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| Water contaminated with benzene can lead to serious health effects, experts say. |
The concerns emerged as the tap water at the refinery was found contaminated with benzene and the company was struggling to contain contamination of Sand Creek.
The blood tests are confidential, but they may shed some light as to how long the tap water has been contaminated.
Benzene is a natural part of crude oil and a basic petrochemical. It has been identified as a human carcinogen and affects people’s blood, causing leukemia and bone marrow defects, among other health problems.
The area has been dealing with environmental pollution and underground plumes of contamination for a long time.
Suncor processes oil from the region as well as oil-sand crude from Canada. The plant is producing about 90,000 barrels a day of gasoline, diesel fuel and asphalt.
Source: The Denver Post
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Activated carbon has a high efficiency rating for the adsorption of gaseous pollutants such as benzene.
The air cleaners also feature pre-filters, micro-HEPA or medical-grade HEPA filters for particulate matter and optional UV germicidal filtration for biological contaminants.
Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
Twenty years ago 1994, I had work as a contractor for Lyondel - Citgo Refinery, Bay Town, TX . A 1.5 Billion Dollar Expansion Project at there petroleum facility. One day I was walking across the employees parking lot within the main petroleum facility between a modular temporary Engineering building trailer and the main administration building..I did not hear any emergence alert siren warning of a toxic chemical release, to my surprise I was over whelm by a choking odorless gas which burn down my Throat & Nose, causing me extreme discomfort. Lucky I was able to run into my department building and escape the toxic gas. I had asked my supervisor if a Toxic Chemical Alert had been announce. He replied No! But he did mention its quite possible that near by petroleum facility might had a toxic release and was blown over our facility instead.
ReplyDeleteOn two separate occasion the main Benzene Unit almost blew up,
1) causing employees to panic in a frenzy to escape the refinery facility employee parking lot which bottle nose at the only security gate...
effecting a log jam..
2) A panic engineer called to alert that the Benzene Unit had a AC electrical power outage with no emergence backup AC power source to control the Benzene Unit... Engineer stated ETA of a catastrophic explosion was imminent ..I asked how far would the explosion cover? His replied was within Nine miles of Lyondel - Citgo Refinery, Bay Town..stating the resulting blast would envelop neighboring petrol-chemical plants as a castigating event..Holy $#@!
Note: Management told employees in our section In the event of toxic chemical release we were all order to go inside a conference room and wait for the all clear siren..I asked my director was the conference room environmental safe place i. e. if a Air purifier filter system and or pressurized environment to prevent toxic gas from entering into this enclose conference room.. His replied was No..Just hope for the best and say your prays ..No emergence respirators nor protective chemical suits ....almost every two weeks a explosion or toxic release.. After twenty years I've been having respiratory problems - acute bronchitis
No Thanks I will never work in Petroleum-Chemical plant ever again