An industrial chemical accident occurred on August 6, 2013 at the private limited company Concern

Stirol Stirol is a currently closed down plant and one of the oldest manufacturers of nitrogen fertilizers in Ukraine. It is part of bigger chemical holding Ostchem Holding which unites several other chemical plants in Ukraine and some former Soviet repub ...

JSC, part of Ostchem Holding AG, in the city of

Horlivka Horlivka ( , ; uk, Го́рлівка ), or Gorlovka (russian: link=no, Горловка ), is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. In 2001, the city's population was 292,000, and it was estimated as Economic activit ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

was released in the air and five people were killedКількість загиблих під час викиду аміаку на хімзаводі у Горлівці зросла до п'яти осіб.
''Кореспондент''. 06.08.2013. and 23 people were injured from exposure to the gas. Of these, 22 people were hospitalized burns and poisoning.5-х постраждалих в аварії на заводі "Стирол" перевезли до обласної лікарні у Донецьк [відео].
''5 канал''. 07.08.2013.Аварія на "Стиролі": 5 важких потерпілих перевезли у Донецьк, ще 18 у лікарні.
''Українська правда''. 07.08.2013.

Before the accident

Concern Stirol, JSC, was founded in 1933. It is the largest mineral fertilizer producer in Ukraine. In September 2010, Concern Stirol became part of OSTCHEM holding controlled by Group DF founded and owned by Ukrainian businessman Dmitry Firtash. On May 26, 2013 a fire took place in a workshop for the compression of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

at the plant, destroying 100 square meters of floor structure and damaging one gas compressor. The fire was extinguished within 1.5 hours. Locals claim that ammonia emissions occur quite often.ГПУ з’ясовує чому керівництво "Стиролу" оперативно не повідомило про надзвичайну ситуацію на заводі [відео].
''5 канал''. 07.08.2013.

The accident

At 14:00 on August 6, 2013, during the overhaul of plant №1 at the Stirol

chemical plant A chemical plant is an industrial process plant that manufactures (or otherwise processes) chemicals, usually on a large scale. The general objective of a chemical plant is to create new material wealth via the chemical or biological transform ...

, while depressurizing an ammonia reservoir, a liquid ammonia pipe with a diameter of 150 mm and a working pressure of 12

atmospheres The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as Pa. It is sometimes used as a ''reference pressure'' or ''standard pressure''. It is approximately equal to Earth's average atmospheric pressure at sea level. History The s ...

Аварія на заводі Стирол: у лікарнях перебувають 22 постраждалих.
Кореспондент. 07.08.2013. was damaged and gas ammonia escaped.
''Дзеркало тижня''. 06.08.2013. A white cloud appeared at the plant and quickly spread. According to witnesses, there was a panic in the workshop after the accident because people were unable to wear masks, which were rated for only 5 minutes of breathing. The company Rescue Service completely stopped ammonia output within 20 minutes.
''УНІАН''. 06.08.2013. The accident released 600 kg of ammonia into the air.

Consequences

Accident victims

According to initial reports, 2 people were killed, three were injured. The final death toll was 5,
''УНІАН''. 06.08.2013. including a foreman–fitter, 3 fitters and an electric and gas

welder In a broad sense, a welder is anyone, amateur or professional, who uses welding equipment, perhaps especially one who uses such equipment fairly often. In a narrower sense, a welder is a tradesperson who specializes in fusing materials together ...

. Overall 23 people underwent medical care, with 22 admitted to two city hospitals (№ 2 and № 3) of Horlivka. Later, 5 people were transferred for treatment to the Donetsk Regional Clinical Territorial Medical University. At the same time the Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Andriy Shishatskiy said that 21 people were hospitalized.Аварія на «Стиролі»: Донецький губернатор каже, що приводів для паніки немає.
''УНІАН''. 07.08.2013. Among the residents of Horlivka there were no medical consultations regarding ammonia

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

The ecological situation

In the first hours after the accident in the city an unpleasant ammonia smell was reported. People began to take shelter indoors and shut windows, but no official information had been received. Later, Directorate of Civil Protection of Horlivka City Council published information that the accident didn't pose a threat to people. Later the Horlivka sanitary and epidemiological station confirmed that the maximum permissible

concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', ''molar concentration'', ''number concentration'', an ...

of ammonia in air was not exceeded at 500 and 1000 meters from the plant.

