【Accident Information】On October 21, 2016, a chemical accident in Missouri produced a toxic cloud, injuring over 80 people
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On Friday (October 21), a chemical accident occurred at a distillery named “MGP” in Atchison, Kansas, prompting at least 80 local residents to seek medical help at hospitals, with at least one person still under treatment in the intensive care unit. According to CBS News, local sources **revealed that the accident caused two chemicals to mix together, creating a toxic cloud over the city. To this end, local officials asked some residents in Ickeson to evacuate. But now the toxic cloud has dissipated, and the evacuation order has been lifted. Locals believe that the chemicals responsible for the toxic cloud incident were a mixture of sodium hypochlorite and sulfuric acid. These two chemicals are harmless when stored separately, but when mixed together, they produce highly toxic gases. According to KCTV5, around 67 local residents sought treatment at a hospital in Addison due to upper respiratory tract discomfort. About 18 other people went to a hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, for treatment. A *** official in the city said that most people suffered only minor injuries. The environmental protection agency is already investigating the incident in Addison. According to the Associated Press, MGP Company produces high-quality distilled spirits. The company has around 300 employees at its plant in Atchison, which is located about 50 miles from Kansas City.
I still think that some practices in the West are worth learning from. Below is the official report on the environmental situation following the explosion in Tianjin: Environmental monitoring in the area affected by the Tianjin explosion: No abnormalities detected in 6 standard indicators. Date: 2015-08-13, 15:02. Source: Tianjin Northern Net – Today at 4:00, the ethylene oxide concentration was within normal limits; at 5:30, the concentrations of toluene and VOCs were above normal levels. By 11:00, automatic monitoring data of the air quality in the surrounding area showed no abnormalities in the 6 standard indicators. The outlets through which wastewater flows into the sea have been closed, and emergency monitoring of water quality is currently underway. According to Tianjin Northern Net, after an explosion involving chemical hazards, one of the main concerns of the public is the quality of the air environment. It is reported that following the explosion at a hazardous materials warehouse in Binhai New Area on the evening of the 12th, the city’s Environmental Monitoring Center promptly set up 12 emergency air quality monitoring stations in the area surrounding the accident site. The following are the results of the real-time monitoring: At 4:00 on the 13th, emergency sampling tests conducted at the downwind area most affected by the accident (Xingang No. 8 Road) showed that the ethylene oxide concentration ranged from 1 to 2 milligrams per cubic meter. According to the \"Occupational Exposure Limits for Hazardous Factors in Workplaces GBZ2-2002\", the allowable concentration of ethylene oxide in the air for short-term exposure is 5 milligrams per cubic meter. According to the data from emergency monitoring and sampling at 5:30, the toluene concentration was 3.7 milligrams per cubic meter, which exceeds the limit for unorganized emissions at the factory boundary set by the \"Comprehensive Emission Standards for Air Pollution (GB16297-1996)\") – namely 2.4 milligrams per cubic meter ； The trichloromethane concentration is 1.72 mg/m³, which is not specified in the environmental air quality standards or the emission standards for air pollutants (it is below the maximum allowable concentration of 20 mg/m³ specified in the health standards for trichloromethane in workshop air (GB16219-1996)) ； The VOC level was 5.7 mg/m³, which exceeds the limit for unorganized emissions specified in the \"Tianjin Industrial Enterprises’ Emissions Standards for Volatile Organic Compounds (DB12/524-2014)\") (2.0 mg/m³). The area east of the accident site is coastal waters. Currently, the wind direction in the accident area is southwest, with the Bohai Sea located about 7 kilometers downwind. Other ambient air monitoring data is currently under analysis. As of 11 a.m., automatic monitoring data of the ambient air in the surrounding area showed no abnormalities in the 6 routine indicators. At present, the outfall into the sea has been closed, and emergency water quality monitoring is being carried out. With such a serious accident, were there no abnormalities in environmental monitoring? ? ? ?
Safety cannot be ignored, and vigilance must not be relaxed.
Complete Westernization is not appropriate, but security should definitely be Westernized
Actually, it’s hard to say about this kind of thing; everyone knows about illegal discharges
Regarding safety management, we can still draw on Western approaches; we are also making gradual improvements. However, it must be recognized that our foundation remains weak, and accidents like the Acheson incident could result in even greater losses here