India's top environmental court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has accused LG Polymers India (LGPI) of safety lapses after a gas leak at its Visakhapatnam plant killed 12 people in May. According to NGT, the leak on May 7 was caused by insufficient tertiary butyl catechol (TBC) inhibitors in the styrene monomer (SM) storage tank.
NGT also found issues with refrigeration systems, a lack of monitoring systems for temperatures and dissolved oxygen at the tank top, and negligence by staff in charge of the plant and maintenance for the accident.
India's Supreme Court on May 22 ordered the plant to be sealed and prohibited company directors from accessing the facility. Some company staff, however, are allowed to enter the site. The Supreme Court also criticized the local government for allowing the company to send back 8,000 tons of SM to South Korea without its permission.
LGPI, which is owned by South Korea's LG Chemical, imports at least 5,000 tons of SM from South Korea every month, which it uses as a feedstock to produce polystyrene (PS). During the leak, there was around 1,800 tons of SM in the affected storage tank. The Supreme Court will hold the next hearing on the accident on June 8.
