Relevance: Prelims/mains: Science and technology & Environment
Why in news?
- After the catastrophic Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984), now toxic gas release at a chemical plant in the suburbs of Vishakhapatnam .
Released toxic gas happens to be “Styrene”; a highly flammable and poisonous gas which affects the central nervous system and causes many body ailments.
- The toxic gas is reported to be leaked in LG Polymer Plant at Gopalapatnam on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam around 02:30 am on Thursday morning when the workers were preparing to reopen the plant.
- The whole incident has affected the radius of 3 K.M. covering 5 nearby villages affecting thousands of people. The death toll has risen to 10 and injuries to 800 at the time of writing in this article.
Cause of the leakage
- Gas is reported to be leaked from two big tanks of 5000 ton kept inside. Chemical reaction and production of heat inside the tank caused the leakage of the toxic gas.
LG Polymer Factory since its inception:
- LG Polymer Factory was originally established in 1961 as Hindustan Polymers to manufacture Polystyrene. Further, in 1968 it was merged with McDowell & Co of the UB Group. In the year 1997 it was acquired by South Korean based LG Chemical and renamed as LG Polymers.
- The major product manufactured by the company in its Vizag plant is general-purpose polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, expandable polystyrene, engineering plastic polystyrene.
Styrene Gas in Brief:
- Also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene, and phenylethene, Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. It is colourless, highly flammable, toxic gas used in the production of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.
- When exposed to humans for a short duration the toxic material can result in various respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation of the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal problems. Whereas, when exposed for a longer duration, it can adversely affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy.
- It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases. Its Symptoms include hearing loss, headache, weakness, difficulty in concentrating, fatigue, etc.
For more such notes, Articles, News & Views Join our Telegram Channel.
Click the link below to see the details about the UPSC –Civils courses offered by Triumph IAS. https://triumphias.com/pages-all-courses.php