MOSCOW (MRC) -- More than 5,250 tons of chemicals, oil and fuel additives have burned in a massive fire at U.S. specialty chemical firm Lubrizol in Rouen, France, last week, the local prefecture said in a statement, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Following days of protests in Rouen and calls in parliament by opposition politicians to release the list of products burned, the Seine-Maritime prefecture published a list of the chemicals that burned on Sept. 26 in one of the most major industrial accidents in France in recent years.
The prefecture said that more than 3,300 tons of “multi-purpose additives” have burned, and 711 tons of “viscosity booster”, as well as tens of tons of other chemical products such as dispersants, anti-freeze and anti-friction additives.
Under the European Union "Seveso Directive" - named after the 1976 chemical plant accident in Italy - high-risk chemical plants need to inform authorities about the products on site, but following a failed attack on a French chemical plant in 2015, authorities no longer release that information to the public.
Some 1,300 sites in France report their stocks under this directive. Local authorities in Rouen, a city of more than 100,000 in the northwestern region of Normandy, said on Monday that no asbestos had been released during the fire.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said that the smell of burning fuel that still hangs over large parts of Rouen and surroundings is “annoying but not harmful”.
People have been told not to eat produce from their gardens and farmers are not allowed to sell milk, vegetables and other products harvested in the area. Some teachers have also refused to resume classes, citing health risks, and some local residents and businesses have initiated lawsuits to seek damages.
Headquartered in Wickliffe, Ohio, lubricant maker Lubrizol Corp was bought by billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc in 2011 for USD9 billion. Lubrizol makes lubricants and petroleum additives for engines, especially large trucks, buses and boats.
As MRC informed earlier, Lubrizol has launched two thermoplastic polyurethane resins for hot melt adhesives (HMAs). The products belong to the plasticiser-free Pearlbond 300 TPU series that stands out for its low activation temperatures and good bonding properties to various substrates.
The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an innovative specialty chemical company that apart from its production develops and supplies technologies to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol is providing innovative solutions for its customers high-performance application needs and remains committed to ongoing investment in its CPVC capabilities that support future growth. With headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio, Lubrizol owns and operates manufacturing facilities in 17 countries, as well as sales and technical offices around the world. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol has approximately 8,000 employees worldwide.
MRC