This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

The location of the Jilin Province of China.

Jilin City.

The Jilin chemical plant explosions were a series of explosions which occurred on November 13, 2005, in the No.101 Petrochemical Plant in Jilin City, Jilin Province, China, over the period of an hour. The explosions killed five, injured dozens, and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the main page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... Image File history File links China-Jilin. ... Image File history File links China-Jilin. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x960, 52 KB) Description: Maps of Jilin Province , China Source:  Date: On Aug. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x960, 52 KB) Description: Maps of Jilin Province , China Source:  Date: On Aug. ... Jilin City (Chinese: 吉林市; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city located in Jilin Province in China. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jilin City (Chinese: 吉林市; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city located in Jilin Province in China. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ...

The blasts created an 80 km long toxic slick in the Songhua River, a tributary of the Amur. The slick, predominantly made up of benzene and nitrobenzene, is currently passing along the Amur River upstream of Khabarovsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia. The Songhua River (Chinese: 松花江; pinyin: ) is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River (Amur), flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. ... A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... The Amur (Russian: Амур; Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江, Traditional Chinese: 黑龍江, HÄ“ilóng Jiāng, or Black Dragon River; Mongolian: Хара-Мурэн, Khara-Muren or Black River; Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is one of the world’s ten longest rivers, located between the Russian Far East and Manchuria of China. ... Benzene, also known as C6H6, PhH, and benzol, is an organic chemical compound which is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... Nitrobenzene, also known as nitrobenzol or oil of mirbane, is a poisonous organic compound with an almond odor and chemical formula C6H5NO2. ... The Amur (Russian: Амур) (Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江; Traditional Chinese: 黑龍江; Hēilóng Jiāng, literally meaning Black Dragon River) (Mongolian: Хара-Мурэн, Khara-Muren or Black River) (Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is one of the worlds ten longest rivers, located between the Russian Far East and Manchuria of... Khabarovsk (Хабаровск) is the capital and largest city of the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, some 30 km from the Chinese border. ... Siberia Jim (Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir’, Sibir; from the Tatar for “sleeping land”) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ...

Explosions

The cause of the blasts was initially determined two days after the blast: the accident site is a nitration unit for aniline equipment. T-102 tower jammed up but was not handled properly, hence the blasts [1]. The blasts were so powerful that they shattered windows at least 100 to 200 meters away from the scene of the explosions. At least 70 people have been injured, five have perished, and one person is still missing. ^[2] The fires were finally put out early in the morning of November 14. Over 10 000 people have been evacuated from the area, including local residents and students at the north campus of Beihua University and Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology ^[3] for fear of further explosions and contamination with harmful chemicals. The CNPC, which owns the company in charge of the factory, Jilin Petrochemical Corporation, has asked senior officials to investigate the cause of the incidents. ^[4] The explosions are not thought to be related to terrorism, and the company told a press conference that they had occurred as a result of a chemical blockage which went unfixed [5]. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ...

The municipal government asked hotels and restaurants in the city to provide rooms for the evacuated people, and a fire which started as a result of the explosions is now under control. Taxi companies also aided in the evacuation. According to Shanghai Daily, the authorities have removed faulty equipment where the explosions occurred [6], preventing any more blasts. At midnight, November 14, two people were reported to be undergoing urgent surgery. Taxis as seen in New York City A Taxi generally is a form of transport where one pays for conveyance. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ...

There were fears that two naphtha cracker plants within the factory complex would be affected by the blasts, but they are said to be working normally [7]. Naphtha is a group of various volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures used primarily as feedstocks in refineries for the reforming process and in the petrochemical industry for the production of olefins in steam crackers. ... In petroleum geology and chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules (e. ...

Water pollution

The Songhua River.

