Ontario, Canada: Workers Hospitalized After Refinery Stack Flare Goes Out; Local Residents Sheltered-in-Place

Corunna, Ontario,

3/16/2000

21 people were taken to the hospital after the flare went out at a stack on a Shell Canada refinery, releasing gases into the atmosphere.

200 employees of a call center in this community, just south of Sarnia, complained of nausea and sore throats after a strong sulfur smell was reported.

Release flares burn off excess gas produced in the refining process. Shell Canada says the flare involved in this incident was out for about 10 minutes.

Employees said many of their co-workers were sick, some experiencing sore throats and dizziness, others nauseated and passing out.

Those taken to the hospital were treated and release. Shell Canada was still investigating what happened and what kind of gases were released.

Fire officials advised area residents to stay indoors as a precaution, and the Environment Ministry was investigating.

http://chemsafety.gov/circ/post.cfm?incident_id=4735

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 17, 2000