Schools Reopen in Kiryat Ata After Unusual Pollution Incident

By אור הדר

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

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Schools in Kiryat Ata, Israel, reopened Tuesday after an unusual pollution incident involving high benzene levels near the Bazan refinery complex led to their temporary closure. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, determined that pollution levels have returned to normal, allowing students and residents to resume their routines. The ministry has demanded a plan from Bazan to prevent future emissions before allowing maintenance work to restart.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Students in Kiryat Ata returned to school Tuesday after an unusual pollution incident.
High benzene levels near the Bazan refinery complex prompted Sunday's school closures.
Environmental monitoring shows pollution levels have returned to normal.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection requires Bazan to submit an emissions prevention plan.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav criticized the incident as a dangerous and unacceptable environmental hazard.

Schools Reopen in Kiryat Ata After Unusual Pollution Incident — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Students in Kiryat Ata can return to school starting Tuesday, following an "unusual pollution" incident that led to temporary closures. The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced Monday evening, after consulting with the Ministry of Health, that there is no longer any impediment to resuming normal studies at the Social High School and Erezim School. Residents in the area can also return to full routine, the ministry stated. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will continue to monitor pollution data and will deploy an additional mobile monitoring station at Erezim School as a precautionary measure.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Health had ordered the closure of the two schools and advised workers in the industrial zone to close windows and use air conditioning. This decision was made due to unusually high benzene levels measured near the Bazan refinery complex. Reports had surfaced that classes continued despite pollution levels being three times the permitted limit at one of the schools.

The elevated pollution was detected during maintenance and repair work at Bazan facilities, following damage sustained during the war with Iran this year. Environmental Protection Ministry tests conducted Monday showed no concentrations exceeding environmental standards, with a significant decrease in benzene levels observed near the Gadiv factory.

Despite the return to normalcy, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has demanded that Bazan submit a plan to prevent future abnormal emissions as a condition for resuming maintenance work. The ministry clarified to factory representatives that no further maintenance would be approved until this plan is accepted.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav called for a proper response to the dangerous environmental hazard, stating, "When schools are closed due to carcinogens in the air, it's no longer a warning light, it's a real alarm." He criticized the situation as "reckless" and unacceptable, emphasizing that children should not have to stay home due to petrochemical pollution and residents should not be forced to seal their homes for protection. Yahav highlighted the ongoing issue of polluting factories operating within populated areas in the Haifa Bay, with the public bearing the cost.