After Refinery Damaged by Harvey, Benzene Is Detected in Houston Area

"City and EPA investigate potentially dangerous plume after Valero Energy Partners reported leak tied to hurricane".

"The city of Houston, the Environmental Protection Agency and an environmental advocacy group are investigating a potentially hazardous plume of a carcinogenic substance in one neighborhood after a nearby oil refiner reported its operations suffered hurricane-related damage.

The city and the Environmental Defense Fund said extra air monitors they dispatched to Houston’s Manchester region on Monday detected the presence of benzene, a component of crude oil and gasoline.

Two monitors detected significantly different levels of the carcinogen at different times of the day, and additional sampling is needed to determine the concentration, according to Loren Raun, chief environmental science officer for the Houston Health Department, and Elena Craft, a senior health scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, which became involved in the probe after offering the city assistance."

Melanie Evans reports for the Wall Street Journal September 5, 2017.