Al-Mishraq, or Mishraq Sulphur State Company, is a state run sulfur plant near

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. It has twice been set alight and burned for prolonged periods. In 2003, what is thought to have been a deliberately started fire, burned for about three weeks, resulting in the largest human-made release of sulfur dioxide ever recorded. In 2016 it was set alight by

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

and burned for seven days.

Fires

In June 2003, it was the site of the largest human-made release of sulfur dioxide ever recorded when a fire (thought to have been deliberately started) gained control and burned for about three weeks. At its height, the fire was putting 21,000 tons of sulfur dioxide a day into the atmosphere. The pollution in

, which is about 45 kilometres from Mishraq, reached a catastrophic level. For over 48 hours the white smoke from sulfur dioxide could be seen in the air. Many people were taken into hospitals and most vegetation was killed. On 22 October 2016 the plant was set alight by

militants as part of the Battle of Mosul. Two civilians died and nearly 1,000 people were treated for toxic gas inhalation. Shifting winds sent the gas to

Qayyarah Airfield West Qayyarah Airfield West ( ar, قاعدة القيارة الجوية) is an Iraqi Air Force base in the Qayyarah subdistrict of Mosul District in northern Iraq. It was captured by U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It was also known ...

, where U.S. and coalition forces were forced to use gas masks. The total mass of the released sulfur dioxide was estimated to approximately 161,000 tons distributed over seven days, equivalent to a small volcanic eruption.

References

{{Reflist 2003 in Iraq Environmental disasters in Asia Environmental issues in Iraq

Fires

See also

References