Water Contamination by 700 Tons of Sodium Cyanide in China’s Tianjin Explosions

The massive August 12th Tianjin explosions at a chemical plant in northeastern China have released a nasty cocktail of toxic, life-threatening chemicals into the city’s water supply, causing water contamination by 700 tons of sodium cyanide.

After the blasts—which sent plumes of fire and smoke hundreds of feet into the sky, killed at least 114 people and injured over 700, and released shockwaves felt from kilometers away by this city of 13 million—most residents caught their breath and just made sure that they and their loved ones were alive. Few predicted that the longterm consequences of the blasts might be worse than the incident itself.

Few Measures To Prevent Tianjin Explosions

As Tianjin residents mourn those lost—especially firefighters, who make up 21 of the dead and most of the 95 still deemed “missing” by state officials—they also demand answers and compensation for the blasts.

In violation of Chinese law, the chemical plant was located less than one kilometer from the homes of hundreds of Tianjin residents. Their storage of over 3000 tons of dangerous chemicals like sodium cyanide (used in the mining industry and “rapidly fatal” if inhaled or ingested, according to the US CDC), calcium carbide (used in PVC plastic and can cause breathing and kidney problems), potassium and ammonium nitrates (used in fertilizers and dynamites, both toxic), and 40 other chemicals did not comply with international standards. These have been focal points for Chinese dissenters and protesters against the Tianjin explosions, many of whom have been censored or arrested.

Firefighters and plant workers were also ill-prepared to douse the chemical flames. Instead of using dry powder fire extinguishers or sodium hydroxide, they sprayed the burning chemicals with water, causing them to become more combustible. More than 6,300 people have been evacuated from a 3-kilometer radius of the site.

Tianjin Water Contamination Becomes Life-Threatening

Attempts by aid workers to clear the blast site before rainfall proved futile. Even without rain, the cyanide content of the city’s wastewater swelled to 28.4 times its normal level.

August 18th saw the first rainfall since the Tianjin explosions, and residents immediately noticed a mysterious white foam covering the wet ground. Those whose skin touched it reported burning, itching, and irritation.

The foam is likely from hydrogen cyanide gas, emitted by sodium cyanide when it comes in contact with water. Like it’s sodium cousin, hydrogen cyanide can be a quick killer.

Authorities have built cofferdams to keep rainwater from flowing out of the site. Still, Tianjin residents are advised to drink only bottled water.

A book that could be possible water contamination solution?

Groundwater contamination is also a major concern. The sodium cyanide that has soaked into Tianjin’s groundwater could be there for decades, and as a port city, it will affect ocean water as well. The water that humans draw from that ground—as well as the water that animals drink and swim in—will be highly toxic, since it only takes one-millionth of a gram of sodium cyanide per liter of water to contaminate it.

What do you think is the best way to use and conserve water in the wake of the Tianjin explosions? Please share your thoughts!


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