U.S. Tightens Controls on Use of Benzene

The federal government clamped tighter controls today on the industrial handling and use of the cancer-causing chemical benzene, saying the new requirements will cut releases of the toxic chemical into the air by 90%.

The regulations, some of which will take effect immediately and others within six months, will cut benzene emissions into the air by more than 34,000 tons yearly, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

The EPA estimated that the new requirements, some of which will be phased in over two years, will reduce the risk of the general population of getting cancer as a result of benzene exposure to less than one chance in 1 million. But the agency acknowledged that the risk could be much higher--perhaps one in 10,000--near some industrial plants where large amounts of benzene are found.

The sharpest emission cuts are expected to be seen in the steel industry where benzene has long been a chief byproduct with few controls on releases into the air, the EPA said. The new rules cut those emissions 97%, officials said.

Sizable emission reductions also are expected in the transportation of benzene, in the pharmaceutical industry and in the transportation of gasoline from refineries to local service stations, the agency said.

Initial capital investment costs to comply with the rules are expected to exceed $1 billion over the next two years.