HOUSTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Eight employees were hospitalized on Monday after being exposed to chemicals at a facility in La Porte, a city near Houston, the largest city in the U.S. state of Texas, authorities said.
Their conditions have been stabilized, according to a post by the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on X, formerly Twitter.
A shelter-in-place order for La Porte residents has been issued on Monday following reports of a chemical emergency at the Altivia Chemicals' plant in La Porte, the city's officials said.
The city's Office of Emergency Management reported no detectable amounts of hazardous products near or downwind of the Altivia facility.
However, the police warned that Altivia had a possible phosgene leak and Harris County Pollution Control was monitoring the air quality, said a report from the Houston Chronicle.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, phosgene gas, which is colorless and can smell like musty hay, can be fatal in high enough concentrations.
Altivia is the largest producer of the highly toxic gas and its derivatives on the continent, according to local media. ■