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CCH
Level 1 Alert lasting longer than 20 minutes or with odors
Notification Only - Flaring incident at Marathon Martinez that may be Seen by the surrounding community.
June 6, 2023, 6:49 pm

Martinez Refining Company –
2022 Hazmat Release Incident


This page contains information related to the accidental release of up to 24 tons of metal-laden "spent catalyst" from the Martinez Refining Company (MRC) on Nov. 24-25, 2022.

A community-involved committee is currently overseeing an independent risk assessment of the spent catalyst release. The County has hired a toxicologist, TRC, to take soil samples from affected areas and analyze those samples for potential health concerns. The County has hired another firm to do an independent root-cause analysis to determine why the accident happened and how it can be prevented from happening again. The District Attorney is also pursuing legal action against the refinery for not notifying County health officials when the accident happened.

As a precaution, the County's health officer has issued an advisory recommending that refinery neighbors not eat fruit or vegetables grown in soil potentially exposed to the spent catalyst until the soil testing is completed. Test results are expected to be ready in late May 2023.

MRC Claims Line

Call 800-542-7113 to contact Martinez Refining Company regarding concerns related to the Nov. 24-25, 2022 release or to speak with a company representative. NOTE: Contra Costa County does not participate in or maintain this line.

Media Releases



Soil Sampling Locations