Australia: Report Raises Concerns of Leaks at Stations
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Monday, 09 January 2012 |
A report by the New South Wales Auditor General has found that 770 fuel service stations and 176 related sites were potentially or actually contaminated as a result of fuel leaks. Of the state’s 300 most polluted sites, the report noted, most were related by the distribution and sale of petroleum products.
Data released by the Auditor General shows that serious contamination occurred at sites in Randwick, Forestville, Lane Cove, Sutherland, Chatswood and Canterbury, and that pollution was spreading to nearby areas. Three particular cases – a Brighton-le-Sands station which leaked high levels of carcinogenic agent benzene, a concentrated toxic chemical mix near a Rosebery site, and a leak from a Sutherland station that was migrating to a nearby reservoir – were highlighted by the report.
Total Environment Centre Director Jeff Angel (pictured), commenting on the report, said that widespread leaks were a result of a previously lax approach to storing fuel. “They built underground tanks, stuck a petrol station on top and that was it. There was no real monitoring or high quality standard of storage," said Angel.
PetrolWorld 09012012
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