33 sickened by ammonia gas leak in northwestern China

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33 sickened by ammonia gas leak in northwestern China

Quick hospital treatment reduced the danger to the four victims most seriously injured in Ningxia; pressure on a compressor is blamed

PUBLISHED : Monday, 08 September, 2014, 1:29pm
UPDATED : Monday, 08 September, 2014, 3:17pm

Wu Nan [email protected]

Firemen hose down the site of a blast at a chemical factory in Yinchuan, Ningxia, in 2009. Another plant in the same area had an ammonia leak on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Ammonia poisoning sickened 33 people because of a leak on Sunday afternoon in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the northwest, official state media reported.

Four suffered from severe poisoning at the Jiemeifengyou chemical factory, Xinhua reported, but overnight medical treatment pulled them out of danger. The others’ injuries were minor, Xinhua said.

The torch at the southeast corner of the main plant suddenly extinguished and then highly concentrated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the flare tube. The Ningxia Ningdong Energy and Chemical Base Management Committee started emergency procedures and cooperated with the region’s crisis management bureau and the environmental protection agency to handle the accident. The injured were treated at Ningxia Medical University General Hospital.

A preliminary investigation revealed that high pressure inside the ammonia compressor caused the accident. When the operator opened the vent, air entered the torch pipeline and put out the flame. The ammonia emitted from the flare tube immediately afterwards.

The accident scene was cordoned off on Monday morning. Water dilution techniques helped to reduce the concentration of the leaked gases. Finally on the third air-quality test around the plant, no ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gases were detected.

Several chemical plants across the mainland have been the sites of explosions and fires in the past few months, causing severe financial damage and extensive injuries.

Early this month, the warehouse of a chemical plant in Putian district of Xiamen, Fujian, exploded and caught fire. At the end of August, an explosion and fire rocked a chemical plant in Xiantao, Hubei. The local police arrested the manager on duty. A similar accident occurred in late July at a chemical plant in Laiwu, Shandong.

Preliminary reports suggested that changes in production conditions may have affected equipment and materials, which may have caused the accidents. Human error by the staff may also have been a cause.