towns in the western US as climate change increases fire frequency and intensity. When only Santa Rosa was affected, people might have thought it was extra-bad luck. Now that it’s happened in Paradise also, “I have a feeling people are paying attention to this now,” says Jackson Webster, a water quality engineer at California State University, Chico. The need for water scientists and engineers to pay attention is great: there is no standard protocol to test water after a wildfire, let alone courses of action to prevent water system contamination.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene paints</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:3bb0199fb6f2/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.click2houston.com/news/rep-sylvia-garcia-to-host-itc-fire-town-hall">
    <title>Rep. Sylvia Garcia to host ITC fire town hall</title>
    <dc:date>2019-04-24T12:03:10+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.click2houston.com/news/rep-sylvia-garcia-to-host-itc-fire-town-hall</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HOUSTON - U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, will hold a town hall Wednesday about the recent fire at the ITC plant in Deer Park.

The meeting will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Milby High School Auditorium at 1601 Broadway St.

According to a press release about the event, Gacia will be joined by representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Chemical Safety Board, Harris County Public Health and the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office.

The discussion will focus on the impacts of the chemical facility fire that burned for nearly a week and released benzene into the surrounding area, according to the press release.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
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<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:3acbc19ab770/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Water-in-Paradise-site-of-worst-California-fire-13779109.php">
    <title>Water in Paradise, site of worst California fire, contaminated with cancer chemical</title>
    <dc:date>2019-04-19T11:43:23+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Water-in-Paradise-site-of-worst-California-fire-13779109.php</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[PARADISE (Butte County) — The drinking water in Paradise, where 85 people died in the worst wildfire in state history, is contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical benzene, water officials said.
Officials said they believe the contamination happened after the November firestorm created a “toxic cocktail” of gases in burning homes that got sucked into the water pipes as residents and firefighters drew water heavily, causing a vacuum in the system that sucked in the toxic fumes, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Officials say that may explain why benzene, which has been linked to anemia and leukemia, has been found in tests at various spots rather than from one source in Paradise, where 90 percent of buildings were decimated by the blaze.
Paradise Irrigation District officials say they have taken about 500 water samples around town, and they have found benzene 30% of the time.
“It is jaw-dropping,” said Dan Newton of the state Water Resources Control Board. “This is such a huge scale. None of us were prepared for this.”
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2019/04/12/329060/city-of-deer-park-says-level-of-benzene-detected-in-water-supply-wasnt-dangerous/">
    <title>City Of Deer Park Says Level Of Benzene Detected In Water Supply Wasn’t Dangerous – Houston Public Media</title>
    <dc:date>2019-04-13T14:00:33+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2019/04/12/329060/city-of-deer-park-says-level-of-benzene-detected-in-water-supply-wasnt-dangerous/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The company testing Deer Park’s drinking water supply in the aftermath of the massive fire at a petrochemical facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) detected a trace amount of benzene, but the city says the reading was below dangerous levels.
Benzene is a dangerous chemical that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked to cancer.
The City of Deer Park posted the information on Twitter on Thursday saying they had received a notification from Environdyne Laboratories Inc. regarding a benzene detection in drinking water that was recorded on March 31.
Please see the attached update…. pic.twitter.com/Nbz8Z01IDa
— City of Deer Park (@DEERPARKTXGOV) April 11, 2019
Nicholas Cook, supervisor of the Surface Water Plant, said the sample that tested positive was “at a level approximately five times lower than the drinking water standard.”
“Although we received reporting of the low-level presence for one day,” Cook said, “all of the results we have received show that our water is –and has been– safe for citizen consumption.” He added he contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and confirmed that the trace amount of benzene detected “would not cause short-term or long-term health effects to residents.”
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/itc-fire/lawsuit-hundreds-of-urine-samples-contaminated-in-transit-following-itc-fire/285-2117c716-c06f-4a6e-a741-67e6fde93677">
    <title>Lawsuit: Hundreds of urine samples contaminated in transit following ITC fire</title>
    <dc:date>2019-04-12T11:41:18+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/itc-fire/lawsuit-hundreds-of-urine-samples-contaminated-in-transit-following-itc-fire/285-2117c716-c06f-4a6e-a741-67e6fde93677</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[DEER PARK, Texas — Two Deer Park residents have filed a lawsuit against a third-party testing company claiming they contaminated urine samples after mishandling them during transit.

According to a court affidavit, Bruce and Rita Gale sought medical treatment at Community Health First Emergency Center on March 29 after “suffering symptoms consistent with chemical inhalation following the ITC industrial fire.”

During the fire at Intercontinental Terminal Co.’s Deer Park facility, area residents were ordered to shelter-in-place after action-levels of Benzene were detected by air quality monitors.

The plaintiffs said they submitted urine samples to be sent to a third-party testing facility to be tested for levels of Benzene exposure.

Their suit alleges they were told approximately 80 percent of the 500 urine samples couldn’t be tested due to contamination “yielded from LABCORPS mishandling of the samples during transit.”

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/3/31/houston-chemical-disaster-zone-too-hazardous-for-investigators">
    <title>Houston chemical disaster zone too hazardous for investigators</title>
    <dc:date>2019-04-01T09:19:09+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/3/31/houston-chemical-disaster-zone-too-hazardous-for-investigators</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HOUSTON (Bloomberg) -- Intercontinental Terminal Co. is still trying to drain millions of gallons of volatile oil byproducts from tanks damaged in the four-day blaze that began on March 17. The ground around the tanks is also saturated in dangerous fluids, severely restricting access to the facility 20 mi (32 km) east of downtown Houston. On Friday, the company said they may be able to allow some access early this week.

ITC and its top executive, Bernt Netland, have been chastised by elected officials for their handling of the unfolding disaster that cast a mile-high plume of black smoke over the fourth-largest American city for days, paralyzed its eastern suburbs and severed Houston’s waterborne access to the Gulf of Mexico. Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen’s probe of the event has so far been restricted to off-site interviews.

“We haven’t been able to gain access to the site yet,” said Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the fire marshal. “They’re still doing emergency operations and we need to wait until it’s safe for the investigators to go in.”

Benzene eruptions

Christensen’s investigators won’t enter the site until the remaining tanks are emptied and other hazards have been mitigated, Moreno said. Clouds of cancer-causing benzene have continued to waft over the disaster site as well as nearby factories and suburbs, including one early Friday, according to ITC.

Oil tankers and other ships headed for the manufacturing nexus along the Houston Ship Channel have been backing up in Galveston Bay and the Gulf because of runoff from ITC’s facility that polluted the waterway. The U.S. Coast Guard commander for the region said he doesn’t know when things may return to normal.

Almost 20 mi of rubber barriers have been deployed to halt the spread of the oily sheen and protect oyster beds. Ferry service in the area remains shut down and the annual re-enactment of the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto that won Texas independence from Mexico has been canceled.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up response benzene petroleum runoff</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://earther.gizmodo.com/1-000-locals-reportedly-seek-treatment-after-multi-day-1833518984">
    <title>1,000 Locals Reportedly Seek Treatment After Multi-Day Fire at Houston Chemical Facility</title>
    <dc:date>2019-03-24T11:11:49+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://earther.gizmodo.com/1-000-locals-reportedly-seek-treatment-after-multi-day-1833518984</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Roughly 1,000 people sought treatment at a pop-up treatment center for symptoms including nausea, headaches, and respiratory problems after Intercontinental Terminals Co.’s (ITC) chemical storage facility in Deer Park, Houston caught fire this week, Bloomberg reported on Friday, with at least 15 cases dubbed serious enough to warrant a transfer to local emergency rooms.

The massive fire broke out on March 17, releasing over 9 million pounds of pollutants into the region, and was eventually extinguished on March 20. The catastrophe also released large amounts of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical, in the form of vapor after the fire was put out. On Thursday, benzene levels detected near the facility spiked to 190.68 parts per billion, exceeding Texas Commission on Environmental Quality one-hour maximum safe exposure limits of 180 parts per billion. (The TCEQ wrote that level of exposure would cause “no lasting effects.”)

On Friday, Bloomberg reported, a wall at the facility collapsed amid another blaze, resulting in contamination of and a temporary shutdown of the busy Houston Ship Channel:

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/3/21/black-plumes-replaced-by-cancer-causing-benzene-fumes-in-houston-after-chemical-fire-extinguished-as-expected">
    <title>Black plumes replaced by cancer-causing benzene fumes in Houston after chemical fire extinguished, as expected</title>
    <dc:date>2019-03-23T13:45:34+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/3/21/black-plumes-replaced-by-cancer-causing-benzene-fumes-in-houston-after-chemical-fire-extinguished-as-expected</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HOUSTON (Bloomberg) -- Even after the four-day fire is out at a Houston-area chemical storage complex, the real danger has emerged.

Cancer-causing benzene wafted across suburbs of the fourth-largest U.S. city Thursday, shutting roads, schools and industrial plants, and disrupting normal life for half a day. A major oil refinery in the heart of North America’s most important fuel-producing region told workers to stay home and the Texas National Guard deployed troops to assist with air monitoring. The benzene probably arose from charred chemical tanks as overnight winds stirred remnants of their contents, owner Intercontinental Terminals Co. said.

Even after the working-class suburb of Deer Park rescinded an order telling everyone to shut their windows and stay inside around lunchtime, the reprieve may be temporary, scientists warned. Warm temperatures that are swirling the air and dispersing toxic fumes will disappear after sunset, potentially allowing benzene to settle at ground level, said Jeff Evans, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service’s Houston office.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up environmental benzene petroleum</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/itc-fire/researchers-local-agencies-collecting-water-samples-from-galveston-bay-after-itc-fire/285-32a18b9d-d530-4ad9-8888-8bf38cfbbdb1">
    <title>ITC Deer Park benzene scare: Community near Houston advised to test well water</title>
    <dc:date>2019-03-22T11:42:59+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/itc-fire/researchers-local-agencies-collecting-water-samples-from-galveston-bay-after-itc-fire/285-32a18b9d-d530-4ad9-8888-8bf38cfbbdb1</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HOUSTON — The Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University researchers said they will collect water samples from Galveston Bay to measure what pollutants might be flowing from the shipping channel near the ITC fire, according to the Associated Press.

The samples will be collected Friday and will be tested for such chemicals as benzene and toluene.

Elena Craft, a senior health scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the researchers will get real-time results for most pollutants. She said samples will also be collected to test for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS, which are found in foam firefighters were using Thursday to prevent flare-ups at ITC in Deer Park.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public follow-up environmental benzene toluene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Deer-Park-residents-try-to-cope-with-after-13707517.php">
    <title>Deer Park residents try to cope with concerns over air quality</title>
    <dc:date>2019-03-22T11:39:13+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Deer-Park-residents-try-to-cope-with-after-13707517.php</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Shannon McDuff tasted something sweet in the back of her throat. She figured it was from the benzene.

While she has faith in those dealing with the aftermath of a chemical blaze at a Deer Park plant, McDuff said she cannot ignore concerns over the detection of the known carcinogen, which Thursday morning briefly triggered a shelter-in-place order in the city .

“I am scared, though,” she said. “I’m scared right now for my body.”

