Life of Guangzhou - Chemical Leakage Threatens Eastern Guangzhou

The leak being plugged.

At 16:50 yesterday afternoon, titanium tetrachloride leaked due to errors while staff of a titanium dioxide factory in Dongpu of Tianhe, Guangzhou were dismantling container of titanium tetrachloride. The spill was quickly brought under control by the fire department and the area evacuated.

Deputy Mayor in command and things under control

Mr. Su Zequn (middle, with bio-mask on), Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou, listening to the accident report at the factory.

Deputy Mayor Su Zequn led senior officials and staff of the departments of Environment, Public Health, and Tianhe district government to the site of the accident shortly after it occurred.

Under Su's guidance, the leak was plugged with cement, sand, mud and active carbon. The Environment department set up six on-location monitoring points, from which the data showed toxin levels were within safety limits.

One factory worker felt sick and was hospitalized, and one fire fighter was injured.

After the accident, Tianhe District Government activated its Accident Emergency Procedure, evacuating some 200 migrant workers.

"Blanket" check

Mr. Su Zequn ordered a "blanket" check of all the similar facilities in the city from tomorrow, to avoid similar accidents.

Mr. Zhu Xiaodan, Secretary of Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Chinese Communist Party, and Mr. Zhang Guangning, Guangzhou Mayor, both gave overall guidance and instructions on how to deal with the accident.

Personal solution

The Health Authority gave the following procedures, for dealing with titanium tetrachloride:

1. Immediately remove contaminated clothing
2. Wash the chemical from skin or eyes with soapy water as quickly as possible
3. Don’t panic! Breathe smoothly to minimize oxygen requirements
4. Go to Guangzhou No.12 Hospital for medical treatment, in case of severe breathing problems.

(Translated by Ronald Li and Proofread by David Kelleway, www.lifeofguangzhou.com)