BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — ExxonMobil says as much as 28,700 pounds of benzene may have been released June 14 at its chemical plant in Baton Rouge.
The estimate is included in a report to the state Department of Environmental Quality about the spill of the chemical naphtha, which contains benzene.
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The Advocate (http://bit.ly/O34dzK ) reports that DEQ officials began an investigation Thursday, one day after receiving the report.
Assistant Secretary Cheryl Nolan says one element of the investigation will be determining when ExxonMobil plant officials learned how big the spill actually was beyond early estimates.
Inspection division administrator Chris Piehler says initial estimates of releases are usually inaccurate as facilities work to get information out fast. But he says companies must report changed estimates as they learn them.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