The 48-year-old sat among dozens of others waiting for screenings in the afternoon at Harris County Public Health’s mobile clinic at a Deer Park activity center on West 13th Street. Some seeking treatment at the clinic assumed that their symptoms were triggered by the fire that formed a plume of black smoke over the Houston area.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/California-wildfires-caused-unexpected-benzene/96/i26">
    <title>California wildfires caused unexpected benzene contamination of drinking water</title>
    <dc:date>2018-06-20T11:25:27+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/California-wildfires-caused-unexpected-benzene/96/i26</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[As the 2018 wildfire season begins in the western U.S., part of Northern California is still grappling with previously unrecognized and wholly unanticipated damage from fires that burned 15,000 hectares and devastated the state’s wine country last year.
In addition to destroying more than 8,000 structures and killing 44 people, those fires unexpectedly also caused persistent contamination by the carcinogen benzene in the water infrastructure in a Santa Rosa neighborhood.
First detected in November, the benzene levels persisted for months, and Santa Rosa city officials feared a large portion of their water system would have to be replaced­—a project they estimated would take two years and cost $43 million. Gradually, however, benzene levels dropped, most dramatically in the past few weeks, and a full system replacement may not be necessary. Nevertheless, the city will still be replacing up to 500 service lines at a cost of $3.4 million and supplying activated-charcoal filters to affected residents to ensure benzene levels fall below California’s limit of 1 ppb for drinking water.
The situation took the water supply industry and government agencies by surprise. Water experts say it’s likely to spur new research on the relationship between fires and water contamination and on ways to prevent such contamination.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:6dc452b29a18/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2018/02/27/cancer-causing-chemical-detected-in-fountaingrove-drinking-water/">
    <title>Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Some Santa Rosa Drinking Water</title>
    <dc:date>2018-02-28T12:38:14+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2018/02/27/cancer-causing-chemical-detected-in-fountaingrove-drinking-water/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Some drinking water in Santa Rosa remains undrinkable months after the North Bay fires, and pressure is mounting on the city’s water department to locate and control the cause.

“The city is very interested to get people back and rebuilt into their homes, of course, as soon as possible,” says Bennett Horenstein, the City of Santa Rosa’s Water Director.

‘This contamination is certainly attributable to the fire.’
Bennett Horenstein, Santa Rosa Water Department
Fire savaged the neighborhood around Fountaingrove parkway last October. Where more than 350 families once lived, 13 homes remain standing. In November, people returning to the neighborhood complained of foul smelling and tasting water.

Engineers for Santa Rosa’s water department isolated water service for Fountaingrove, in an aim to prevent wider contamination. The department ordered residents not to drink or boil the water there. Then its tests found benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public discovery environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:e93656b307af/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://cbslocal.com/2018/01/31/water-contaminated-benzene-santa-rosa-wildfire/">
    <title>Water Contaminated With Benzene In Santa Rosa Area Ravaged By Wildfire</title>
    <dc:date>2018-01-31T12:29:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://cbslocal.com/2018/01/31/water-contaminated-benzene-santa-rosa-wildfire/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[SANTA ROSA (KPIX 5) — The city of Santa Rosa is urging people in parts of the Fountaingrove neighborhood, where half the homes burned down in the Tubbs Fire, not to drink the water.

Don’t even drink it after boiling it, city officials say.

The water supply is contaminated with benzene.

The city, experts and regulators can’t figure out how the benzene is getting into the supply, let alone how to fix it.

This is just the latest blow for some families recovering from the wine country wildfires.

The highly toxic chemical is found in the water in the Fountaingrove area and the city is stumped about the source.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_ca public release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:9863298cda8e/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.theobserver.ca/2018/01/12/sirens-sound-at-imperial-oil">
    <title>Incidents reported at 3 Chemical Valley sites</title>
    <dc:date>2018-01-13T12:31:22+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.theobserver.ca/2018/01/12/sirens-sound-at-imperial-oil</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Weather is believed to have been a factor in a release of hydrocarbons traced to a pipeline in an industrial incident reported Friday morning at the Imperial Oil manufacturing site in Sarnia.

Sirens at the site sounded at approximately 8 a.m., the company said in a news release.

The Arlanxeo production site in Sarnia also reported an incident Friday morning, and Nova Chemicals said it is investigating a benzene release Thursday evening at its Corunna site where weather was also believed to be a factor.

Imperial Oil said its staff responded to the release involving the pipeline located on the company’s production site.

Air monitoring was initiated and Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change notified, the company said.

“An initial analysis indicates this release and others we have had at our site recently are related to the extreme cold weather conditions,” company spokesperson Kristina Zimmer said in an e-mail.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>Canada industrial release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:f36c638c79ae/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/alabama_site_off_superfund.html">
    <title>Alabama site off EPA Superfund list 52 years after chemical spill</title>
    <dc:date>2018-01-07T16:10:49+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/alabama_site_off_superfund.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[A chemical spill site near the north Baldwin County community of Perdido has been officially removed from a list of the country's most polluted places more than 50 years after a train derailment contaminated the local groundwater with benzene. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week it has deleted the Perdido Groundwater Contamination Site from its Superfund National Priorities List, signaling that "no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment," according to the EPA announcement. 

According to EPA progress reports, all monitoring wells at the site have showed benzene levels at less than 5 micrograms per liter of water for five consecutive years, as required in the cleanup plan, paving the way for the site to be removed from the list.

Disaster in slow-motion

The site had been on the Superfund list since 1983, but the derailment that caused the pollution occurred in 1965.

It's an event that most anybody who was around at the time would remember, with 21 cars derailing in the midst of the unincorporated community and -- two days later -- sparking an explosion that destroyed three houses and a handful of sheds, sent flames soaring over the trees and ignited a fire that burned for 24 hours. 

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_AL public follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://newburghgazette.com/2017/09/10/harvey-fallout-first-responders-sue-over-chemical-plant/">
    <title>Harvey fallout: First responders sue over chemical plant fumes</title>
    <dc:date>2017-09-11T11:14:56+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://newburghgazette.com/2017/09/10/harvey-fallout-first-responders-sue-over-chemical-plant/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The action was taken Sunday evening at the Arkema facility at Crosby, Texas, northeast of Houston, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The government issued the evacuation of a 1.5-mile radius around the plant.

Two explosions in the middle of the night blew open a trailer containing the chemicals, lighting up the sky with 30- to 40-foot flames.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants answers from Arkema.

The complaint also states that the plaintiffs relied on Arkema executives' assurances during a press conference that the fumes were not toxic, and suffered as a result.

In all, fifteen sheriff's deputies complained of respiratory irritation.

