Worker Safety Was T2 Labs’ Top Priority The Company Wanted to Reduce Exposure to Dangerous Chemicals.
By PAUL PINKHAM and STEVE PATTERSON
The chemical plant destroyed in a fatal explosion Wednesday housed a Jacksonville company with a worldwide reach.
“It started from the ground up in our garage and went international,” said Chris Gallagher, whose father, Scott, is co- owner and marketing director of T2 Laboratories on Faye Road.
Its trademark product, Ecotane, is used by refineries and gasoline blenders in 70 countries. The low-toxicity fuel additive is designed to boost octane levels and reduce emissions.
Ironically, one of the company’s main focuses is to reduce worker exposure to hazardous and environmentally dangerous chemicals. It has received two patents for its products and two others are pending, according to the University of Florida, where Scott Gallagher has served on the chemical engineering department’s advisory board for 10 years
T2 makes solvents from terpenes, a family of chemicals that includes material in plant oils used in turpentine. The company’s products are designed to be environmentally friendly alternatives to more dangerous industrial chemicals, according to the company’s Internet site.
Information the company filed with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department listed three hazardous chemicals stored in large amounts in a tank farm on-site.
The chemicals, all liquids, included an ether and a compound containing benzenes that apparently was recycled. Two can become volatile during chemical reactions, and all three could be potentially harmful based on long-term exposure.
In addition to the chemicals already reported to the city, emergency crews at the scene were sorting through other solutions housed there.
The company produces at least 10 products, including several solvents it has promoted as safer than traditional products. They include bioactives, chemicals used in fragrances, a product designed to clean blockages in oil and gas wells and wipe-on cleaners, including one designed for aerospace customers.
The company employs 11 people, Chris Gallagher said.
Scott Gallagher formed the company with fellow chemist Mike Wyatt in 1996. Gallagher opened a newly designed manufacturing facility for Ecotane in 2004.
Wyatt survived Wednesday’s blast and was hospitalized with a heart attack afterward. But Gallagher, 49, was missing, and his family wasn’t able to reach him, his son said. Four people were confirmed dead but their identities weren’t released Wednesday night.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Times-Union writers Charlie Patton and Dana Treen contributed to this report.paul.pinkham@jacksonville.com, (904) 359- 4107steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904)359-4263
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