California Refinery Caused Toxic Dust Incidents, Residents Say

A proposed class of California residents are seeking compensation for exposure to toxic dust allegedly stemming from multiple incidents at an oil refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area.

PBF Energy Inc. and its subsidiaries mismanaged the facility in Martinez, causing flaring and hazardous substances to cover surrounding areas on several occasions between November 2022 and July 2023, residents told the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday.

Those substances included dust—created by gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel refined at the facility—that contained aluminum and other hazardous metals. Petroleum coke dust, a known carcinogen, was also ...