An explosion and subsequent fire that lasted 16 hours has killed two workers at an Evonik Industries chemical plant in Marl, Germany. The cause of the March 31 accident remains unknown but is under investigation by both government authorities and an Evonik contractor.
The accident occurred in the early afternoon at a plant that produces cyclododecatriene, an intermediate used to make nylon 12, flame retardants, flavors, and fragrances. One worker was killed immediately, and hours passed before his body could be recovered. A second worker, who suffered severe burns, died of his injuries two days later.
During the blaze, some unspecified amount of the carcinogen butadiene did leak, an Evonik spokeswoman says. However, she says, the chemical was consumed by fire, which accounted for the black smoke billowing from the plant site. The public was never at risk from exposure to butadiene, and no other chemical was involved in the blaze, she adds.
At C&EN’s press time, Evonik did not know the full extent of damage to the Marl plant, but it expects “substantial constraints” for the time being on its output of nylon 12, used in auto parts, photovoltaic modules, and sporting goods. The firm says the accident has not affected output of other plastics made at the site, including the engineering polymers polybutylene terephthalate and polyether ether ketone.
About 10,000 Evonik employees work at the 2.5-sq-mile Marl site, which is also home to 30 other chemical-related companies.
Accidents are infrequent in the German chemical industry. Chemical workers in Germany suffered 9.4 accidents per million hours worked in 2010, according to the German Chemical Industry Association, compared with 41.6 in construction, 9.8 in health care, and 16.5 for all industries. In the U.S., chemical workers experienced 11.0 accidents per million hours worked, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Evonik itself recorded just 1.3 accidents per million hours worked company-wide in 2010 and no deaths.

Nearly 100 students and staff who were taken to hospital after a chemistry experiment was thought to have gone wrong at Dresden’s Technical University seem to have been the victims of a false alarm – and a garlicky smell.

Technicians gave the all clear on Friday afternoon after examining the chemistry laboratory where it was thought an experiment with arsenic-containing compounds used to make World War I poison gas.

Although 97 students and staff - and five fire fighters - had gone to hospital complaining of nausea, headaches and some started vomiting, no-one had been poisoned. The only clue that remained was that many said the 'poisonous gas' had smelled of garlic.

Berlin (CNN) -- A chemical accident involving chlorine gas injured nearly 40 people Tuesday at a plant for security technology in Bruhl.
Of the 39 victims, seven were seriously injured, according to Markus Brachschoss, a spokesman for the local fire department. Around 300 people were inside the plant at the time of the accident.
The incident occurred when two chemicals -- sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid -- came into contact, emitting chlorine gas.

A chemical accident at a transport company in northern Hesse spurred a large-scale rescue operation overnight. Some 15 people were hospitalized and surrounding buildings were evacuated, police said Wednesday.
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A worker accidentally punctured a 200-litre tank of the toxic chemical thiophenol with a forklift around 1 am, and some 30 litres of the sulphur compound escaped, Homberg police said.

All fire fighters in the Schwalm-Eder county, along with those in neighbouring communities, rushed to the scene. About 150 medics and 50 chemical specialists were also on hand to aid in decontaminating the area.

A boat carrying 2,400 tons of sulfuric acid from the chemical company BASF capsized in Germany's Rhine River at 5 a.m. today, Jan. 13. Rescuers are searching the river for two missing men who are part of the ship's four-man crew.

At this point, "to our knowledge no acid leaked into the river," from the stainless steel double-hulled tanker called the Waldorf, Robert Baack, the chief operating officer for Lehnkering, the company managing the shipping, said in a statement.

The capsize happened, "for as yet unexplained reasons," he noted.

River levels are higher than normal due to recent melting of large quantities of snow that fell over the past month, and the accident occurred at a narrow point in the river which is known to have strong currents, according to AFP, the French press agency.

The boat was carrying the sulfuric acid from Ludwigshafen, in southern Germany to Antwerp, Belgium, says Ursula von Stetten, a BASF spokeswoman.