NEDERLAND, Texas — Nederland residents are dissatisfied about how they were informed of a leak from a transport trailer that has left some with headaches, nausea and eye irritation.
Emergency response crews spent most of Monday monitoring and suppressing the chemical leak at Beauxart Garden Road near Highway 69. The incident was first reported on Sunday but began Saturday afternoon.
The leak has closed the road and surrounding neighborhoods are being closely monitored.
Officials released multiple statements saying the chemical released by the leaking trailer may linger in the air for several days. This has left Beauxart Garden residents concerned, as they have already been experiencing mild side effects.
The leaking product, known as Lubrizol 1389, is producing a low level of hydrogen sulfide gas, according to a City of Nederland press release. Lubrizol 1389 is a mineral oil blend used as a lubricant additive.
Hydrogen sulfide gas is a colorless gas known for its “rotten egg” odor, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The gas is extremely flammable and highly toxic.
A preliminary air monitoring showed that only a small amount of the chemical is detectable, according to the City of Nederland.
Side effects of hydrogen sulfide exposure depend on the amount a person breathes in and for how long. Mild symptoms can range from headaches to nausea to eye irritation.
Severe symptoms can include unconsciousness and death.
Residents said the smell is much stronger in their homes than outside.
Residents said they would have rather been notified about the situation through the Southeast Texas Alerting Network or the city. Members of the Beauxart neighborhood said they have had to keep up with the situation through Facebook.
The City of Nederland said they have asked the company responsible to set up a phone back to address testing in those homes. The Nederland Tank Wash is the owner of the leaking tanker truck, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Nederland Tank Wash employees noticed the leak on Saturday afternoon and reported it to the TCEQ. The City of Nederland notified residents on Sunday, almost 15 hours after the incident began.
Residents said they never would have imagined such an awful smell would force them to evacuate their homes.
“We decided to leave the house because we have two babies,” Gremal Maldonado, Nederland resident, said. “One is two years old, and he's seven months. We live pretty close [to] where it happened. I got the chance to smell it yesterday at, like, seven.”
Like many of her neighbors, Maldonado said she had to learn about the leak on social media.
“Maybe [notify], like tell the people what was going on,” Maldonado said. “I know I got on Facebook to look for information, but maybe other people don't have that, you know, chance.”
Those affected said the smell seemed to have traveled with them as they sought to escape it.
“We stayed at a hotel yesterday,” Maldonado said. “And in the morning, when we went to our car, the car was smelling really strong, like the smell was still there.”
While they are happy to get away from the smell, Beauxart residents said they would much rather be in their own homes rather than hotels.
“Yeah, it's hard,” Maldonado said. “I mean, I want to be home. But I know its not the best thing for my kids. So, if we have to sleep anywhere else that we can, we might have to see you on the floor today. But it's fine. It's better here. I know that it's better here than home.”
The city is asking those that have evacuated their homes to keep receipts incase re-imbursement becomes an option.
From a City of Nederland Press release:
Emergency response crews are still on scene monitoring a leaking transport trailer at this location. The product is a mineral oil blend, known as Lubrizol 1389 that is used as a lubricant additive. The product is producing low levels of hydrogen sulfide gas. The leak is located around a pressure release device on the trailer. Emergency crews are now controlling the vapor with the use of environmental scrubbing cannisters and air monitoring is ongoing around the clock. The road closure is still in place on Beauxart Garden Road. The two factors we are dealing with are vapor pressure and product temperature. The on-going objective is to reduce vapor pressure through the scrubbing equipment and monitor product temperature.
Because the health and safety of our residents is our highest priority, the City of Nederland asked Nederland Tank Wash to set up a special citizen helpline that residents will be able to call for updates about the cleanup of that company’s container truck that has been leaking noxious vapors in the vicinity of Beauxart Garden Road. The helpline phone number will be posted as soon as it becomes available, likely by noon tomorrow.
The intensity and location of the odor will vary throughout the day as wind speeds and direction change. Progress has been made on-site regarding the odor. We continue to ask everyone to avoid this area and for nearby residents to stay inside their home as much as possible. The operational period for this incident is still unknown and may last for several days.