Chemical Emergencies: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
By: Chris Cowles, Global Marketing Manager for SAFER Systems
On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, there was an explosion at a chemical plant just outside of Houston in Pasadena, Texas, injuring two workers at the plant. You may not have heard about this because there was, very fortunately, no off-site toxic release or loss of lives from this tank explosion.
Unfortunately, catastrophic damage is usually what it takes for the dangers of a chemical release to make serious national news. Since this explosion in Pasadena, there have been others every week peppered throughout community news — a chemical leak at a natural gas-processing plant in Texas, a hazardous materials spill in North Carolina, another deadly gas leak in China. Toxic releases are an ongoing problem, whatever the magnitude.