Timet will replace flammable pollution control equipment

The Clark County Fire Department and Titanium Metals Corp. agreed on a plan today to prevent future fires and explosions at the industrial plant in Henderson where sparks and flames erupted about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

No one was injured. Molten magnesium spilling onto a concrete floor triggered the accident. But as firefighters declared the emergency over at 3:30 a.m., plant administrators had started investigating the cause of the $300,000 accident, said Brent Peterson, Timet's director of human resources.

"One accident is too many," Peterson said, "for both the community and the company." Timet safety engineers are still trying to discover how almost 1,000 pounds of magnesium oozing like lava fell into water puddled in a concrete basement, sparking a series of explosions and fires. If an employee caused the accident, Timet officials will deal with it internally, he said.

County Fire Dept. chemical engineer Michael Cyphers said an 8-inch duct leading into air pollution control equipment helped spread the flames because fiberglass wrapping the piping is flammable.

"We are definitely looking at alternative equipment," Peterson said, referring to air pollution control equipment called a scrubber that removes dust particles from a process that separates chlorine from magnesium.

Instead of fiberglass, Timet is considering stainless steel, which will not catch fire, Peterson said.

The company may also redesign its pollution controls at the plant that produces lightweight, but strong metals used in spacecraft, airliners, golf clubs and human joints.

Timet is also examining its employee training program.

Timet is facing a maximum $10,000 fine from the Clark County Health District for releasing pollution into the air, although none of the smoky fumes were toxic.

Meanwhile, the company is expected to ask the Air Pollution Control Hearing Board next week for a waiver from pollution rules. The scrubber could take up to three months to replace, Peterson said.

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