Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) -State Police are investigating and DEQ and OSHA have been notified of a carbon monoxide release at Louisiana Pigment that sent several employees to the hospital Tuesday evening.
The leak happened around 7 p.m. during planned maintenance in the chloride process unit at Louisiana Pigment’s titanium dioxide plant off Bayou d’Inde Road, according to Plant Manager John Dixon. Titanium Dioxide B
“The release was contained within the unit and there was no off-site impact,” Dixon said. “We had maintenance personnel conducting those activities and six of those personnel were exposed. So, we had them taken to West Cal-Cam hospital for observation and treatment.”
He said the plant followed emergency procedures and got workers away from the area.
“We activated our ER team and got the individuals out of danger as quickly as possible,” he said.
Dixon said they administered first aid at the scene, which included giving the workers oxygen, then sending them to the hospital.
At last word four of the six taken to West Cal Cam were treated and released while two remain hospitalized. We don’t have their names or know the extent of their injuries because of privacy laws.
Dixon says the company is investigating to determine the root cause of the release and how to prevent it in the future.
“We place the highest priority on the safety of our workers and contractor activities in our plant,” he said. “And we are working with the authorities to make sure we’re doing everything correctly.”
Dixon says they will continue to gather facts and interview witnesses to determine what went wrong.
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