Politics & Government
Refinery To Update Martinez City Council On Safety Measures
The Martinez Refining Company will discuss operational measures since it accidentally released tons of chemical dust last Thanksgiving.
MARTINEZ, CA — Martinez Refining Company will give the Martinez City Council an update Wednesday night on operational measures it's taken since completing a root cause analysis of what caused it to accidentally release 20 to 24 tons of chemical dust into the community last Thanksgiving.
MRC is also expected to discuss smaller releases since, including one the morning of Oct. 6.
The meeting agenda says "MRC's update will provide details regarding ongoing safety culture enhancements MRC is instituting to ensure worker safety and try to reduce the number of incidents occurring at the refinery."
Find out what's happening in Martinezfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Nov. 24-25, MRC released tons of a powdery substance into the community. The substance was "spent catalyst," containing higher than normal amounts of heavy metals.
The release began at about 9:30 p.m. and continued into the following morning. The refinery failed to notify the county health department or the community warning system, both immediately required by law when there's an accidental release.
Find out what's happening in Martinezfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Contra Costa Health found out about the release on Saturday after hearing about dust being found around the community on social media.
Initial testing showed the dust contained elevated levels of aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium and zinc, all of which can cause respiratory problems.
CCH said in June a toxicologist determined the metals detected in 14 soil samples did not appear in similar ratios or quantities to spent-catalyst dust samples collected shortly after the release. CCH said the primary health risk from the release occurred during the initial hours and days after the refinery accident when people may have breathed in dust particles.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is investigating MRC for failing to notify authorities. The Board of Supervisors put together an oversight committee, including residents from affected areas, to investigate the cause and whether the release increased risk of community health problems.
The Martinez City Council meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the City Council Chamber, 525 Henrietta Street, in Martinez. The meeting can be seen at https://bit.ly/48VT2ny.
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