THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503120329
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
About 8,000 pounds of chemicals used for making plastics were lost Saturday night after processing equipment over-pressurized and an emergency-release system activated.
``The system did exactly what it was supposed to do,'' Battalion Chief Henry Diehl said. The spilled chemicals posed no hazard, he said.
The incident occurred about 8p.m. at Huntsman Chemical Corp. in the 5100 block of Bainbridge Blvd. No one was injured, and the fire department was called only as a precaution.
The release came from a tank where 40,000 pounds of plastic product was being prepared. The tank overheated and over-pressurized. That snapped a ``pressure disc'' in a venting pipe that is intended to release in such a situation to prevent an explosion.
Plant Manager Jim Joyce said 3,000 pounds of styrene monomer, in vapor, was released into the air and 5,000 pounds of polymer - molten plastic - poured into a containment area.
The vapor had an unpleasant odor but was not toxic, Joyce said, and dissipated without incident.
Joyce said that there was no damage to equipment and that plant operations were only minimally affected. by CNB