MARCH 18, 2015
A chemical leak at PBF Refinery this week sent multiple
Paulsboro High School students and faculty members to a local hospital Wednesday
morning.
According to Mark Wilgus, a spokesman for PBF Refinery, the
product has been leaking from a broken seal on the top of a tank since Monday,
causing an odor throughout the borough.
Naphtha, a liquid hydrocarbon mixture, is a partially
refined product that is extremely flammable and irritating to the eyes and
respiratory system. It can also affect the central nervous system.
A high vapor concentration of the product can cause
irritation and discomfort to the eyes and slight irritation to the skin,
according to its material safety data sheet. Vapors can also cause
"central nervous system depression."
If the liquid is inhaled into the lungs it can cause
chemical pneumonia, severe lung damage, respiratory failure and death.
Paulsboro High School bused 16 students and two teachers to
Inspira Medical Center in Woodbury Wednesday who were complaining of eye
irritation or difficulty breathing and several other Paulsboro residents
visited the hospital on their own later Wednesday afternoon.
As of 4 p.m. the majority of the students had been released,
while two students and those who went in later remained in the hospital
awaiting evaluations, Inspira spokeswoman Molly Tritt said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the contents of the leaking tank
have been removed and cleanup has begun, Wilgus said.
"We're hoping this is the end of the ongoing tank issue
we've had since Monday," Wilgus added. "We're hoping to get past this
and continue to work with local officials, including school officials, to fully
understand what happened. We certainly don't enjoy when this kind of thing
happens and we cause disruptions at the school."
Sitting directly across the street from the refinery,
Paulsboro High School had odors present throughout the week, but didn't
experience problems until Wednesday.
Air monitors were used in all of Paulsboro's schools and
throughout the community since Monday, but did not pick up a troublesome
presence until Wednesday when between three and five parts per million
hydrocarbons were detected in the second and third floors of the high school, according
to Fire Chief Alfonso Giampola.
"Three to five parts per million is not a dangerous
level, but it is an odor level and can affect those with weaker immune
systems," he said.
Students were released around noon Wednesday and the windows
and doors in the building were opened to air it out.
As of mid-afternoon, the air detectors were reading at .01
ppm, but emergency personnel will continue to monitor throughout the night and
again at 4:30 a.m. to determine if it is safe to reopen the school Thursday morning.
Who in the right mind would build a school and playground
next to a refinery? Only in New Jersey.
Source:www.nj.com
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