On Tuesday, 27th July 2021, a chemical leak took place at the Acetyl unit area of the biggest chemical, plastics and refining company, LyondellBasell Industries in La Porte city, in which 2 people lost their lives while 7 people suffered major injuries. As per the Emergency Management officials, at around 7:35 PM, they were informed about an incident that happened in the LyondellBasell Industries, located at 151 Miller Cut-Off Road. The crew immediately rushed to the incident spot and started the rescue operation in no time.
During their initial knowledge of the case, the plant suffered a chemical leak, which was now recognised as the Glacial acetic acid, also known by other names, such as, Methanecarboxylic acid, Ethylic Acid, and Ethanoic Acid. The LaPorte Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has described the event as the incident of Mass Casualty and reported that in this tragic chemical leak, 2 persons lost their dear life, while the other two persons were taken to the hospital, one via LifeFlight and other via Ambulance.
Lyondellbasell Accident
Moreover, 5 people were treated at the incident scene and 31 people were being monitored for potential symptoms. Meanwhile, the Harris County Fire Marshal (HCFMO) investigator has held all the staff of LyondellBasell responsible for the chemical leak. HCFMO organized a news conference on the day of the incident, stating that their investigators have conducted an initial interview and discovered there was no explosion or fire, therefore, they have handed over the investigation to Harris County Constable Pct 8, who is the authority having control regarding this event.
Furthermore, the Pollution Control of Harris County is also conducting an air monitoring on the incident spot to check the level of acetic acid in the air. The chemical and refining company, LyondellBasell has also released an official statement in this regard, updating about the situation. As per the statement, the leak has been successfully halted and there is no level of concern for the community. The statement further states that as of 10:00 PM on 27th July 2021, Tuesday, they have held all the personnel working within in the acetyls unit are of their La Porte Complex accountable.
The unit has been shut down for the time being for intended maintenance, moreover, the leak is healed and the clean-up process is in progress. Meanwhile, the Air monitoring resumes showcasing no level of harm for the area and all the relevant regulatory agencies have been reported. In the statement, the company also expressed their condolences over those who died in the incident as well as those who incurred fatal injuries in the incident. The company later thanks the emergency response for their timely assistance and has ensured people that an investigation into the cause of this incident is already underway.
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