The U.S. Chemical Safety Bureau (CSB) said Wednesday that 13.5 tons of deadly hydrogen sulfide gas were released at the Pemex refinery in Deer Park, Texas, on Oct. 10, causing deaths of two contract workers.
The commission’s investigation focuses on the management of maintenance work and emergency responses by Mexico’s state-owned oil and gas company, the agency said in a statement posted online late Wednesday.
Two contract workers employed by Repcon were carrying out maintenance work when they partially opened a flange releasing hydrogen sulfide, the Commission said.
Thirteen other people were injured during this clearance which lasted about an hour, according to the agency. The Houston suburbs of Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas, ordered their residents to stay indoors during the clearance.
“Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic substance that can cause serious injury or death, even at low concentrations,” Steve Owen, president of the CSB, said in a statement. “This dangerous incident resulted in the deaths of two workers and placed other workers and surrounding communities at very serious risk.
Numerous lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages from Pemex and the refinery’s former owner, Shell Plc, have been filed by lawyers on behalf of surviving family members, injured workers and local residents.
The CSB is authorized by the Clean Air Act to investigate the root causes of chemical plant accidents.
In addition to the CSB, other agencies investigating the incident include the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
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