The explosion has severely polluted the Songhua River, with an estimated 100 tons of pollutants containing benzene and nitrobenzene entering into the river ^[8]. Exposure to benzene reduces white blood cell count and is linked to leukemia. Image File history File links LocationSonghua. ... Image File history File links LocationSonghua. ... The Songhua River (Chinese: 松花江; pinyin: ) is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River (Amur), flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. ... The Songhua River (Chinese: 松花江; pinyin: ) is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River (Amur), flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. ... Benzene, also known as C6H6, PhH, and benzol, is an organic chemical compound which is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... Nitrobenzene, also known as nitrobenzol or oil of mirbane, is a poisonous organic compound with an almond odor and chemical formula C6H5NO2. ... Benzene, also known as C6H6, PhH, and benzol, is an organic chemical compound which is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... White blood cells (also called leukocytes or immune cells) are a component of blood. ... Leukemia (leukaemia in Commonwealth English) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal proliferation of white blood cells (leukocytes). ...

An 80 km long toxic slick is currently drifting down the Amur River, and the benzene level recorded was at one point 108 times above national safety levels. The slick passed first on the Songhua River through several counties and cities of Jilin province, including Songyuan; it then entered the province of Heilongjiang, with Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province and one of China's largest cities, being one of the first places to be affected. After traversing the eastern half of Heilongjiang including the city of Jiamusi, the slick converged into the Amur river at the mouth of the Songhua on the border between China and Russia. It will first pass by the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia, then enter the Russian region of Khabarovsk Krai in the Russian Far East, passing through the cities of Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur before exiting into the Strait of Tartary, itself a bridge between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan portions of the Pacific Ocean. The Songhua River (Chinese: 松花江; pinyin: ) is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River (Amur), flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ... It has been suggested that Holungkiang be merged into this article or section. ... Harbin (Simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; Traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ha-erh-pin; Russian Харби́н Kharbin) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in north-east China. ... It has been suggested that Holungkiang be merged into this article or section. ... Jiamusi (佳木斯; pinyin: Jiāmùsī) is a city in the province of Heilongjiang, in the Peoples Republic of China, located on the riverside of the middle and lower reaches of Songhua Jiang. ... The Amur (Russian: Амур; Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江, Traditional Chinese: 黑龍江, HÄ“ilóng Jiāng, or Black Dragon River; Mongolian: Хара-Мурэн, Khara-Muren or Black River; Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is one of the world’s ten longest rivers, located between the Russian Far East and Manchuria of China. ... The Songhua River (松花江 song4 hua1 jiang1) is the largest tributary of the Amur River, flowing about 1,800 km from Changbai Mountains. ... Capital Birobidzhan Area - total - % water 64th - 36,000 km² - no data Population - Total - Density 80th - est. ... Capital Khabarovsk Area - total - % water 5th - 788,600 km² - 1. ... The term Russian Far East (Russian: Да́льний Восто́к Росси́и; English transliteration: Dalny Vostok Rossii) refers to the extreme south-east parts of Russia, between Siberian Federal District and the Pacific. ... Khabarovsk (Хабаровск) is the capital and largest city of the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, some 30 km from the Chinese border. ... Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Russian: Комсомо́льск-на-Аму́ре; often transliterated directly as Komsomolsk-na-Amure) is a city located in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia on the left bank of Amur River. ... Strait of Tartary(Gulf of Tartary, Gulf of Tatary, Tatar Strait, Tartar Strait, Strait of Tartar, also Chinese: 韃靼海峽 , Mamiya Strait and Strait of Nevelskoi) strait in the Pacific Ocean dividing the Russian island of Sakhalin from mainland Asia (South-East Russia), connecting the Sea of Okhotsk on the north with... Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk (named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East) is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaido to the far south, the island... The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. ...

Jilin Province

On November 13, a water plant in Jilin city, Jilin, was closed. Several hydropower stations in the upper reach of Songhua River began to increase their discharge flow. On November 15, Songyuan, Jilin, stopped using water from Songhua River. By November 18, water supplies in Songyuan, Jilin, were partially suspended. Water supplies in Songyuan, Jilin, were restored on November 23. November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ... Hydraulic turbine and electrical generator. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... The Songhua River (Chinese: 松花江; pinyin: ) is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River (Amur), flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ...

