This story was originally published in The New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group, and is republished here with permission. A unit of the British multinational Shell plc is repeatedly violating state and federal air pollution rules and harming the health of area residents, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court by an environmental group after a series of air permit violations at the company’s new plastics production plant in Pennsylvania. VOCs can cause difficulty breathing, nausea and damage the central nervous system and other organs, according to the American Lung Association. “Illegal air emissions, smoking flares, and malfunctions at the Plant have resulted in excess emissions of VOCs, NOx, particulate matter (“PM”), benzene, and other harmful pollution,” the complaint states. Shell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: The Guardian May 11, 2023 18:30 UTC