LMTonline
Zachary-Taylor Wright
A city just outside of Houston off of Galveston Bay was under a shelter-in-place warning after a chemical leak was found at a plant near the area Monday afternoon, December 4. While the shelter in place – which left city officials urging residents to seek shelter and turn off air conditioners – is now lifted, anyone who thinks they may have been impacted by a toxic leak is encouraged to contact the La Porte non-emergency dispatch team.
Early information from city officials indicate there was an active leak around 12:50 p.m. of phosgene – a toxic, colorless gas “with a suffocating odor like musty hay,” according to the Center for Disease Control. The CDC website says exposure to the toxic gas can cause eye irritation, a burning throat, vomiting, cough, breathing difficulty, and chest pain. The gas, which can also be converted to a liquid form, is often used to manufacture other chemicals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, according to the CDC.
“The City of La Porte has received a report of an active leak of phosgene from the Altivia facility at 16th Street and Fairmont Parkway in La Porte,” an alert on the city’s website reads. “The city has issued a cautionary shelter-in-place for the parts of the city south of 16th Street and Fairmont Parkway until the amount of phosgene released is determined. Altivis is engaged in efforts to contain the release.”
Altivia Specialty Chemicals is a company with headquarters in Houston, according to the company’s website, which was founded in 1986 as a “water treatment chemical producer.” Now, the plant in La Porte is recognized as one of the largest producers of “phosgene derivative intermediates” and phenol, acetone, and alpha-methyl styrene.
Harris County Pollution Control monitored air quality around the city in the wake of the chemical leak, and the shelter-in-place order was lifted once air quality concerns were resolved and deemed safe by officials, which a city statement says happened around 1:40 p.m. A statement from the City of La Porte at 1:42 p.m. said there were no detectable amounts of hazardous gases near or downwind of the Altivia chemical plant.
As a result of the nearly hour-long shelter-in-place order, officers closed select intersections from Bay Area Boulevard to 16th Street between Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway, according to the city’s alert notice. No school closures have been reported in La Porte Independent School District, according to the alert, as no schools fall within the impacted area.
“Individuals with non-emergency medical concerns they believe are related to the incident can contact the dispatch non-emergency line at 281-471-3810,” the city statement reads.