Investigation

Prosecutor of Horlivka Oleg Kolesnyk and an investigative team went to the site of the accident. According to preliminary data, a rupture of an ammonia pipeline occurred. Criminal proceedings under Chapter 2 of Article 272 (violation of safety rules during work with high-risk) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine was started. The public prosecutor's office of Horlivka provides procedural guidance for the course of preliminary investigations. Violation of this article carries a maximum punishment of eight years in prison. After the accident, Deputy Prime Minister

Yuriy Boyko Yuriy Anatoliyovych Boyko ( uk, Юрій Анатолійович Бойко, russian: Ю́рий Анато́льевич Бо́йко; born 9 October 1958) is a Ukrainian politician who served as one of the Vice Prime Ministers of Ukraine betwe ...

and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Oleh Proskuryakov, Deputy Attorney General Anatolyi Pryshko and representatives of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security Service of Ukraine went to Horlivka. Also the situation was monitored under the control of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych During the pipeline inspection a crack length of 10 cm was revealed, through which

had leaked. Also three basic versions of the causes of the accident was formulated: incorrect operation of equipment, safety violations or human negligence. In addition, the company did not immediately notify the appropriate authorities of the accident.

Estimates of the accident

Prosecutor of Horlivka, Oleg Kolesnyk, on the day of the accident said that all causes should be considered, including the human factor, or a violation of a process. He added that it was too early to say what was the cause. A similar view was expressed by the chairman of the State Emergency Service

Mykhaylo Bolotskykh Mykhailo Bolotskykh ( ua, Михайло Васильович Болотських; russian: Михаил Васильевич Болотских; born 28 October 1960) is a Ukrainian politician and military serviceman, Colonel General (Civil Defe ...

. He added that there is no threat to people or the environment. According to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources,

Oleh Proskuryakov Oleh may refer to: * Oleh, Delta * Common Ukrainian male name, see also Oleg * A Jew immigrating to Israel (plural of oleh is olim Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, histor ...

, the first conclusions of the Commission on the causes of the accident would be announced by the end of the week. Concern Stirol will provide UAH 5 million in compensations to the families of the five company employees and cover all cost associated with treatment and rehabilitation of all employees affected by the accident.

Reaction

The President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and ordered the government to provide victims with all necessary relief and take steps to improve safety at industrial enterprises of Ukraine On 7 August 2013 the Prime Minister of Ukraine

Mykola Azarov Mykola Yanovych Azarov ( uk, Мико́ла Я́нович Аза́ров, ; née, né Pakhlo; Cyrillic: Пахло; born 17 December 1947) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician who was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 11 March 2010 to 27 January ...

said that all victims will receive assistance and Social Policy Minister

Nataliya Korolevska Natalia Yuriivna Korolevska ( uk, Наталія Юріївна Королевська) (born 18 May 1975 in Krasnyi Luch

will go to Horlivka to determine the cause of the accident, then a separate meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers will be devoted to this issue.

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...

Regional State Administration

Andriy Shishatskiy Andriy or Andrii 2008 Ukraine coal mine collapse The 2008 Ukrainian coal mine collapse occurred at the Karl Marx Coal Mine in the city of Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine on June 8, 2008. The mine collapse was said to have been caused by a gas pipe explosion. The exp ...

References

External links

Авария на заводе Стирол в Горловке. Видео очевидца.
''Корреспондент''. 06.08.2013. {{in lang, ru Horlivka Environmental disasters in Ukraine History of Donetsk Oblast Chemical accident in Horlivka Chemical accident in Horlivka