A Review of Air Pollution from Petroleum Refining and Petrochemical Industrial Complexes: Sources, Key Pollutants, Health Impacts, and Challenges

Author(s)

Tavella, Ronan Adler ; da Silva Junior, Flavio Manoel Rodrigues ; Santos, Mariany Almeida ; Miraglia, Simone Georges El Khouri ; Filho, Renato Dutra Pereira

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CHEMENGINEERING; v. 9, n. 1, p. 30-pg., 2025-02-01.

Abstract

Petroleum refining and petrochemical complexes are significant sources of air pollution, emitting a variety of harmful pollutants with substantial health risks for nearby populations. While much of the information regarding this issue and the potential health impacts of this pollution has been documented, it remains fragmented across studies focusing on specific regions or health outcomes. These studies are often clustered into meta-analyses or reviews or exist as undeclared knowledge held by experts in the field, making it difficult to fully grasp the scope of the issue. To address this gap, our review consolidates the existing knowledge on the sources of air pollution from petroleum refining and petrochemical industries, the main pollutants involved, and their associated health outcomes. Additionally, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis and also included critical reviews. With this approach, we identified 12 reviews that comprehensively evaluate the health impacts in populations living near petroleum refining and/or petrochemical complexes. These reviews included studies spanning several decades (from 1980 to 2020) and encompassing regions across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa, reflecting diverse industrial practices and regulatory frameworks. From these studies, our umbrella review demonstrates that residents living near these facilities face elevated risks related to leukemia, lung and pancreatic cancer, nonmalignant respiratory conditions (such as asthma, cough, wheezing, bronchitis, and rhinitis), chronic kidney disease, and adverse reproductive outcomes. Furthermore, we discuss the key challenges in mitigating these health impacts and outline future directions, including the integration of cleaner technologies, which can significantly reduce harmful emissions; strengthening policy frameworks, emphasizing stringent emission limits, continuous monitoring, and regulatory enforcement; and advancing research on underexplored health outcomes. This review emphasizes the need for coordinated global efforts to align the industry's evolution with sustainable development goals and climate action strategies to protect the health of vulnerable communities. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 23/04466-6 - Evaluation of the association of air pollution, meteorological variables and health outcomes in São Paulo, Brazil and in Porto, Portugal
• Grantee: Simone Georges El Khouri Miraglia
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• FAPESP's process: 24/02579-0 - Estimation of the Burden of Disease of Infections caused by Resistant Microbials in Brazil
• Grantee: Ronan Adler Tavella
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral