The Environmental Protection Agency has released the tests results of water samples collected around the chemical plant near Houston that flooded after Hurricane Harvey rampaged through Texas.
According to a report in Reuters, the surface water runoff samples contained “no volatile organic chemicals or semi-volatile organic chemicals.”
Organic peroxides stored inside the Crosby, Texas facility ignited after flooding knocked out power and the plant’s cooling system. Residents within a 1.5-mile radius of the plant were evacuated while the fire raged for days.
Arkema recently responded to questions from Philly.com about the company’s preparation for the incident and called Harvey “unprecedented.”
“There is a vast difference between the flooding from Harvey, and anything seen at that plant in the past,” the company stated. “Hurricane Harvey has literally set a new high water level for our plant, and this will certainly figure into our thinking going forward.”
Arkema also stated that the company does not yet know the full extent of the damage at the facility, saying that it will “take time” to know the full cost and that it is working with the community to help neighbors with any damage claims.
Images of the blaze fueled wider concerns about the regulatory environment surrounding chemical disclosure laws.
For that, Arkema said it is up to government officials to add rules if needs be, and that it complies “with all existing regulations.”
“Like others in industries that work with dangerous materials, Arkema supports additional requirements for public disclosures as long as proper information safeguards are in place,” the company stated.
