Responders who managed to douse a fire at a chemical plant in the state of Texas are struggling to combat a new threat - elevated levels of benzene detected in the air samples from the surrounding community, the plant's owner Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) said in a press release on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) Responders who managed to douse a fire at a chemical plant in the state of Texas are struggling to combat a new threat - elevated levels of benzene detected in the air samples from the surrounding community, the plant's owner Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) said in a press release on Thursday."The fire remains extinguished; however, onsite responders are reporting increased levels of benzene," the release stated. "These levels are below those that represent an immediate risk."
The Deer Park Emergency Operations Center has asked residents to shelter in place, and local police have closed off a nearby highway as a precaution, the company said.
"ITC responders are working actively to reduce the cause that may be responsible for the elevated readings," the release said.
The blaze hit storage tanks at the chemical plant and burned from Sunday to Wednesday, sending a huge, dark plume of smoke thousands of feet into the air.
Benzene can depress red blood cell production by the bone marrow, leading to anemia, and can damage the immune system by causing the loss of white blood cells, according a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.
The seriousness of poisoning by benzene depends on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as the age and preexisting medical condition of the exposed person, according to the CDC.
