Victims of Pasadena chemical plant explosion treated

SunEdison says 3 of the 4 people injured in the Friday morning plant explosion have been released from the hospital, but one person is still hospitalized at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

The 4 were burned in an explosion and fire at SunEdison at 8 a.m. Friday.

Spokesperson, Lynette Schulte says the accident happened during equipment maintenance.

“We have 194 employees at this location,” Schulte said outside the plant, “We produce a high purity poly-silicone that is used in solar cells and semiconductor units.”

One of the chemicals in the manufacturing process is the highly explosive Silane, which SunEdison says burns when it's exposed to air. Firefighters let the chemical burn itself out. But there was also a chemical release as part of the accident.

“A silicone dioxide, which is a naturally occurring material commonly known as sand, was released as a result of the accident,” Schulte explained. “We do believe that it will not cause an adverse environmental impact.”

SunEdison says it's working with local and federal agencies to determine the exact cause.