The Haifa District Municipal Association for the Environment and the mayors of cities along the Haifa Bay area Tuesday called on the Haifa oil refineries to reduce their toxic gas emissions by 70 percent.

The demands made by the mayors and their municipalities are much stricter than the current requirements of Israeli law, which are met by the refineries.

They base their requirements on a new study ordered from a Belgian firm, which indicates that sulfuric and nitric acids emissions in the Haifa bay area are three to four times higher than those in The Netherlands and Belgium.

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Sulfuric and nitric acids have been shown to be a primary cause of respiratory disorders, to increase the rate of cardiac problems and cause higher morbidity rates, among other things.

In addition to their public call on the polluting factories, Haifa mayor Yonah Yahav is contemplating legal action to ensure emissions are reduced.

Yahav is threatening to keep the refineries' business license only if they commit to and reduce emission to the appropriate levels, as the Haifa bay oil refineries are under the jurisdiction of the City of Haifa since 2004.

An expert committee appointed by the Minister of Environmental Protection Gideon Ezra backs the conclusions of the Belgian study, and has recommended setting individual emission caps for the different industry types active in the bay.

The expert committee determined that other factories in the bay area are also responsible for higher pollution levels than those experienced in Europe.