Chemical Spills

Authorities scrambled to find a safe resolution as a damaged tank at a Southern California aerospace facility containing a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts prompted an evacuation order affecting thousands of residents. The storage tank at GKN Aerospace with about 22,713 to 26,498 litres of methyl methacrylate overheated last week and began leaking vapours into the air around Garden Grove, a city in Orange County. Officials said over the weekend the tank could leak all the chemical or even explode if it overheats. No injuries have been reported, but more than 50,000 residents were under an evacuation order over the Memorial Day weekend. Firefighters sprayed the tank with water in an effort to cool the chemicals heating up inside. Why is this chemical dangerous? ------------------------------------ Methyl methacrylate is a flammable, colourless liquid used in the production of resins, plastics and plastic dentures and is a hazardous substance regulated by the federal ..

The Dombivli chemical company where a blast killed nine and injured over 60 had not taken precautions over the mixing and storage of compounds knowing well that any lapses might lead to an explosion, according to the FIR. The First Information Report (FIR) names company owners/directors Malti Pradip Mehta, Mayal Pradip Mehta and other directors, management staff and officials, who were supervising the factory. They have been booked for culpable homicide and other charges. The FIR was registered by the Manpada police in Maharashtra's Thane district around 1.50 am on Friday, nearly 12 hours after a blast ripped through the unit of Amudan Chemicals located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC area. According to the FIR, some more people might be buried under the rubble of the factory that collapsed due to a blast in its boiler. The accused have been booked for culpable homicide (section 304), voluntarily causing hurt and negligent conduct with respect to combustible matter and explosive ...

As many as 19 workers were injured after a gas furnace exploded in a powder coating and fabrication unit in Maharashtra's Pune, an official said on Wednesday. The incident took place at the manufacturing set-up in the Hinjawadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad on Tuesday evening, he said. Police said the gas furnace at the unit exploded, dispersing metal parts kept inside it in all directions. A total of 19 workers suffered burns after the hot metal parts flung from the furnace fell on them, he said. A case has been registered against the proprietor and management of the unit for alleged negligence.

The government has amended the rules for ammonium nitrate to curb its pilferage, introduce fire-fighting provisions as well as improve ways to handle and store the chemical

Set up in December 1996, weeks before Korean major LG Electronics entered India, the plant has been at the centre of legal battles since its association with the $23 billion LG Chem.

The spill in Fujian province happened in the early hours of November 4 when a tube transferring the chemicals from a wharf to a tanker broke, spilling 69.1 tonnes of C9 aromatics into the sea.