Authorities in Charleston, Tennessee said that a massive chemical plant explosion has forced residents in surrounding communities to seek shelter indoors.
First responders suggest the explosion was likely caused by a hydrogen chemical release at the Tennessee plant which has briefly shut down a high traffic portion of the interstate and caused local officials to put in place orders for residents nearby to take shelter.
An emergency alert system broadcast from the Bradley County Emergency Management Agency has now urged people to stay out of the Charleston area in southeastern Tennessee as authorities respond to the disaster at the Wacker Polysilicon plant.
Emergency officials have warned people to shelter in place and turn off their HVAC systems until further notice. Walker Valley High School was also told to shelter in place due to the explosion and risk from contaminants.
Charleston, Tennessee is around 30 miles northeast of Chattanooga with less than 1000 total residents as of the last United States Census.
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Spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Miller says that the interstate has been shut down in both directions on this afternoon when emergency crews responded to the explosion.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is a viewer picture from close by the plant– the source asked not to be named. <a href="https://t.co/2OuKzgsICQ">pic.twitter.com/2OuKzgsICQ</a></p>— Hannah Lawrence (@hannah_NC9) <a href="https://twitter.com/hannah_NC9/status/905900666102611969">September 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Wacker Polysilicon Plant released a public statement which said that there was a mechanical failure at the plant with one of their hydrogen chemical release centers.
The company also said that the equipment has since been shut down, and all of their employees, contractors, and firefighters are accounted for without injuries.
Wacker said the plant will remain temporarily closed, and the company is continuously monitoring the air quality and the tests show the air quality is not harmful.
Just last week five workers at the same plant last week suffered severe chemical burns from the release of silane, a highly flammable compressed gas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Five workers suffered chemical burns Wednesday at the Wacker Polysilicon plant in northern Bradley County. <a href="https://t.co/yC6b9tihYP">https://t.co/yC6b9tihYP</a></p>— Cleveland News (@ClevelandTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClevelandTN/status/903086187857850368">August 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Wacker gas began a massive renovation and expansion project which started in June with an estimated $150 million being added onto the massive $2.5 billion plant.
Source:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/national-business/article171862342.html
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I used to be a graduate student with a Korean guy who worked at a similar plant in South Korea. Their silane unit suffered multiple explosions during his time there. The production of polysilicon for solar panels is wasteful and foolish. Nuclear power is the ONLY suitable choice for our future. It is far safer than this nonsense, INCLUDING Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island.