Authorities yet to identify warehouse contents but Greenpeace warns of health risks from a chemical blaze
Reports say the warehouse that exploded was storing highly toxic goods, and approaching rains could spread pollutants
More than 17 hours after the blasts in Tianjin, authorities have yet to specify the goods stored at the warehouse and only termed them as “dangerous”.
The environmental organisation Greenpeace Beijing expressed concerns over the health risks posed by certain chemicals after two massive explosions rocked the area on Wednesday night.
A report by China Youth Daily said the shipment company that owns the warehouse stored highly toxic chemicals including sodium cyanide and toluene diisocyanate, according to information from the company’s website, which became inaccessible on Thursday.
Greenpeace, citing information from Tianjin Tanggu Environmental Monitoring Station, said the company also stored calcium carbide in addition to the chemicals mentioned by the Daily.
The three chemicals are highly toxic and can present health threats both with short and long-term exposure.
“It is now critical that relevant authorities monitor the situation closely and release further information on what caused the blast and what chemicals are being released into the air,” said Cheng Qian from Greenpeace.
Sodium cyanide is particular toxic. The chemical reacts with water-reactive but isn’t combustible. Fire from sodium cyanide will produce irritating, corrosive or toxic gases according to the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wu Chunping, a senior engineer from Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, told the Daily extinguishing the fire was made more difficult due to the many kinds of chemicals involved and that new compounds formed as the chemicals react during an explosion.
Greenpeace also warned that rain could transfer air-borne pollutants into water systems as rain was forecast for the city on Friday.
