VitalAccurateThinking

Chemical Spill, Chronicle on the Story

The crack team (or is that team on crack?) of Houston Chronicle reports are all over a chemical incident in Sugarland. Notice the template in play:

Three employees of a Sugar Land chemical company were sent to a local hospital for treatment of respiratory problems Monday after water vapor and a chemical were accidentally released at the Nalco facility.

More than 5,200 students at five Fort Bend Independent School District schools were also ordered to stay inside classrooms until the emergency passed. That order was lifted shortly after 3 p.m.

Smith said there was a malfunction on a tank truck containing ethylenediamine.

The substance can cause respiratory and eye irritation and nausea, according to documents that give technical information about chemicals for employees and emergency workers.

Liver, kidneys and lungs may be damaged from repeated exposure.

Ethylenediamine is used to manufacture corrosion inhibitors in boiler feed water and other types of petrochemical plant process equipment, said plant manager John Wantuch.

The only thing left out of the standard template is the plant OSHA safety record.

posted by Jim VAT @ 10:28 PM