Dangerous chemicals could leak out of Dow

Damaged safety flare forces workers home, closure of road

Dow St. Charles Operations has been working to repair a damaged safety flare connected to one of its units and all non-essential personnel have been asked to stay home until further notice. Flyers were distributed to residents living near the plant about possible side effects they could experience, and LA 3142 was temporarily closed, but has since reopened.

Tab Troxler, director of EOC, says that the parish activated its emergency response plan.

“We worked closely with other parish agencies, including Dow, to inform residents of the incident,” he said. “As part of the response team, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s office issued flyers to about eight families living along LA 3142 near the plant about what signs to look for and what precautionary measures to take due to the incident.”

Tommy Faucheux , public information officer for Dow, says allowing the non-essential employees to stay at home was a precautionary measure, but residents weren’t evacuated.
“There are about 1,100 employees at Dow St. Charles, so I can’t say specifically how many people were told to stay at home,” Faucheux said. “So far, it’s been the department head’s decision to keep only the essential personnel at the plant.”

Fauxcheux says every supervisor has been calling employees at home to ensure the lines of communication remain open.
“We just wanted to ensure the safety of our employees,” Faucheux said. “I’m not sure how long it will take to repair the flare, however the employees are still being paid so it’s not like a layoff situation.

“We have an employee hotline setup and any employee who has a question can phone in.”
The Olefins II unit was shut down on Feb. 9, 2008 and temporary repairs were made to the flare in order to safely shutdown that unit.

Faucheux says this will allow for permanent repairs to be made to the flare.
“The site has been, and continues to be, in direct contact with the St. Charles Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness,” he said. “Precautionary measures to ensure the safety of employees and the public have been taken and neighbors have been notified of the situation.”

Faucheux says that he can’t thank the EOC department enough for all of their help.
V.J. St. Pierre said in his briefing Monday night that the chemicals benzene and butadiene were released when the flare malfunctioned, but that the chemicals had been contained within the 500-square-foot area within the plant.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, benzene is a colorless or light yellow chemical that has a sweet odor. It is highly flammable and can sink into low-lying areas because it is heavier than air. However, benzene also floats on top of water. Symptoms of benzene inhalation include the following, which may appear within minutes to hours of exposure,  confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, rapid or irregular heartbeat, tremors, unconsciousness and even death, but only after high levels of exposure.

Butadiene is a major constituent in many synthetic rubbers. It is irritating to mucous membranes and the skin. Due to its rapid rate of evaporation, it can cause tissue freezing or frostbite. In moderate concentrations, butadiene may cause dizziness, drowsiness, blurring of vision and nausea.