We’ve seen golfers brave forest fires to make sure they get in their time on the course, and now we have golfers in Houston who chose to hit the range while a chemical fire burned at a nearby plant.
Timetable for Deer Park chemical blaze indefinite as fire grows https://t.co/Hn1fZbyM09
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 20, 2019
The incident began on Sunday and involves at least three different chemicals at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. plant in Deer Park, Texas.
Per the Houston Chronicle:
Naphtha can irritate the nose and throat when breathed, and poisonous gases are produced when naphtha is exposed to fire, according to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle.
Luke Metzger, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Environment Texas, previously told the Chronicle that Naphtha can cause headaches, dizziness nausea and vomiting in the short term. Long-term side effects include risk of cancer and risk to the nervous system, he said.
Xylene exposure produces similar side effects, including including headaches, dizziness, confusion and change in one’s sense of balance, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease registry.
Exposure to Xylene at very high levels can cause unconsciousness and, in some cases, death, according to the registry.
Toluene’s short-term side effects also include confusion, headaches and dizziness. Weakness, memory loss and nausea can also occur, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
In the long-term, Toluene can cause brain damage, as well as damage to the kidneys and liver. Read more about the side effects here.
Hey, but none of that was going to stop these guys from putting in work.