Judge archives Tenneco probe, fines possible

A Badalona judge has closed the criminal phase of the case over alleged pollution from Tenneco’s brake-pad plant, but the company still faces possible administrative consequences. The decision concerns the factory in the Badalona Sud industrial area, near the El Remei and Sant Roc neighborhoods and Sant Adrià de Besòs. Earlier court-ordered inquiries had examined whether emissions from the plant could amount to an environmental crime and a public-health offense. Badalona City Hall and outside researchers are still pursuing separate environmental reviews around the site. ### Which part of the case did the judge close? The Juzgado de Instrucción número 3 de Badalona archived the criminal case against Tenneco on May 20, according to reporting on the ruling. The court’s move ended the investigation into whether the plant’s emissions amounted to a criminal offense. The criminal inquiry had been active at least through May 14, 2025, when El Periódico reported that the same court rejected Tenneco’s earlier request to shelve the case and, at the request of prosecutors, ordered a new health-risk analysis. (noticiasultimahora.es) That makes the May 2026 ruling a reversal from the court’s earlier stance that more fact-finding was still needed. ### What evidence had investigators gathered around the plant? The Mossos d'Esquadra environmental division told the court that samples taken in 2023 and 2024 showed excessive concentrations of nine metallic substances at five points within 200 meters of the factory, according to El Periódico’s May 2025 report. The substances listed were molybdenum, zinc, copper, barium, antimony, lead, chromium, nickel and tin. (elperiodico.com) A February 2025 toxicology report cited by El Periódico said PM10 airborne dust exceeded the legal benchmark by 26%, while also stating that statutory limits for particles, gases, organic compounds and toxic metals had not otherwise been breached in nearby areas. Tenneco said at the time that competent authorities had confirmed it was complying with applicable environmental rules and that there was no risk to human health or the environment. (elperiodico.com) ### Why are fines still possible if the criminal case is over? The May 20 ruling, as described in subsequent reporting, left open the possibility of sanctions for environmental infractions even though the judge archived the criminal proceedings. That means the court did not keep pursuing the matter as a crime but did not foreclose penalties through other channels. (elperiodico.com) Badalona City Hall had already opened a disciplinary proceeding against Tenneco on March 27, 2025, after nearly two years of investigation by the Mossos. The municipality said then that the file concerned alleged emissions harmful to health from the plant in the El Remei area. ### What has Badalona’s city government done outside the court case? (noticiasultimahora.es) The Badalona municipal government said in March 2025 that it had commissioned the Fundació Bosch i Gimpera of the University of Barcelona to carry out a broader study of emissions across the Badalona Sud industrial estate. The city also said it had hired an accredited company in July 2024 to inspect 22 potentially polluting businesses, review their permits and verify compliance with environmental rules. (europapress.es) The municipality said it had formally asked Catalonia’s environmental authorities in November 2023 and again in March 2024 to inspect and monitor Tenneco after earlier findings pointed to elevated heavy metals potentially linked to brake production. Councilor Sònia Egea said residents had been complaining for a long time and criticized prior local governments for not acting sooner. (europapress.es) ### What are residents and workers pointing to now? Residents near the plant have pushed for accountability as health concerns around the factory persisted in local reporting. The concern centered on the plant’s proximity to homes in El Remei, Sant Roc and neighboring Sant Adrià de Besòs. Labor tensions also spread beyond Badalona. (europapress.es) El Periódico reported on May 9, 2025, that CGT, CCOO, UGT and USO called an indefinite strike at Tenneco’s Zona Franca plant in Barcelona, seeking the reinstatement of 16 workers and explanations about exposure to hazardous substances after the Badalona contamination allegations became public. ### What happens next around the Badalona plant? (elperiodico.com) The University of Barcelona-led study commissioned by Badalona was already underway by May 2025, with sampling having started in January and completion expected in September, according to El Periódico. That work was focused especially on heavy metals in and around Badalona Sud. Badalona City Hall’s disciplinary file remains one concrete next step for Tenneco, and the court’s ruling as described in published accounts leaves room for sanctions tied to environmental infractions. (elperiodico.com) Tenneco, which says it complies with environmental law, remains the named company in those pending administrative and monitoring processes. (noticiasultimahora.es) (elperiodico.com)