Mar 23, 2007 2:41 PM (4 hrs ago)
TORRANCE, Calif. – Toxic fumes were released from an oil refinery but nobody was injured, authorities said.
Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide were released into flares at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery after the plant south of Los Angeles had a problem with its sulfur recovery unit and shut down shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday, officials said.
The flare system acts as a “safety relief valve” for the refinery that combines liquid and vapors with steam and burns it off, according to information on the refinery’s Web site.