HOUSTON — Two workers died Thursday and dozens of others were injured after a hydrogen sulfide release at the PEMEX facility in Deer Park, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Deer Park Office of Emergency Management officials said the incident was contained to the PEMEX facility off Highway 225 and there was no threat to the community. PEMEX officials said it happened at 4:40 p.m.
Gonzalez said some workers were working on a flange when something happened and the gas started leaking. Gonzalez said two workers died and as many as 35 others were injured.
He said it would be seven or eight hours before investigators could get to where the incident happened.
In the wake of the gas release, PEMEX said it was performing activities that may cause flaring.
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said the shelter-in-place order was lifted around 9:30 p.m. after air monitoring officials deemed it to be OK. He said remnants of the odor would remain in the air.
Highway 225 was closed in both directions near Beltway 8 due to the incident but was reopened around 9:30 p.m.
KHOU 11 Chief Meteorologist David Paul said the wind was calm on Thursday night.
Here's the update provided by officials around 9:30 p.m.:
Air monitoring
The map below shows where air monitoring is taking place in Harris County.
Shelter-in-place orders
Due to the chemical release, the City of Deer Park issued a shelter-in-place for all residents. City officials said they were having issues with their alert system, so some residents might not have gotten notifications. They told people to go inside, close all windows and doors, turn off the air conditioner and wait for the all-clear to be issued.
The city posted about the order on X around 7 p.m. and it was lifted around 9:30 p.m.
The City of Pasadena also briefly issued a shelter-in-place for areas north of Spencer Highway within city limits. The order was lifted about 30 minutes after it was issued.
PEMEX issued this statement at 7:50 p.m.:
"PEMEX Deer Park confirms that a gas release was reported at one of our operating units at 4:40 p.m. The incident is contained to our site and has been isolated.
"Members of our Emergency Response Team, Channel Industrial Mutual Aid (CIMA) and Harris County Emergency Management personnel and other government agencies are on site and responding to the situation.
"Our primary concerns are to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to secure the facility. Out of an abundance of caution, State Highway 225 has been temporarily closed.
"Some members of the community may see flaring as we safely contain the situation. We are closely monitoring air quality and are not detecting any offsite impacts.
"We have no additional details at this time. We will provide an update when more information becomes known."
La Porte city officials issued this statement:
"At this time there is no impact inside the La Porte city limits. The City’s Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation and is in contact with these cities."
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued this statement via X:
What is hydrogen sulfide?
Hydrogen sulfide is a flammable, colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gasses and hot springs. It can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter.
It's also created in your mouth and digestive tract during the digestion of food containing vegetable or animal proteins.
It's primarily used during the production of sulfur and sulfuric acid.
How can it affect your health?
The respiratory tract and nervous system are the most sensitive targets of hydrogen sulfide toxicity.
Exposure to low concentrations can irritate the eyes, nose or throat. It can also cause breathing issues for people with asthma. It can cause headaches, poor memory, tiredness and balance problems.
Exposure to high concentrations can cause loss of consciousness, and in some cases, respiratory distress or arrest.