UPDATED on 6/4/2016 – Police investigating the accident said that the hydrofluoric acid spill might have been caused by human error as two workers unloaded the chemical from a delivery tanker. A closed-circuit security video camera recorded the two workers on top of the tanker without protective gear. They connected an air hose to a valve in the tanker to force the chemical out under high pressure. The video shows white vapor erupting at high pressure from the tanker, engulfing the workers. Police have said the workers were trying to save time and did not follow proper safety procedures. Prosecutors plan to indict three Hube Global executives. According to some reports, firefighters who initially responded to the Hube Global accident were not apparently fully briefed on the risks of hydrofluoric acid. The first to arrive on the scene wore typical firefighting garments and masks – inadequate protection against hydrofluoric acid fumes. Firefighters also spread the hydrofluoric acid further by spraying water on it. At the time of the accident, neither the Gumi city government nor the Hube Global plant had supplies of slaked lime, an agent used to neutralize the acid. Slaked lime was not deployed at the accident scene until the day after the leak.
UPDATED on 11/2/12 – New video footage showing the enormity of the anhydrous HF release that killed five workers. NEVER EVER get this close to any type of chemical release just for pictures or video.
WARNING!!! Video may be upsetting to some viewers.
Damages from toxic gas leak worsen in Southern S. Korea
GUMI, South Korea, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) — More than 3,000 people have received emergency care for nausea and other symptoms, officials said Sunday, following a disastrous gas leak that also caused widespread damages to crops, livestock, and factories in southern South Korea. A total of 3,178 people have been treated for nausea, rashes, and other symptoms since the Sept. 27 explosion of a chemical plant that leaked some eight tons of hydrofluoric acid. This acute poison can damage the lungs and bones and affect the nervous system.
Five workers were killed, and 18 others were injured in the blast at chemical maker Hube Global at the Gumi National Industrial Complex in the industrial city, about 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The gas leak has cost factories in the industrial complex about 17.7 billion won (US$15.9 million) in lost production, officials said. Hundreds of angry villagers in Gumi who suffered after the massive gas leak moved to a safer region, with some residents reporting blood in their saliva. About 110 elderly people in Bongsan-ri village were evacuated to a facility about 10 kilometers away. “We decided to move because the government overlooked us and did not come up with countermeasures,” Park Myeong-seok, the head of Bongsang-ri, told reporters.
About 190 people in nearby Imcheon-ri left their village and moved to a training center for teenage students. An acrid smell still hangs in the air in the two villages, home to some 1,200 people. Villagers accused the government of failing to give proper and timely information about the gas leak and expressed disbelief over the announcement hydrofluoric acid was not detected in their towns. According to local officials and villagers, crops, and fruit on more than 212 hectares of farmlands and orchards have withered, and some 3,200 livestock animals have been drooling heavily or showing symptoms similar to a cold. Under mounting criticism for poorly handling the disaster at the initial stage of the explosion, the central government is considering designating the affected area as a special disaster zone, a move that would bring extra financial support for the victims.
On Monday, the government will announce the results of its in-depth inquiry into the gas leak, officials said.
Update – South Korea, Hube Global, HF Release, 5 Dead 18 Injured
There have been plenty of incidents recently where fire officers responding to fires have poorly positioned fire apparatus resulting in loss of the fire trucks and, in some cases, loss of life – what about toxic gas releases? – how committed into the hot zone were these fire-fighters and their fire trucks?
Two workers at the top of the tank lorry for transfer, two workers at ground level for pump repair, and one officer at the office building close to the tank lorry died. See this tragic event unfold with this CCTV footage of the workers on top of the ISO tank connecting air lines to effect the transfer of HF – moments later, the HF is released.
Anhydrous HF leaked from the liquid valve as two workers were on top preparing to connect an Anhydrous Hydrofluoric ISO Tank for offloading. They accidentally fully opened the quarter-turn valve. An estimated 8 tons of HF was released. Five people, including the two workers, perished, 18 responders, workers, and reporters wound up in the hospital, and almost 3000 villagers from 2 villages downwind of the facility were treated for irritation and exposure.
Some pre-report key issues to consider are:
1. Both workers had no chemical protective clothing or SCBA
2. No fall protection
3. Emergency response equipment/systems to mitigate the leak
This has been reported to be the worst chemical accident in Korean history
Further video footage during and post the release;