It's happening again: Severe benzene deviation in Haifa Bay - days after resumption of work at Bazan plant
A severe deviation from the daily benzene standard was recorded last night in Kiryat Binyamin, just days after the resumption of maintenance work at the Gadiv plant. Plant operations were halted immediately, and the Union of Cities chairman demands the plant's closure. The Mayor of Haifa has summoned Bazan management for a hearing.
Just days after the Ministry of Environmental Protection allowed the Gadiv plant (part of the Bazan Group) to resume maintenance work under strict control mechanisms, a severe deviation from the daily standard for the carcinogen benzene was recorded last night (Thursday) at the monitoring station in Kiryat Binyamin. Following the deviation, maintenance operations at the plant were halted immediately. According to the Haifa Bay Union of Cities, this is the first such deviation in several years. The incident occurs against a backdrop of tension between the plant management and the Haifa municipality; Mayor Yona Yahav summoned Bazan management for an urgent hearing before taking steps and revoking licenses. The chairman of the Haifa Bay Union of Cities, Avihai Han, demanded the plant be closed as soon as possible. The union's CEO, Dr. Lihi Shahar Berman, called for a professional examination of the circumstances of the emissions. Resident and environmental organizations, including Ragit Stossel from "Cleaning the Haifa Bay," criticized the Ministry of Environmental Protection and demanded the disclosure of the investigation findings and the threshold numbers set for resuming work. As of this hour, no response has been received from the Ministry of Environmental Protection or Bazan.