By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / January 11, 1999

NORCO – The Dec. 8 accident at Shell Chemical released toxins into theadjoining residential neighborhood and threatened children at Norco Elementary School, according to an analysis of an air sample taken that same day.

Margie Richard, president of Concerned Citizens of Norco, took the air sample eight hours after the alleged release.

“I walked through it. My nose started burning and my eyes are still weak.My asthma kicked in big time,” she said.

Shell spokesman Don Baker responded: “Let me say very emphatically that there was no chemical release.”At 8 a.m. on Dec. 8 Shell reported the overheating of a tank containingmethyl ethyl ketone. Fourth- to sixth-grade students at Norco Elementarywere advised to “shelter in place,” while kindergarten through third-grade students arriving on buses were re-routed to Destrehan High School for the duration of the incident.

Richard called members of a national community-based air sampling project, known as the “Bucket Brigade” of Communities for a Better Environment, to document a foul odor sweeping through the neighborhood adjoining Shell Chemical.

People in Norco reported a smell of burnt garlic, mixed hydrocarbon smell or possible methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) odor to the samplers. Three dayslater an independent lab reported high concentrations of MEK.

Some residents claimed to CBE representatives they heard a roaring sound and saw a billowing cloud of white smoke.

Other neighbors reported the cloud leaked into their homes through windows or under doors, which caused eye, nose and lung irritation.

Richard was especially angry about the incident, as her 79-year-old mother was home alone at the time.

“If she had walked outside, she’d be gone,” Richard said.

Their home, at 28 Washington Street, faces the eastern fence line of Shell Chemical.

Later on Dec. 8 Shell employees told neighbors the incident was undercontrol and no chemicals were released into the neighborhood.

Baker emphasized, “The system, the way it was designed, was to prevent that from happening.”Baker did admit that at noon a tanker truck being unloaded spilled “a couple hundred pounds” of hydrochloric acid, but he said it was quickly cleaned up.

“It was not enough to be reportable,” he added, explaining that a reportable amount is 1,000 pounds.

Richard collected an air sample at 4:41 p.m. Dec. 8 at the corner ofWashington and First streets. She was supervised by Donald Brown of theBucket Brigade and Denny Larson of CBE.

The sample was analyzed by Performance Analytical, Simi Valley, Calif.

Certified analysts Wilma Subra and Dr. Neil Carman prepared the analysisreport.

According to the analysis, chemicals detected in the sample included MEK, toluene, acetone, methyl tert-butyl ether, benzene, styrene, methylene chloride, chloromethane and trace amounts of ethylbenzene, o-xylene and trichlorofluoromethane.

Some of these chemicals are listed on the Toxics Release Inventory of chemicals monitored by the EPA. The TRI list for Shell Refinery and ShellChemical were compared to the sample in order to identify the source of the detected chemicals.

Baker said the following numbers appeared to be outdated 1996 figures and commented, “We have no way to evaluate any of that data. We aregoing to try and study it further.”According to the analysis results released Jan. 3, MEK is released by ShellChemical at a rate of 43,000 pounds per year through fugitive air emissions and 74,000 pounds per year by stack air emissions. MEK was thechemical of highest concentration in the sample, at 12 parts per billion, eight hours after the incident.

Toluene is released by Shell Chemical at a rate of 2,800 pounds per year by fugitive air emissions and 28 pounds per year by stack air emissions.

Also, Shell Refinery releases 50,000 pounds per year by fugitive air emissions and 32,000 pounds per year by stack air emissions. The airsample detected 10 parts per billion.

Methyl tert-butyl ether is released by Shell Refinery at a rate of 7,500 pounds per year and by stack air emissions at 41,000 pounds per year. Theair sample detected 3.6 parts per billion.Benzene is released by Shell Refinery at a rate of 40,000 pounds per year and by stack air emissions by 46,000 pounds per year. Also, ShellChemical releases 5 pounds per year by fugitive air emissions and 220 pounds per year by stack air emissions. The air sample detected 1.0 partsper billion.

Styrene is released by Shell Refinery at a rate of 17 pounds per year in fugitive air emissions and by 260 pounds per year by stack air emissions.

The air sample detected 1.0 parts per billion.M&p Xylene is released by Shell Chemical at a rate of 890 pounds per year.

The air sample detected 0.71 parts per billion.Ethylbenzene is released by Shell Refinery at a rate of 5,700 pounds per year by fugitive air emissions and 1,700 pounds per year by stack air emissions. The air sample detected 0.28 parts per billion.O-xylene was present in the air sample at 0.25 parts per billion (tracelevel).

The analysis concluded Shell Chemical was the source of the MEK in the air sample, and recommended further air samples be taken to determine “background” levels of chemical emissions.

In addition, recommendations as to that incident included the gathering of weather data for that date and time and obtaining the physical distance from the accident site to the collection site.

Finally, the recommendations concluded, Shell should be asked to document its claim that no releases were made, as told to the public.

Back in August 1997, Concerned Citizens of Norco, representing 250 residents, sued Shell unsuccessfully to ask for relocation from their neighborhood, as they lived in fear of the plant.

Richard claimed the neighborhood is filled with people suffering from various respiratory ailments and that most of the recent deaths in the area were due to these same ailments and various cancers.

Her sister, Naomi, died several years ago at age 43, from sarcoidosis, a bacterial infection Richard claims is brought on by polluted lungs where the immune system is weakened.

She says she knows of at least three others in the small neighborhood suffering from the same illness, which normally affect one in 1,000 persons.

Concerned Citizens of Norco is affiliated with the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Xavier University, New Orleans, and the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic.

Ironically, on Dec. 7, the day before the accident, Richard co-hosted a tourgroup of national and regional U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyofficials in Norco. Also on the tour were members of the NationalEnvironmental Justice Advisory Council.

At that tour, Richard commented that life in Norco next to Shell was making the people sick and they wanted out.

“If you don’t live where we live, you don’t understand,” Richard said, adding most employees do not work at the plant and do not have to endure its danger on a 24-hour basis. Everybody deserves the right to enjoy theirown community.”She continued: “Every time we, as black Americans, stand up for what is right, they say it’s for greed of money. It’s a fight for longevity.”

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