Ammonia Leak In Central Bangkok Sickens Hundreds

[george]

Ammonia leak in central Bangkok sickens hundreds

BANGKOK: -- More than 1,000 people were evacuated and hundreds sent to hospital after an ammonia leak at a cold-storage warehouse in central Bangkok early yesterday morning.

The leak occurred at Yoo Yong Pattana warehouse in Bang Kho Laem district at about 1.20am.

About 80 people fainted after breathing ammonia fumes and about 300 were sent to nearby hospitals. All have since been discharged.

Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said the warehouse - which provides cold storage for imported produce, such as Shitake mushrooms - would not be allowed to re-open until inspections showed it was safe.

Officials said the leak came from a pipe connecting the storage facilities to an underground ammonia tank. The pipe was worn, they said. It took them three hours to find the right valve to turn off the flow of ammonia, they said.

There was just one technician on duty at the warehouse at the time of the leak, police said.

They are still investigating and will determine whether carelessness was responsible for the leak, said Major Wattanakorn Ounnak of Wat Phraya Krai Police Station.

Bang Kho Laem district office deputy director Aree Wongnopparatlert said the company and warehouse were properly licensed.

A senior official at the Pollution Control Department, Sumetha Wichienpetch, said the air quality around the warehouse would return to normal by last night as ammonia disperses quickly.

--The Nation 2007-05-07

[TAWP]

It's 9min after midnight...was this yesterday at 1.20am, or going to happend in 1h and 11min?

[Tywais]

It's 9min after midnight...was this yesterday at 1.20am, or going to happend in 1h and 11min?

at a cold-storage warehouse in central Bangkok early yesterday morning

[TAWP]

I'm sorry should have been more clear: The reports of this event was slow as h*ll. It's something one needs to read hours after it happends, not almost a full day. Chemical leakage isn't something you play around with and if I'm going downtown I want to know beforehand if I'm going into a toxic cloud or not...

[Tony Clifton]

It took them three hours to find the right valve to turn off the flow of ammonia, they said.

There was just one technician on duty at the warehouse at the time of the leak, police said.

They are still investigating and will determine whether carelessness was responsible for the leak, said Major Wattanakorn Ounnak of Wat Phraya Krai Police Station.

"Let's find out first if someone important or powerful owns the place so we can determine if we'll either slap wrists or press charges."

[sriracha john]

Residents leave their homes after an ammonia leak at a cold-storage warehouse in Bangkok’s Bang Kho Laem district early yesterday. Some 1,000 people were evacuated from the area in central Bangkok and hundreds hospitalised.

The Nation

[Tony Clifton]

My father was poisoned twice with ammonia. First, it happened in a pulp mill. He was off work for a few years. Went back to work and was poisoned once more a few months later in a chemical plant. Bad luck, no other workers were affected both times and they were very small and contained leaks.

I can't see a 3 hour massive leak being very good.

The side effects last a looong time.

Edited May 6, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[dkstoney]

Too bad it wasn't cyanide gas, maybe they would take it a little more seriously.

[Scott]

These types of storage places, factories, plants etc. should not be in populated areas to start with. If they are near settled areas, then they need to have quick action plans in case of emergency.

[wintermute]

These types of storage places, factories, plants etc. should not be in populated areas to start with. If they are near settled areas, then they need to have quick action plans in case of emergency.

This is Thailand we're talking about here. Your right to build is only restricted by how much money you have and who you know.

[PhilHarries]

I worked for some years at a facility where we had 200 tons of anhydrous ammonia (NH₃) on site for refridgeration. NH₃ is asphixiative (Sp?) not toxic and short term exposure should have no lasting effects. Tony's father must have developed an allergic reaction to it.

Ammonia is a heavy gas so in low lying or enclosed areas it will not disperse easily. It does have great affinity with water so rain should do the job effectively.

For them to take three hours to isolate the line shows that their emergency planning is next to non-existant but why am I not suprised by that. The fact that the leak was from a worn (corroded?) pipe also shows that there is either no statutory regular inspection or it is only done lacksadaisically. The transfer of banknotes in exchange for a clean bill of health springs to mind, again no shock revelation if that is the case.

[katana]

I think its quite nasty to breathe in (or get in the eyes) because it forms ammonium hydroxide on contact with water in the body, which is alkaline and caustic:

The most common mechanism by which ammonia gas causes damage occurs when anhydrous ammonia (liquid or gas) reacts with tissue water to form the strongly alkaline solution, ammonium hydroxide.

NH3 + H2O ->NH4OH

This reaction is exothermic and capable of causing significant thermal injury.

Ammonium hydroxide also causes severe alkaline chemical burns to skin, eyes, and especially the respiratory system. Mild exposures primarily affect the upper respiratory tract, while more severe exposures tend to affect the entire respiratory system (see Clinical). The gastrointestinal tract also may be affected if ammonia is ingested.

Tissue damage from alkali is caused by liquefaction necrosis and typically penetrates far deeper than that caused by an equipotent acid. In the case of ammonium hydroxide, the tissue breakdown liberates water, thus perpetuating the conversion of ammonia to ammonium hydroxide. In the respiratory tract, this results in the destruction of cilia and the mucosal barrier to infection.

http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic846.htm

[baabaabobo]

Too bad it wasn't cyanide gas, maybe they would take it a little more seriously.

Are we supposed to take that seriously?

[Antoni]

Ammonia leak in central Bangkok sickens hundreds

Officials said the leak came from a pipe connecting the storage facilities to an underground ammonia tank. The pipe was worn, they said. It took them three hours to find the right valve to turn off the flow of ammonia, they said.

The authourities should never ever give any license to open to that company anymore!

[kmart]

Ammonia leaks from ice-making factories and cold-storage firms here are quite common. There was quite a bad one a few years ago in S. Prakarn, as I remember. A lot of these companies are unregistered and unlicensed.

The only time a factory here is hit with a penalty or is made to pay compo is when it is foreign owned.