$10,000 fine proposed for chlorine leak

Monday, Nov. 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Titanium Metals Corp. faces a $10,000 penalty proposed by the Clark County Health District for the release of chlorine gas and other chemicals well in excess of the allowable limit.

The Air Pollution Control Hearing Board will decide in January whether the plant near Henderson violated pollution laws and how much it will pay.

APC enforcement officer Kita Morris investigated complaints from four schools in the area after students and teachers detected chlorine odors Oct. 15.

The Henderson Fire Department analyzed the chlorine levels in the air, detecting chlorine at 0.3 parts per million. Humans begin to smell the fumes at 0.2 parts per billion.

At the time of the leak, Plant Manager Phil Roybal told Air Pollution Control Division officials that the chlorination unit had broken down.

Two automatic valves failed, allowing up to 86 pounds of pressurized chlorine gas to escape. Carbonyl sulfide, hydrochloric acid and titanium tetrachloride also leaked.

While the titanium metal production plant normally releases less than a ton of carbon monoxide each day, an estimated seven tons blew into the air on that day, Morris said in her report.

About 80 students at nearby Burkholder Middle School asked to see nurses. A dozen were sent home due to eye irritation, coughing and stomach aches.

Additionally, a teacher at McCaw Elementary School complained of an upset stomach and two students at Newton Elementary School suffered headaches and vomiting. A student at Sewell Elementary School complained of eye irritation.

The health district ordered Titanium Metals to install outdoor chlorine monitors and an alarm system. The company was also ordered to review its procedures and equipment and make changes where necessary.