Toxic Chemicals Spew from BP Texas Refinery Before the Gulf Disaster

Two weeks before the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, BP’s Texas City refinery began spewing an enormous quantity of toxic chemicals into the Texas air. The release of toxins began on April 6 and lasted for 40 days unnoticed by BP. The refinery discharged an estimated half a million pounds of benzene, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other toxins.

This appears to be one of the largest chemical releases to happen in the last decade. The amount of chemicals released greatly exceeds the limit that the state and federal government permits. It is unclear whether the pollutants have had any health impacts on any of the Texas City residents.

According to BP and Texas officials, the catastrophe stemmed from BP’s decision to repair key equipment while still producing and selling gasoline. BP discovered the seriousness of the problem after analyzing data from a monitor that measures emissions from a flare 300 feet above the ground, a flare that was supposed to incinerate the toxic chemicals.

Michael Marr, a BP spokesman, said BP believed the plant's existing monitors would detect any excess emissions. The existing monitors are located just a few feet above the ground level and approved by Texas regulators. Without looking closely at the monitors these emissions would have stayed undetected.

Currently the BP refinery is still in operation and relying on fence-line monitors that are not adequately detecting harmful air pollutants. Additionally, BP immediately received measurements from a separate monitor that took readings from the flare. BP did not notice the emissions were exceeding permitted limits until June 4.

This incident along with others has Texans asking why is BP not adequately monitoring these flares, how often do major releases go undetected and why is the state regulatory agency not enforcing strict air emission policies? The state agency accountable for air emissions and refinery regulation in Texas is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or the TCEQ.

To read the complete Texas Observer article, click here.

To learn more about TCEQ, click here.