MOSCOW (MRC) -- At approximately 8 a.m. local time on Monday, January 21, Lubrizol Corporation, a leading global supplier of fuel and lubricant additives for transportation and industrial applications, detected instability with a batch of one of the products at the plant in Rouen, France, said Lubrizol in its press release.
The resulting unpleasant smell is caused by mercaptan, which is a non-toxic compound at the quantities involved. This is the same substance commonly used to give natural gas a detectable smell. Neutralizing the mercaptan smell is a slow process, and the unpleasant smell can linger until the process is complete.
The company expressed a deep regret for any inconvenience. Plant operations have been temporarily suspended, and company's teams continue to work in close cooperation with local authorities to stop the smell as quickly as possible.
French Ecology Minister Delphine Batho said there was no health risk after she visited the factory in the northern city of Rouen in Normandy, said BBC.
Thousands of people, from as far away as Paris and London, have complained of nausea and headaches.
The gas is mercaptan, an additive to natural gas said to be harmless.
Authorities will investigate what caused the link and whether the company should be held responsible, the ecology minister said.
he Lubrizol Corporation, is a specialty chemical company that produces and supplies technologies, which are designed to improve the quality and performance of products in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets.
Headquartered in Wickliffe, Ohio, United States, Lubrizol is divided into two distinct segments, the Lubrizol Additives division and the Lubrizol Advanced Materials segment.
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