Texas-sized damage followed Harvey's flood: Hundreds of thousands of homes stinking; a million cars wrecked; more than a million pounds of benzene and other unsafe material escaped from factories and refineries.

Arkema identified hurricanes, flooding and power failures as risks to the site almost a decade ago. "Crosby-Plant/" target="_blank">more fires on the afternoon of September 1, as more chemicals began igniting.

An Arkema spokeswoman Thursday afternoon promised the company would release a statement later in the day. It is unclear whether the plant was up to date on its risk assessment protocol, but the company is known to have been up to date with submitting its risk management plan to the EPA, having filed its most recent one for that facility in 2014. A total of twenty-one emergency responders received treatment at hospitals for smoke inhalation and nausea, local officials have said. It came, instead, by way of the plant's workers, who told the Crosby Volunteer Fire Department about it when they were rescued during the hurricane, she said. Arkema denied the allegations.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up injury benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:e3cce9648db1/</dc:identifier>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/07/harveys-wake-critics-see-big-money-behind-lax-petrochemical-reporting/">
    <title>In Harvey's wake, critics see big money behind lax petrochemical reporting</title>
    <dc:date>2017-09-07T11:32:08+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/07/harveys-wake-critics-see-big-money-behind-lax-petrochemical-reporting/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Unlike any past storm — natural or man-made — Hurricane Harvey has exposed the fault lines between the politically powerful Texas petrochemical industry and the public’s right to know what dangers lie within their facilities. 

In Crosby, on the outskirts of Houston, French-owned Arkema refused to provide the public an inventory of the  substances inside its chemical plant even as they were burning and causing mandatory evacuations. Along flood-stricken petrochemical row near the Houston ship channel, meanwhile, city officials detected a huge spike in cancer-causing benzene outside a refinery this week — while the state’s environmental protection agency temporarily suspended certain spill and emission reporting rules in Harvey’s wake.

Critics point to a common thread in the light-handed regulations from state government: campaign money from oil and chemical companies flowing like floodwaters into the coffers of top Texas leaders. Those leaders have said in the past that campaign money has no role in their decision-making process.

The top recipient of industry money in Texas is Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who in 2014 ruled that Texas health officials no longer have to provide citizens with plants’ chemical inventories under state transparency laws. It was also Abbott who granted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s request to temporarily suspend certain emission reporting requirements for permitted facilities. 

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial follow-up environmental benzene petroleum</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/09/04/chemical-companies-have-already-released-1-million-pounds-of-extra-air-pollutants-thanks-to-harvey/">
    <title>Chemical companies have already released 1 million pounds of extra air pollutants, thanks to Harvey</title>
    <dc:date>2017-09-05T11:14:06+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/09/04/chemical-companies-have-already-released-1-million-pounds-of-extra-air-pollutants-thanks-to-harvey/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Oil refineries and chemical plants across the Texas Gulf Coast released more than 1 million pounds of dangerous air pollutants in the week after Harvey struck, according to public regulatory filings aggregated by the Center for Biological Diversity.

While attention has zeroed in on the crisis at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Tex., other facilities — oil refineries, chemical plants and shale drilling sites — have been reporting flaring, leaks and chemical discharges triggered by Harvey.

Emissions have already exceeded permitted levels, after floating rooftops sank on oil storage tanks, chemical storage tanks overflowed with rainwater, and broken valves and shutdown procedures triggered flaring at refineries.

The chemicals released in the week after Harvey made landfall, including benzene, 1,3-butadiene, hexane, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, toluene and xylene.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX industrial release environmental benzene hexane hydrogen_sulfide sulfur_dioxide toluene xylene</dc:subject>
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<item rdf:about="http://fuelfix.com/blog/2017/05/18/storage-company-vopak-fined-for-chemical-emissions/">
    <title>Storage company Vopak fined for chemical emissions</title>
    <dc:date>2017-05-19T11:47:53+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://fuelfix.com/blog/2017/05/18/storage-company-vopak-fined-for-chemical-emissions/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Vopak Logistics Services USA, part of the Dutch chemical storage company Royal Vopak, was fined $2.5 million for violations of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday.

The EPA claims the company’s mismanagement of equipment released chemicals — including acetone and benzene — into a wastewater treatment system. EPA also alleged that Vopak didn’t follow federal regulations for flaring.

As part of the settlement with the EPA, Vopak will install infrared cameras to detect pollution coming from chemical storage tanks at its Deer Park facility in Harris County.

Chemical emissions, such as chemical solvents or car exhaust, can interact with the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight to create ozone, which can be harmful to human health. The Clean Air Act regulates ozone amount present in the atmosphere.

Vopak’s fine will be split between federal government and the state of Texas. The settlement is still subject to final court approval and a 30-day public comment period. Click here for information on how to comment.
 ]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public discovery environmental acetone benzene illegal water_treatment</dc:subject>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://buffalonews.com/2016/11/18/dec-air-data-shows-carcinogenic-vinyl-chloride-benzene-levels-elevated-lackawanna-fire/">
    <title>Carcinogenic smoke was high during Bethlehem fire, DEC data shows</title>
    <dc:date>2016-11-19T11:09:46+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://buffalonews.com/2016/11/18/dec-air-data-shows-carcinogenic-vinyl-chloride-benzene-levels-elevated-lackawanna-fire/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[In the hour around noon last Thursday, the air at the Bocce Courts on Madison Avenue in Lackawanna contained 180 times more carcinogenic benzene than background levels, according to air quality monitoring data.

The data -- which also showed elevated levels of the suspected carcinogens vinyl chloride, butadiene and styrene and higher levels of toluene at air monitoring devices in neighborhoods near the fire -- was revealed Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC and state health officials said the results were not unlike what would be expected to occur in the air nearby a large industrial fire like the one that erupted at the former Bethlehem Steel plant coal mill on Route 5 in Lackawanna.

