Martinez refinery petroleum coke release prompts hazmat investigation
MARTINEZ – Hazmat teams are investigating a petroleum coke release that took place at an East Bay refinery on Tuesday.
Around 11 a.m., both Contra Costa Health (CCH) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District reported the release at the Martinez Refining Company (MRC) in Martinez.
Update: Air quality regulators issue notice of violation after petcoke release from Martinez refinery
In an update Tuesday afternoon, Contra Costa Health said they were notified by the refinery at 10:20 a.m. through the community warning system. MRC said the release took place around 8:30 a.m. and that the release lasted for approximately one minute.
"Because this is mostly coke and because the release is not continuing right now, we do not believe that there are any health impacts that would be experienced by the community. However we are asking people to avoid close contact with it." Nicole Heath, Director of Hazardous Materials with Contra Costa Health said at an afternoon briefing.
CCH also said it is collecting samples for lab analysis.
The air district also said it is involved in the investigation. "We are responding to complaints, documenting any violations of air quality regulations & assisting first responders," the district said on social media.
Tuesday's release concerned nearby residents and local officials, who are dealing with the impact of a second release from the refinery in less than a year.
"We are very concerned about the delayed notification to the Community Warning System. We are once again responding to a refinery incident and trying to determine the health impacts," Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover said in a statement. "We understand this is an ongoing concern for our community and timely notification is critical."
Jon Taylor's home is practically in the shadows of the Martinez refineries, with tanks visible from his front yard.
"You can see there's a lot of dust here now. You know, I don't know what that is." Taylor told KPIX.
"We moved in knowing that the refinery was here, but our understanding and our expectation was that they were operating safely. This is yet another accident where there has been a release of something that we need to now not touch and not breathe," he went on to say.
According to the EPA, petroleum coke, also known as petcoke, is a solid carbon material that resembles coal. Petcoke is a byproduct of the oil refining process.
In a post on social media, MRC apologized for the release and urged community members to call the company to submit claims or concerns.
MRC has been under scrutiny following a chemical release that took place over the Thanksgiving holiday last year. According to officials, the refinery released spent catalyst for several hours, but did not notify authorities or the local community.
The release was comprised primarily of alumina silicate, clay and other minerals mined from the earth. It is referred to as "spent" or "used" catalyst which has been incinerated at high temperatures to remove impurities so the catalyst can be reused.
Initial tests performed by Contra Costa Health Services determined there were "higher than normal" levels of heavy metals from the November incident, including aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium and zinc.
A report by health officials released last month on the November release determined that there was no lingering threat in soil samples.
Concerning Tuesday's incident, health officials said a 72-hour report has been requested and will be posted on the agency's website at http://cchealth.org.
Katie Nielsen contributed reporting.
