(ICIS) -- US-based producers Dow Chemical and DuPont have shut down two facilities in Japan, although their other plants are still operating, the companies said on Tuesday. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country on Friday, knocking out several petrochemical plants.
DuPont's research and manufacturing facility in Utsunomiya was damaged, and it would remain closed until the company finishes assessing it. The company was reviewing the operations at its 15 joint ventures in the nation, it said.
DuPont's remaining sites in Japan were operating, it said. Also, all of its employees and their immediate family were safe. Dow Chemical said its Soma site was closed after being flooded during the tsunami that followed the earthquake. The Soma site produces ion-exchange resins. Dow would review the damage to the site as soon as possible, it said. Dow's other sites in Japan are operational, the company said.
On Monday, US specialty chemicals producer Solutia said that it had temporarily suspended operations at the company's facility in Kashima, which lost power. No damage was reported at Solutia's manufacturing facility, and the company confirmed the safety of all employees and their families in the region over the weekend.