Charges Filed Against Unocal in School Illness Incidents

Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn has filed criminal misdemeanor charges against Unocal, alleging that two releases of foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas from its Wilmington refinery sickened elementary school students and teachers at three nearby schools.

Unocal spokesman Barry Lane said the oil company will have no comment until its lawyers review the case.

The charges involve releases on Feb. 7 and April 13 of hydrogen sulfide gas and mercaptans, which are volatile organic sulfur compounds in the same chemical family as skunk oil.

Unocal is charged with two counts of illegally discharging air contaminants dangerous to the public health and one count of negligently violating the law. The air pollution counts carry a maximum fine of $1,000 each; the negligence charge has a maximum penalty of $10,000.

Residents Complained

In the first incident, residents near the refinery complained to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which investigated and determined that refinery officials could have prevented the release “by exercising proper care.” Investigators said the releases took place while refinery employees were conducting routine maintenance on the refinery’s South Hydrocarbon Relief and Recovery System.

Victims, including teachers and students of the Taper Avenue Elementary School and the San Pedro Science Center, complained of nausea and burning sensation in the chest and eyes.

In the April 13 incident, AQMD also tracked the pollution to Unocal. Investigators say it most likely occurred during the start-up of a fluid catalytic converter unit. Victims in that incident included students and teachers at the Taper Avenue school, as well as nuns and students at the St. Peter and Paul Elementary School. The Cosmi Corp., a nearby business, closed for the day because of the odors.

The charges are the second set filed against Unocal in the last 1 1/2 years. In May, 1988, Unocal was charged with releasing pollutants into the air from a smokestack.

Emissions Detected

Those charges stemmed from incidents on June 3, Sept. 24, and Oct. 14, 1987, when illegal emissions were detected by AQMD inspectors conducting a routine visit to the refinery.

The oil company was ordered to pay $5,100 in fines and penalty assessments and $70,000 to the Clean Fuels Account established by the AQMD. Unocal pleaded no contest to three violations of air quality regulations in March.