LaPorte, Texas, issues shelter in place after Altivia plant leaks toxic gas (updated)
04/12/2023 19:44
(Adds details from City of LaPorte statement, additional
plants, background)
Dec 4 (Reuters) - Altivia Chemical was working to
contain a toxic gas leak from its LaPorte, Texas, plant on
Monday, as the city's emergency management agency ordered some
nearby residents and five neighboring facilities to shelter in
place out of caution.
Halliburton's HAL.N Multi-Chem Bayport site, Stepan's
SCL.N Pasadena facility, and three others belonging to Kuraray
Americas, Evonik, and NCTI, were sheltering in place after the
offsite release of a toxic gas called phosgene, according to
community alerts.
Located about 30 miles (48 km) east of Houston, La Porte's
Office of Emergency Management (LPOEM) said the city issued a
cautionary shelter-in-place until the amount of phosgene
released is determined.
"A chemical emergency has occurred and residents south of
Fairmont between Bay Area and S. 16th Street need to immediately
shelter in place," LPOEM said on X, formerly Twitter.
Altivia could not immediately be reached for comment.
Phosgene is a colorless gas with a suffocating odor like
musty hay that is used in the manufacture of other chemicals,
pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, according to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Exposure to phosgene may cause vomiting, breathing
difficulty, chest pain and, when liquid, frostbite.
(Reporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese
and Bill Berkrot)
((DeepKaushik.Vakil@thomsonreuters.com;))