Recent reports claims that the Tonawanda Coke facility in upper state New York is posing a threat to the community and environment which it surrounds. Residents are voicing their concerns about the state of the air and water in the area and are claiming that clean air is something they’re "being deprived of."
 
Tonawanda Coke is just one of 52 air-regulated facilities that’s located within a five-mile radius of the Town of Tonawanda. To make matters worse, it is also known to be one of the main producers of benzene. Benzene is a toxic chemical that has been linked to a variety of cancer, particularly cancers of the blood such as leukemia. Birth defects are another risk for those who are exposed to benzene in large amounts. 
 
Study Finds High Levels of Benzene at Plant
 
When the state Department of Environmental Conservation recently conducted studies at the plant, they reportedly found that the Tonawanda facility had been releasing benzene at levels that are 75 times higher than recommended guidelines. Not only are these levels abnormally and alarmingly high, but it was also discovered that they are up to two times more than what company officials have been reporting.
 
Meanwhile, more and more people in the town of Tonawanda are being diagnosed with cancers. Many believe that history is simply repeating itself, and for fear of more cancer cases being diagnosed, residents are demanding that the government take action to save their town.
 
According to reports, in 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined a coke plant in Erie, Penn. which is under the same ownership as the Tonawanda plant for $6.1 million fine due to high levels of benzene and poor air quality violations. As of now, city officials and residents are joining forces to get the Tonawanda situation underhand and the air clean before more people become the victims of benzene exposure.