"They found what we expect to be typical constituents of fires," said Dr. Nathan Graber, of the state health department's Center for Environmental Health. during a conference call Wednesday.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_NY industrial follow-up response benzene styrene toluene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/shell-faces-133000-penalty-for-2015-chemical-release-in-anacortes/">
    <title>Shell faces $133,000 penalty for smelly chemical release in Anacortes</title>
    <dc:date>2016-11-18T12:28:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/shell-faces-133000-penalty-for-2015-chemical-release-in-anacortes/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[ANACORTES, Wash. — Shell Puget Sound Refinery faces a $133,000 penalty for a 2015 chemical release that prompted complaints from people living near the Anacortes facility.

The Northwest Clean Air Agency, which enforces air quality regulations, on Wednesday also found the refinery failed to follow certain practices to minimize emissions.

In a statement, Shell says that while it regrets this odor incident, the company took immediate steps to minimize the impact. It says it values the safety of employees and the community.

The agency alleged in April that Shell did not follow shutdown and decontamination procedures while cleaning the refinery’s east flare system. It says the refinery released certain chemicals, including benzene, into the atmosphere.

Winds carried those chemicals, and hundreds reported symptoms such as headaches and nausea. Many complaints came from people living in La Conner, or working and living on the Swinomish Reservation.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_WA industrial follow-up response benzene illegal</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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<item rdf:about="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2016/oct/everyday-exposure-indigenous-mobilization-and-environmental-justice-in-canada2019s-chemical-valley">
    <title>Indigenous mobilization and environmental justice in Canada’s Chemical Valley — Environmental Health News</title>
    <dc:date>2016-10-11T11:11:28+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2016/oct/everyday-exposure-indigenous-mobilization-and-environmental-justice-in-canada2019s-chemical-valley</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Home is both refuge and prison for citizens of Canada’s Chemical Valley.

There, human and more-than-human residents dwell on a threshold between a state of normalcy and emergency. Chemical Valley is a heavy industrial zone, located in southwestern Ontario and responsible for approximately 40 percent of Canada’s chemical manufacturing, with sixty-two plants on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. It is Ontario’s worst air pollution hotspot.

Chemicals from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s industrial neighbours include benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and sulphur dioxide. In Chemical Valley, individuals must be prepared for hazardous incidents at any given time. In general, alerts occur in the case of a chemical spill, fire, explosion, nuclear emergency, extreme weather event, or transportation accident. In Aamjiwnaang, such occurrences have become the norm.]]></description>
<dc:subject>Canada public discovery environmental benzene hydrogen_sulfide radiation sulfur_dioxide</dc:subject>
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<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:6f55aca669ab/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:public"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:discovery"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:environmental"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:hydrogen_sulfide"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:radiation"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:sulfur_dioxide"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.khou.com/news/local/benzene-spill-closes-part-of-houston-ship-channel/273174984">
    <title>Houston Ship Channel reopens after benzene spill</title>
    <dc:date>2016-07-15T11:24:46+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.khou.com/news/local/benzene-spill-closes-part-of-houston-ship-channel/273174984</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HOUSTON - The Houston Ship Channel has reopened after a benzene spill Thursday afternoon.


Coast Guard crews and a Hazmat team from Harris County worked to clean up about 500 gallons of benzene spilled from a tanker.

The leak was  secured but a small portion of the benzene entered the water, according to the Coast Guard.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX transportation release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:edd2f8676df8/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:us_TX"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:transportation"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/02/20/hazmat-called-to-chemical-spill-at-pitt-science-building/">
    <title>Hazmat Called To Chemical Spill At Pitt Science Building</title>
    <dc:date>2016-02-21T20:10:00+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/02/20/hazmat-called-to-chemical-spill-at-pitt-science-building/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A hazmat team was called to a University of Pittsburgh Department of Chemistry building for a chemical spill Saturday afternoon.

Hazmat responded to the report of a benzene chloride spill at the Chevron Science Center on Parkman Avenue around 1 p.m.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_PA laboratory release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:d88ceb48af19/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:laboratory"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/utility-understated-levels-of-cancer-causing-chemical-from-gas-leak/">
    <title>​Utility understated levels of cancer-causing chemical from gas leak</title>
    <dc:date>2016-01-15T12:38:48+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/utility-understated-levels-of-cancer-causing-chemical-from-gas-leak/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES -- The utility whose leaking natural gas well has driven thousands of Los Angeles residents from their homes acknowledged Thursday that it understated the number of times airborne levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene have spiked during the crisis.

Southern California Gas Co. had been saying on its website and in emails to The Associated Press that just two air samples over the past three months showed elevated concentrations of the compound. But after the AP inquired about discrepancies in the data, SoCalGas admitted higher-than-normal readings had been found at least 14 times.

SoCalGas spokeswoman Kristine Lloyd said it was "an oversight" that was being corrected. The utility continued to assert that the leak has posed no long-term risk to the public.

The company was given repeated opportunities to explain its conclusions but couldn't, CBS Los Angeles reported.

"I don't know what would explain it," spokeswoman Melissa Bailey told the station.

Public health officials have likewise said they do not expect any long-term health problems. But some outside experts insist the data is too thin to say that with any certainty. For one thing, it is unclear whether the benzene fumes persisted long enough to exceed state exposure limits.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA public release response benzene natural_gas</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:8795074bd70c/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:public"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:natural_gas"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/24/school-closed-for-toxic-plume-testing/">
    <title>School closed for testing decades after chemical leak</title>
    <dc:date>2015-11-25T12:52:53+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/24/school-closed-for-toxic-plume-testing/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[EL CAJON — Usually the hub of its working-class community, Magnolia Elementary School sits vacant while scientists conduct tests commissioned to ease concerns over a toxic groundwater plume that stretches beneath campus decades after a chemical leak at the neighboring aerospace plant.

All but three of the school’s 21 teachers and 500 of the 700 students packed up and moved into temporary accommodations two miles away at the Bostonia Language Academy for the school year — at a cost of about $800,000 (largely for school bus transportation and portable classrooms) to be picked up by Ametek, the plant’s former owner.

