At approximately 11 am on Thursday September 8, 2016, an explosion occurred inside a pesticide blending structure at the VPG facility in Bonham, TX. EPA Region 6 deployed one OSC to the incident a few hours after the incident was reported. Two employees were burned in the explosion and were taken by CareFlight to the burn unit at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The pesticide being blended was a snake repellent and involved the use of Sulfur powder, paper pellets, Cinnamon oil, Cedarwood Oil, and Clove oil. The pesticide is not an EPA registered product. During the explosion a small water line broke at the top of the blending unit and water mixed with residual sulfur causing an acidic liquid at the bottom of the unit. None of the suppressant water released from the blending unit into the environment nor was there any reported air release. EPA demobilized from the incident on Thursday evening. A representative from the Texas Fire Marshall’s office as well as representatives from OSHA will evaluate the scene on Friday September 9th.
