Two dead after chemical leak at Pemex refinery in Houston area

(Bloomberg) — Two people have died and 35 were injured after chemicals were released at a Houston-area refinery owned by Mexico’s state oil company.

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According to a statement from Petroleos Mexicanos, the Deer Park plant has suspended some operations following the hydrogen sulfide leak last night. The workers who died were contract workers and not Pemex employees, CEO Victor Rodriguez Padilla said in a news conference Friday.

“We were only able to recover the bodies at dawn because the area was still contaminated for a few hours,” Padilla said.

Hydrogen sulfide is an extremely flammable, toxic gas known for its rotten egg smell. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, exposure to high concentrations can quickly cause death.

The state-owned company has come under fire in recent years for its poor safety record, including an accident on an offshore platform in 2021 that killed five people and numerous fires across its network of oil refineries. In 2022, Pemex acquired the Deer Park plant, a joint venture between the state oil company and Shell Plc.

The leak occurred at an amine recovery plant, according to a person familiar with the matter. Amine is a chemical compound used as a cleaning agent to remove acidic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from hydrocarbon streams.

The refinery shut down at least three plants after the leak, Padilla said. These included a coker, which processes residual oil, and a hydrotreater, which removes sulfur from refined products.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said in a statement that it was opening an investigation into the incident.

– With support from Christopher Charleston, Maya Averbuch and Guillermo Molero.

(Adds details of leak and COD investigation in final paragraphs)

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