Tarragona is still waiting for the sensors promised by the Government in the chemical industrial parks

TarragonaThe environmental organization Cel Net has analyzed data collected in recent years by sensors belonging to the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Catalan government (Generalitat) in the Camp de Tarragona region, near the petrochemical industry, and has reached a conclusion. "In Camp de Tarragona, we breathe carcinogenic compounds. This has been scientifically proven," said Adrià Pallejà, spokesperson for Cel Net. The activist appeared at a press conference this Wednesday, along with researchers from the UPC, the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), and the University of Barcelona (UB), to present their proposals for improving air quality around the chemical plants. The organization denounces that "the problem is no longer one of ignorance, but of inaction," and points directly to the Department of Territory, formerly Acció Climàtica. The concentrations that most concern the organization are benzene and 1,3-butadiene. "These are two carcinogenic compounds, and the only levels that should be protective for human health are 0.0," said Joaquim Rovira, a researcher at the URV's Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health. "Exposure to one of these concentrations can cause cancer at some point in one's life," warned the doctor, who holds degrees in chemistry and biochemistry.

The Department of Territory has been monitoring air emissions—what the population breathes—of certain compounds, including benzene, for years. Àlex Peñalver, a doctor of administrative law at the University of Barcelona, explained that legislation stipulates that the maximum permitted emissions of this hydrocarbon should be 5 micrograms per cubic meter per year, although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only 1 microgram. The problem arises in isolated incidents that are not regulated.

According to the Porta Atrás website, on June 30, 2020, the Constantí monitoring station detected 429 micrograms per cubic meter. José Francisco Perales, PhD in Industrial Engineering and member of the Environmental Control Laboratory at the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia), confirms that "the problem in the area has never been one of average values, but rather of episodic values, which are recurring." Regarding 1,3-butadiene, there is no regulation of any kind, and until now, the only measurements taken have been by the chemical companies themselves. In 2024, these measurements, carried out in El Morell, indicated that the maximum values set by Ontario (Canada) legislation were exceeded, which serve as a reference because it is regulated there.

Without public sensors

In February 2023, the Catalan Parliament approved a proposal from the CUP party, drafted by Cel Net, urging the Catalan Government to expand the number of compounds analyzed by its monitoring network, adding 1,3-butadiene and ethylene dioxide. It also called for more sensors to detect benzene, replacing the current manual detection method with an automated one. According to the Government's commitment, this increased monitoring was to be implemented within a year with a budget of 3 million euros. Cel Net reports that the sensors "are already in the hands of the Catalan Government" but are "locked up in a warehouse." Weeks ago, ARA asked the Department of Territory when these sensors would be operational, but received no concrete answer. Despite repeated inquiries, department sources simply stated that it was a "highly complex" tender process and that they expect the sensors to be operational "in the coming months." Cel Net is urging the government to regulate emissions of these compounds, which, according to Peñalver's conclusions, is possible: "Within the scope of its powers, it is concluded that it is feasible to approve new Catalan sector regulations, or to modify the existing ones, in order to establish more stringent emissions levels," he says. They also demand that, once the regulations are in place and the new sensors are operational, the public administration be able to determine if a company has violated the rules and impose sanctions. "Regulations are meaningless if they are not enforced," Pallejà stated. What has been operational since 2018 are the sensors installed by the chemical industry itself with funding from Repsol and support from the Institut Cerdà. This is a network of devices, developed and managed by the Rovira i Virgili University, that collect air samples for 14 days each month and allow for the average of emissions. "It's a very important step forward," says Perales, although he insists that the problem isn't the annual figures, but rather specific episodes of high concentration. Measurements from this network demonstrate compliance with current regulations and even an improvement in air quality in the Camp de Tarragona region, but always based on annual figures.