Fatal Hydrogen Sulfide Leak Incident Draws Attention: 35 People Poisoned, 2 Dead!

Pemex's refinery in Deer Park, Texas, has a capacity of 312,500 barrels per day. A chemical spill at the refinery recently killed two people. According to the county sheriff, as many as 35 employees at the refinery were treated for exposure to potentially deadly hydrogen sulfide gas in the incident, and some employees were taken to area hospitals.

A national highway adjacent to the refinery was temporarily closed for several hours after the accident, while residents of the Deer Park community were urgently told to stay in their homes and turn off air conditioning units to prevent harmful gases from entering. At present, the highway has been reopened and the related orders of the shelter have been lifted.

According to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified publicly, the accident may have been caused by contractors at the refinery accidentally opening a pipeline containing hydrogen sulfide during the operation, and the two people died from direct exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez further noted that a flange may have opened due to improper operation, releasing toxic fumes.

Gonzalez also said it could take seven to eight hours for officials to safely access the gas release area for further processing due to the complex situation at the scene.

The spill was reported at 4:40 p.m. Edt (21:40 GMT), Pemex said. After the leak, the company responded quickly, shutting down the refinery's 92,000-barrel-per-day coker and a hydrogenator to contain the situation, according to a statement from the company.

According to sources, the contractor was working on the refinery's sulphur recovery unit (SRU) at the time of the leak. The main function of the unit is to convert hydrogen sulfide from coke furnaces and hydrogenators into elemental sulfur, so as to realize the recycling of resources and reduce environmental pollution. However, the occurrence of this accident once again reminds us that the importance of safe production cannot be ignored, and the management and monitoring of hazardous chemicals must be strengthened to ensure the safety of personnel and the stability of the environment.