Depot blast would not have ‘significant impact’ on nearby residents, said initial expert report
When yard was renovated last year to house dangerous materials, Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences said safety measures were adequate
A fire or blast at the warehouse yard operated by Ruihai International Logistics which was levelled in Wednesday night’s disaster would not have a considerable impact on the surrounding area, an official environmental evaluation report concluded last year.
The evaluation was carried out by the Tianjin Academy of Environmental Sciences ahead of the yard’s renovation into a hazardous materials storage site. Ruihai had earmarked 9 million yuan (HK$10.9 million) to make the changes to the 42,000 square metre yard, according to the academy. The goods would be stored there temporarily while they were in transit.
The facility could annually handle 20,000 tonnes of dangerous goods or 50,000 tonnes of ordinary goods a year, it said.
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The academy pointed to a fire risk presented by 2,4-Toluene diisocyanate – a chemical intermediate in the production of polyurethane products and also known as TDI – natural gas and hydrogen chloride.