Explosion and Fire at Iwakuni-Ohtake Works (#3)
April 25, 2012
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
On April 22 (2:15am), a tragic explosion and fire occurred at Mitsui Chemicals' Iwakuni-Ohtake Works claiming the life of one employee and injuring persons from the local community and Works employees.
Mitsui Chemicals extends heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased and sincerest apologies to all who are suffering today, the injured, the residents of the local community, and all other persons affected by this tragic event. We recognize the gravity of this accident and deeply regret the suffering and concern it has caused.
Information update: (April 25 13:00): (changes are in bold print)
The Company will issue updates as information becomes available.
1. Address and facilities involved in accident:
Please refer to April 23 news release.
2. Casualties/injured:
1 dead, 21 injured (details as follows)
| Community residents | 10 injured |
| JX Nippon Oil & Energy (adjacent refinery) cooperating company employees | 2 injured |
| Mitsui Chemicals employees | 1 dead, 7 injured (2 seriously) |
| Cooperating company employees | 2 injured |
3. Damage to buildings/homes:
| Community buildings/homes | 482 (increase of 9 from April 23 15:00 report) |
4. Other effects on community:
There is no report of leakage of hazardous substances or materials at this time.
Premises warehouses store catalyst waste which includes radioactive material. This material is stored in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Storage facilities are over 500 meters from the affected area and there has been no report of changes in either containers or radiation measurements as compared with those prior to the accident.
5. Damage to plants/facilities:
Damage to all 29 plants is as follows:
| a. Substantial damage | 2 plants | Iwakuni area: RS, CY |
| b. Damage to exterior slate, glass, etc. (details unknown) | 15 plants | Iwakuni area: MPCR, HQ, 3GT, 1PET, 2PET, LC, 2LC, TPX, HM, 2HM, WAX, NWAX, PR, AFR, boilers |
| c. Damage to exterior slate, glass, etc. with no damage to installations | 1 plant | Ohtake area: MIP |
| d. No damage | 11 plants | Ohtake area: 1PZ, 2PZ, MC, BK, AL, Pellicles, MDP, OTY, 1MO, 2MO, H |
For explanation of abbreviations, please refer to the attachment.
6. Effect on operations:
Of all 29 plants, 2 plants are in operation.
Operations at the 1MO plant in the Ohtake area were not suspended.
Operations at the MIP plant in the Ohtake area have been resumed.
Operations at all other 27 plants continue to be suspended.
7. Effect on product supply:
Unknown at this point in time.
8. Causes and measures:
The authorities are currently conducting an official investigation as to the causes of the accident. The Company will fully cooperate with this investigation. In addition, on April 24, the Company formed its own [Accident Investigation Committee] comprised of members of the academia and external specialists to investigate causes of the accident and develop measures to prevent future recurrences.
Mitsui Chemicals has also formed task forces to respond to community resident concerns and implement appropriate safety measures.
[Appendix] List of abbreviations
＊Iwakuni：Yamaguchi Prefecture Ohtake：Hiroshima Prefecture
| Products | Usage | Plant Location | Plant Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resorcinol | adhesive agent for wood and tire | Iwakuni | RS |
| Acetone (By-product of resorcinol) |
solvent、methyl isobutyl ketone raw material | Iwakuni | |
| Cymene | solvent、meta/para-cresol raw material | Iwakuni | CY |
| Meta/Para-cresol | vanish for wire enamel, laminate for PCB | Iwakuni | MPCR |
| Hydroquinone | polymerization retardant, anti-degradation agent for rubber | Iwakuni | HQ |
| Purified terephthalic acid | polyester fiber, polyester film, PET resin | Iwakuni | 3GT |
| PET Resin (polyethylene-terephthalate) |
PET bottle raw material | Iwakuni | 1PET 2PET |
| LUCANT™ (hydrocarbon-basedsynthetic oil) |
additives for lubricants | Iwakuni | LC 2LC |
| TPX™ (methylpentenecopolymer) |
mold releasing film、plastic wrap | Iwakuni | TPX |
| HI-ZEX MILLION™ (ultrahigh molecularweight polyethylene) |
battery separators, high-strength fiber | Iwakuni | HM 2HM |
| Hi-WAX™ EXCEREX™ |
pigment dispersant、processing aid | Iwakuni | WAX NWAX |
| FTR™ | hot-melt adhesives, tackifiers | Iwakuni | PR |
| (Plant fire extinguishing material) | - | Iwakuni | AFR |
| (Plant utility) | - | Iwakuni | boiler |
| Catalyst | catalyst | Ohtake | 1PZ 2PZ MC |
| MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone) |
solvent of paints, ink | Ohtake | BK |
| ARLEN™ (modified polyamide 6T) |
electronic/ electric parts, automotive parts | Ohtake | AL |
| Mitsui MP (pellicles) | dust proof membrane applied on photomask during lithography process | Ohtake | pellicles |
| Milason | packaging material | Ohtake | MDP |
| Himilan Nucrel |
packaging films, golf ball covering | Ohtake | |
| Gas pipes | gas pipes | Ohtake | MIP |
| (Tank yard) | - | Ohtake | OTY |
| (Plant utility) | - | Ohtake | 1MO 2MO H |
