Houston-area Residents Find Toxic Chemicals Miles From Plant Damaged by Hurricane Harvey

Tests detected toxic substances in soil, water and ash samples taken miles from a chemical plant that flooded during Hurricane Harvey, caught fire and partially exploded, nearly 20 Houston-area residents said.The findings were disclosed Monday afternoon in a letter the residents' lawyers mailed to the chief executive of the plant's owner, France-based Arkema, and several regulatory agencies, giving notice that they planned to sue.The letter accused Arkema of violating multiple environmental protection laws because of unauthorized chemical spills and releases that happened when the company failed to properly store and contain its organic peroxides before and after 6 feet of water overwhelmed the facility.Arkema representatives could not be reached for comment. The company has refused to say which chemicals were released during the fire and has repeatedly declined to discuss how large its inventory quantities were prior to the incident. It provided only the names of its chemicals on its website last month after days of public pressure.  Continue reading...