An outbreak of strong odors, apparently from an oil management plant, caused discomfort last week between neighbors of several communities of Arecibocausing the suspension of classes in a nearby campus and the intervention of dependencies of the municipality, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, in English) and the Natural and Environmental Resources Department (DRNA), along with other state entities.
“I leave because the neighbor calls me, and there is a supermegafuerte smell, such as when there is insecticide, that fumigate the houses, but in an exponential way. It caused me a sudden headache, a throat pain. In three minutes that I was outside, I told my neighbor ‘Forgive me, but I have to leave you’. I couldn’t with that, because it was a good thing suddenly. She tells me that she had to call her daughter, because she (the neighbor) was taking care of the grandson of the year and a half, and had to run with the baby because they gave her vomiting, ”he described Rosa Linda Ramos Medinateacher of the Federico Degetau school and resident in the Arecibo Factor neighborhood.
The smells, according to the EPA, came from Oil Energy Systema company created in 1997 that “processes and manages used oil” and is located on the side of the PR-2 road. According to the Corporations Registry, the President and Treasurer is José González Amador.
1/8 | Communities impacted by Arecibo’s landfill demand immediate action against irregularities. In the Vaquería José “Tato” Delgado, which borders the Arecibo landfill, the cows are refresh in a pond that, according to the owner of the farm, can contain toxic or leachate liquids, due to the lack of control of the spins of the operator of the landfill. Photo by: Carlos Rivera Giusti/Gfr Media – Carlos Rivera Giusti
In telephone interview with The new dayJosé Lugo, lawyer of Oil Energy System, insisted that the plant does not represent the only industrial operation in the area and that, for the moment, it is not possible to hold it responsible for the sufferings reported by neighbors.
“There are livestock, pharmaceuticals, landfills, and every time that the community has made some type of concern of concerns and the relevant agencies have been activated), whether state or federal, it has never been found that the company is a source of emission of gases or smells harmful to human health,” said the lawyer.
“I did not know that this company existed, that they are dedicated to the recycling of oil derivatives, such as oil and things like that,” said Ramos Medina.
In an interview with Lilliam Díazspokesman for Citizen Movement Pro Closing of the Arecibo landfill (Mocivea), Ramos Medina said that, last Wednesday, the smells caused the suspension of classes at the Second Eugenio María de Hostos Unit, in the Garrahos neighborhood.
“On February 26 and 27, DRNA staff and Fire brigade made measurements of air quality at school, confirming that the registered levels are within the normal parameters and They do not represent a health risk”Said, in writing, the Department of Education. “It should be noted that the reports reflect only two cases of teachers who experienced dizziness and were treated. No adverse symptoms have been reported in students, and classes have continued normally. All measures taken by the director of the campus have been informed to the school community through official communication. ”
The EPA pointed out, on the other hand, in its statements, that the complaints “about strong diesel odors or a possible chemical compound” They were recorded in the neighborhoods Factor, Garrahos and Cercadillo, and that since Wednesday, he communicated with the DRNA, the Fire Department, the Department of Education and Municipal Personnel of Arecibo and Barceloneta.
“On February 26, 2025, representatives of the EPA, the DRNA and Emergency Management of Arecibo visited Oil Energy Systems to investigate the installation, including the well of the used oil reception area, its pretreatment plant and the storage tanks, among others. The agencies required immediate corrective actions to address the situation of the smells that were affecting the communities of Arecibo and Barceloneta, and will also follow up with long -term corrective actions. The EPA is in direct communication with the installation and continues to investigate the case to ensure the implementation of the necessary corrective actions and compliance with all the agency’s environmental programs, ”said the administrator of Region 2 of the EPA, Michael Martucci.
“The company is not only responsible for innovating the use of more modern technology as possible, but also to maintain the facilities, as the case and necessary,” Lugo replied, when asked if Oil Energy System has directed some type of corrective plan.
At the time of this publication, it had not been possible to obtain comments from the DRNA or the municipality of Arecibo.
Díaz, from Mocivea, stressed that the communities of the nearby sectors of Arecibo have been fighting against The emanations and mismanagement of the municipal landfill –Who has a closing date of 2027– and, more recently, they filed a request for review before the Court of Appeals against Central Waste Servicescompany that received a permit to operate a “debris and cement receipt center in trucks, cement crushing, cement storage, metals, rods and wood, and the sale of cement”.
“The smells are constant, but right now they are aggravating. If we take into account the gases that emanates the landfill, plus the Waste Central… ”Said the activist.
