BAYTOWN, Texas, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Residents near Exxon Mobil's Baytown, Texas, refinery were concerned for their health Wednesday after the leak of a heavy, waxy lubricant covered their homes.
Many of the residents of the public housing complex near the refinery weren't aware of the leak of heated process gas oil, which is related to crude oil, until Tuesday morning, when they saw environmental clean-up trucks and crews washing down a caramel-colored film from their complex.
A statement issued later in the day by Exxon Mobil said there had been a leak from one of its heated storage tanks across the road. When the spill occurred, "steam containing some oil was released from a vent and carried by wind over our fence," the statement said.
The facility is east of Houston, across Galveston Bay.
The company said a review of the health effects of process gas oil shows that inhaling the droplets should not cause harm, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Exxon Mobil did not report that the incident had affected the community or of the cleanup until Tuesday evening.
