File photo used for representation only lyondellbasell.com
A chemical leak at a LyondellBasell Industries NV plant near Houston killed two people and injured six on Tuesday evening.
The incident happened at about 7:35 p.m. local time at LyondellBasell’s La Porte complex, the company said in a statement. The "acetic acid leak” has now been stopped and air monitoring indicates "no levels of concern” for the community nearby, it said. The six injured people, some of whom sustained burns, were sent to local hospitals for medical treatment.
All others who were working within the affected unit of the company’s La Porte Complex, have been accounted for and clean-up is in progress, LyondellBasell said in a subsequent statement. "An investigation into the cause of this incident is already underway,” it said.
The leak occurred at the acetyles unit of the La Porte complex, which produces chemicals including glacial acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer, that are used as raw materials for making a wide range of products such as paints, films and textiles. This acetyles unit was shut down earlier Tuesday for planned maintenance, LyondellBasell said in the statement.
The La Porte fire department, emergency medical service and other agencies are responding to the incident, the city said in a separate statement. "There is no shelter in place or other protective actions being recommended for the La Porte community at this time,” it said.