Heilongjiang Province

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, is one of China's biggest cities with more than three million urban residents. It is also dependent on the Songhua River for its water supply.

On November 21, the city government of Harbin announced that water supplies will be shut off at noon November 22 for four days for maintenance. Some residents of Harbin have complained that water in some parts of the city has been shut off much earlier than announced. The city also ordered all bathhouses and carwashes to close. At the same time as the enigmatic announcement, rumours ran wild about the possible cause of the shutoff, with some suggesting that an earthquake was imminent (causing some people to camp outdoors) and others claiming that terrorists had poisoned the city's water supply. The news of the shutoff caused panic buying of water, beverages, and foodstuffs in the city's supermarkets, while train tickets and flights out of the area were soon sold out. Meanwhile, dead fish were appearing along the banks of the Songhua upstream from Harbin, further compounding the fears of Harbin residents. November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Panic buying is the act of people buying unusually large amounts of a product in the wake of a disaster or perceived disaster, or in anticipation of a large price increase or shortage, as before a blizzard or hurricane. ...

Later on the same day, the city government issued another announcement, this time explicitly mentioning the Jilin explosions as the reason for the shutoff. The four-day shutoff was postponed to midnight on November 23. From 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 23, the city temporarily restored the water supply to allow residents to stock up on water, since the slick had not yet reached the city. In the afternoon of the same day, schools in Harbin were closed for one week. Also on November 23, Harbin residents began to receive water from fire trucks, and began voluntary evacuation. November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ...

The slick itself reached Harbin before dawn on November 24. On that day, the nitrobenzene level at Harbin was recorded at one point 16.87 times above national safety level, while the benzene record was increasing but had not yet exceeded national safety level. The nitrobenzene level doubled on November 25 (0.5805 mg/L), 33.15 times the national safety level, and began to decrease. The benzene record stayed under national safety level. At the same time, the tail of the slick left Zhaoyuan, Daqing, Heilongjiang. Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council visited Harbin on November 26 to inspect the current situation, including the status of water pollution and water supply. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Daqing (Simplified Chinese: 大庆; Traditional Chinese: 大慶) (pronounced Da Tshing) is a city in northeast China in the Heilongjiang province. ... It has been suggested that Holungkiang be merged into this article or section. ... A premier is an executive official of government. ... Wen Jiabao (Simplified Chinese: 温家宝; Traditional Chinese: 溫家寶; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Wen Chia-pao) (born September 1942) is the Premier of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The State Council (国务院, pinyin: Guówùyuàn) of the Central Peoples Government is the chief civilian administrative body of the Peoples Republic of China. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In response to the crisis, trucks transported tens of thousands of metric tons of water from surrounding cities and thousands of tons of activated carbon from all over the country to Harbin. The government of Harbin also ordered the price of drinking water to be frozen at the level of November 20 in order to combat overpricing. In addition, Harbin is boring ninety-five more deep-water wells to complement the existing 918 deep-water wells in the city. Fifteen hospitals are on stand-by for possible poisoning victims. In order to allay public fears about water quality, Governor Zhang Zuoji of Heilongjiang has said that he will take the "first drink" from the city's water supply once it is restored. Activated carbon (also called activated charcoal) is the more general term which includes carbon material mostly derived from charcoal. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Harbin is not the only city to be affected. The slick passed through the city of Jiamusi, which, however, relies more heavily on underground water supply thus did not cut off water supplies. Nevertheless, on December 2, Jiamusi shut down its No. 7 Water Plant, which supplies around 70% of the city's water supply, and evacuated half of the population on its Liushu island as of December 6. The slick was 30km away from Jiamusi as of December 7. [9] Jiamusi (佳木斯; pinyin: Jiāmùsī) is a city in the province of Heilongjiang, in the Peoples Republic of China, located on the riverside of the middle and lower reaches of Songhua Jiang. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

It is reported that the entrance of several tributaries into the Songhua, such as the Hulan River and the Mudan River, diluted the slick.

