VIJAYAWADA: The nine-member High Power Committee (HPC) that probed the LG Polymers gas leak in Vizag has said the mishap was caused due to negligence on several fronts. The panel, headed by Special Chief Secretary (EFS&T) Neerabh Kumar Prasad, submitted a 4,000-page report on the disaster — that left at least 12 people dead and 585 hospitalised — to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday.
The uncontrolled release of styrene vapour from the LG Polymers’ M6 tank was due to a runaway reaction, Prasad told the media after meeting the Chief Minister. “A high increase in temperature led to polymerisation, causing runaway reactions. The temperature rose due to the boiling of liquid styrene monomer to 145 degree Celsius, and caused an increase in the pressure of the vapour, which led to an uncontrolled release of vapour from the vents. The final temperature recorded was 153.7 degree Celsius,” he said.
The mishap was caused by a number of factors that were detailed in the report, he further said, adding that the report would soon be placed in the public domain.The company changed the piping system in the M6 Tank in December 2019 without informing anyone, which sowed the seeds of disaster, Prasad said. “The company continued operating in the lockdown period as if the entire company was functioning... They did not change anything. No special care was taken. The district administration had only allowed 45 people to work in shifts,” he said.
The official added that on April 24 the company itself did the “measuring” without involving anyone from outside. The polymer content was extremely high and the firm did not register it as an early warning, he said, adding that the disaster could have been averted if the staff had acted then.The M6 Tank was more than 50 years old and the temperature-measuring probe was at the bottom of the tank. The temperature-measuring protocol adopted was not supported by scientific literature, Prasad asserted, adding that the company set the temperature for styrene monomer at 35 degrees Celsius when it should be less than 20 degree Celsius.The report also found that the emergency-response protocol was not followed. There were 36 manual activation points for sirens, but they were not used.
Shift LG Polymers factory out of residential area: HPC report
According to him, a CCTV camera captured footage of styrene vapour being released at 2.45 am, but the first reaction from the staff was only at 5.15 am. They turned on water sprinklers, and poured terminating chemicals and high-temperature inhibitors (NDM/TDM). The terminating chemicals got exhausted and there was no stock of TBC at the factory. The mishap could have been averted or mitigated if the terminating chemical was used intensively from 5 am to 1 or 2 pm, but by the time the staff asked for the chemicals to be airlifted, the situation was out of control and the temperature at the bottom of the tank was 153 degree Celsius, Prasad said.
“There were serious lapses. The committee also studied the short-and long-term impacts and marked the affected areas as red (within 0.4 km), orange (1 km) and yellow (2.8 km) zones. Odour was detected up to 4.5 km from the factory. This has been demarcated on a GVMC map for long-term analysis by ICMR or other organisations,” he explained. In the red zone, styrene concentration was 4,000, while levels above 700 are dangerous.
The official said the report mentions every root cause of the accident, and liabilities under the law. Lapses on the part of the Factories department, PCB, PESO, Town Planning Section and other departments were also detailed, and responsibility fixed for action to be taken. “Lots of lapses by the administration were observed,” he pointed out. Among the HPC’s recommendations is that the LG Polymers unit with styrene and hazardous chemicals be moved out of the residential area or be marked as a ‘Green’ or ‘White’ category industry.
“This is the first such incident with a styrene tank in an industrial unit globally. There are several polymerisation units in the country following old procedures. We have come out with technical suggestions and precautions to prevent such accidents that can be used internationally,” Prasad said, adding that the Chief Minister asked them to conduct a study of hazardous chemical industries and safety precautions in the state.
The report recommended a revamp of safety regulations for factories in the country and state, and suggested setting up a special accident investigation wing to probe every such mishap. It suggested unification of different laws sans legislation but through notifications and delegations.“We recommended ICMR conduct a study of general health, eyes, skin, lungs, pediatric and womens’ health of all 585 people who were hospitalised, for about a year ,” he said. Jagan directed all departments to take action as per law against those involved in the mishap.