【Haichuan Chemical Accident Update】Chemical leak occurs at a chemical plant in Huludao, Liaoning, due to the cutting of abandoned nitric acid tanks

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A chemical spill occurred at a chemical plant in Huludao, Liaoning! It’s not the first time; on April 7, videos showing a suspected chemical leak at Shixing Pharmaceutical and Chemical, which is owned by Guangxin Shares and located in Longgang District, Huludao, were circulated on the internet. Staff from the Huludao Emergency Management Bureau told reporters today that personnel have been sent to handle the situation at (Shixing Pharmaceutical and Chemical). The gas leak was caused by red-brown fumes generated when nitric acid tanks that had been abandoned for years came into contact with air and sunlight after being cut; this gas is slightly toxic but not highly toxic. A staff member from Guangxin Shares’ securities department told reporters, “The production process is operating normally at present, and the matter regarding colored gases being emitted from the discarded tanks remains to be confirmed.” ” Liaoning Shixing Pharmaceutical Chemical Co., Ltd., the company involved in this accident, was originally known as Huludao Pharmaceutical Chemical Factory. Established in 1998, it is a specialized manufacturer engaged in the production and sales of intermediates for pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and dyes. It is worth noting that Shixing Pharmaceutical Chemical is the only manufacturer of p-aminophenol in the Northeast and North China regions, and it is one of the few companies in China capable of producing vanilla on a large scale. The annual output of its core product, p-aminophenol, amounts to 28,000 tons, making it the highest in Asia and second in the world. p-Aminophenol, also known as “p-hydroxyaniline,” is a fine organic chemical intermediate that is widely used in China. In the dye industry, it is employed in the synthesis of weakly acidic yellow 6G, weakly acidic pale yellow 5G, sulfurized dark blue 3R, sulfurized blue CV, sulfurized bright green GB, sulfurized red-brown B3R, and sulfurized reduced black CLG, among others. In the pharmaceutical industry, aminophenol is used to synthesize paracetamol, acetaminophen, and others. It is also used in the production of products such as developers, antioxidants, and petroleum additives. It is reported that around 22:00 on June 20, 2018, a serious asphyxiation accident occurred at Liaoning Shixing Pharmaceutical and Chemical Co., Ltd. during the cleaning of a reactor used for producing p-chloroaniline crystals; this accident resulted in 3 deaths and direct economic losses of 4.496744 million yuan.