ASK expresses regret over German chems accident

27 August 2008 17:24  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Ashland-Sudchemie-Kernfest (ASK) regrets a chemical accident at its site near Dusseldorf that injured 53 people this week and was relieved injuries were not more serious, the specialty chemicals producer said on Wednesday.

 

All injured, who suffered skin, eye and respiratory problems, had by now been discharged from hospital, the company said.

 

The accident on Monday at ASK’s facility in Wulfrath came after the release of about 300 litres of a preparation containing the chemical dicyclopentadien, the company said, adding it was still probing the exact cause.

 

Prosecutors in Wuppertal said they had begun an investigation of the accident.

 

Meanwhile, Germany’s police union reiterated its call from earlier this year for better training and equipment to help officers in handling such accidents.

 

Seven officers were among those who had to seek medical treatment in Monday's accident.

 

The ASK incident was the third chemicals accident in 10 days in Germany’s northwestern state of North-Rhine Westphalia and comes on top of similar incidents earlier this year, including an outage at INEOS' petrochemicals site near Cologne in March.

 

Environmental activists and residents have pointed to the accidents in calling for a review of a carbon monoxide (CO) pipeline project to connect two of Bayer’s chemical production sites in the state.

 

ASK, based in Hilden, Germany, is a joint venture between Ashland and Sud-Chemie. It is focused on specialty chemicals, resins and coatings for the foundry industry.

 

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
+1 713 525 2653

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