Four killed in deadly leak at Texas chemical plant
Four workers at a DuPont chemical plant in Texas are dead after a methyl mercaptan spill.
Residents in the La Porte area could smell the putrid chemical likened to rotten cabbage on the southwestern wind early Saturday morning as it leaked from the production facility near Houston.
A leaky valve first reported at 4 a.m. local time is responsible for killing four employees, DuPont confirmed in a statement, and hospitalizing another.
Employees contained the leak after two hours, but the death of four employees wasn't confirmed until 12 hours later.
'There are no words to fully express the loss we feel or the concern and sympathy we extend to the families of the employees and their co-workers,' DuPont's plant manager, Randall Clements, stated. 'We are in close touch with them and providing them every measure of support and assistance at this time.'
The workers killed in the leak have not been identified.
One employee had been with the company for at least 40 years and another had just been hired, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Methyl mercaptan is a colorless gas mixed with natural gas, pesticides, jet fuel and plastics, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The gas is an irritant that can cause death by asphyxiation if ingested in cramped quarters, in addition to nausea, headaches and vomiting.
DuPont's La Porte facility employs 320 people at its 800-acre facility and produces primarily pesticides, fluorochemicals and polyvinyl alcohol resins, according to DuPont's website.
nhensley@nydailynews.com
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