Texas City, Texas – Texas City has lifted its shelter in place order after an operational issue at the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery caused sulfur dioxide to be released into the air.
The air readings throughout the city are normal, and no injuries were reported.
Several roads were reopened after they were blocked off temporarily.
Marathon GBR can refine 593,000 barrels of crude oil per calendar day and is in the 2938 block of 5th Avenue South. The order was issued around 9:10 a.m.
The area that was affected was south of Marathon GBR to the Texas City Y.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation released the statement below.
“Marathon Petroleum personnel at the company’s Galveston Bay Refinery have resolved an operational upset that had led to a temporary increase in sulfur dioxide emissions earlier today. Emissions have returned to normal levels. There were no injuries. The City of Texas City has lifted a shelter in place that it had issued for an area south of the refinery,” the corporation said.
“It was just like real foggy, like smoke looking you could smell it. It was bad,” said Steve Maldonado who lives nearby.
Officials said no residential areas were affected.
The following areas were affected by the shelter in place order.
- Loop 197 at SH-146 (197 is blocked)
- 519 at SH-146 (519 is blocked)
- 4th Avenue S at Loop 197 (Loop 197 is blocked)
Marathon Petroleum Corporation shared the following information Sunday morning.
“Marathon Petroleum personnel at the company’s Galveston Bay Refinery are responding to an operational upset that has led to a temporary increase in sulfur dioxide emissions. There have been no injuries. Air monitoring has been deployed in the community, and the City of Texas City has issued a shelter in place for an area south of the refinery. A map of the affected area can be found on the city’s social media channels. The safety of personnel and the public is our top priority as we work to resolve the situation,” Marathon Petroleum said.
What is sulfur dioxide?
Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with an irritating odor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If someone is exposed to the gas, it can cause irritation in your eyes, throat and nose. It can also cause nasal mucus, coughing, reflex bronchi construction, choking or shortness of breath.
If people are exposed for long periods of time and at high levels, this can cause many respiratory symptoms.
“Sulfur dioxide is used in many industries. It’s used to manufacture sulfuric acid, paper, and food preservatives,” the CDC said.
What caused the emissions?
According to environmental quality paperwork filed by Marathon, they believe a pump failure caused a compressor to trip.
This resulted in excess sulfur dioxide emissions from a stack at the plant.
The paperwork said the emission event lasted a total of five and a half hours.