Leakage of methyl mercaptan at DuPont's Houston plant

Global Coatings Network News:

The second largest chemical company in the world, DuPont of the United States, is located in the Laporte area southeast of Houst.

DuPont spokesman Aaron Woods confirmed that at about 4 am on the 15th, a storage tank valve for methyl mercaptan in the Strong Road plant failed, causing a large amount of methyl mercaptan to le.

Workers and emergency rescuers controlled the leak around 6 o'clock, but 5 workers have been exposed to harmful gas.

There are about 320 employees in the DuPont Laporte pla.

Laporte emergency management coordinator Jeff Suggs pointed out that the leaked methyl mercaptan is a colorless, harmful, flammable gas, and has an unpleasant smell of rotten eggs or fi.

Woods emphasized that once methyl mercaptan enters the air, it will gradually dissipate and no longer be dangero.

"We often have a strange smell here, especially when the north wind is blowi.

Employees of a nearby convenience store said that all customers complained about the unpleasant smell all morni.

Residents of Missouri, Sugar City, and Rosenberg in southwest Houston reported a pungent od.

At present, the reasons for the leakage and valve failure are still unclear, and the investigation will be fully launch.

American Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) records show that direct human exposure to methyl mercaptan can cause severe respiratory system, skin or eye inflammation; inhalation can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and varying degrees of anesthesia; high concentration Inhalation can cause respiratory paralysis and dea.