Biochemical unit dispatched to the Tianjin blast site

The possibility has been raised that a huge amount of the hazardous toxic chemicals such as sodium cyanide were released into the surrounding areas by the blasts at the Tanggu port in Tianjin city, China, on Wednesday.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday that deadly poisonous cyanides were found in the sewage around the Tanggu port, of which concentration was higher than the standard by three up to eight times.

Reportedly, the port warehouse stored around 700 tons of toxic chemicals including a cyanide, toluene diisocyanate, which violently reacts with water, and calcium carbide.

While contamination of the soil, underground water and sewage are expected, the Chinese authority has dispatched 214 biochemical agents under the Beijing military with chemical detection devices. They are expected to launch an operation to stop toxic chemicals from spreading into the adjacent soil and melting in the sewage to flow into the sea.

According to CNN report, the environment activist group Greenpeace warned in a statement on Friday, “Chemicals from the blasts could pose health risks to residents, if transferred into the air or water systems.” Among local residents, a rumor has been spread that such toxic chemicals are reaching Beijing in the air.

Out of the confirmed death toll of 55 by the explosions, fire fighters’ death toll increased from 12 to 17, which made the Tianjin blast the worst disaster of firemen in the Chinese history. Still, 30 fire fighters are missing.

Some analyze that high death toll of firemen can be attributed to spraying water to chemicals that strongly react to the water.

Besides fire fighters, around 700 were under treatment. Out of the injured, 71 are in critical condition, raising the likelihood that the death toll will increase further.

jameshuh@donga.com