New Orleans -- A plant problem at the Chalmette Refining facility has resulted in a leak of sulfur-based chemicals into the air, spreading quickly west from St. Bernard Parish to parts of the city and nearby communities.
Several viewers, primarily from the West Bank, called FOX 8 to describe a powerful, rotten eggs-like smell Monday evening. FOX 8 confirmed with an official at Chalmette Refining that the refinery had leaked what he described as a small amount of two chemicals: sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
A shift supervisor at the refinery says the discharge happened after the sulfur plant there lost a supply of oxygen late Monday. The official insisted that most of the chemical release is being burned before it reaches the air.
The remainder appears to have been carried by strong winds west, away from Chalmette and toward such neighborhoods as Algiers, Terrytown and Belle Chasse.
Chalmette Refining insists that the release should not cause any long-term problems but acknowledges that the smell is very unpleasant. The on-site supervisor says the state Department of Environmental Quality is involved in dealing with the situation.
FOX 8 will provide more details on this chemical release as soon as they become available.
