Concerns grow over repeated chemical leaks

By Yi Whan-woo

A toxic chemical leak at a plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday, is raising concern over safety measures for handling such materials.

Some 2.5 tons of a hydrofluoric acid mixture leaked at a glass manufacturer in the industrial complex in the city.

The local fire service managed to clean up the waste and prevent contamination, but the incident still shocked the country as similar ones have already occurred twice since last September.

The spill occurred when a worker stepped on a pipe that transports the hazardous material and broke it. The worker remained safe, and the fire service said the damage was hardly noticeable as it “took care of the scene promptly.”

Observers, however, called for more measures to be taken to prevent such accidents. They referred to chemical leaks in Gumi and Sangju, located in North Gyeongsang Province, between September 2012 and last week.

“It’s noteworthy that the manufacturer as well as the city officials in Cheongju worked together promptly and avoided further damage,” a government official said.

Of the 2.5 tons spilt, hydrofluoric acid made up only 8 percent of it while the rest was water. The official added that serious damage could have occurred if the acid content was higher as seen in the case in Gumi.

The disaster at the Gumi Industrial Complex occurred when 12 tons of 99 percent hydrofluoric acid leaked from a tanker on Sept. 27, 2012.

Residents, livestock and plants in the region were all affected by the leak.

The incident at Sangju took place on Sunday when 200 tons of hydrochloric acid spilled out from a tank located at a polysilicon plant ran by a firm, Woongjin. The company said the hazardous liquid vaporized and did not affect anyone.