Emergencies and World Disasters
Molten Plastic at 500°F: The Uncle and Nephew Who Didn't Walk Away
22 min•24 juli 2026
Om avsnittet
Molten Plastic at 500°F: The Uncle and Nephew Who Didn't Walk Away
A routine hydrostatic test at the K-Resin plant produced molten plastic at 500°F instead of water, and two family members died where a standard safety procedure should have kept them alive; how did a line meant to be isolated end up carrying five-hundred-degree resin? What part of the facility’s protocol failed so that uncle and nephew would not walk away?
In this episode, we present the documented account of what happened at the Phillips Petroleum K-Resin unit on June 23, 1999, including the plant’s earlier catastrophic history and the unanswered details that remain about the June incident - could institutional memory and past disasters explain the silence?
Person: Juan Martinez
Person: Jose Inez Rangel
Date: June 23, 1999
Location: K-Resin plant, Phillips Petroleum complex, Pasadena, Texas
Event: Hydrostatic test released molten plastic at 500°F
- The alarm sounded at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, June 23, 1999.
- Molten plastic emerged from the pipe at 500 degrees Fahrenheit instead of water.
- Juan Martinez was 24 years old and employed by Zachry Construction Corporation.
- Three other men were injured and the plant’s internal fire brigade fought the fire for more than 60 minutes.
- Ten years earlier, on October 23, 1989, the same complex experienced an explosion equivalent to 2.4 tons of TNT that killed 23 people and injured 314.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
A routine hydrostatic test at the K-Resin plant produced molten plastic at 500°F instead of water, and two family members died where a standard safety procedure should have kept them alive; how did a line meant to be isolated end up carrying five-hundred-degree resin? What part of the facility’s protocol failed so that uncle and nephew would not walk away?
In this episode, we present the documented account of what happened at the Phillips Petroleum K-Resin unit on June 23, 1999, including the plant’s earlier catastrophic history and the unanswered details that remain about the June incident - could institutional memory and past disasters explain the silence?
Person: Juan Martinez
Person: Jose Inez Rangel
Date: June 23, 1999
Location: K-Resin plant, Phillips Petroleum complex, Pasadena, Texas
Event: Hydrostatic test released molten plastic at 500°F
- The alarm sounded at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, June 23, 1999.
- Molten plastic emerged from the pipe at 500 degrees Fahrenheit instead of water.
- Juan Martinez was 24 years old and employed by Zachry Construction Corporation.
- Three other men were injured and the plant’s internal fire brigade fought the fire for more than 60 minutes.
- Ten years earlier, on October 23, 1989, the same complex experienced an explosion equivalent to 2.4 tons of TNT that killed 23 people and injured 314.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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