Hazardous materials accidents that occurred in October throughout history

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Domestic accident: The \"10•2\" spraying poisoning incident at Longsha Chemical Factory in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. On October 2, 1989, during trial production at Longsha Chemical Factory in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, large amounts of toxic gases and hot substances were released, resulting in 5 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the plant began trial production using the methyl acrylate production technology it had purchased, without the approval of relevant authorities, without a trial production plan, and without proper operating procedures or safety measures. An accident occurred due to an abnormal chemical reaction of the materials, which caused toxic gases and hot materials to be ejected in large quantities from the reactor. The \"10•3\" poisoning accident at Hongyanwan Chemical Plant in Baokang County, Hubei Province On October 3, 2013, a hydrogen sulfide poisoning incident occurred in the purification section of the yellow phosphorus production unit at Hongyanwan Chemical Plant, belonging to Hubei Yaozhihe Chemical Co., Ltd.; this incident resulted in 3 deaths and 5 injuries, with direct economic losses amounting to 2.38 million yuan. At the time of the incident, the workers were cleaning the No. 5 circulation tank; stirring up the sediment caused the trapped hydrogen sulfide gas to escape, leading to the workers inhaling it and becoming poisoned. The rescuers entered the tank to carry out rescue efforts without wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, and subsequently suffered poisoning. The “10•8” explosion at Huaiyin Organic Chemical Plant in Jiangsu Province: On October 8, 1991, an explosion occurred in a high-pressure reactor at Huaiyin Organic Chemical Plant in Jiangsu Province, resulting in the collapse of the pilot plant; 3 operators were killed on the spot. The direct cause of the accident was that, in the process of producing high-molecular-weight polyethers using ethylene oxide and propylene oxide as raw materials, the operators violated the operating procedures by not using a \"dropwise\" addition method but instead a \"batch\" addition method, adding too much material at once, which caused the reaction rate to increase rapidly and led to the explosion. The severe explosion at Chengli Gas Supply Co., Ltd. in Boxing County, Shandong Province on October 8 The day of October 8, 2013, a serious explosion occurred during the operation of the oil-sealed dry gas holder at Chengli Gas Supply Co., Ltd. in Boxing County, Shandong Province; as a result, 10 people died, 33 were injured, and the direct economic loss amounted to 32 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that, during operation, the company’s gas holder experienced a significant leakage of seal oil due to reduced viscosity of the seal oil and a piston tilt that exceeded the specified limits; this led to a drop in the oil level and the failure of the piston sealing system. As a result, gas from the space below the piston moved into the space above it, where it mixed with air to form an explosive mixture that exploded upon contact with an ignition source. The \"10•11\" poisoning accident at the Fertilizer Factory in Nanhe County, Hebei Province: On October 11, 1986, workers at the Fertilizer Factory in Nanhe County, Hebei Province, suffered from hydrogen sulfide poisoning while carrying out operations related to handling activated carbon tanks, resulting in 3 deaths. The direct cause of the accident was that, while carrying out operations to invert the activated carbon tank at the plant, the workers entered the unisolated and No- ventilated activated carbon tank wearing gas masks on their own, resulting in them being poisoned and collapsing. Other personnel failed to take protective measures and attempted rescue recklessly, resulting in the expansion of the accident. The \"10•11\" poisoning accident at Yantai Kaishi Industrial Co., Ltd. in Shandong Province: On October 11, 2007, operators in the second material preparation workshop of Yantai Kaishi Industrial Co., Ltd. suffered hydrogen sulfide poisoning during the material loading process, resulting in 5 deaths. At the time of the incident, in an effort to meet a deadline, the operator added 1.5 tons of nickel sulfide concentrate to Tank No. 2 all at once. This caused the absorption tower to be unable to absorb the large amount of hydrogen sulfide gas generated, resulting in a spill. The spilled hydrogen sulfide led to the death of 5 people from poisoning. The asphyxiation accident at Lan Tian United Gas Co., Ltd. in Xishui County, Hubei Province on \"10•13\" On October 13, 2015, an asphyxiation accident occurred at Lan Tian United Gas Co., Ltd. in Xishui, Hubei, resulting in 3 deaths and direct economic losses of around 1.6 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that drilling operations required water; two