On Saturday, Contra Costa County Health announced it was notified of an accidental released of coke dust from the Martinez Refinery.
Contra Costa Health released two statements on the Feb 10 incident:
- At 1:18pm, we were notified of an accidental release of petroleum coke dust from the Martinez refinery with potential offsite impacts. We are sending out our Hazmat Team to assess community impact.
- Update: Our HazMat team has completed its assessment and concluded there is no evidence of offsite impacts from the earlier coke-dust release at the Martinez Refining Company. The concludes our response to this incident.
The Martinez Refining Company issued the following statement:
At approximately 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 10, 2024, petroleum coke was being transported within the Martinez Refinery when a small amount became airborne for a short period of time. Our trained employees rapidly and safely responded, keeping the petroleum coke on-site, in the immediate vicinity where the material was being moved.
Per our procedures, we promptly issued a Community Warning System Level 1 notification, contacted appropriate agencies, and conducted community monitoring. Based on community monitoring results, the release was contained on-site without any off-site impacts. We apologize for any concern this may have caused the community.
As always, we have a community inquiry phone number you can call at 925-313-3777 or 925-313-3601 during off work hours.
The release came days after MRF announced Intermittent Flaring Expected due to maintenance:
Following unit shutdown, our employees and contractor partners will safely conduct maintenance work over the next few weeks. Following completion of the work, we will re-start the unit, during which intermittent flaring will occur for a few days until the re-start is complete. The associated flaring with the re-start will again be primarily clean-combusting treated process gas. Prior to unit re-start, we will notify appropriate agencies and issue another community update.
Previous Stories:
- Feb 8 – Intermittent Flaring Expected at the Martinez Refinery
- Dec 28 – County Supervisors Meet with Martinez Refinery Management About Safety Concerns
- Dec 26 – Contra Costa Health Conducts Inspection at Martinez Refinery
- Dec 15 – Health Advisory Issued Due to Strong Chemical Odor in Martinez
- Nov 17 – Joint Civil Enforcement Action Announced Against Martinez Refining Company
- Oct 6 – Contra Costa Health Investigating Coke Dust Release at Martinez Refining Company
- July 14 – Report Shows No Ongoing Risk to Public Health from Martinez Refinery Coke Dust Release
- July 12: Malhi Issues Statement on Latest Martinez Refining Incident
- July 11: Contra Costa Health Investigating Coke Dust Release
- June 8: Risk Assessment Finds Martinez Refinery Release Did Not Increase Risk of Exposure to Hazardous Metals in Local Soils
- May 17: Health Advisory Lifted After Weeklong Mercury Cleanup in Martinez
- May 4 – Soil Sampling Being Done Around Martinez Refinery to Assess Health Risks
- March 7 – Health Department Safety Advice on Gardening to Residents who Live Near Martinez Refinery
- Feb 24 – County Offers Gardening Tip After Spent Catalyst Possibly Made Way into Martinez Soil
- Jan 5 – Health Department Asks DA to Pursue Legal Action Against Martinez Refining Company
- Dec 31, 2022 – Martinez Refining Company Says Maintenance Work Could Result in Flaring
- Dec 23, 2022 – Martinez Refining Company Statement on Thursday Flaring
- Dec 19, 2022 – Martinez Announces Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Martinez Refining Company Incidents
- Dec 14, 2022 – Contra Costa Health Recommends an Independent Investigation of Martinez Refinery Release
- Dec 9, 2022 – Flaring Friday Night
- Nov 30, 2022 – Hazardous Materials Release at Martinez Oil Refinery Contained Heavy Metals
- Nov 29, 2022 – Test Show White Dust Released in Martinez Was “Spent Catalyst”
- Nov 28, 2022 – Ash-Like Substance Being Investigated in Martinez, Company Offers Free Car Wash
