Living Near Refineries or Heavy Industry

More than six million people in the United States live within three miles of an oil refinery. Many more live near steel mills, cement plants, chemical facilities, power plants, ports, and metal processors. These "fenceline" communities carry a heavier pollution load than the regional average, and the difference is often visible in health outcomes.

What's in the air there

Heavy industry releases a different mix of pollutants than traffic or wildfires. The exact mix depends on the facility, but common contributors include:

• Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from combustion of fossil fuels.
• PM2.5 and PM10 from stack emissions, fugitive dust, and secondary formation in the atmosphere.
• Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from refineries, petrochemical plants, and storage tanks. Benzene is a known human carcinogen.
• Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from refineries and pulp mills, with a rotten-egg odor at low concentrations.
• Heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel) from smelters, cement kilns, and coal plants.
• Hydrochloric acid and hydrogen fluoride from some chemical and metal processes.
• VOCs and ozone precursors that drive downwind ozone formation.

The Environmental Integrity Project found nearly half of US refineries released benzene at levels exceeding EPA's fenceline action threshold of 9 micrograms per cubic meter in recent years.

Distance and decay

Industrial plumes behave differently than traffic emissions. A tall stack can carry pollution miles downwind before it reaches ground level. Ground-level fugitive releases (leaking valves, storage tanks, flaring) hit fenceline residents first.

Studies repeatedly find effects within 3 miles of refineries:

• NIH research links residency within 3 miles of refineries to a 15 to 30 percent higher risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions.
• The South Coast MATES studies (MATES III, IV, V) mapped cancer risk from air toxics across the LA Basin and consistently showed elevated risk near port, refinery, and freeway clusters.

Wind direction is the biggest local variable. Many fenceline communities are on the historically downwind side of facilities, by design or by housing affordability.

Who is most affected

Fenceline neighborhoods are disproportionately low-income and home to communities of color. Residents face higher rates of:

• Asthma and asthma emergency visits.
• Cardiovascular disease.
• Certain cancers, especially leukemia (linked to benzene exposure).
• Adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight and preterm birth.

Children, pregnant people, older adults, and outdoor workers carry the most risk. Schools and daycares near industrial corridors are a particular concern.

Local factors and event risk

Beyond steady-state emissions, industrial neighbors face episodic risk:

• Flaring events, often during plant upsets or startups, release large bursts of VOCs, soot, and SO2.
• Equipment failures and leaks. A failed seal on a tank or pipeline can release benzene for hours or days before repair.
• Fires and explosions are rare but extreme. Shelter-in-place orders during refinery fires are not unusual.
• Odor episodes from hydrogen sulfide or mercaptans signal that fugitive emissions are reaching the community.

EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and fenceline monitoring data are public. You can look up specific facilities at epa.gov/trinationalanalysis or use EPA's EJScreen tool to see what your address is exposed to.

What you can do

• Know the facility and the wind. Identify what is upwind of your home for each season. The prevailing wind in summer may flip in winter.
• Sign up for community alerts. Many refinery regions have notification systems for flaring or shelter-in-place events. AQMD, LEPC, or county emergency management usually run them.
• Filter indoor air. MERV 13 or HEPA filtration cuts particle exposure. Activated carbon helps with VOCs and benzene but needs regular replacement.
• Seal the envelope. Tight homes with mechanical ventilation and good filtration are better than leaky houses, especially during upsets.
• Run an air sensor at home. Low-cost PM2.5 monitors flag spikes. For VOCs, consumer sensors are less reliable but improving.
• Engage with regulators. EPA enforces fenceline monitoring at refineries. Local air districts hold public meetings on permits and renewals. Your testimony is part of the record.
• Document health patterns. If your family or neighborhood has unusual rates of asthma, cancer, or other conditions, contact your state health department and community advocacy groups.

Sources

• EPA: Petroleum Refineries Fenceline Monitoring Requirements
• Environmental Integrity Project: Refineries Releasing Benzene Above EPA Action Levels
• NAACP: Fumes Across the Fence-Line
• South Coast AQMD MATES V Final Report
• Philadelphia Health Department: Statement on Health Effects of Refineries
• EPA EJScreen Environmental Justice Mapping Tool