The company will also foot the bill for a new campus ventilation system, and tests — estimated to cost $300 a day — overseen by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control.

State regulators, Ametek and the Cajon Valley Union School District-hired specialists have done considerable testing of ambient classroom air and soil gases over the years, with both showing the levels of toxins (including trichloroethylene and benzene) at the school are safe under federal and state guidelines. Air and soil monitoring was conducted annually until August 2012, when Ametek started quarterly tests after the state directed the plant to increase the frequency of air sampling because of new regulations.

The school board decided to shutter Magnolia this school year while longer-term tests are conducted in every space — from the cafeteria to classrooms to offices — to put to rest any speculation that the campus might be unsafe.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CA industrial release response benzene toxics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:4eef654ac8b0/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:toxics"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.newswest9.com/story/30265012/volatile-chemicals-identified-at-abandoned-oil-drum-site">
    <title>Chemicals Discovered at Industrial Site</title>
    <dc:date>2015-10-15T11:11:37+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.newswest9.com/story/30265012/volatile-chemicals-identified-at-abandoned-oil-drum-site</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[ECTOR COUNTY, Texas -
Environmental Protection Agency officials released more information about chemicals detected at an abandoned oil drum operation at Marco Avenue and Market Street.

Thousands of steel and plastic containers at the site have been leaking toxins into the ground, contaminating water wells and creating significant fire hazards, NewsWest 9 previously reported.

Approximately 15,000 drums were left on the 4.5-acre plot of land after a company that operated under the names "Ector Drum" and "Lone Star Drum" went out of business in 2011, according to Bill Rhotenberry, a federal on-scene coordinator with the EPA.

"We're seeing some BTEX chemicals [at the site]," he told NewsWest 9. "Those are volatile chemicals that are commonly found in crude oil and oil field chemicals."

"BTEX" chemicals include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes. Prolonged exposure to the chemicals has been linked to brain damage, increased risk of cancer and groundwater contamination.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_TX public discovery response benzene petroleum toluene toxics xylene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:1bd11dcae79f/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:public"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:discovery"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:petroleum"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:toluene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:toxics"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:xylene"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/04/Fracking-Activities-Pollute-Nearby-Air.html">
    <title>Fracking Activities Pollute Nearby Air With Carcinogenic Hydrocarbons</title>
    <dc:date>2015-04-09T11:47:15+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/04/Fracking-Activities-Pollute-Nearby-Air.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Hydraulic fracturing activities to extract natural gas can release carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air, a new study shows (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/es506095e). In some cases, the estimated exposure of nearby residents to these compounds exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum acceptable risk level for cancer.
Many researchers and community leaders are concerned about the human health impacts of air and water pollution from hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, and the limited environmental regulation of the industry in the U.S. Fracking can release carcinogens such as benzene into the air along with other volatile organic compounds that are precursors of smog, which can contribute to asthma and other respiratory illnesses (Sci. Total Environ. 2012, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.02.018).
But few studies have examined the impact of fracking on airborne PAHs, larger molecules that are also linked with cancer and respiratory illness (Atmos. Environ. 2008, DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.12.010). The compounds are present in fossil fuels and are also products of their combustion—for example, they’re found in the exhaust of truck traffic near fracking sites.]]></description>
<dc:subject>industrial discovery environmental benzene methane natural_gas</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:b78d136e0fe7/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:discovery"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:environmental"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:methane"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:natural_gas"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.kfyrtv.com/home/headlines/Water-Tests-After-Oil-Spill-in-Glendive--289183621.html">
    <title>Water Tests After Oil Spill in Glendive Reveal Toxic Chemical</title>
    <dc:date>2015-01-21T11:49:57+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.kfyrtv.com/home/headlines/Water-Tests-After-Oil-Spill-in-Glendive--289183621.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The first water tests in Glendive, Mont., shows high levels of a toxic chemical after an oil spill on Saturday. According to the city website, Benzene, which is a main component of crude oil, has been found in the water tested last night.

The Dawson County Health Department is advising people not to drink or cook with municipal water.

The city is trucking in clean water and there is 48 hours of water in reserve.

Bridger Pipeline says one of its lines leaked oil for an hour before the leak was found and the line was shut in. The company estimates that up to 12,000 barrels or more than 50,000 gallons leaked.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_MT transportation release response benzene petroleum</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:7470c4e28f57/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:us_MT"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:transportation"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:response"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:petroleum"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://wvrecord.com/news/271670-woman-blames-axiall-for-benzene-exposure">
    <title>Woman blames Axiall for benzene exposure</title>
    <dc:date>2015-01-06T20:17:22+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://wvrecord.com/news/271670-woman-blames-axiall-for-benzene-exposure</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[MOUNDSVILLE – A woman is suing Axiall Corporation after she claims she was exposed to a harmful chemical during her employment.

Vicki L. Bowen was a member of the International Chemical Workers Council of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 45C for a number of years, according to a complaint filed Oct. 23 in Marshall Circuit Court.

Bowen claims she was employed by Axiall Corporation and its predecessor PPG from 1977 until June 2013 and was exposed to benzene during her employment.

“Bowen’s exposure to benzene at the Marshall County facility was a proximate cause of her development of myelodysplastic syndrome … diagnosed in January 2014,” the complaint states.

As a direct and proximate result of Bowen’s development of MDS, she has been severely injured, disabled and damaged, according to the suit.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_WV industrial follow-up injury benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:1f6caceb7850/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:us_WV"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:industrial"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:follow-up"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:injury"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/fracking-chemicals-health-endocrine-disruptors_n_6273660.html">
    <title>Big-Picture Study Of Fracking Operations Suggests Even Small Chemical Exposures Pose Risks</title>
    <dc:date>2014-12-06T15:04:22+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/fracking-chemicals-health-endocrine-disruptors_n_6273660.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[April Lane's work often brings her to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she monitors pollution from natural gas production sites around the area's rich shale reserves. Exposure to toxins, she says, have left her with chronic headaches, nausea and a hesitancy to have more children.  