workers brought a water pump and, without authorization, removed the two cement covers at the entrance to the water pit in the foundation trench of the sealed tank, in order to draw water from the pit at the bottom of the tank. At this time, the operation of the equipment released large amounts of nitrogen, which flowed through the drainage channels to the tank foundation basin (with a nitrogen content of 95%), and the two people inhaled high concentrations of nitrogen, resulting in fainting and suffocation. The company’s equipment manager noticed that the two were missing, searched for them everywhere, and unfortunately they drowned. The \"10•15\" sulfuric acid leakage accident at Qingdao Dongfang Chemical Co., Ltd. in Shandong Province: On October 15, 2005, a rupture occurred in a sulfuric acid storage tank at Qingdao Dongfang Chemical Co., Ltd., resulting in the death of 6 workers and minor injuries to 13 others. The direct cause of the accident was that the company designed and manufactured the sulfuric acid storage tanks on its own, without having the necessary qualifications or capabilities for design and construction. During construction, the specifications are not followed, designs are changed arbitrarily, work is done carelessly, and inspection, testing, and acceptance standards are not implemented, resulting in an unreasonable structure for the wall panels. A 1,750-cubic-meter sulfuric acid storage tank suffered a sudden vertical rupture during normal operation, resulting in the immediate leakage of over 2,800 tons of sulfuric acid inside the tank, which led to the accident. The “10•16” explosion incident at Zhejiang Changshan Insulating Materials Co., Ltd. On October 16, 2011, an explosion and fire broke out in the glue production workshop of Zhejiang Changshan Insulating Materials Co., Ltd., resulting in 3 deaths and 3 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that a reactor in the company’s adhesive production workshop experienced loss of temperature control, which led to an increase in pressure inside the reactor. The rising pressure caused the material to boil violently, forcing the lid of the feeding port to blow off. Methanol vapor mixed with air to form an explosive mixture, and when this mixture encountered sparks generated by the non-explosion-proof electrical equipment in the workshop, an explosion occurred. The \"10•18\" poisoning accident at Runheng Chemical Co., Ltd. in Guangrao County, Shandong Province On October 18, 2013, a material leakage incident occurred in the pharmaceutical intermediate production workshop of Runheng Chemical Co., Ltd. in Guangrao County, Shandong Province, resulting in 3 deaths and direct economic losses of around 2.706 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was the illegal operation by the operator at the fluorination station; he failed to wear the necessary personal protective equipment. While the fluorination reactor was under pressure, he used pipe wrenches to tighten the valve caps on the shut-off valves, which caused the threads of those valve caps to become unstable and loosen, resulting in the release of hydrogen fluoride-containing material and thus the accident. The \"10•18\" explosion accident at the Zhuzhou Chemical Caustic Soda Plant in Hunan Province: On October 18, 1988, an explosion occurred at the Zhuzhou Chemical Caustic Soda Plant in Hunan Province, resulting in 3 deaths and 2 injuries. The direct cause of the accident was that the shutdown of the hydrogen pump led to a sudden drop in the hydrogen chloride flow, resulting in an imbalance between chlorine and hydrogen in the hydrogen chloride synthesis furnace and the formation of hydrogen chloride containing an excess of free chlorine. While adjusting the acetylene flow rate, the vinyl chloride production operator caused hydrogen chloride gas containing an excess of free chlorine to backflow through the mixer into the acetylene control valve section, where a rapid chemical reaction occurred. This led to a sharp increase in pressure inside the acetylene pipe, resulting in an explosion and fire. The \"10•19\" poisoning and asphyxiation accident at Jiangsu Suopu Chemical Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. On October 19, 2015, while carrying out cleaning and maintenance work on the vacuum flash tank of the gasification system in the methanol plant’s gasification workshop at Jiangsu Suopu Group Co., Ltd., 3 workers who were inside the tank died as a result of poisoning and asphyxiation. The cause of the accident was that, while using tools to turn over the thicker layer of ash and slag at the bottom of the tank, the workers triggered a chain reaction of auto-thermal decomposition of ferrous sulfide present there. The heat generated as a result caused the coal dust in the ash and slag to oxidize, producing carbon monoxide; simultaneously, the remaining sulfides in the ash and slag were released, leading to the poisoning and suffocation of the workers. The \"10•21\" fire accident at Xinfa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Kenli