The EA Acknowledged It Could Have Acted Sooner But Said Recent Interventions Improved the Abatement System

The Environment Agency is weighing legal action against Huntsman Polyurethanes in Teesside over benzene emissions, a carcinogen with no safe exposure level, after permit breaches were recorded. Benzene releases from the site rose from 13 tonnes in 2022 to 17 tonnes in 2024, with modelling showing air quality standard exceedances of up to 933% in one scenario. The EA acknowledged it could have acted sooner but said recent interventions improved the abatement system.

Huntsman insisted emissions were compliant with its permit. Campaigners and scientists criticized the slow response, with Greenpeace's David Santillo calling it a "travesty" and Professor Ally Lewis describing the approach as laissez-faire.