Shell and Exxon say hazardous chemicals have been released from Texas refineries damaged in Harvey downpours
Damage from Hurricane Harvey caused a roof to sink in at the Shell oil refinery in Deer Park, Texas, releasing hazardous pollutants into the air
Shell said in a statement this week that 100 pounds of benzene and 100 pounds of toluene were released due to destruction from the severe storm
Exxon Mobil Corp.’s refinery in Baytown, Texas also had 15 pounds of chemical compound benzene released from the oil and gas facility this week
‘This is an unprecedented storm, and we have taken every effort to minimize emissions and safely shut down equipment,’ Exxon spokeswoman Charlotte Huffaker said in a statement
DAILYMAIL.COM
30 August 2017
Damage from Hurricane Harvey caused a roof to sink in at the Shell oil refinery in Deer Park, Texas, and caused similar damage to other oil companies, releasing hazardous pollutants into the air.
Shell said in a statement this week that 100 pounds of benzene and 100 pounds of toluene were released due to destruction from the severe storm, which include cancerous chemical carcinogen and the less toxic solvent, the EPA reports.
Spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, David Gray, said Exxon Mobil Corp.’s refinery in Baytown, Texas also had 15 pounds of chemical compound benzene released from the oil and gas facility this week.
Exxon spokeswoman Charlotte Huffaker said the Irving based company is taking the appropriate measures to assure emissions are monitored and the Exxon does their best to follow environmental guidelines.
‘This is an unprecedented storm, and we have taken every effort to minimize emissions and safely shut down equipment,’ Huffaker said.
Other plants have reported issues due to the catastrophic storm. Flooding was prominent in the refinery areas of the Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Louisiana.
Gasoline prices skyrocketed this week after the record-breaking hurricane forced 15 percent of the nation’s oil companies to close down.
Gasoline futures shot up 6 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $1.78 a gallon in trading Tuesday. Retail prices slowly increased by 4 cents in the last week to $2.38 a gallon, according to auto club AAA.
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