The legal limit for toxic gases released by Pemex Near

Pemex, the Mexican state oil refiner, told Texas regulators that it released 43,500 pounds of highly toxic hydrogen and sulfur gas in an incident that killed one person earlier this week.

Two contract workers died and 35 were injured in an accident that occurred on Thursday at a refinery.

According to Pemex’s initial report filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on October 10, the leak continued for seven hours and forty minutes. The hydrogen sulfide leak during the incident exceeded the gas’s hourly limit of 6.89 pounds per hour. That was more than 800 times.

The data date provided by Texas regulators is October 11.

Pemex said in a statement on Friday that the refinery will operate at “low levels” this weekend while it investigates the source of the leak.

The Houston-based Buzbee Law Firm said it was hired by “several family members impacted by this horrific event.”

Pemex has operated the facility for nearly three years.

People familiar with the situation say work was underway at a sulfur recovery unit at the time the fatal release occurred.

Deer Park is a major supplier of motor fuels to Mexico. The government wants to become more energy independent, reducing its dependence on imports.

Victor Rodriguez, the newly appointed CEO of Pemex, told reporters on Friday morning that 13 workers were still hospitalized after exposure to the spill. Mexico’s Energy Minister said the facility would return to normal operations by the end of the day.

The company has now withdrawn this statement.

The company said in a statement released Friday that “the refinery continues to operate at a stable level and will remain so throughout the weekend, provided it is possible to gain access to the affected areas for inspections.”

Rodriguez, who took control of the refinery earlier this month, said Friday that the company closed three or four units after the spill.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which investigates industrial accidents and makes recommendations to prevent future incidents, is also investigating what it called a “very serious incident.”

The CSB announced Friday night that its investigators would arrive at the refinery on Saturday.

Shell operated the Deer Park refinery for many decades. Pemex acquired Shell’s half stake in the joint venture in early 2022.

Shell announced that in 2021 it will sell its stake in Deer Park to Pemex for a price of US$596 million.

Pemex has suffered serious accidents at its national refineries, including fires and explosions that killed people in Mexico. Reporting by David Alire Garcia and Erwin Seba, Mexico City; Ana Isabel Martinez added reporting; Diane Craft edited.

(source: Reuters)