Arkema ignites remaining containers at Crosby chemical plant

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: ABC

CROSBY, Texas (KTRK) -- As people who live nearby the critically-damaged Arkema plant in Crosby are in their sixth day of being forced from their homes, Arkema has decided to ignite the remaining combustible containers rather than wait for them to explode on their own.

"In a proactive approach, to minimize the impacts to the community by the Arkema Inc. incident, a decision was made by Arkema Inc. in coordination with unified command to take proactive measures to initiate ignition of the remaining trailers through controlled means," Arkema said in a press release Sunday. "These measures do not pose any additional risk to the community. The 1.5 mile evacuation zone is still in place, until further notice."

The Crosby Volunteer Fire Department and the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office will perform a controlled burn of the material, according to a statement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Even with the announcement of the controlled burn, the EPA said that first responders will remain outside the evacuation zone, although they will be close enough to respond quickly to ensure the safety of the community around the plant. All the while, officials with the company continue to suggest the smoke from the fire isn't toxic. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez likened the effects to that of a campfire.

Read more: http://abc13.com/arkema-ignites-chemical-containers-in-crosby/2372451/

[itsrobert]

1. Controlled burns were done in Iraq

We were told there was nothing to worry about. Now veterans are turning up with lung, nerve, damage and cancers.

[Warpy]

2. They were lucky this happened relatively slowly, one truck at a time

Blowing the last two trailers is probably the best they can do at this point.

[turbinetree]

3. How do you control organic peroxide poisoning.................to people once they explode and burn

not much

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/organic/organic_peroxide.html


http://www.ehsdb.com/organic-peroxide.php

[Igel]

5. By the time they get to people

what's left from the deflagration will have mostly decomposed.

How dangerous the residual daughter products are depends largely on what the daughter products are. They haven't said for sure what specific organic peroxides are there, so we don't know. There are some that aren't too bad, some that are truly horrible. What's said at your links is for the entire class of compounds, but chemical manufacturing isn't concerned with the class but with their specific needs.

In any event, what's likely to be mostly left from combustion is a fair amount of carbon, in other words, soot. With the usual types of carbon found in soot.

[truthisfreedom]

4. Liquid organic peroxides

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_peroxide

[Thor_MN]

6. I thought I heard that they were supposed to have chemicals on hand

to safely react with and neutralize organic peroxides. Such that they would not have to let it explode. If that is the case, why aren't they using them rather than releasing combustion products into the atmosphere?

There's going to be a lot of waste in the Gulf that used to be in Texas. But Harvey is going to leave a nasty bathtub ring, much like 45's bronzer and dead skin cell ring in the White House...