UK regulator waited three years to investigate rising benzene emissions at Teesside chemical plant

The Environment Agency knew of benzene emission problems at Huntsman Polyurethanes' Teesside site in 2023 but did not investigate until 2026. Annual emissions of benzene — carcinogenic to humans with no safe exposure level, per the WHO — rose from 13 tonnes in 2022 to 17 tonnes in 2024. A Greenpeace scientist called the Agency's delay a "travesty." The regulator is now considering legal action.