LA PORTE, Texas — On Tuesday, a leak of hydroxyethyl acrylate prompted evacuation and shelter-in-place orders around Dow Chemical-Bayport's facility.
According to NOAA, hydroxyethyl acrylate is a clear, colorless liquid. It’s highly combustible and corrosive.
If you breathe its fumes, you’ll get a sore throat and a burning sensation. It also makes it hard to breathe.
If those hydroxyethyl acrylate fumes get in your eyes, it can hurt, cause blurred vision and make them red.
Touching the chemical’s a bad idea too; it’ll hurt.
So what is hydroxyethyl acrylate used for?
It’s kind of a thickening agent. It can be used to stabilize liquid formulas or get textures to gel. Dow uses it for a compound called Rocryl, which can be used in coatings and adhesives.