FOUR DIE, ONE INJURED IN CHEMICAL LEAK AT TEXAS PLANT (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by STANews , Sunday, November 16, 2014, 20:54

Workers exposed to methyl mercaptan, chemical used in insecticides
By Nadia Prupis | Common Dreams

Four workers were killed and one injured in a chemical leak at a DuPont plant near Houston, Texas early Saturday morning.

A valve began leaking methyl mercaptan, a chemical used to make insecticides and fungicides, around 4am at a plant stationed in La Porte, about 20 miles east of Houston. Officials say the leak was contained by 6am, but the five employees who were in the unit at the time responded to the accident and were exposed to the chemical. The cause was not immediately known.

Methyl mercaptan is also often used to add odor to natural gas, which has no smell, for safety purposes.

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http://www.intellihub.com/four-die-one-injured-chemical-leak-texas-plant/