Nearby villagers have throat bleeding, vomiting, and fainting, and a chemical gas leak from a company in Shaoxing | accident | enterprise
The Qiantang River is the mother river of Zhejiang, and its water slowly flows into the East China Sea through Hangzhou Bay. There is a "Hangzhou Bay Shangyu Economic and Technological Development Zone" located on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay in Shangyu District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. There are multiple chemical enterprises in the park. At around 16:30 on August 31st, a chemical gas leak occurred at Yongnong Biological Science Co., Ltd. in the park, causing physical discomfort in several villages south of the company. After the incident, according to a local official report, "Among the villagers who have participated in the inspection, no individuals with abnormal CT imaging of their lungs caused by acrolein gas have been found. Nine people were left in the hospital for observation due to discomfort in the throat and eyes."
The nearest village to Yongnong Company is Zhenhai Village, Gaibei Town, Shangyu District. Several villagers revealed to the New Yellow River reporter that similar accidents had occurred in more than one enterprise many years ago. One time, the grapes planted by villagers in the village were extensively smoked and damaged, and the enterprise compensated about 2.4 million yuan for this; Another time was when pickled vegetables were smoked and damaged, and the company also provided corresponding compensation.
During the investigation, the reporter also found that Yongnong Company has been repeatedly punished for environmental protection, one of which was suspected of exceeding the emission limit of atmospheric pollutants.
Multiple villagers affected by chemical gas leakage
Zhenhai Village is about 1.6 kilometers away from Yongnong Company. There is a small restaurant on the roadside at the entrance of the village in the north, owned by an outsider. At around 16:45 on August 31st, the restaurant owner who was stir frying saw people running towards the village from Yongnong Company, covering their mouths and noses, while others shouted, "The air is too strong." Soon, the owner also smelled the choking smell in the air. Later on, he couldn't bear it anymore and gave up cooking, running into the restaurant and closing the door tightly.
At around 16:50, a customer in a shop south of the village suddenly coughed loudly and shed tears. Later, the shop owner saw many people gathered at the entrance, covering their mouths and noses with their hands or towels. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that Yongnong Company had an accident, and these people had all come from over there.
When describing the symptoms of smelling leaked gas to outsiders, villagers all reported runny noses, tears, and sore throats. There are reports online that some villagers have experienced conditions such as throat bleeding and fainting. According to online video footage, after the incident, at the entrance of the Zhenhai Village Committee and by the ambulance, some villagers were so uncomfortable that they bent down and vomited, coughed, and were later taken away by ambulance.
Screenshot of online video transmission
Most villagers in Zhenhai Village are not surprised by the chemical gas leakage from Yongnong Company. Gaibei Town is the "hometown of grapes in China", and many villages in the town plant grapes on a large scale. Villager Lao Wang remembers that eight or nine years ago, Yongnong Company had a gas leak that caused a large area of grapes in Zhenhai Village to be smoked and damaged, whether it was a gas tank or a pipeline rupture. The village committee and the company arrange staff to measure the planting area of each household's grapes in the fields, and then compensate according to the market purchase price of grapes in two levels. The vineyards closest to Yongnong Company will be compensated with three to four thousand yuan per acre, while those farther away will be compensated with two to three thousand yuan per acre. Lao Wang has about one acre of grapes and received a compensation of over 3000 yuan. That time, Yongnong Company paid a total of 2.4 million yuan to the village. Another time, the pickled vegetables planted by villagers were smoked out, but the market purchase price for pickled vegetables was only a few cents, so Yongnong Company did not compensate much. Villager Lao Zhang also remembers these two things: "Yongnong Company has compensated the village, once for grapes and once for pickled vegetables, both years ago."
The historical memories of many years ago, as well as the concerns about physical health in daily life, were all sparked by this obvious gas leak, which sparked dissatisfaction among the villagers towards Yongnong Company. On the evening of August 31st, villagers gathered at the entrance of Yongnong Company to demand justice and alarmed the police.
There is a river and a bridge in front of the gate of Yongnong Company
The local government departments attach great importance to this matter. From August 31st to September 2nd, for several consecutive days, they used buses and minibuses to transport villagers who reported feeling unwell to Shangyu District People's Hospital and District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for examination.
Lao Wang was taken to Shangyu District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for examination. The hospital's imaging diagnosis was bronchitis with infection and multiple pulmonary alveoli in the left lung apex. After the gas leak incident, Lao Wang didn't sleep well for two consecutive nights due to swelling and pain in his mind, and it wasn't until the third day that his symptoms improved that he slept.
Diagnosis report of villager Lao Wang's case
Most of the villagers returned from the hospital with eye drops.
When talking to the reporter from New Yellow River about Yongnong Company, the villagers expressed concerns. "We farmers don't understand what gases emitted or leaked by enterprises are called and what hazards they pose. No one knows if similar incidents will happen again in the future."
Will the leakage of acrolein gas from Yongnong Company have potential impacts on the health of villagers? The villagers themselves have no idea. The New Yellow River reporter learned that many villagers in Zhenhai Village have made demands to the local government and the involved enterprises: although no symptoms of chemical gas poisoning have been detected, the villagers are concerned about chronic poisoning, so they hope that the enterprises can make guarantees and commitments that the villagers will not have any health problems caused by this in the next three years.
What are the hazards of leaked gas?
The local authorities have issued two notices regarding the gas leakage incident of Yongnong Company.
