Sustainability in Health and Safety

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A fire at a Houston chemical plant yesterday morning killed one person, left two with critical injuries and caused residents living within a mile of the facility to shelter in place. It is unclear whether the victims were employees at the plant. News sources say the incident at KMCO plant began when a tank of isobutylene ignited, and the fire spread to an adjacent storage building.

Environmental groups are raising alarm about the consequences of using foam retardant to quell the enormous fire that raged for days at the International Terminals Co. (ITC) in Texas. Storage tanks that were ablaze at the chemical facility near the Deer Park facility contained gasoline blends, base oils, xylene, pyrolysis gasoline and naptha. ITC fire crews only managed to gain traction on the third day.

Hazardous materials regulations govern the packaging and transportation of hazardous materials by highway, rail, vessel, and air. Given that these regulations have changed significantly over the last several years – and continue to evolve – it has become more important than ever for HazMat professionals to keep up to date on them. This effort becomes easier with the publication of Mancomm’s March 2019 edition of Hazardous Materials Regulations.

"We see big opportunities to deploy innovative strategies and technologies to monitor, measure and ultimately prevent emissions," said Matt Kolesar, regulatory manager at ExxonMobil’s XTO Energy affiliate, Since 2017, ExxonMobil has expanded its U.S. methane leak detection program, committed to its first global methane target, supported methane monitoring technology innovation and encouraged EPA to regulate methane emissions at new and existing sources.

After the temporary shutdown of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook (IL), La Grange trustees say they will continue to actively participate in efforts to protect public health. The Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, suspended operations after the Feb. 15 issuance of a seal order from the Illinois EPA. The seal came after the facility’s refusal to voluntarily shut down after the EPA released a report that reflected elevated levels of ethaline-oxide in the surrounding area of the facility.