Chemical Leak Kills Four Workers – Chemical leak at a facility in the US state of Texas has killed four workers and left others hospitalized. A valve failed on a container of Methanethiol, also known as methyl mercaptan, at American chemical company DuPont in Harris County’s La Porte on Saturday, said the company spokesman, Aaron Woods.
It was not evenly clear why the valve failed but the workers brought the leakage under control by around, after five workers were already exposed to the chemical used to make insecticide, Woods said.
Four of the workers died inside the unit while the fifth was taken to a nearby hospital. The leakage caused a strong odor which was carried by wind as far away as Sugar Land and parts of south and southwest Houston.
Company officials expected the odor to vanish by the end of Sunday.
The DuPont spokesman said the odor was not dangerous and air quality tests in the area had come back to normal, convincing local emergency officials not to issue a shelter-in-place order to the public.
Since the leakage, there have been on and off shelter-in-place orders at the site of the company, which includes four other tenant companies.
“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,” plant manager Randall Clements said. “We are in close touch with them and providing them every measure of support and assistance at this time.”