Communities near refineries can now breathe a little easier. New data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that the number of oil refineries in the United States releasing toxic levels of cancer-causing benzene pollution has dropped by 50% since 2020.
A report on the findings by the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit watchdog organization, found that only six of the 115 U.S. refineries exceeded the EPA's "action level" for average yearly benzene pollution at the end of 2023.
This is a sizeable decrease from nine in 2022, 11 in 2021, and 12 at the end of 2020.
According to the EIP, the EPA's "action level" for benzene — a naturally occurring chemical found in crude oils and as a petroleum byproduct — is a regulation issued by the agency in 2015 that requires refineries to monitor benzene concentrations along their property boundaries.
If benzene levels surpass an average annual concentration of nine micrograms per cubic meter, the refinery must identify the cause and take corrective measures to reduce its benzene pollution.
"Requiring companies to publicly disclose their fenceline monitoring results and to find and fix benzene pollution sources appears to be working," Eric Schaeffer, the Environmental Integrity Project's executive director, said in the EIP news release.
"Although we and others are sometimes critical of EPA, this is an example of a success story of regulations working to [help] to protect neighborhoods near refineries from a dangerous pollutant."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, benzene is a known human carcinogen and can cause anemia, poor immune health, and headaches. Therefore, lower levels of the chemical will have a positive impact on the health of nearby communities.
These improvements will also benefit the environment, as benzene can cause poor air quality and harm plant and aquatic life if it leaches into the water and soil, according to the Australian government's climate department.
The EIP's analysis revealed that five refineries in Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, and New Mexico showed remarkable reductions in benzene concentrations, with two measuring just two micrograms by the end of 2023.
Furthermore, according to the EPA, the number of refineries that exceed the action level at any point throughout the year has declined by 30% overall.
The agency recently updated its fenceline monitoring regulations to require 218 chemical plants to monitor for at least six harmful pollutants — benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene oxide, vinyl chloride, chloroprene, and ethylene dichloride — beginning in June 2026, per the EIP.
"With the success of the benzene monitoring program, hopefully this expansion of fenceline monitoring will mean that even more industrial facilities will feel pressure to curb their emissions of dangerous air pollutants into surrounding communities," Schaeffer said.
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