Air quality checks after fears toxic gas could be released
Print Edition
THUNDERSTORMS were complicating recovery efforts in Tianjin yesterday following last week’s massive explosions at a warehouse that killed at least 114 people, left 57 missing and exposed dangerous chemicals — including some that could become flammable on contact with water.
Almost 700 people are still being treated in hospital.
Experts are concerned that the rain could spread some of the vast quantities of hazardous material at the site or set off chemical reactions sparking further explosions.
Pictures circulating online showed white foam on the ground after rain fell yesterday morning.
One reporter complained of a burning sensation after her skin came into contact with the rain.
The storms began shortly after residents, firefighters, police, medical staff and officials held a moment of silence marking the seventh day since the disaster, the first observance in the 49-day traditional Chinese mourning cycle. Sirens wailed and car and boat horns blared while assembled groups bowed in respect for the dead.
The blasts originated at a Ruihai International Logistics warehouse for hazardous material, where 700 tons of sodium cyanide — a toxic chemical that can form combustible substances on contact with water — was being stored in amounts that violated safety rules.
That prompted contamination fears and a major cleanup of a 3-kilometer-radius, cordoned-off area in the port city southeast of Beijing.
Cyanide contamination was found at levels up to 28 times those considered safe at eight of 29 test sites within the blast zone, said Bao Jingling, chief engineer of the Tianjin Environmental Bureau. No unsafe levels were found at 14 inspection sites outside the zone, he said.
“If the rain gets heavy, water will have to be drained. It is not good for water to remain in the craters,” Bao told a news conference, referring to massive cavities left by the explosions. Bao said the water was being closely monitored, and a dam, constructed around the blast site, is being reinforced in an effort to ensure contaminated water is contained.
Officials have said there have been no substantial leaks of sodium cyanide. They say they have sealed all waterways leading into the sea from the blast site and built retaining walls to prevent any runoff.
About 3,000 tons of more than 40 different types of hazardous chemicals were being stored at the site, deputy national firefighting chief Niu Yueguang was quoted as saying on the China Fire Service’s official website.
That included 800 tons of ammonium nitrate, sometimes used in explosives, and about 500 tons of potassium nitrate, often used in rocket fuel and fireworks.
Volatile phenol, a toxic substance, was detected in water samples collected near the port for the first time, the State Oceanic Administration said.
Tianjin’s maritime department has been tasked with observing all sewage outlets into the sea around the port to ensure any contaminated water or waste is reported and dealt with immediately.
Air quality is also being closely monitored over fears that the rain might set off chemical reactions and release toxic gases, Bao said.
The environmental authority may establish more monitoring stations, Bao said, adding that monitoring personnel from other cities and provinces had been despatched to Tianjin.
From today, the Tianjin environment monitoring center said it would be releasing air monitoring station data to the public every two hours.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered authorities at all levels to check whether companies that produce and store hazardous materials comply with safety regulations, including if they are a safe distance from residential areas and do not exceed storage limits.
The State Council said a team headed by Executive Vice Minister of Public Security Yang Huanning has launched an investigation into disaster.
Media reports say 10 people have been taken into custody, including top officials of the warehouse’s management company. Ruihai’s general manager is in hospital under police watch.
In unusually strong language, the State Council referred to the August 12 blasts as an “especially major fire and explosion incident.”
Along with the cause, the investigation will identify those responsible and provide recommendations on how to deal with them.
Prosecutors said they would investigate any dereliction of duty or abuse of power that may have contributed to the disaster.
Work safety rules require facilities storing hazardous materials to be at least 1,000 meters from residences, public buildings and highways. But maps show the warehouse was within 500 meters of an expressway and a 100,000 square-meter apartment complex. The apartments suffered damage, including shattered windows, and residents have been evacuated.
The Tianjin blasts are among the deadliest industrial accidents in China in recent years.
In June 2013, a poultry plant fire in Jilin Province killed 121 people. In August 2014, an explosion at a metal plant in Jiangsu Province left 97 people dead.
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