The detonation in the Chempark in Leverkusen cost lives and caused a cloud of smoke to rise. Many residents ask themselves: What was in the smoke? An analysis should now be available soon.
Leverkusen – Three days after the massive explosion in a Leverkusen waste incineration plant, the result of an analysis of the substances released is getting closer and closer.
The North Rhine-Westphalian State Environment Agency (LANUV) entrusted with the investigation has promised a corresponding report “probably at the end of the week”.
After the detonation, tanks burned on Tuesday in the Leverkusen Chempark – an area with chemical companies – in which, according to the operating company Currenta, “organic solvents” were stored. “This is a class of solvents that is simply left in the chemical industry as residues,” explained Chempark manager Lars Friedrich.
Particles in the air
After the fire, many small soot particles had settled in Leverkusen. The city advised its citizens, among other things, not to eat fruit or vegetables from the garden if the dust has accumulated on them.
In an initial assessment, the LANUV assumed that it could have been “dioxin, PCB and furan compounds” that were carried into surrounding residential areas via the cloud of smoke. Basically it is the case that dioxins are produced in more or less high concentrations in every fire incident. How much the existing residues are contaminated with these substances will only be shown after the extensive evaluation.
“Dioxin, PCB and furan compounds are definitely associated with deformities in newborns of animals, less in humans than environmental oestrogens or cancer-causing substances in humans,” the expert Daniel Dietrich from the University of Konstanz explained to the German Press Agency . “But – and that’s the big but – only in high concentrations.” In his assessment, there is no acute danger for the population if they adhere to the recommendations of the State Environment Agency and the other authorities involved.
Prosecutor determined
So far, four people have been found dead after the explosion. One seriously injured also died in the hospital. The investigators still assume two missing persons. The hope of finding her still alive, however, is vanishingly small. A field of debris lies around the site of the explosion.
The public prosecutor’s office is investigating suspicion of negligent homicide and negligent causing of an explosive against unknown persons. She wants to find out whether human errors led to the disaster. dpa
