PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer LP

Subsidiary of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Inc.

Intersection of Louisiana Highways 30 and 3115

October 9, 2008 - A plant in Iberville Parish shut down for a few hours Thursday morning and caused a scare.  The PCS nitrogen plant in Geismar caused the shutdown of a two-and-a-half mile stretch of River Road, between Highway 3115 and Highway 73 because of a leak from the plant.  Emergency crews say the leak was giving off a thick white vapor cloud. They say it was so thick that a conveyor belt across River Road couldn't be seen. Even though the cloud was gone, workers still monitored air quality.  The emergency situation began when a tank of oleum sulfuric acid sprung a leak just before 10:00 Thursday morning. Emergency crews sprayed water on the tank to contain the leak.  A PCS spokesman says the tank held 1,000 tons, but had 700 tons inside when the leak started. Bryan Andries with PCS Nitrogen said, "When it leaks, it interacts with vapor in air, forms a visible cloud, and that cloud can be an irritant, skin irritant, inhalation irritant."  As a precaution, White Castle and surrounding areas were told to shelter-in-place. However, the order was lifted around 1:00 p.m. PCS says it should know how much of the product leaked out of the tank and what caused the leak in the coming days.