13 U.S. refineries exceeded emissions limits for cancer-causing benzene in 2020 4/30/2021 Thirteen U.S. oil refineries released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) this week. The study is based on the second full year of data reported by U.S. refineries since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2015 began requiring continuous monitoring of air pollutants around plants to protect nearby communities, many of which are disproportionately poor, Black and Hispanic. In 2019, eleven refineries made the list, EIP said. "If the Biden EPA wants to act on its environmental justice promises, these neighborhoods near refineries are a great place to start," Benjamin Kunstman, staff engineer at EIP, told Reuters.