On 11 May 2020, the Andhra Pradesh government directed the company to remove 13,000 metric tonnes (MT) of material out of the country. A budget of ₹30 crore (US$4.2 million or €3.9 million) was allocated for the compensation of all those affected. Recently, an explosion accident occurred at the Guodu Chemical Resin Plant. It killed a firefighter and injured 36 other emergency responders and plant workers. [6] The plant manufactures polystyrene, co-polymer products,[4] and engineering plastic compounds. At least 11 people have been killed by a massive gas leak at a chemical plant in southern India, with 800 others taken to hospital. [32] However, experts have claimed that other chemicals may have also leaked, as styrene is unlikely to spread over 4 to 5 kilometres (2 1⁄2 to 3 mi) due to its chemical properties. An investigation into the accident is ongoing. Fire Chief Bradley Anderson says no one else was injured. The committee would be supervised by former Andhra Pradesh High Court judge, B. Seshasayana Reddy. The explosion shook Kenneth Sterns who lives nearby, "I heard something that sounded like a bomb, that's all. With the Ministry of Shipping's help, the state government arranged two vessels to carry the load, split into portions of 8,000 MT and 5,000 MT, to the company's headquarter in Seoul. According to insiders, Guodu Resin has three sets of devices, all of which are isolated. [38], On 8 May, the bench ordered LG Polymers India to deposit an amount of ₹50 crore (US$7.0 million) as an initial amount with the District magistrate of Vishakapatnam to mitigate the damages caused due to the incident. Experts are also skeptical, as the plant operated for years without any clearance. In its effort, LG brought ACtify 2680, a green retarder, and ACtify 2673, a polymerisation inhibitor, from Dorf Ketal Chemicals, a Mumbai-based chemical company. Intertape Polymer manufactures duct tape and adhesive materials, turning out about 1,000 rolls of duct tape per day. [39] It issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in which it sought the responses of the individual boards and the ministry. It woke me up, I was sleeping." Both reports are expected to be delivered within four weeks. The Visakhapatnam gas leak, also referred to as the Vizag gas leak, was an industrial accident that occurred at the LG Polymers chemical plant in the R. R. Venkatapuram village of the Gopalapatnam neighbourhood, located at the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, during the early morning of 7 May 2020. [33][7][34][17][35], As part of the police investigation following the leak, a first information report (FIR) was filed against LG Polymers by the local police. [6] According to the EIA notification (amendment) of 2006 under the Environment Protection Act of 1986, LG Chemicals India, which is part of the petrochemical industry, falls into the category 'A' and should get clearance from the MoEFCC every time they expanded their plant or brought a change to their manufactured product after November 2006. Authorities are investigating a deadly explosion involving a boiler at Meggitt Polymers and Composites in the northwest Georgia town of Rockmart. The storage taken, which has been taken off line, may have played a role in the incident, according to Phillips officials. They were unaware that the vessel was pressurized. The fire caused by the explosion was brought under control within one hour. [19][13][20] Five villages (R. R. Venkatapuram, Padmapuram, BC Colony, Gopalapatnam, and Kamparapalem) were the most affected areas. Mehta also pointed out that many such industries are operating without a clearance, which shows how weak the environmental laws are in India that has to its credit several of the world's most polluted cities. In fact, an examination of other equipment showed that the material completely blocked at least one safety valve. According to the May 2019 affidavit, since 1997, it was instead operating with state permits required for starting a new business with renewals every five years. With factory workers and the overall company inexperienced in storing tanks of such dangerous chemicals, the report blamed the incident on "gross human failure" and a lack of basic safety norms. Mayor Bob Coble spoke with WIS following the explosion, "I would just urge everyone in the area to watch the media in case there is information we need to give folks." The leak was from one of two chemical tanks that had been left unattended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Some of the major reasons why massive explosions take place in a chemical plant are: Minor fires that quickly spread beyond control. An explosion at a chemical factory that sparked a big fire left some 40 workers injured at the plant in Gujarat's Dahej, a mainly industrial area. [7], The South Korean parent company, LG Chem, said in its May 2019 affidavit, a part of an application for environment clearance, that the company did not have a legitimate environmental clearance issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), after receiving an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), substantiating the produced quantity and for continuing operations. The workers were killed when the partially unbolted cover blew off the vessel, expelling hot plastic. [37] A bench headed by the then NGT chair, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, was formed, and the case was scheduled to be heard on 8 May 2020. AFP - Getty Images S.N. Two Danville utility workers are in the hospital after being hurt Monday morning during an explosion. (Columbia) March 31, 2005 - An explosion rocked Intertape Polymer, formerly known as Anchor Continental, in Columbia near Shop