The Environmental Protection Ministry called Frutarom Industries to an emergency hearing after discovering that an unusual emission of odors from its factory was the cause for the air pollution detected in the Haifa bay area.
Wednesday night, residents of the east Haifa bay area alerted both the Environmental Protection Ministry and local emergency services of harsh chemical odors and burning sensations in their eyes and throats.
In The Air
Hazardous air pollution investigated in Haifa bay area / Ahiya Raved
Residents of east Haifa bay, Krayot alert Environmental Protection Ministry, emergency services to harsh chemical odors coming from bay. Area probed for possible leak, emission from factories
An investigation by the ministry's engineers quickly revealed that the Frutarom factory was at fault, along with the illegal burning of tires and metal scraps by metal dealers in Kiryat Ata.
Robert Reuven, director of the Environmental Protection Ministry Haifa's bureau, said it was the chemical reaction between the two, fueled by strong winds coming from the west, that caused the problem to spread over a wide area.
Environmental Protection Ministry intends to penalize Frutarom, he added.
The Environmental organizations in northern Israel told Ynet Thursday, that the fact that the Environmental Ministry emission gage had to be especially brought to Haifa during the night, in order to perform the emission tests, was outrageous.
An emission gage must be permanently stationed in the Haifa bay, they said. The Coalition for Public Health demanded an inquiry be made into why the bay's monitoring stations – which are connected to the Environmental Ministry's chief monitoring station – gave out normal readings throughout the event.
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