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Benzene has been identified as one of the unhealthiest air pollutants. Gasoline emissions are the predominant source of benzene emissions, but benzene in the environment also comes from burning fields and forests.
Contaminated Air
After the September 11th attacks, the outpour of selfless acts was tremendous.
Firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel raced to save
victims at the disaster site, but recently medical experts believe years
from now they have a risk of developing cancer. There was 1.2 million tons
of debris that was at Ground Zero containing dangerous chemicals including
benzene. The chemical is a carcinogen that has been found to cause leukemia.
Cars pose high risk for benzene exposure
A study found that new cars contain vinyl and plastic materials that emit
gases containing carcinogenic chemical benzene. This exposure to benzene
is characterized by that “new car smell”. Commuters driving in
polluted cities may think that using the air conditioning instead of opening
the windows to pollution is posing as a better health measure. In fact,
“it’s about two to ten times more polluted inside a vehicle on
a congested freeway or a major street,” according to Mel Zeldin of
the Air Quality Management District. Carcinogenic chemicals, including benzene,
can become trapped inside your car from the exhaust of the vehicle in front
of you. The 1996 estimates from the EPA by the North Carolina Public Interest
Research Group showed that 63 counties exceeded the level for benzene in
vehicle exhaust.
$11.2 million waste case settlement for benzene infested New York waters
One of the largest hazardous waste case settlements was negotiated in December 2001, because Exxon Mobil Corporation was illegally polluting New York waters with benzene. The settlement amount is inclusive of $8.2 million in civil penalties and $3 million for buying and restoring land in New York City. The suit was first filed in 1996 by the government against Mobil Oil Corp. for mismanaging benzene-contaminated waste at its petroleum products storage and distribution terminal. The human carcinogen, benzene, was a regulated hazardous waste as of 1990. The settlement had Exxon admit liability for discharging hazardous waste between the years 1991-1993 into two large artificial ponds without a permit and legally required environmental protection. EPA officials found through testing that the levels of benzene were 20 times greater than allowed.
A recent study conducted by the Conservation Alabama Foundation (CAF) has found that four of Alabama's largest cities contain highly polluted air, including high levels of benzene. Amo...
Texas couple Jan and James Callihan filed a lawsuit against six petrochemical companies, claiming the products the defendants produce and distribute exposed James to unsafe levels of benzene. They allege this exposure is what caused J...
Three-term Houston Mayor Bill White has recently found a creative way to try to force certain industries into making changes that would reduce their excessive benzene emissions – by interfering with the renewal of their operating permits.
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