Road and South Beltline just before 11:00pm Wednesday evening. There was no official call for evacuations. [6] Mehta also said that each time the company renewed that permit, the state pollution board, which has the power to enforce federal environmental law, would have been able to fine the company or deny a permit until it received federal clearance, which it never did. [19], Late at night on 7 May, police ordered the evacuation of people in a 2 km (1.2 mi) radius of the leak. Dr. Ray, an expert in styrene, recommended that the government immediately remove the materials from the facility. It also asked the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs to investigate any possible breaches of workplace health and safety law. DHEC spokesman Thom Berry says the blast was so powerful, it blew the boiler more than 100 yards over a fence and across four lanes of traffic, gouging a hole in the road in front of the plant. Thick smoke poured across Interstate 10 from a chemical plant fire near Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday, hours after Hurricane Laura roared through the area. PORT NECHES, Texas — New information is being released about the explosion at the TPC plant in 2019. [30], According to the preliminary investigation, a gas valve malfunction is believed to have caused the leak. The Environment Ministry sent the application for a review citing that the company did not have a clearance for the chemicals it was already manufacturing. [26], Mekapati Goutham Reddy, minister of industries of Andhra Pradesh, said that the preliminary conclusion from the experts' inspections was that the storage facilities were not designed to keep the material for a long duration. In the organic chemistry certain giant molecules such as starch, rubber, plastic or resin, synthetic fibres, cellulose, proteins are called polymers and plants manufacturing them are polymer plants.Thus rubber manufacturing plant, synthetic yarn (nylon Terylene etc.) ", "Vizag gas leak live news updates: Toll rises to 11; NHRC sends notice to Andhra Pradesh govt, Centre", "How styrene, chemical being blamed for Vizag gas leak deaths, affect human body", https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53330370, "Plea in NGT seeks judicial probe into Visakhapatnam gas leak incident", "NGT to take up Visakhapatnam gas leak case on Friday", "Vizag Gas Leak: NGT Issues Notice To Centre, Directs LG Polymers To Deposit Rs 50 Cr", "Visakhapatnam gas leak: NGT directs LG Polymers India to deposit ₹50 crore", "Probe blames safety lapses for deadly India gas leak", "NHRC notice to Andhra Pradesh Government and Centre over deaths and sufferings to several people due to styrene gas leakage in Vizag District (07.05.2020)", The Vizag gas leak is the most recent of human disasters with the potential to change our lives forever, Visakhapatnam–Chennai Industrial Corridor, Vizag back-to-back HVDC converter station, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Andhra University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences, Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Dr. V. S. Krishna Govt. [23] More than 1,000 people were reportedly exposed to the gas. 2 defeat top-ranked South Carolina 63-59. ", Berry says one solvent concerned DHEC, "What they do is they use this solvent to bind the adhesive to the paper backing. The two polyethylene production plants nearest the source of the blast were destroyed, and in the HCC administration building nearly 0.5 mile away, windows were shattered and bricks ripped out. He's in critical condition with burns. LG Polymers India said the team would take prompt rehabilitation and real-time remedial measures. The blast at the Intertape Polymer Group plant happened shortly before 11 p.m., said Bradley Anderson, Columbia fire chief.. … [3] He also announced ₹25,000 (US$350) for those who received primary treatment, ₹1 lakh (US$1,400) for those who received longer treatment, and ₹1 million (US$14,000) for those on ventilator support. However, police subsequently stated that this evacuation was precautionary and that there had not been a second leak. The TPC PNO facility manufactured 1,3-butadiene and raffinate-1.aThe incident occurred in the facility’s South Unit (Figure 1). 2 UConn past top-ranked Gamecocks. [21] Hundreds of people were rushed to hospitals following widespread breathing difficulties and sensations of burning eyes. The company withdrew the application while applying for a retroactive clearance that the ministry offered to companies in 2018 as a one-time amnesty, which remained pending until the fatal leak occurred. [41], The same day as the incident, the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) gave notice to the Andhra Pradesh Government and the central government that it considered the incident a gross violation of India's constitutional right to life. In 2018, the company applied for an environmental clearance for the first time, to expand its manufacturing capacity of polystyrene, a plastic used to make bottles and lids. • On November 27, 2019, a major loss of containment event occurred, resulting in multiple fires and explosions at the TPC Group (TPC) Port Neches Operations (PNO) facility in Port Neches, TX. [29], On 13 May 2020, the LG Chemicals informed media that an eight-member technical team, comprising experts from its Seoul headquarters' departments of production, environment, and safety were sent to investigate the incident and to rehabilitate the victims. Woman Killed In Polymer Plant Explosion. [12] The plant stored 2,000 metric tons (1,968 long tons; 2,205 short tons) of styrene in tanks, which were left unattended. 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