VIDEO: A sulfuric acid leak at an industrial plant in east Harris County sent two people to the hospital and led to over 40 people being treated, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the incident began around 2 a.m. on Saturday at the BWC Terminals facility when a catwalk structure collapsed onto a 6-inch sulfuric acid supply line at the industrial plant near Channelview. The Channelview Fire District, which led the hazmat response, said crews were sent to the 16300 block of Jacintoport Boulevard.
The sheriff’s office said two people with breathing problems were taken to the hospital, and people from two ships docked at the San Jacinto Port were checked at the scene. SkyEye was over the scene, surveying the facility, when ABC13’s Don Armstrong pointed out what appeared to be the damaged scaffolding that officials said caused the leak.
In an update later that morning, Judge Lina Hidalgo said environmental monitoring was underway after about 1 million gallons of sulfuric acid stored in a tank were released, with some leaking into the Houston Ship Channel. BWC Terminals later clarified in a statement that the affected tank was carrying 1 million gallons, but most of it was released into the facility’s designated containment area.
