Benzene Reduction - Take Action!

There are several actions you can take to help reduce the amount of benzene in the air we breathe:

1. Don't Top Off! - Individuals can reduce ambient benzene fumes when fueling private vehicles by telling gas stations attendants to not top off their tanks. Topping off releases excessive benzene vapors and the consumer is paying for gas that isn’t actually going into the tank.
2. Don't Stand Idling By! - By turning the key and turning off your engine, you can eliminate thousands of pounds of unhealthy air pollutants coming from your car. New guidelines suggest that idling a car for more than 20 seconds puts more pollutants into the air than turning off the motor and restarting it. Idling also burns more gas than it takes to restart the engine. Turn off your motor if you are waiting in a parking lot, driveway, talking with a neighbor, etc. more than 20 seconds. Avoid drive-through windows.
3. Contact the Eugene City Council and urge them to join Lane County and enact a benzene reduction policy program. Click here for contact information.