UK regulator delayed three years before probing rising benzene emissions at Teesside plant

The Environment Agency knew of benzene emission problems at Huntsman Polyurethanes' Teesside site in 2023 but waited until 2026 to investigate. Annual emissions of benzene — a carcinogen with no safe exposure level, per the WHO — rose from 13 tonnes in 2022 to 17 tonnes in 2024. A Greenpeace scientist called the delay a "travesty." The regulator is now considering legal action.