Vizag gas Leaks at night and Death of numbers reaches 11, LG Polymers blames lockdown for incident

Police evacuate 800 people from RR Venkatapuram village as in night vizag gas leaked. 

The lockdown has become a curse for our industry. As system was not running for the last 40 days, the chemical was stored in the system which otherwise would have gone to the reactor, Mohan Rao, General Manager, LGPI said.

In the early hours of Thursday, styrene gas had leaked from company’s plant in R R Venkatapuram. While the tank had a capacity of 2400 tonnes, there was 1800 tonnes in it at the time.

The company, which has 363 employees is now working with 15 staffers.
According to AP Minister for Industries, the plant was operating on self-monitoring and self-certification process. "LG Polymers is responsible for maintaining the plant and the incident, it appears as of now, has happened in the process of re-starting the company after the lockdown,'' he said.

The police evacuated 800 people from R R Venkatapuram village where the plant is located and others in five surrounding villages have been alerted.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the victims at the KGH Hospital in the city. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore each to the families of those who have died due to the leak.

Taking stock of the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had spoken to officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). “I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being in Visakhapatnam,” Modi said in a tweet.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed their distress and condoled the loss of lives and also pray to god for lives. 

What is Styrene and how can exposure affect humans?

1. Styrene is a colorless, or light yellow, flammable liquid primarily used in the production of polystyrene plastics and resins - it is used in the manufacture of containers for foodstuffs, packaging, synthetic marble, flooring, disposable tableware and moulded furniture

1. Breathing air contaminated with styrene vapours can cause irritation of the nose and throat, coughing and wheezing, and create a build-up of fluid in the lungs

1. Exposure to larger amounts can result in the onset of "styrene sickness", the signs and symptoms of which include headache, nausea, vomiting, weakness, tiredness, dizziness, confusion and clumsy or unsteady motion (known collectively as central nervous system depression)

1. In some cases exposure to styrene can also result in irregular heartbeats and even coma

1. Several epidemiological studies suggest there may be an association between styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukemia and lymphoma though the evidence is inconclusive.

Sources: The PHE Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards and US Environment Protection Agency.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner