How did the explosion in Zhangjiakou occur? Ministry of Emergency Management: The reservoir has not been inspected for 6 years

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Source: Newsweek On the early morning of November 28, a severe explosion occurred in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, resulting in 23 deaths and 22 injuries. How did this serious accident happen? This week, the Ministry of Emergency Management held a press conference to reveal more details about the cause of the accident. 　　Hebei Shenghua is a chemical company located in Zhangjiakou. Since it is also responsible for heating the surrounding area, more coal trucks come to deliver coal to it once winter arrives. Both unloading and inspection require waiting in line, sometimes for very long periods – up to seven days in some cases. The trucks simply wait there in line. Yet who could have imagined that the hazardous chemical vinyl chloride within the facility had begun to leak, spreading gradually onto Highway 310? When it came into contact with an open flame, an explosion occurred. Of the 23 victims, three were employees of nearby companies, two were local villagers, and the rest were mostly truck drivers. Considering that since November this year, China has witnessed eight consecutive accidents involving leaks, explosions, and fires related to hazardous chemicals, what management shortcomings in the handling of such chemicals are exposed by this incident in Zhangjiakou, and how should these issues be addressed going forward? Ten days after the explosion in Zhangjiakou, Newsweek conducted an exclusive interview with Sun Guangyu, director of the Hazardous Chemicals Supervision Department under the Ministry of Emergency Management, who provided more details about the accident: the vinyl chloride storage tank had not been inspected for six years, the operators made mistakes after the tank started leaking, the company failed to take any measures to prevent vinyl chloride from spreading to provincial roads, and the company’s production management was in a state of chaos, with the top manager not showing up at the factory for many years. 　　Sun Guangyu, Director of the Department for the Safety Supervision and Management of Hazardous Chemicals at the Ministry of Emergency Management: A polyethylene gas holder is a container used for storing polyethylene. It needs to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis; relevant regulations require that it undergo medium-scale repairs every 1–2 years and major repairs every 5–6 years. However, this facility has been in operation since 2012, and no inspections or maintenance have been carried out to date. Just as a vehicle requires maintenance, these devices also need to be kept in good condition. If nothing is done for six years, their operating status becomes uncontrollable. As the amount of gas entering the holder changes, the holder should move up or down, but due to lack of maintenance, it gets stuck and cannot move. Once it can’t move, it starts to tilt, leading to leaks. 　　Among the work safety accidents related to chemicals that have occurred since November, the incident in Zhangjiakou and the carbon-9 leakage at Quanzhou Port are two of the more significant ones. And these two accidents have one thing in common: there was concealment of information after the incidents occurred. In the fire and explosion at Zhangjiakou Shenghua Chemical Co., Ltd., the company involved was suspected of hiding details about the accident. In the case of the carbon nine leakage in Quanzhou, Fujian, the company initially reported that 6.97 tons of carbon nine had leaked, but the investigation team later found that the actual amount leaked was 69.1 tons, which is nearly ten times more. Such concealment delays many opportunities for remedial action, and it also makes people more angry and worried. What should we do about this? There are villages surrounding Shenghua Chemical in Zhangjiakou; when the villagers noticed that the air quality became very poor at night during both winter and summer, and that the water quality was starting to deteriorate, they began to talk among themselves about the chemical plant located nearby and grew concerned. This concern increased further when two huge spheres, each with a diameter of 15 meters, were installed at the plant for storing hazardous chemicals. So, with the occurrence of that accident on November 28th, one can imagine the fear in the hearts of the people in the nearby villages and their worries about the future. The Quanzhou Port in Fujian boasts deep waters and a long coastline, which are advantages for the establishment of chemical enterprises. Since 1992, 37 such enterprises have set up operations in this port area, making it an important chemical industry hub in Fujian. However, in this region, villages were established first, followed by enterprises, and then chemical industrial parks. Chemical plants are located very close to residential areas; in fact, the boundaries between them are blurred. How can a safety barrier be established in such a situation? 　　It has been over a week since December, and we are indeed in the final days of the year. As the New Year approaches, safety becomes an even greater concern. Not only is safety of the utmost importance during the upcoming spring travel season, but shouldn’t it also be the top priority wherever we are and whatever we do? As for hazardous chemicals that are so close to our daily lives, it’s really essential that we find ways to prevent them from turning into bombs that could explode at any moment. This is indeed a challenge we must overcome. It is hoped that, in light of the successive incidents related to this, long-term safety measures should be put in place in addition to emergency investigations; otherwise, we are dancing with death.