Shelter-in-place order issued for La Porte, US after reports of chemical leak

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–A shelter-in-place order has been issued for the city of La Porte in Texas, the US, following reports of a chemical leak at a Lubrizol plant, according to local authorities.

The city’s Office of Emergency Management in a post on Twitter urged residents in La Porte to head inside and turn off their air conditioning.

La Porte is a city on the east side of Harris County, Texas, along Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel.

Harris County Pollution Control Services (PCS) in a post on Twitter said that the chemical compound released is hydrogen sulfide, which it says could cause upper respiratory irritation.

PCS in an earlier Twitter post said that emergency responders were on the way to the Lubrizol plant at Deer Park, Texas “where a chemical leak has been reported”.

Lubrizol produces additive systems for lubricating oils used in gasoline and diesel engines and marine engines, among others, at its site in Deer Park, according to its website.

The company also suplies specialty products for industrial fluids, fuel additives, process chemicals and coating additives.