Gas leak sends 15 to hospitals

Tag: silicon hose Just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday, an on-site gas leak led to 15 employees from a Pasadena plant being sent to area hospitals. Several emergency units from area chemical and municipalities responded to the Pasadena site of MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. in the 3000 block of North South Street. “A hose from a transport vehicle connected to our Pasadena plant site developed a leak and caused a release of silicon tetrafluoride (STF),” said Sean Hunkler, senior vice president of manufacturing at MEMC. MEMC is a plant which manufactures silicon wafers. The leak, said Hunkler, was contained by emergency responders and the flow of the material was stopped quickly. “At this time, we do not believe there was any off-site impact release due to the quick dissipation of the material in the atmosphere,” he said. “The fast response from individuals on-site minimized any impact.” STF is a raw material gas which is used in manufacturing process and is a potential inhalation hazard. The 15 employees were transported for further evaluation and/or treatment. “As a further precaution, we’re executing a controlled shut down of the plant to allow us to fully evaluate and inspect the raw material transfer system before resuming operations,” said Hunkler. “We are investigating the root cause.” As of press time, conditions of the workers were unknown. “We sincerely appreciated the fast response and support of the local authorities,” he said. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, silicon tetrafluoride is a “colorless gas; very pungent odor similar to that of hydrogen chloride.”