Water supply in Harbin was resumed in the evening of November 27. November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year. ...

Khabarovsk Krai

The slick reached the Amur river at December 16 [10], and will arrive at the Russian city of Khabarovsk in four to five days. In readiness, a communications hotline had been set up between Chinese and Russian agencies, and China offered water testing and purifying materials, including 1,000 tons of activated carbon, to Russia [11]. Khabarovsk is planning to shut off its water supply in "extreme circumstances", prompting residents to stock up on water. The Amur (Russian: Амур; Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江, Traditional Chinese: 黑龍江, Hēilóng Jiāng, or Black Dragon River; Mongolian: Хара-Мурэн, Khara-Muren or Black River; Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is one of the world’s ten longest rivers, located between the Russian Far East and Manchuria of China. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Khabarovsk (Хабаровск) is the capital and largest city of the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, some 30 km from the Chinese border. ... Khabarovsk (Хабаровск) is the capital and largest city of the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, some 30 km from the Chinese border. ...

Maritime pollution

After exiting the Amur river, the contaminants will enter the Strait of Tartary and into the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, which have Japan, Korea and Far-East Russia on its littorals. It is to be seen how these contaminants will affect marine vegetation, animals and human life in these waterbodies and their littorals. From the latin maritimus, maritime refers to things relating to the sea. ... Environmental Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Strait of Tartary(Gulf of Tartary, Gulf of Tatary, Tatar Strait, Tartar Strait, Strait of Tartar, also Chinese: 韃靼海峽 , Mamiya Strait and Strait of Nevelskoi) strait in the Pacific Ocean dividing the Russian island of Sakhalin from mainland Asia (South-East Russia), connecting the Sea of Okhotsk on the north with... Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk (named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East) is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaido to the far south, the island... The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. ... Korea refers to South Korea and North Korea together, which were a unified country until 1948. ... A littoral is the region near the shoreline of a body of fresh or salt water. ... Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. ... The word Animals when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

Political fall-out

Xie Zhenhua, China's Minister of State Environmental Protection Administration, resigned and was succeeded by Zhou Shengxian, former director of the State Forestry Administration [12]. Various levels of other officers are fired and under investigation. Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Fallout may refer to Nuclear fallout Fallout (computer game) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Criticism

The Chinese press were critical of the authorities' response to the disaster. [13] Jilin Petrochemicals, which runs the plant that suffered the explosions, initially denied that the explosion could have leaked any pollutants into the Songhua River, saying that it produced only water and carbon dioxide. The media has focused mostly on Harbin, with almost no information on the slick's effect on cities and counties in Jilin province. Heilongjiang responded to the crisis a full week after the explosions occurred: their initial announcement attributed the impending shutoff to "maintenance", and gave only a day's notice; it was the second announcement on the next day that clarified the reason for the shutoff and postponed the shutoff. [14]. In response, Vice Governor Jiao Zhengzhong of Jilin province and Deputy General Manager Zeng Yukang of CNPC have visited Harbin and expressed their apologies to the city. On 6 December, the vice-mayor of Jilin was found dead in his home. This followed a threat by the Chinese government to severely punish anyone who had covered up the severity of the accident. The threat applied only to the inital explosion and not the extended cover up of the benzene slick. [15] Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas comprised of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... Jilin (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal System Pinyin: Kirin), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• ^  “Chemical plant explosion in China: one confirmed dead”, Pravda, 14 November 2005.

• ^  “6 missing, 70 wounded in chemical plant blasts”, Xinhua, 13 November 2005.

• ^  “China's CNPC investigating cause of blasts at Jilin chemical unit”, Forbes, 13 November 2005.

• ^  “Toxic leak threat to Chinese city”, BBC, 23 November 2005.

• ^  “China pledges to minimize impact of river pollution on Russia”, Xinhua, 24 November 2005.