For 40 days the residents of Texas City lived with toxic waste spewing from a BP refinery...

TEXAS CITY, TEXAS -- Two weeks before the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, the huge, trouble-plagued BP refinery in this coastal town spewed tens of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the skies.

The release from the BP facility here began April 6 and lasted 40 days. It stemmed from the company's decision to keep producing and selling gasoline while it attempted repairs on a key piece of equipment, according to BP officials and Texas regulators.

BP says it failed to detect the extent of the emissions for several weeks. It discovered the scope of the problem only after analyzing data from a monitor that measures emissions from a flare 300 feet above the ground that was supposed to incinerate the toxic chemicals.

The company now estimates that 538,000 pounds of chemicals escaped from the refinery while it was replacing the equipment. These included 17,000 pounds of benzene, a known carcinogen; 37,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to respiratory problems; and 186,000 pounds of carbon monoxide.
Read more: Link


The article says that since so little media attention was given to this event (one article in one local Texas paper), BP was free to continue spewing massive amounts of toxins for forty days. BP didn't even bother telling Texas City or Federal Regulators about the blowout until June 4th. It spewed carcinogenic toxins almost the entire month of April and a good part of May without the plant shutting down or authorities being notified.