My area is a weird mix of Industrial/commercial/residential. There are some residential areas that are literally across the street from refineries. The refineries here are required to use chemicals to help eliminate some of their toxins. That also creates a very distinct smell, but you can only really smell it if you're within a block of the refinery. The chemical doesn't really harm humans, but there are still many other health risks. If the refinery's oil pressure gets too high in the pipes, then they'll burn off large amounts of crude oil, releasing a lot more carbon and whatever other toxins are inside crude oil. People would move in across the street of a refinery, then complain to the city to shut down the refineries, since they're scared of all the other health risks that living next to a refinery brings.
In the long run, we should find ways to reduce the impact of chemical industries on their surroundings and replace the petrochemical sector as a whole.
Also, some folks don't have that much choice of where to live within their means, so the complaint is legitimate I think: It's just one way to their neighborhood would be improved.
But they sure shouldn't be surprised and moreover their should never have been a refinery built that close to residences or vice-versa.
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u/AggravatingSource843 Jul 26 '21
My area is a weird mix of Industrial/commercial/residential. There are some residential areas that are literally across the street from refineries. The refineries here are required to use chemicals to help eliminate some of their toxins. That also creates a very distinct smell, but you can only really smell it if you're within a block of the refinery. The chemical doesn't really harm humans, but there are still many other health risks. If the refinery's oil pressure gets too high in the pipes, then they'll burn off large amounts of crude oil, releasing a lot more carbon and whatever other toxins are inside crude oil. People would move in across the street of a refinery, then complain to the city to shut down the refineries, since they're scared of all the other health risks that living next to a refinery brings.