"I've decided having another baby is probably not going to happen for me. I'm too scared of what the health effects might be," said Lane, 28, of Little Rock, a mother of one and an environmental health advocate who has led citizen groups in tracking threats from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, operations.

A paper published Friday in Reviews on Environmental Health may give credence to her personal suspicions. The paper suggests that even tiny doses of benzene, toluene and other chemicals released during the various phases of oil and natural gas production, including fracking, could pose serious health risks -- especially to developing fetuses, babies and young children.

"We hear a lot of anecdotal stories all the time," said Dr. Sheila Bushkin-Bedient, of the Institute for Health and the Environment at University at Albany-SUNY and co-author on the paper, "but now that we've had a decade of opportunity to observe the ill effects from these chemicals on people and animals, the evidence is no longer just anecdotal."]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_AR public discovery injury benzene methane natural_gas toluene toxics</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:7fbb25c44545/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:us_AR"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:public"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:discovery"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:injury"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:methane"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:natural_gas"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:toluene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:toxics"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/141201/3rd-ld-3-injured-e-china-chemical-warehouse-blasts">
    <title>3rd Ld: 3 injured in E China chemical warehouse blasts</title>
    <dc:date>2014-12-02T11:55:19+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/141201/3rd-ld-3-injured-e-china-chemical-warehouse-blasts</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[WENZHOU, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Three people were injured, two seriously, as blasts ripped through chemical warehouses in east China's Wenzhou City on Monday, authorities said.

One of the two seriously injured victims suffered burns covering up to 94 percent of the body, while another had burns covering 55 percent, according to hospital sources.

The fire was under control as of 5 p.m.

The explosion happened at around 2 p.m. at the Wenzhou Chemical Market on Niushanbei Road. The warehouses are mostly used for storing chemicals.

A tanker inside the market caught fire first and ignited the warehouses, according to market staff.

"The chemicals are mainly methyl alcohol and benzene, and we heard several blasts," said one worker at the market.]]></description>
<dc:subject>China industrial explosion injury benzene ethanol</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:af5087e246fa/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:China"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:industrial"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:explosion"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:injury"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:ethanol"/>
</rdf:Bag></taxo:topics>
</item>
<item rdf:about="http://wtvr.com/2014/09/26/henrico-hazmat-situation/">
    <title>Office evacuated after test tubes shatter in Innsbrook</title>
    <dc:date>2014-09-27T17:04:47+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://wtvr.com/2014/09/26/henrico-hazmat-situation/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico HAZMAT teams responded to the Department of Environmental Quality offices along Cox Road in Innsbrook after two test tubes shattered.

An “aromatic” chemical was released and prompted the HAZMAT response, Henrico Fire spokesman Capt. Danny Rosenbaum said.

The first chemical is believed to have been in the benzene family, Rosenbaum said. While there was no confirmation on the specific chemical, he said it was not considered a hazard.

Once the HAZMAT team cleaned up the initial spill, crews smelled what the thought was a gas leak in the area. Henrico Fire crews later said there was no gas leak and continued to investigate the source of the smell.

A secondary clean-up contractor was called in to conduct an air quality testing before building will be reopened.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_VA laboratory release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:d80665efc410/</dc:identifier>
<taxo:topics><rdf:Bag>	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:us_VA"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:laboratory"/>
	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:release"/>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:benzene"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/14/technology/apple-toxic-chemicals/">
    <title>Apple bans toxic chemicals from manufacturing</title>
    <dc:date>2014-08-15T10:44:36+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/14/technology/apple-toxic-chemicals/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[After years of controversy surrounding the treatment of its factory workers, Apple decided Thursday to eliminate the use of two toxic chemicals in its manufacturing process.
Lisa Jackson, vice president of environmental initiatives at Apple (AAPL, Tech30), says the computer company will prohibit the use of benzene and n-hexane in the assembly of its electronics. Benzene is a carcinogen associated with leukemia, and workers who are exposed to high concentrations of n-hexane in large doses can develop nerve damage, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Jackson said the company had recently "received some questions" about whether chemicals were being used at Apple. So she dispatched investigators into Apple's 22 factories and "found no evidence of workers' health being put at risk."
She said the company's restrictions on unsafe chemicals have been updated to make sure the two chemicals are not used in the manufacturing process.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>industrial discovery environmental benzene hexane</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:5c91aa79e604/</dc:identifier>
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	<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/t:hexane"/>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/chemical-stash-raises-alarm-byron-bay/2248812/">
    <title>Chemical stash raises alarm in Byron Bay</title>
    <dc:date>2014-05-05T11:33:13+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/chemical-stash-raises-alarm-byron-bay/2248812/</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[NSW Fire Brigade's HazMat unit was called to a housing commission residence in Gordon Street Byron Bay this afternoon after a cleaner found a stash of chemicals and raised an alarm.

The home's occupant had recently passed away and when a cleaner was employed to spruce thing up the quantity of exotic-sounding thinning agents aroused suspicion.

Chemicals included methyl benzene, formic acid, ethyl acetate, glycerine and a petroleum-based solvent.

Fire crews responded to the clean up wearing safety suits and spent several hours at the scene.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>Australia public discovery response benzene cleaners ethyl_acetate petroleum solvent</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:e15c5a8e22c8/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.wibc.com/news/story.aspx?ID=2117448">
    <title>Hazmat Crews Investigate Benzene Spill on Southwest Side</title>
    <dc:date>2014-01-30T12:31:53+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.wibc.com/news/story.aspx?ID=2117448</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Hazmat crews were called to the scene of a possible benzene spill Wednesday night at a plant on the city's southwest side.

Captain Mike Pruitt with the Wayne Township Fire Department says officials at the Vertellus Specialties plant at 1500 South Tibbs Avenue were concerned of a possible benzene leak and one of their employees had been exposed.  Hazmat crews found a crack in a 10,000 gallon tank which had been emptied but may have had residual product inside.

Pruitt says the employee had been exposed to benzene vapor.  He was decontaminated and taken to Eskenazi Health in good condition.

