Geismar chemical plant fire causes toxic release, highway closure

An explosion and fire at the West Lake Vinyl plant in Geismar this morning caused the release of hazardous vinyl chloride into the air and shuttered La. Highway 73, officials say. No one was injured. State police spokesman Russell Graham says it wasn’t clear how much of the chemical was released, but a small cloud was hovering over the plant. A handful of residents living in the area were advised to stay indoors, keep doors and windows closed, and turn off air-conditioning units for about three hours. The plant’s owner, Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corp., says the blast occurred about 8 a.m. during the restarting of a vinyl chloride monomer unit. State police said the fire was out by 9:20 a.m. Karen Khonsari, the plant’s environmental, health and safety officer, says the monomer was used in the manufacturing of plastic pipe. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality also reports there were releases of hydrochloric acid and chlorine. State police say the lines involved in the releases have all been shut down. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that vinyl chloride is a known cancer-causing substance. A 44-mile stretch of the nearby Mississippi River was closed as a precaution, as winds were blowing in the river’s direction, says Ascension Parish spokesman Lester Kenyon. Fortunately, Kenyon says, the wind was blowing away from about a dozen residences in the area and other plants. Air monitoring units are being dispatched to the area, and a team from the Environmental Protection Agency was also en route this afternoon.