Chlorine gas leak in Fukuoka, Japan

A chlorine-based gas leak at Mitsui Chemicals’ Omuta Plant resulted in 42 people in the vicinity being sent to the hospital, five of whom required hospitalization for observation. The leak occurred during the trial operation phase of the plant after maintenance and coincided with a traditional local festival, the “Omuta Ojakusan Festival,” which forced the evacuation of approximately 2,000 visitors. Tests showed that the leaked gas spread to a radius of 1.5 kilometers, and the chlorine level in the air exceeded the limit by three times, causing yellowing of tree leaves and floating of fish. The plant initiated emergency measures to cover the area with foam and neutralize it with lye, but environmental groups criticized it for “inadequate monitoring of aging equipment” and demanded a complete shutdown of production to rectify the situation.