Man Burned in Chemical Accident at Texas Refinery
A Galveston Bay man was burned in chemical accident on Saturday. Officials are investigating the incident.
Details of the Texas City Chemical Accident
According to Reuters, a worker at Marathon Petroleum Corps’ Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City was burned by hydrofluoric acid on Saturday, January 2, while he was working on an alkylation unit.
After the exposure to the hydrofluoric acid, the worker was transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure. Marathon spokesman Brandon Daniels provided no further details about the accident.
Hydrofluoric acid alkylation units like the one the worker was working on produce high-octane gasoline components by reining by-products in a mixture that is made from the acid.
If exposed to hydrofluoric acid without treatment, the acid can be corrosive to the skin and eyes as well as potentially causing fatal damage to the respiratory system.
Facts About Burns in the United States
The American Burn Association reports that there were nearly 486,000 burn injuries in the United States in 2015, 3 percent of which were cause by chemicals.
Reuters also reports that the site of the accident is the same refinery was the site of the deadliest refinery accident in the last 10 years when 15 workers were killed in a 2005 explosion that injured another 180 people.
