Chemical leak in Atwater Village prompts evacuation, hazmat response

A chemical leak at an industrial facility in Atwater Village on Thursday prompted a hazardous material response and sent a massive cloud of odorous smoke into the air over Northeast L.A.

Two people went to a nearby hospital with respiratory issues that may have been related, though an air quality expert noted that eye, skin and respiratory symptoms could take 24 hours to develop after exposure.

The incident was reported around 8:40 a.m. at Huntsman Chemical at 4541 W. Electronics Place, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

Officials initially said the incident occurred after a small valve broke, but by Thursday evening, the precise cause remained unclear. A spokesperson from the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the agency believed it may have been a chemical reaction rather than a leak.

According to a hazardous material spill report from the California Office of Emergency Services, a rupture disk was released during the packaging of an epoxy product known as Reninfusion 8610, “spilling a small amount of the product onto the concrete floor and allowing smoke to release into the atmosphere.”

It is unknown how full the 1,000-gallon vessel was when the incident occurred, and an investigation into the cause remains ongoing, the report says.

Gary Chapman, vice president of global communications with Texas-based Huntsman Corp., said via email that Reninfusion 8610 “is used as an adhesive or sealant in a variety of industrial applications” and stressed that “there was no health hazard resulting from today’s limited product venting.”

By early afternoon, the incident had been contained, and no firefighters or hazmat officials remained at the scene.

“There was no fire, no explosion, no injuries and no medical complaints,” said Stewart, the LAFD spokeswoman.

However, images and videos posted online showed a massive white plume over the area, with one uploader describing a “strong electrical odor,” and nearby Glendale Memorial Hospital acknowledged treating two patients whose symptoms may have been connected to the incident.

“They came in complaining of respiratory symptoms,” said Christina Zicklin, a spokeswoman for Glendale Memorial Hospital. Both patients were discharged, Zicklin said, but she was unable to provide further information.

One air quality expert said symptoms of exposure to Reninfusion 8610 could take a day or more to show up, and children and those with asthma may be more sensitive.

“This is early hours,” said Michael Kleinman, a professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at UC Irvine.

After reviewing the safety disclosure information for Reninfusion 8610, Kleinman said the chemicals in the product may cause eye, skin or respiratory irritation, and some people may become allergic to the chemicals after exposure.

“If you start to see symptoms that are progressing and you think it might be related to being exposed, then that’s the time to think about at least having that looked at by a physician,” he said.

Kleinman also noted that a chemical reaction can create new compounds that may be more toxic than those in the original product. But without knowing more details on what occurred at Huntsman Chemical or whether high temperatures were involved, Kleinman said that it was too early to leap to conclusions.

Down the block from Huntsman Chemical, employees at a Kaiser Permanente facility on Electronics Place also reported a terrible smell.

“The smoke was so bad it felt like it was coming from the parking lot,” said one employee, who asked to speak anonymously because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media.

“It smelled like burnt plastic or burnt wire. I went outside to see what exactly it was and I saw a large cloud of smoke” around 8:45 a.m., said the employee. “I walked around the building to see what it was, and the smoke was even thicker. It was coming from a little less than a block away. The smell was pretty bad inside the building.”

Huntsman spokeswoman Tara Mullee said that a “limited product venting occurred at our resin manufacturing facility in Los Angeles after a mixing vessel overheated.”

Mullee said that the site was evacuated as a precaution and that there were “no environmental impacts to report as a result of the product venting.”

Stewart similarly said gas meters used by hazmat specialists registered “no reading of concern.”

But officials also advised residents in areas affected by the dissipating cloud to seek care if they have concerns or experience any medical distress.

“In case of skin contact, the person should rinse their skin thoroughly with soap and water,” said Chapman, the Huntsman vice president. “If the product is inhaled, the person should move to an environment with fresh air.”

An investigation will be handled by Los Angeles County Health Hazardous Materials and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Stewart said.

“As with any air quality event, if you are impacted by smoke or odors, we advise that you stay indoors with your windows and doors closed,” South Coast Air Quality Management District spokeswoman Kim White said.

The public can report odors or other air quality issues to 1-800-CUT-SMOG or report an air quality event online at aqmd.gov/complaint, she added.