County, Shandong Province On October 21, 2013, a fire broke out at Xinfa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Kenli County, Shandong Province, resulting in 4 deaths and 1 injury. The direct cause of the accident was the rupture of a heat transfer oil pipeline located outside the west wall of the vitamin B2 production facility of Xinfa Pharmaceutical (which had been shut down for a month). The high-temperature heat transfer oil that leaked ignited the packaging materials and finished products, generating large amounts of smoke. As a result, 5 workers who were carrying out insulation work on the fourth-floor platform were trapped, leading to 4 deaths and 1 injury. The explosion of the alcohol distillation vessel at Nanjing Additive Factory in Jiangsu Province on \"10•22\" On October 22, 1988, an explosion occurred in the alcohol distillation vessel in the anti-aging agent DBH production workshop of Nanjing Additive Factory in Jiangsu Province due to overpressure, resulting in 4 deaths and 3 serious injuries. At the time of the incident, after completing the preparatory work, the alcohol distiller began to draw in material and raise the temperature. Since the discharge valve of the alcohol distillation vessel was not open, when steam was introduced to increase the temperature, the vessel shifted from a normal pressure state to a pressurized state, which caused the lid of the vessel to be blown off. A large amount of alcohol vapor escaped and mixed with air to form an explosive mixture, which exploded upon contact with a fire source. 　 The LPG explosion incident at the Shanghai Gaqiao Petrochemical Refinery on October 22nd On October 22, 1988, an LPG explosion occurred in the Xiaoliangshan spherical tank area of the refinery operated by Shanghai Gaqiao Petrochemical Corporation; as a result, 26 people died and 15 were injured. At the time of the incident, the workers in the spherical tank area of the plant’s oil products workshop were carrying out valve-opening dehydration operations on a liquefied gas spherical tank. The operators failed to follow the procedures; they carried out dehydration while feeding material, which caused water and liquefied gas to be discharged together and to escape in large quantities through the sewage tank. The escaped liquefied gas spread with the wind, and came into contact with an open flame in a heating stove inside a temporary shelter outside the tank farm’s perimeter wall, triggering a massive fire. The \"10•27\" syngas explosion incident at the Fertilizer Factory in Wanquan County, Hebei Province On October 27, 1990, an explosion and fire broke out at the Fertilizer Factory in Wanquan County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, resulting in 5 deaths, 5 people injured by burns, and economic losses amounting to 1.48 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that workers at the plant had for a long time used socket wrenches to apply increased force when tightening the flange bolts, which resulted in deformation of the flange at the west exit of Unit 1 of the synthesis section in the combined workshop. This led to the loosening of the connections between the high-pressure U-tubes and the flange threads, causing a large amount of high-pressure mixed gas (hydrogen and nitrogen) to be released. This in turn triggered an explosion in that area and caused a fire. The “10•27” explosion at Heilongjiang Daqing Petrochemical Complex: On October 27, 2004, an explosion occurred in the sulfur recovery unit of the refinery at Daqing Petrochemical Branch, resulting in 7 deaths and economic losses amounting to 1.92 million yuan. The direct cause of the accident was that, under the guidance and coordination of the production unit, a gas welder carried out cutting work at a position 0.8 meters above the exhaust line on the raw water tank of the acidic water gas plant, by the contractor of that factory. During operation, the explosive mixture of gases (hydrogen, hydrocarbons) in the raw water tank leaks from cracks in the welds at the base of the DN200 pipeline connected to it, or from cracks in the welds connecting it to the tank roof. When this mixture comes into contact with the open flame from gas cutting or flying slag, an explosion occurs. Foreign accidents: The “10•4” fire and explosion at the ABS resin plant of Happy Corporation in South Korea. On October 4, 1989, a fire and explosion occurred at Happy Corporation’s ABS resin plant in Icheon, resulting in 14 deaths, over 20 injuries, and direct economic losses of around 3 billion won. Hours before the accident, a large amount of powdered resin leaked from the tarpaulin covering the top of an extruder. At the same time, the powder resin enters between the extruder hood and the electric heater. The powder resin comes into contact with the electric heater, and is heated and decomposed by the surface of the heater, producing flammable gases. The flammable gas generated spread to the first and second floors, causing successive explosions.