Thursday, February 12, 2015

FORMALDEHYDE LEAK REPORTED AT DUPONT’S BELLE CHEMICAL PLANT IN WEST VIRGINIA








February 12, 2015




BELLE, WEST VIRGINIA (AP) —







West Virginia environmental workers responded to a formaldehyde leak at a chemical plant in Belle.




Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelly Gillenwater says a team was dispatched to monitor the area around the DuPont plant after Wednesday's incident.




Gillenwater tells the Charleston Gazette (http://bit.ly/1J0jHkl ) the leak occurred when DuPont employees turned on a piece of equipment that had been shut down for maintenance. The equipment malfunctioned, causing the formaldehyde to vaporize as it was released at a pump.




DuPont workers used a water spray to contain the leak. About 10 pounds of the chemical was released.




DuPont spokeswoman Robin Ollis Stemple says no one was injured or exposed to the chemical. She says employees briefly sheltered in place as a precaution.



The unit was quickly shut down allowing only a small amount of material to be diverted to the scrubber, according to Stemple.