Investigators believe the tank was cracked while employees were steam cleaning it.  Pruitt says no actual benzene product spilled out of the tank.

Pruitt says Vertellus officials immediately began monitoring the area around the plant and found no danger.  Fire department crews found no additional danger inside the plant.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_IN industrial release response benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:8316e1078a5f/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/oeh/2013/00000019/00000004/art00001">
    <title>War on Carcinogens: Industry Disputes Human Relevance of Chemical...</title>
    <dc:date>2013-10-16T11:37:27+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/oeh/2013/00000019/00000004/art00001</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Evidence from studies in animals is essential for identifying chemicals likely to cause or contribute to many diseases in humans, including cancers. Yet, to avoid or delay the implementation of protective public health standards, the chemical industry typically denies cancer causation by agents they produce. The spurious arguments put forward to discount human relevance are often based on inadequately tested hypotheses or modes of action that fail to meet Bradford Hill criteria for causation. We term the industry attacks on the relevance of animal cancer findings as the “War on Carcinogens.” Unfortunately, this tactic has been effective in preventing timely and appropriate health protective actions on many economically important yet carcinogenic chemicals, including: arsenic, asbestos, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, phthalates, tobacco usage, trichloroethylene [TCE], and others. Recent examples of the “War on Carcinogens” are chemicals causing kidney cancer in animals. Industry consultants argue that kidney tumor findings in rats with exacerbated chronic progressive nephropathy (CPN) are not relevant to humans exposed to these chemicals. We dispute and dismiss this unsubstantiated claim with data and facts, and divulge unprofessional actions from a leading toxicology journal.
]]></description>
<dc:subject>industrial discovery environmental asbestos benzene formaldehyde methylene_chloride</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/hazmat-on-scene-at-hillcrest-industries">
    <title>Hazmat on scene at Hillcrest Industries</title>
    <dc:date>2012-09-30T23:36:47+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/hazmat-on-scene-at-hillcrest-industries</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[ATTICA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Dressed in hazmat gear from head to toe, crews have begun cutting through the burning, mountain of material at Hillcrest Industries in an effort to stop the fire and the spreading stench for good.

EPA Public Affairs Officer Mike Basile says, " it's sad that the company and other agencies involved didn't address an activity like this sometime ago."

Basile from the environmental protection agency says crews are doing live air monitoring at the site. This wasn't until the EPA released results of a recent study showing levels of benzene-- a known carcinogen-- in the Attica air.

"At the present time we don't show anything coming off the site that would inhibit the activities on the site or hurt anyone in the community," says Basile. "What looks like a giant fire hydrant atop the 40-foot high pile, is actually an atomizer. it's one of several set up around the site, spraying water to stop the spread of any particles into the neighborhood."

Crews are also soaking the debris, using water cannons, but neighbor Erin Cecere had to take matters into her own hands.

]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_NY industrial fire injury benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://washingtonexaminer.com/deq-investigates-benzene-spill-at-exxonmobil-br/article/feed/2005320">
    <title>DEQ investigates benzene spill at ExxonMobil BR</title>
    <dc:date>2012-06-22T17:11:03+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://washingtonexaminer.com/deq-investigates-benzene-spill-at-exxonmobil-br/article/feed/2005320</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — ExxonMobil says the benzene release June 14 at its chemical plant in Baton Rouge was far bigger than the 10 pounds reported then, and could be as much as 28,700 pounds.

That estimate is in a required report to the state Department of Environmental Quality about the spill of naphtha, which contains benzene.

The Advocate (http://bit.ly/O34dzK ) reports that DEQ began an investigation Thursday, one day after getting the report.

Assistant Secretary Cheryl Nolan says part of the investigation is finding out when ExxonMobil Chemical Plant officials learned how much bigger the spill actually was.

Inspection division administrator Chris Piehler says initial estimates of releases are usually inaccurate as facilities work to get information out fast. But he says companies must report changed estimates as they learn them.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_LA industrial follow-up environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:36113d96e6f6/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://www.dailycamera.com/state-west-news/ci_19650853">
    <title>Suncor refinery leak polluting Sand Creek</title>
    <dc:date>2012-01-03T15:09:08+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://www.dailycamera.com/state-west-news/ci_19650853</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Toxic petroleum dissolved in groundwater beneath Suncor Energy north of downtown Denver is seeping directly into the bottom of Sand Creek near the creek's confluence with the South Platte River? and piped drinking water at the refinery may be contaminated with benzene.
State health officials today ordered additional measures to minimize environmental harm and prevent people from ingesting contaminated water. Those measures include posting of "Drinking Water Warning" signs at the refinery.

Benzene levels in Sand Creek are fluctuating but reached 670 parts per billion on Dec. 22 -- 134 times higher than the 5 ppb national drinking water standard.

An anonymous tip from a Suncor employee Thursday alerted state health officials to contamination in tap water on the refinery property.]]></description>
<dc:subject>us_CO industrial release environmental benzene</dc:subject>
<dc:source>https://pinboard.in/</dc:source>
<dc:identifier>https://pinboard.in/u:dchas/b:bec9253a13c3/</dc:identifier>
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</item>
<item rdf:about="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7659733.html">
    <title>Two dead in Ningxia road crash causing chemical leak</title>
    <dc:date>2011-11-29T12:45:53+00:00</dc:date>
    <link>http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7659733.html</link>
    <dc:creator>dchas</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[YINCHUAN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed in a road accident Tuesday morning that caused a chemical leak in northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, local police confirmed Tuesday.

The accident occurred at 8:30 a.m. in Yuanzhou district in the city of Guyuan. A van rear-ended a fuel tank truck loaded with 20 tonnes of crude benzene after failing to brake on an icy road, which caused an explosion, local police said.

Villagers nearby have been evacuated due to a poisonous chemical leak following the explosion, according to local authorities.

The gas from the incomplete combustion of the crude benzene was poisonous to humans, local police said.]]></description>
<dc:subject>China transportation explosion death benzene</dc:subject>
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