Company ‘concealed’ gravity of China chemical spill

BEIJING: The company responsible for a chemical spill that left dozens ill in east China ‘deliberately concealed’ the extent of the leak, which was 10 times worse than reported, authorities said.

The spill in Fujian province happened in the early hours of November 4 when a tube transferring the chemicals from a wharf to a tanker broke, spilling 69.1 tonnes of C9 aromatics into the sea.

Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company, the firm responsible for the incident, had previously reported just 6.97 tonnes.

“From the start, Donggang Petrochemical deliberately concealed, maliciously colluded, and forged evidence,” said a statement released by the local Quanzhou city government on Sunday.

According to local authorities, mid-level and higher-up employees were told to keep the real volume of the chemical spill secret at a meeting following the incident in order to ‘ escape’ the legal consequences.

Later, the company underreported the spill and blamed the hose rupture on old and damaged parts.

The local government also accused the petrochemical firm of disorderly management and weak safety protocols.

So far, authorities have arrested seven people over the incident.

Three are employees of the Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company, which operates the wharf, and four are crew members of the tanker involved in the leak.

Earlier this month, residents near the coast who had come into contact with the C9 reported dizziness, nausea, and breathing difficulties.

C9 is typically used to produce adhesives, printing ink and paint, and is toxic.

A total of 69 residents were hospitalised after the leak, though all are now in ‘good condition’, the state-run China Daily reported yesterday. — AFP