Shreveport Refinery
The refinery in Shreveport, Louisiana is run by a company called Calumet Lubricants, which was formed in 1916. This facility is the largest one owned by Calumet, and it has a daily production capacity for 35,000 barrels of crude oil. Their processors are used to create oils that will become the base for a variety of solvents and waxes.
Calumet has established and developed a safe history with the plants it owns in Louisiana and Pennsylvania. One small incident affected the facility in January of 2008, however. A minor fire began when unprocessed oil spilled out of a large holding tank and ignited. On-site fire fighting crews reacted quickly to put the flames out before the fire was able to spread further. No one was hurt during the short blaze, and plant operations quickly resumed at full capacity.
One problem that did affect the refinery in Shreveport was the presence of asbestos in many of the products that were used within the plant. These products were common years ago, before asbestos was found to be a toxic material. They were used in buildings, homes and most of all within industrial settings that produce a great deal of heat. Asbestos is able to hold together under extreme temperatures, so it became a very sought after material for work sites like oil refineries, where temperatures become dramatically high to facilitate the refining process. However, over time these products would deteriorate, and start to fall apart. This would allow tiny asbestos fibers to float into the air, where they could be unknowingly inhaled by anyone.
When a person breathes asbestos fibers in, they can remain in their respiratory system for many years. While there, the asbestos can be very harmful and do a great deal of damage. It can also cause asbestos cancer.
Because the asbestos fibers may remain inside the respiratory system for long periods of time before any signs of damage or disease appear, every person who worked in the Shreveport plant, or any other work site that included items that were made out of asbestos, is strongly encouraged to visit their healthcare provider and notify them of their risk of exposure to this hazardous toxin.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
