Deer Park officials lifted a shelter-in-place order Tuesday night after a hydrogen sulfide gas release at the Lubrizol plant, according to the city. The chemical was generated when phosphorus pentasulfide came into contact with water during maintenance, releasing 100 pounds of the gas, the company reported.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 10 p.m. after air monitoring at the Lubrizol fence line did not detect unusual conditions, according to the city. The order had been issued shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the city initially classifying the incident as a Level 3 impact before downgrading it to a Level 2 after the chemical was confirmed as hydrogen sulfide, officials said.
The company reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide was released when phosphorus pentasulfide came into contact with water.
The release occurred at the Lubrizol facility at 41 Tidal Road in Deer Park during maintenance to an idled unit, according to Click2Houston.
Lubrizol issued a statement Tuesday evening confirming the incident.
“Lubrizol is responding to an incident at our 41 Tidal Road facility that occurred during maintenance to an idled unit,” the statement said. “Out of an abundance of caution, a Shelter in Place has been issued. We are coordinating with local authorities and encourage the community to follow their instructions.”
Earlier Tuesday morning, Lubrizol said it was conducting planned maintenance on equipment associated with materials “that can generate a nuisance odor,” with “no impact expected to the community,” according to Houston Public Media. The company posted to a Community Awareness Emergency Response message board at 6:20 p.m. that an “odor, chemical occurred at our facility,” noting emergency vehicles, odor, activity and sirens “may be noticeable to the community.”
During the shelter-in-place order, residents were instructed to close all doors and windows and turn off heating and cooling systems, according to Click2Houston. Officials urged residents to keep phone lines available so they could receive additional emergency updates.
Harris County Public Health reported the hydrogen sulfide release, according to ABC13 Houston. La Porte officials said firefighters were conducting air monitoring along the Deer Park-La Porte city boundary. Shell’s Deer Park chemicals facility also issued a shelter-in-place order as a precaution at the time of the incident, according to ABC13 Houston.
Harris County Pollution Control found unhealthy levels of volatile organic compounds at one air quality monitoring site about six miles south of the plant, and slightly elevated levels of sulfur dioxide a few miles south of the plant, according to Houston Public Media. A spokesperson for Harris County Pollution Control said staff does not believe the elevated levels of volatile organic compounds were caused by the leak at the Lubrizol facility.
Deer Park officials said air monitoring still showed normal levels with “no reading of concern,” according to Houston Public Media. The city said it would continue to monitor the situation.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement after the incident, according to Click2Houston.
Records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the last 10 years show one inspection at the facility that led to $14,000 in citations in 2016 for violations, according to Houston Public Media. Over the last five years, the TCEQ has issued more than $114,000 in fines for air quality violations at Lubrizol’s chemical manufacturing plant in Deer Park, according to Houston Public Media. For comparison, a fire at a LyondellBasell facility in March released more than 20,000 pounds of air pollution, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Lubrizol did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the hydrogen sulfide leak, according to Houston Public Media. Deer Park officials said they will continue to monitor the situation, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
