The last impact on Petronor's emissions The issue of the Muskiz refinery and the health of the surrounding neighborhood has once again come to the forefront of public debate. A leak of volatile compounds from a gasoline tank has caused benzene levels in the air to spike, forcing authorities to issue stay-at-home orders and residents to remain indoors for hours.
Although the The Basque Government has already lifted the preventative measures After observing a decrease and stabilization of the concentrations, the episode has left a clear aftertaste: a feeling of fear, weariness and distrust towards the management of the refinery's emissions, in a municipality that has been dealing with decades of environmental conflicts.
The incident: a gasoline tank and benzene spikes in Muskiz
The origin of the episode is in a breakdown in one of Petronor's gasoline tanksAccording to details provided by both the company and the regional government, some of the fuel evaporated abnormally, generating an emission of its volatile fraction into the atmosphereThis invisible leak, clearly perceptible by smell, resulted in pollution spikes recorded at stations of the Basque Country Air Quality Network.
In inhabited areas of Muskiz, especially in the San Julián neighborhoodThe measuring equipment detected benzene concentrations in ambient air between 100 and 200 µg/m³ During the morning, levels were well above the area's usual values. High values ​​were also recorded at other times during the episode, ranging between 80 and 132 µg/m³ in the same area, always officially classified as "significantly elevated".
To get an idea of ​​the magnitude, health authorities point out that the The annual reference regulatory limit value is around 5 µg/m³In other words, although those 5 µg/m³ are calculated as an average over the entire year, the spikes that occurred in Muskiz in a matter of minutes or hours multiplied that reference level by tens. This sudden jump is what led to the activation of the recommendations for protecting the population.
The conditions meteorological data and the exact location of the affected tank They helped concentrate the polluting cloud over certain areas of the municipality, which explains the strong odors and symptoms reported by the residents, even though the episode was described as isolated and of limited duration.
Institutional reaction: from initial minimization to lockdown recommendations
Upon detection of unusually high levels of benzeneThe Basque Government's Department of Public Health activated a series of preventative recommendations. The main instruction was clear: stay in enclosed indoor spaces Whenever possible, with doors and windows closed, avoiding prolonged ventilation of the home while the episode lasted.
The health authority also requested minimize intense physical activity outdoors and, where possible, use air conditioning systems in recirculation mode, that is, without the intake of outside air. These guidelines were extended to educational, sports, and social and healthcare centers, where it was recommended suspend outdoor activities and keep children and dependent persons indoors with controlled ventilation.
In particular, the recommendations were directed to the groups considered more vulnerablePeople with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, children, the elderly, and pregnant women were advised to avoid any unnecessary exposure to the outdoors while pollution levels remained high.
In parallel, the Safety, Environment and Health departments continued to carry out a continuous monitoring of air qualityThrough the stations of the regional network, specific sampling in the area surrounding the refinery and evaluation of the corrective measures that the company was applying to reduce emissions.
As the hours passed, the data reflected a clearly downward trend in concentrationsIn the first assessments after the incident, rapid decreases were observed, bringing the values ​​down to around 5 µg/m³ in San Julián, and subsequently to even lower figures, around 2 µg/m³ in the municipality as a whole, levels close to those considered normal for this type of industrial area.
Lifting of the measures and reassuring messages
With the Latest technical measurements indicate a reduction and stabilization Regarding the benzene concentrations, the Basque Government announced the lifting of the preventative recommendations it had issued the previous day. According to the Executive, the company maintained «the incidence is under control"and the levels recorded by the Air Quality Control Network had returned to the range considered normal for the Petronor area."
Even so, the institutions stressed that they would continue with a close monitoring of the situation, monitoring for possible fluctuations at stations near the refinery and ensuring that corrective measures were maintained at the affected facilities. The official message emphasized that, with current levels, It was not considered necessary to adopt extraordinary measures protection for the general population.
In public statements, Public Health officials conveyed that citizens could carry on with "normal life," although they advised continuing to take extreme precautions in the municipality of Muskiz, especially regarding the reduction of prolonged outdoor activities while the return to stable values ​​was consolidated.
From the company's perspective, Petronor apologized for the inconvenience. caused and reported that it was applying "all corrective measures" provided for in its security protocols to minimize evaporation and cut emissions as quickly as possible. The refinery has reiterated that the incident was confined to a specific gasoline tank and that the response adhered to established safety procedures, and recalled its involvement in hydrogen projects such as the green hydrogen refueling station.
The role of benzene: a volatile and carcinogenic pollutant
Beyond the figures, the focus has been on the nature of the pollutant featured in the episode: benzeneThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (INSST) and leading international organizations agree in classifying it as carcinogenic agent for humans, linked especially clearly to acute myeloid leukemia.
Epidemiological studies have also identified associations with other types of cancerIt has been linked to conditions such as some non-Hodgkin lymphomas, chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma, as well as suspected links to certain cases of lung cancer, although disagreements persist among experts on this last point. Bone marrow is one of the main target organs, as it disrupts the normal formation of blood cells.
As for short term effectsBrief exposure to high concentrations of benzene can cause eye and respiratory irritation, dizziness, nausea, headache, drowsiness, heart palpitations, or even loss of consciousness at very high levels. Technical documents note that in extreme cases, severe acute exposure can be life-threatening.
The World Health Organization and other agencies point out that, since it is a genotoxic compoundIt's impossible to truly speak of a "safe" threshold below which the risk disappears. Any dose, however low, implies an increased risk, which logically increases with concentration and, above all, with the cumulative exposure time over the years.
In the specific case of Muskiz, the health authorities have insisted that the The episode was brief and of limited duration.Measurements indicate a rapid decline following the implementation of measures at the refinery and the change in weather conditions. However, the fact that several incidents have occurred in a relatively short period has reignited the debate about continued exposure to mixtures of pollutants in industrial environments.
A history of incidents and an increasingly weary neighborhood
The latest benzene leak didn't come out of nowhere. It had been documented in recent weeks. Other relevant emissions incidents at Petronor, such as shutdowns due to power supply failures that resulted in flares with large flames and black smoke visible from several kilometers away, along with spikes in compounds such as benzene and xylene listed as "highly concerning" by environmental authorities.
This series of events has fueled the perception that These are not isolated casesbut rather a recurring dynamic that has eroded trust within the neighborhood. Neighborhood associations and platforms such as Stop Variante Las Karreras They have repeatedly denounced what they consider a lack of sufficient transparency, a delay in informing the public, and insufficient institutional control over the refinery's emissions.
The social response to this latest event itself demonstrates this: they have organized gatherings and calls to demonstrate in front of the Petronor gateswith slogans demanding greater health protection, clear explanations about each incident, and a rethinking of the relationship between the oil industry and daily life in Muskiz.
Among the messages that have been heard most strongly is the denunciation of the feeling of impunity The company operates within this framework, supported by its economic and fiscal importance to the area. The fact that the regulations primarily measure compliance based on annual average pollutant levels, without significantly penalizing occasional spikes, is seen by several groups as a legal loophole that leaves the population unprotected during severe pollution episodes.
In this climate, fear stemming from the latest emissions data is combined with concern about the potential long-term health impacts and the strain of living for decades with a facility that, according to environmental organizations, concentrates a very significant part of the greenhouse gas emissions of the Basque Country.
The benzene incident in Muskiz has brought all these issues back to the forefront: Petronor's emissionsThe response of institutions, the limits of current legislation, and the role of organized citizens are all crucial. Although measurements indicate that air quality has returned to normal levels, the debate on how and to what extent industrial pollution is controlled in the heart of the Biscay coast remains wide open.