“The combustion byproducts pose the greatest health concern.”

“This could have been much worse. We got lucky this time,” – County Health Officer Dr. Ori Tzvieli

By Contra Costa Health

The Martinez Refining Company (MRC), owned by PBF Energy, has told local health officials that chemicals and combustion byproducts from a recent fire at the refinery included chemicals that can cause cancer, as well as heart and lung disease.

Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the County’s health officer, said the community was fortunate that the wind blew most of the toxic smoke north of the refinery, away from populated areas.

“This could have been much worse,” Dr. Tzvieli said. “We got lucky this time. But our community shouldn’t have to rely on luck.”

Air-quality measurements taken by Contra Costa Health’s hazmat staff during the incident showed that concentrations of chemicals in the air during the event were mostly below the threshold considered dangerous. There was a short period when the smoke from the fire stayed closer to the ground and particulate matter immediately North of the refinery measured at a high level, but because that was not sustained over a long period it is not expected to have a significant health impact on most people. The Bay Area Air Quality Managment District (BAAQMD) also took air samples during the incident, which the health department will review after the results are available.

The blaze started at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 as refinery workers prepared for a planned maintenance of a process unit that had been shut down earlier in the week. While opening equipment, hydrocarbon started to leak and ignited the fire, according to MRC’s 72-hour follow-up report to the County. Six refinery workers were evaluated by medical personnel and released.

The County initially issued a health advisory to residents in nearby Martinez, Pacheco and Clyde. Contra Costa Health later ordered a shelter-in-place to residents in Martinez north of the refinery when the smoke got closer to ground level. The shelter-in-place order was lifted later that night, although the health advisory remained in effect until the fire was completely put out on Feb. 4.

On Feb. 5, Contra Costa Health (CCH) sent MRC a letter asking the refinery to disclose what products were released or caught fire during the blaze.

In its response, MRC revealed that the following chemical products were involved: naphtha (petroleum), light thermal and light catalytic cracked; distillates (petroleum), light catalytic cracked; isobutane-rich C3-C4; diethanolamine; and distillates (petroleum), intermed cat cracked.

Combustion byproducts from the fire included particulate matter from the smoke, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and xylene.

The combustion byproducts pose the greatest health concern. CCH will be working closely with a toxicologist to assess whether there may be any long-term health impacts, including potential impacts to soil and water.

MRC is scheduled to provide CCH a 30-day follow-up report in early March. The County is in the process of hiring a firm to do an independent root-cause analysis to determine why the accident happened and how it can be prevented from happening again.

“Like the community, I am concerned about the byproducts released during the fire and any health impacts they pose to residents,” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, whose district includes the area around the refinery. “I will work to ensure all reports and analyses done by or contracted by MRC, CCH, and the Air District are released fully and promptly. My top priority continues to be the health and safety of the community.”

“I want to thank all the first responders who bravely fought to contain the fire and monitored the incident for health impacts,” Scales-Preston added. “My goal for the future is that we don’t have accidents at the refinery that require first responders to get involved in the first place.”

The fire is the latest in a string of safety incidents at MRC over the past two-and-a-half years. In November 2022, the refinery accidentally released tons of toxic spent-catalyst dust in the surrounding community.

For more information, visit our Martinez Refining Company Oversight webpage.