MOSCOW, November 16 (Sputnik) — A chemical leak at a DuPont industrial plant in the city of La Porte, approximately 20 miles east of Houston, Texas has left four people dead and one injured, the Associated Press reports, citing company officials.
Methyl Mercaptan leaked for two hours starting around 4 a.m. (10 a.m. GMT) until the gas release was contained at approximately 6 a.m. (12 a.m. GMT) on Saturday. Five people were in the unit at the time of the incident. Four of them died, while the fifth worker was taken to Bayshore Hospital and remains under observation. The names of the deceased have not been released. The company has said that one of them worked for DuPont for four decades, while another one joined the company eight months ago, according to the Houston Chronicle newspaper.
“There are no words to fully express the loss we feel or the concern and sympathy we extend to the families of the employees and their co-workers. We are in close touch with them and we are providing them every measure of support and assistance at this time,” plant manager Randall Clements said in a statement issued by DuPont. The leak posed no threat to the community of La Porte, Clements assured.
Methyl Mercaptan is a toxic chemical used to produce insecticides and fungicide. It is also used to odorize otherwise scent-free natural gas giving it a distinctive smell similar to rotten eggs or cabbage. Exposure to the gas can cause eye and skin irritation, as well as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, coma and death, according to the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
The reason for the chemical leak remains unknown and an investigation is currently underway. “We are cooperating with local, state and federal authorities as they conduct a thorough investigation into the incident,” Clements stated. “As part of that investigation, we are conducting our own top-to-bottom review of this incident and we will share what we learn with the relevant authorities,” he added.
The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), tasked with investigating industrial chemical accidents, has announced that it will send seven experts to probe the La Porte incident. CSB has previously looked into four incidents at DuPont facilities, some of which resulted in fatalities.
DuPont employs 320 workers at the plant in La Porte, according to the AP. Several companies lease the site.
