The Battalion
Monday • June 21M >j
^ Ww
■
Shell plant explosion rocks
Houston’s ‘chemical corrida
DEER PARK (AP) — An explosion and
fire ripped through a Shell Chemical Co.
plant in this Houston suburb on Sunday.
No serious injuries were reported, but
nearby residents were urged to stay in
doors as the fire fed by toxic chemicals and
gasoline raged on.
The explosion at the Shell Oil Co. sub
sidiary plant occurred about 10 a.m. in an
olefins unit that manufactures propylene,
ethylene and benzene, said Shell
spokesman Darren Martin. The three light
hydrocarbons are the building blocks for
a variety of chemical products from plas
tics to pharmaceuticals.
Authorities said they didn’t know what
caused the explosion or fire, which was ex
pected to burn into Monday.
“We’re allowing the fire to burn out,”
Martin said.
Shell reported the incident to both En
vironmental Protection Agency and the
Occupational Safety and Health Adminis
tration. The two agencies will conduct sep
arate investigations.
Trails of the black chemical smoke —
which also included fumes from burning
gasoline — could be seen from miles away.
Shell officials said the burning mixture
posed no health risk to area residents.
“At this time I don’t know quantities or
amounts that were released,” said Martin.
“Based on our monitoring data, we have
not found high levels of benzene down
wind so we’ve assumed it’s being burned
up in the fire.”
Shell Chemical will continue to moni
tor the air surrounding the complex to de
termine if the chemicals present a health
hazard, officials said.
About 50 Shell Chemical Co. and con
tract employees were on duty in the unit
at the time of the blast. All were account
ed for. One worker was treated at a hospi
tal for chest pains.
Power went out at the plant about eight
hours before the explosion, but Martin
said investigators didn’t believe the two
events were linked. The outage ended and
all units were back on line by 7 a.m.
Benzene, a known carcinogen, and its
vapors can be severely toxic when in
haled. It can cause dizziness, headaches
and drowsiness.
But Martin, the plant’s health and safe
ty manager, said the burning amount of
benzene was well below the EPA-imposed
limit of one part per million over an eight-
Deer Part
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hour period.
“We have quantities way lower!
that,” Martin said.
Nevertheless, police advised resil I
within a mile of the plant to staying £e I
State Highway 225 near the plant was!
porarUy closed to keep trafficwayfroni
area. The toll bridge leading into Deerl
and directly in line with the diem
smoke plumes — was closed
Summit partners embrace Russi
Photograph: Rony Angkriwan
^ ^->1 D ^ im S amue, > a professor at Texas A&M Medical School, and his
jp00Q KaC0l5 sons, Ryan and Nicholas, roll around campus Sunday morning.
DENVER (AP) —World leaders squabbled over global warm
ing but ducked a tough stand Sunday as they concluded an his
toric summit with Russia’s full participation
for the first time. They prodded Middle East
nations to resume peace negotiations and
denounced human cloning.
“We have actually made real progress on
problems that matter to our people,” President
Clinton said at a wrap-up news conference,
hailing cooperation on everything from eco
nomic problems to security threats.
French President Jacques Chirac, unhappy
with Clinton’s resistance to targets for reduc
ing greenhouse gases, grumbled that the Unit
ed States was “one of the world’s largest polluters.” The president
of the 15-nation European Commission said he was “frankly dis
appointed” by the outcome.
The leaders vowed to reinject momentum into the collapsed
Middle East peace process but did not specify any action. “I’m
willing to do anything I can to keep this peace process from go-
Clinton
ing awry,” said Clinton. He said the leaders of Israel andAii
states need “to bear down.”
Flanked by tlie leaders of Russia, Canada, France, GernH
Britain, Italy and Japan, Clinton presented the Summit oil
Eight communique at a closing ceremony at the Denver
Library. He said “hard work and a spirit of cooperation”
vailed at the three-day meeting.
“We are stronger because we now have Russia as a partm
Clinton said. “The G-8 has become a reality,” Boris Yeltsin sai
Commenting on discussions with Chirac, Yeltsin said,“Oni
ternational relations, we have absolutely the same view. Whenl
speaks, it’s like I was speaking.”
Just nine days before China’s takeover of Hong Kongi
leaders urged Beijing to maintain the former British coloivj
"fundamental freedoms” and to conduct free electionsfoi
new legislature soon.
In his news conference, Clinton said “we do not wantto
some the bad faith of the Chinese.” He said he expected Beij
would live up to its agreements. He called on Congress to
prove “most favored” trade status with China.
ithl
Van
Continued from Page 1
Barbara J. Quiram, director of
administrative services for the
Rural Health Initiative at the A&M
Health Science Center, gave tours
of the van and said the van is
made up of three basic compo
nents: a general screening room,
a patient education room and a
dental screening room.
“The van is geared toward
prevention and education,”
Quiram said.
The education room has visual
aids on topics of interest for
young people and families,
Quiram said.
Pamphlets on smokeless to
bacco and immunization hang on
the walls. The van also features a
puppet show video on immuniza
tion that can be shown on the
television in the room.
But Quiram said what really
makes the van unique is its state-
of-the-art dental equipment. The
dental screening room has a Gen-
dex Panoramic, an x-ray machine
that digitizes images instead of
using film. The images can be
transmitted from of the van to the
Baylor School of Dentistry, where
students can examine them.
The van also is equipped with
a cellular phone, another phone
that can reach the driver and a
bathroom.
Other features of the van in
clude a refrigerator and freezer,
water, a microwave, a sound sys
tem and an air system that
changes the air in the van every
three minutes. The van also is ful
ly handicap-accessible.
Quiram said volunteers and
medical, nursing and dentistry
students will work in the van.
She also said services will be ad
ministered with no charge to
the patients.
Dr. Michael L. Friedland, vice
president for health affairs and
dean of medicine, said the van is
a natural extension of the health
education and rural outreach
program at A&M.
“How do you get to commu
nities that don’t have a place
for health education?” Fried-
land said.
Friedland said A&M is the only
university in the nation that has a
School of Rural Public Health.
He also said other medical
vans similar to this one service
Texas, but they are not dedicated
to serving rural areas like this one.
He said the van is a cooperative
effort by the A&M School of Rur
al Public Health, College of Med
icine, Agriculture Extension Ser
vice and Baylor School of
Dentistry. Friedland said the
schools of nursing in the A&M
University System also will be in
volved eventually.
Quiram said 203 out of 254
counties in Texas are designated
as rural counties. She said the van
will start serving rural counties in
the Temple area after another
dedication ceremony in Temple
July 14.
Weather Outlook
WEDNESDAY
Thunderstorms
High: 95°
Low: 75°
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Thunderstorms
High: 94°
Low: 75°
Thunderstorms
High: 93°
Low: 74°
Sketeh
By Quatr
CRISP.. THIS RAW . SUCKS.
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ME TO WAi_K AEOUNP SOME RAIN SHOES XN MY ME TO WALK AROUNp!
52^5?^, PAYS ' £0 j BACKPACK. WANNA BORROW 'EM? * YOUR SHOES. NO mt
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MSC Great Issues presents..
The Ethics of
Cloning
Presenting Dr. Jim Wild
Head of the Genetics and Biochemistry Departments
Wednesday, June 25th
4 p.m.
MSC 206
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