1. 10 CHEMICAL
ACCIDENTS
Prepared by Gamar Suleymanova

2. OPPAU, GERMANY - September 21, 1921
Workers at BASF’s Oppau site, in Germany, decided that the best course of
action to loosen a 4,500 tonne mound of ammonium nitrate (AN) and
ammonium sulfate that had solidified was to detonate several dynamite
charges.
Unfortunately, the use of this tried-and-true method was not suited to the
explosive nature of AN, resulting in a massive 125m (410ft)-long and
19m-deep crater and the deaths of more than 500 people.
AN AS

3. OPPAU, GERMANY - September 21, 1921
• The accident destroyed around 80% of
the homes in Oppau and ripped the
roofs off houses as far as 25km (10
miles) away.
• AN has since been responsible for
numerous explosions in the chemical
sector globally, as well as many acts of
terrorism. Strict measures have been
imposed to ensure the safe handling and
storage of the fertilizer.

4. TEXAS CITY, TEXAS, US - April 16, 1947
• On the morning of April 16, 1947, a French ship
- The Grandcamp - was being loaded with
ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer. With over
2,000 tonnes of AN onboard, a fire started in the
hold. Not wanting to damage the cargo, the
captain refused to use water on the flames and
opted instead to control the fire using the steam
system.
• The heat intensified and the ship exploded,
killing crewmembers and showering onlookers
with shrapnel. The blast was heard over 150
miles (240km) away.

5. TEXAS CITY, TEXAS, US - April 16, 1947
• A 15ft (4.6m) wave swept a barge ashore, buildings
were destroyed - including a Monsanto chemical
plant nearby - and the ship's anchor was found more
than a mile away. There were around 3,500 injuries
and 576 people were killed.

6. TEXAS CITY, TEXAS, US - March 23, 2005
• The 2005 disaster at UK oil major BP’s Texas City refinery, in Texas, US,
was considered the nation's worst industrial disaster in 15 years.
• A series of explosions occurred when a hydrocarbon isomerization unit
was restarted and a distillation tower flooded with hydrocarbons. As a
result, 15 were killed and another 180 were injured. BP admitted to
charges and accepted fines last year, with BP America chairman Bob
Malone conceding that the company was guilty of a felony "for failing to
have adequate written procedures for maintaining the ongoing
mechanical integrity of process equipment at the Texas City refinery.

7. JILIN CITY, CHINA - November 13, 2005
• A series of explosions rocked China-
based Jilin Petrochemical's 70,000
tonne/year aniline complex in
Northeast China, killing five and
injuring 70. Benzene also leaked into
the Songhua river and caused
millions of people to go without
drinking water, with many fleeing
their homes.
• Initial investigations suggested the
explosion occurred after operators
attempted to unblock a nitrobenzene
rectification tower. Jilin's Bureau of
Production Safety Supervision and
Administration concluded that a
valve was left open, causing
temperatures to rise rapidly.

8. JILIN CITY, CHINA - November 13, 2005
• Nearby equipment and storage
tanks containing nitrobenzene,
benzene and nitric acid
feedstocks also caught fire and
exploded. Water and electricity
supplies had to be cut off as
local residents reported tap
water turning red or yellow.
There were also concerns that
water supplies to some Russian
towns could be affected by the
contamination of the river.
nitrobenzene
benzene
nitric acid

12. FLIXBOROUGH, UK - June 1, 1974
• In 1974, cyclohexane vapor leaked from
ruptured pipework at the Nypro (UK) site at
Flixborough. This resulted in an explosion
that killed 28 people and injured 36.
• Offsite, 53 injuries were reported. Property
in the surrounding area was also severely
damaged.
• The disaster led to the Health
and Safety at Work Act,
introduced the same year,
when the Health and Safety
Executive was also
established.

13. SEVESO, ITALY - July 10, 1976
• On July 10, 1976, in a small Italian town north of
Milan, a reactor at the ICMESA chemical plant
overheated, resulting in an explosion and the first, and
highest known exposure, to dioxins in a residential
area. A toxic cloud containing 2,4,5-Trichlorophenol -
used to make pesticides and antiseptics - spread to the
densely populated city of Seveso.
• This became the catalyst for the Seveso Directive, in
1982, which has since undergone numerous
amendments. It was replaced by the Seveso II directive
in 1996.

14. TOULOUSE, FRANCE -
September 21, 2001
• Some seven years later, there is still
no official ruling on the cause of
the 2001 explosion at Atofina's
Grande Paroisse fertilizer plant in
Toulouse, France. A report is now
expected toward the end of this
year or the beginning of 2009.

15. TOULOUSE, FRANCE - September 21, 2001
• Around 300 tonnes of ammonium
nitrate (AN) exploded, destroying the
site and wrecking buildings 3km (1
mile) away in the city center.
• The blast left a crater 50m (164 feet)
wide and 10m deep. It was responsible
for the death of 30 people, and 10,000
injuries.

16. SCHWEIZERHALLE, SWITZERLAND -
November 1, 1986
• Water used to extinguish a major fire at the Sandoz chemical
factory in 1986 washed chemicals into the river Rhine, one of
Europe's busiest waterways. The spill caused severe pollution,
which took years to eradicate, and killed an estimated 500,000
fish.
• The incident highlighted the need for antipollution legislation in
Europe. Soil was excavated from the area and decontaminated to
ensure there was no risk to the groundwater.