Chemical Reaction at Plant Prompts Evacuation, Road Closure Bayport, TX, United States 1/13/2000

A potentially toxic chemical reaction at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Bayport Chemical Plant caused the evacuation of some plant personnel and the closure of a nearby highway in east Harris (Texas) County.

Company officials noticed an elevated temperature in a tank holding two chemicals used in the production of antioxidants used in plastics. The tank was hosed down to keep it cool, federal disaster specialists were put on alert and police closed the road.

The company says no leakage of toxic chemicals occurred as of late Thursday, when a stabilizing agent was added to the tank to stop any possible reaction.

Spokesman Joe Pullano said the tank used to mix the two chemicals --- mercaptan and methylacrylate --- was not the one normally used. He said the company was going to conduct a full investigation

Link to story:

http://www.humanitarian.net/challenges.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 14, 2000

Answers

For those who were following an earlier thread on this, here's the link...

chem emergency

Thanks Carl, was wondering what had happened... hope mike in houston is ok....

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), January 14, 2000.

Also here... again from mike in houston...

chemical leak

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), January 14, 2000.

If I recall, in mid December, Ron Schwarz posted an article about a chemical-filled vessel at a Union Carbide facility in New Jersey that was going critical; temp suddenly began rising and was uncontrollable by the engineers and techies on-site, got to 120 degrees F; if it got to 180 degrees F, ba-boom, fuggedaboudit. Somehow (never made known), they finally stabilized the temperature, but it was a dicey situation for awhile; the town was almost evacuated because the chemical(s) (I think one was ethyl acrylate?) were rather nasty to the human respiratory tract.

Mayhap we'll be seeing more of these "hot vessels" at various facilities as the days progress -- until the Big One. It's not Y2K- related, of course.

-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 15, 2000.

So mike from houston... you out there?

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), January 15, 2000.

I'll second the question, but the last post in my name wasn't from me....

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), January 15, 2000.