Benicia, CA – City of Benicia has issued advisory notice for all residents with respiratory issues at 6:59 a.m., Sunday, March 24, 2019, due to particulate matter from an ongoing incident at the Valero Benicia Refinery.
The Valero Benicia Refinery in the Benicia Industrial Park has been emitting particulates for about the past week, and the concentration of visible emission has become significantly higher over the past day. The particulates contain coke, a by-product of the refining process that is made up primarily of carbon particles. Testing of the coke involved in this emission release shows no heavy metals at harmful levels; however, the particulates itself may cause discomfort when breathed in and breathing particulates can exacerbate (worsen) underlying respiratory conditions such as asthma. People who have underlying respiratory conditions, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, should take precautions to reduce their exposure and should avoid outdoor activities or strenuous exercise.
Those with respiratory compromise should do the following immediately:
• Go inside your home, workplace, or the nearest building that appears to be reasonably airtight and stay there.
• Close all doors, windows, and any fireplace dampers. Cracks around doors and windows can be sealed with tape or damp towels.
• Stay tuned to receive emergency announcements and instructions.
• Healthy individuals – limit outdoor activity.
The City of Benicia is working with Valero Refinery on the issue, and has partially activated the City’s Emergency Operations Center. The City has also been in active contact with the Solano County Environmental Health Department, a physician of the Solano County Public Health Department, as well as the Bay Area Quality Management District. The Benicia Unified School District and Solano County’s Office of Emergency Services have also been notified as precaution.
If symptoms such as difficulty breathing develop, contact your healthcare provider; call 911 if the symptoms become severe. Please do not call 9-1-1 unless you are experiencing an emergency.
Valero Advisory Update – 10 a.m.
Shortly after 9 a.m., the City of Benicia was advised that the Valero Benicia Refinery will be performing a controlled shutdown of the entire refinery. This shutdown is being conducted to improve conditions and minimize risk from earlier operational issues. This shutdown is expected to last for multiple days and will result in visible flaring.
Benicia Fire Department personnel continue to work with Solano County Environmental Health, Solano County Public Health, and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).
The advisory notice continues for all residents with respiratory issues.
Those with respiratory compromise should do the following immediately:
• Go inside your home, workplace, or the nearest building that appears to be reasonably airtight and stay there.
• Close all doors, windows, and any fireplace dampers. Cracks around doors and windows can be sealed with tape or damp towels.
• Stay tuned to receive emergency announcements and instructions.
• Healthy individuals – limit outdoor activity.
Follow the City of Benicia Facebook and website (ci.benicia.ca.us) for routine updates. Please do not call 9-1-1 unless you are experiencing an emergency.
Valero Advisory Update – 10:30 a.m.
Benicia Fire Department continues to monitor air quality. Readings show that levels have significantly improved and are currently in the safe range.
All messages have been provided by the City of Benicia
1 comment
The fines for these types of emissions are not that high and based on my experience working at various plants around the bay I can tell you that sometimes having uncontrolled releases like this is truly an unexpected accident and sometimes they know exactly what is going to happen and they just factor it in to operational inevitability and the cost of doing business, sometimes it’s cheaper to just dump the stuff and pay the fine than it is to fully scrub or contain the emissions. They will never admit this but…………….! wink!, wink!
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