German agency completes €24m chem test centre

23 May 2008 16:32  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--A German federal agency charged with researching and testing the safety of chemicals has completed a new €24m ($38m) state-of-the-art test centre south of Berlin, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

 

The centre will focus on dangerous chemicals during processing, transport and storage, Ulrike Rockland, spokeswoman for Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung (BAM), told ICIS news.

 

“Its capabilites are unique in Europe for testing chemicals,” she said.

 

The 12-square-kilometre test site at Horstwalde had all the equipment and facilities for large-scale testing of chemicals in terms of their fire, explosion and other risks, she said.

 

BAM is operating under federal law, advising ministries, authorities and companies on chemical safety issues and improvements, Rockland said.

 

It also investigates accidents, including outside Germany. It probed, for example, an explosion at a fireworks plant in Enschede in the Netherlands in 2000 that killed 22 people, she said.

 

However, BAM does not have the authority to impose fines, enforce remedies or order changes and improvements.

 

Full details about the Horstwalde test centre are available on BAM's website.

 

($1 = €0.64)

 

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
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