Download EH 1010Environmental ImpactColumbia Southern UniversityEnvir and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! EH 1010 Environmental Impact Columbia Southern University Environmental Impact Recently in Deer Park, TX, the chemical facility known as Intercontinental Terminal Company (ITC) caught on fire and is still under investigation for the unknown causes of the fire. There are many governmental entities present to determine the root cause and impact on the environment of this tragic event. Chemical plants have a high environmental impact on the community due to the many dangerous chemicals they store in their facilities. These chemicals affect the water supplies, the air we breathe, and the community when exposed. The environmental impact started just before 11 AM on March 17, 2019. The area in a one-mile radius of the facility fire was engaged in a shelter in place. A few hours later, the fire continued to grow. By then the entire city of Deer Park was mandated into a shelter in place. As the day went on, the fires grew stronger, a second tank was confirmed to be on fire. These tanks were filled with Xylene and Naphtha, two components for gasoline. The facility's first responders continued forward, trying to put out the flames but were unsuccessful and the local fire department, U.S. Coast Guard, and other environmental companies specializing in hazardous fires had to make way. As the fire continued growing, a huge cloud of smoke had already filled the sky of Houston. The plume was coming from the chemicals Xylene, Pygas, Toluene, and Naphtha. As these chemicals burned the dark plume of smoke could be seen from the other side of town. These chemicals are commonly used in gasoline, nail polish remover, paint thinner and are highly flammable. As the shelter in place still held its grip on Deer Park the fire continued to burn for hours. The fire spread to a total of seven tanks by 1:30 AM the next day. The shelter in place was lifted at 6 AM as the tanks continued to burn, by that time the facility's tanks had been on fire for two days straight. ITC Officials indicated that in two days' time the fire would be out and started addressing the area's concern over the smoke, then proceeded to open a claims hotline and open a claims website to the public. Doctors at the local community center checked for possible benzene levels in the air. By 4 PM the fires had strengthened due to low water pressure. On March 19, 2019, the shelter in place had been officially lifted, and schools in the Deer Park ISD and neighboring districts surrounding the area were once again open and returning to normal activities. Despite parents' concerns that the fire was still going, and a giant smoke cloud covered the once blue sky. Later that morning, Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) officials made an announcement to the public apologizing to the community for the unintentional fire. March 20, 2019, the fires were completely out at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) facility. In the aftermath, ITC lost 8 of the 15 tanks it once held. The continuous water and foam used in trying to stop the fires. The foam- filled water ran into Houston's ship channel, affecting the water supply and surrounding areas. Following the incident, the city proceeded to test the ship channel waters, Tuesday samples showed four toxins exceeded healthy limits in Tucker Bayou near the Dow Bridge and at Tidal Road, and that three toxins topped recommended limits along Tidal Road at Gate thirteen. Wednesday samples taken at the confluence of Tucker Bayou and Buffalo Bayou showed three toxins exceeded healthy levels inside the containment booms and that two — xylenes and benzene — also seeped past the booms at unsafe levels.( Despart & Ketterer 2019, March 25) On March 21st, at 3:23 AM, a shelter in place, was once again activated in Deer Park and neighboring cities due to the high benzene levels in the air. This increased risk concerned as benzene exposure in the air. Airborne chemical exposure is called short- term exposure and it