On September 1st, the Hangzhou Bay Comprehensive Management Office released a situation report stating that around 16:30 on August 31st, 2023, during the shutdown period of Yongnong Company, a material storage tank malfunctioned, resulting in the overflow of irritating gas. The Comprehensive Management Office, together with relevant departments, immediately guided the enterprise to carry out emergency repairs. The repairs were completed as soon as possible, and the tank condition remained stable with no casualties on site. At 17:30 on August 31st, relevant functional departments conducted inspections on the factory area and surrounding areas, and the results showed no abnormalities. At present, the cause of the accident is under further investigation. The Comprehensive Management Office and relevant departments are actively intervening to address environmental impact issues reported by nearby residents, ensuring the safety and health of the general public.
On September 2, the office released a report on the gas leakage situation of Yongnong Biological Science Co., Ltd., stating that at around 16:30 on August 31, 2023, during the shutdown period of Yongnong Company, the acrolein storage tank was affected by a decrease in the flow rate of the water circulation system, which affected the temperature control effect and led to an increase in pressure. The pressure relief protection device automatically started, causing about 1 kilogram of acrolein to leak. The emergency repair was completed at 17:02 on August 31st. From the completion of the emergency repair until 24:00 on September 1st, the ecological environment department conducted multiple rounds of atmospheric environment testing on the factory boundary and surrounding areas, all of which showed no abnormalities. After the incident, Shangyu District opened the hospital's green channel as soon as possible, and organized surrounding villagers to undergo health examinations in an orderly manner based on the wishes of the masses. At present, among the villagers who have participated in the inspection, no individuals with abnormal CT imaging of both lungs caused by acrolein gas have been found, and 9 people have been kept in the hospital for observation due to discomfort in the throat and eyes. The Hangzhou Bay Comprehensive Management Office stated that in the next step, it will continue to pay attention to the demands of the people, further carry out investigation and disposal work, draw lessons from others to carry out risk investigation, and ensure the safety and health of the people's lives.
Government officials told relevant media that online rumors of villagers experiencing throat bleeding, fainting, and other symptoms are all rumors.
From the content of the two reports, it can be seen that the gas leak this time was "about 1 kilogram of acrolein leak". From the time of gas overflow to the completion of repair, there are a total of 32 minutes.
Public information shows that acrolein has a strong irritant effect. Inhaling steam can damage the respiratory tract, leading to pharyngitis, chest compression, and bronchitis; Excessive inhalation can cause pneumonia, pulmonary edema, shock, nephritis, and heart failure. Liquid and vapor damage to the eyes; Skin contact can cause burns. On October 27, 2017, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization released a preliminary list of carcinogens for reference, with acrolein listed as a Class 3 carcinogen. During World War I, the French military used acrolein to manufacture chemical hand grenades.
According to CCTV, after the incident, the environmental protection department conducted tests on the surrounding atmospheric environment and river water quality of Yongnong Company. Currently, 26 atmospheric tests and 3 river water quality tests have been conducted, and the test results are all normal.
On September 3rd, while visiting Yongnong Company, a reporter from the New Yellow River encountered an atmospheric environment testing vehicle from the Shangyu Branch of the Shaoxing Ecological Environment Bureau. The staff said that they were not here for this gas leak incident, but to maintain daily testing status. Sometimes they often drive around the park to patrol and test at night.
Has been punished multiple times by the environmental protection department
Regarding the statements made by the villagers, the New Yellow River reporter sought verification from the "Two Committees" and Yongnong Company of Zhenhai Village. Both the "Two Committees" of Zhenhai Village and the relevant leaders of Gaibei Town have stated that they will not be interviewed.
A person in charge of the personnel department of Yongnong Company told New Yellow River on behalf of the company
At the entrance of Yongnong Company
Subsequently, the New Yellow River reporter made multiple phone calls to Yongnong Company, but no one answered.
According to the official website of Yongnong Company, the company was established in 2005 and is a high-tech enterprise mainly engaged in the research and development, production, and sales of agricultural chemicals. After years of development, the company has formed a product group led by glyphosate, with multiple varieties such as insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides developing simultaneously. Yongnong currently has over 1200 employees and has three production bases and one technology center. According to the Qichacha platform, the legal representative of Yongnong Company is Huang Jingshao, and the actual controller is Wu Kemeng.
According to a search on the Zhejiang Government Service Network, document Yuhuanpenzi [2019] No. 330 shows that on June 17, 2019, Yongnong Company was administratively punished for not taking measures to prevent the emission of foul smelling gases; According to document Yuhuan Penalty and Responsibility Stop [2018] No. 18, on November 28, 2018, Yongnong Company was ordered to stop production and rectify its abnormal operation due to blockage of the thermal storage ceramic body of the RTO incineration device. The factory boundary atmosphere was sampled and monitored to exceed the depth of odor emissions.
On November 23, 2021, Yongnong Company submitted a commitment letter to the Shangyu Branch of Shaoxing Ecological Environment Bureau for credit restoration of the "order to suspend production and rectify", and stated that it will strictly abide by national laws, regulations, rules and policies, and engage in production and business activities in accordance with the law and trust.
However, according to the fine document [2022] No. 2000008 obtained from platforms such as Qichacha and Tianyancha of the Shangyu Branch of the Shaoxing Ecological Environment Bureau, on November 18, 2022, after Yongnong Company applied for credit repair, Yongnong Company was fined RMB 100000 for "premature entry of waste gas into the treatment system, resulting in the discharge of waste gas without effective treatment".
In response to the gas leakage accident of Yongnong Company, the staff of Shangyu Branch of Shaoxing Ecological Environment Bureau replied to the New Yellow River reporter that Yongnong Company had an accident during the shutdown period, and the enterprise is still in a shutdown state. After the accident occurred, the district committee and government attached great importance to it and established a special investigation team, which is currently under investigation and understanding.
