BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A fire and explosion at a chemical plant in Brunswick left people living in Glynn and Camden counties worried about the lasting impacts.
Let's verify.
QUESTION: Are there health risks from the chemical plant explosion?
ANSWER: No, not in this case.
SOURCE: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue’s public information officer Captain Eric Prosswimmer and their hazmat team, which responded to the scene and helped mitigate the issues.
Concerns are pouring in online about the chemical which caused the explosion at the plant leading to evacuations and shelter in place orders on Monday. The chemical is called hydrogen peroxide pinene.
On Facebook, people wanted to know “How does this effect people driving through Brunswick?” and “What kind of toxic fumes are in the air and what problems they can cause?”
One person posted claiming the chemicals can have “later effects on health.”
This is false. At least in this specific case.
Prosswimmer says that hydrogen peroxide pinene is an odorant. In this case used for fragrances at the Symrise plant, a German based company which makes fragrances.
Prosswimmer says “There are no lasting health or safety concerns for the people living near the plant.”
Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were a precaution. Meanwhile, JFRD says they had an expert on scene tracking the wind which kept them informed on how the chemicals were emitted and where they dispersed.
Prosswimmer says the wind and humidity worked in everyone’s favor pushing the chemicals out over the marsh. The humidity then helped the byproducts rise and disseminate out of the area quickly.
We have also reached out to Glynn County Fire for more details. We have not heard back at the time of this story airing.
Do you have a questions, concern or claim? Email verify@firstcoastnews.com.