WASHINGTON, June 22 (UPI) -- A group of environmentalists accused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of under-reporting refinery and chemical plant toxic air emissions.
The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project and Galveston Houston-Association for Smog Prevention released a study Tuesday blasting the EPA for under-reporting the release of benzene and butadience by as much as 330 million pounds per week.
The two groups' analysis found the presence of the carcinogens benzene and butadiene in U.S. air may be four to five times higher than what the EPA reports to the public.
"The public is being exposed to far more toxic air pollution than the EPA acknowledges for the record," said Kelly Haragan, a lawyer with the Environmental Integrity Project.
"Systematic under-reporting happens today because most air pollution is now estimated, not monitored. To make matters worse, the 'guesswork' is being done by the polluters who have the incentives to keep the numbers as low as possible."
