Excessive Air Pollution and the Oil Industry: Fighting for Our Right to Breathe Clean Air

Chronic and acute exposure to toxic air pollution can cause and/or contribute to numerous health problems. The Federal Clean Air Act sets air pollution limits to ensure that our air is safe to breathe and requires that state agencies regulate the amount of chemicals that can be released into the air on a daily and yearly basis. Industry has found ways to circumvent emissions limits by reporting some emissions as "upset'' events or unavoidable "ccidents.'' Previous research suggests that upset events occur frequently and can have a major impact on total air emissions each year. In this article, we discuss the upset event research with a particular focus on the petroleum refining industry, a major source of industrial pollution. We briefly discuss the effect of air pollution and excessive air emissions on public health, particularly in communities within close proximity to major oil refineries. We suggest that exposure to air pollution from the petroleum refining industry is a substantial problem, affects millions of Americans (particularly low-income, minority citizens), and the problem is exacerbated by frequent excess emissions that are largely ignored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulatory agencies. We encourage academics and environmental advocates to work together to utilize regulatory data to inform public discourse, support policy recommendations, and assist grassroots environmental justice efforts.