Chemicals burning at Texas plant are unstable if not cooled
September 1, 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chemicals that exploded at a Texas plant are so unstable hat they must be kept cool or they can ignite a runaway scenario.
Experts say that's what happened when the Arkema Inc. chemical plant lost power after Harvey engulfed the area in floods. Arkema executive Richard Rennard said the fire was caused by the chemicals degrading because of the lack of refrigeration.
The chemicals that caught fire at the plant outside Houston were organic peroxides, a family of unstable compounds used for making a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals and construction material...
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