Blast at facility in Ritterhude where solvents are handled damages nearby residential area and is heard for miles around A huge explosion rocked a chemical facility on Tuesday night near Bremen in north-western Germany Police told the DPA news agency that one person was severely burned in the blast and the explosion damaged a nearby residential area in the town of Ritterhude which is in the county of Verden-Osterholz The injured man was found in the rubble and several local residents were slightly injured was heard for miles and sparked an intense fire spokesman for the local Verden-Osterholz police said authorities believed the injured man was a plant employee whose car was found outside the plant Neumann said the employee responded to an alarm on his beeper and drove from his home to the plant to investigate The Ritterhude explosion seen from a distance Photograph: APNeumann said the cause of the blast was not clear as the site was still too hot and not yet accessible to investigators which specialises in recovering valuable solvents from used mixtures This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Association pour la protection de l'Homme et de l'environnement Robin des Bois provides an overview of all the worldwide past and recent activities of Lubrizol The inventory of the 60 plants is nearly exhaustive operational accidents and pollution cases is hindered by the insufficient availability of open sources “We are ready” “Our elephant gun has been reloaded and my trigger finger is itchy” declared Warren Buffett in 2011 after having acquired Lubrizol’s assets for 9 billion US$ There’s only one step between hunter and investor and Warren Buffet takes it almost every day Since the Berkshire Hathaway fund bought Lubrizol in March 2011 under his direction 6900 employees worldwide in 2010 and 5.4 billion US$ in revenue 8700 employees in 2018 and 6.8 billion US$ of revenue While continuing to rely on their two past inexhaustible resources—lubricants without which the world trade would run out of gas—and PVC without which water would no longer reach the tap nor flow from sinks and toilet bowls—the Lubrizol brand has diversified which specializes in industrial fluids (corrosion inhibitors which specializes in silicone and thermoplastics for medical use The amount of the transaction was not published but the operation was consolidated through an investment of US$10 million provided by Life Science Lubrizol confirmed to be firmly rooted in the world of lubricants and petroleum fluids by acquiring Weatherford International which specializes in fluids and additives for oil drilling and fracking of shale gas deposits This booming market has not escaped the vigilance of bargain-hunter businessman Warren Buffett and his beaters The icing on the cake is that Lubrizol took an active part in the anti-wrinkle cosmetics and herbal extracts market with the purchase of Active Organics in the United States in 2011 and Lipotec in Spain in 2012 Ohio) hailed the compliance with ECOCERT’s specifications confirms the multinational company is getting into the market for so-called “green” products The most recent purchase of Lubrizol Life Science: Bavaria Medical Technology Management GmbH (LLC) last July a company that specializes in intravascular medical devices (catheters) and non-vascular ones It makes sense that with this frenzy of acquisition the obsolete and congested Rouen factory did not benefit from funding in order to replace its hectares of asbestos roofing and to set up a fire detection and suppression network matching the risks involved It is also clear that the development strategy of the Lubrizol lubricants sector includes a troubleshooting stage in Rouen until the other units (in particular in China) can replace the global production of the damaged and amputated site A partial recovery of the Lubrizol’s activities in Rouen would be a fool’s market the plant would have been permanently closed 2019 : violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) 2019 : violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that provides a framework for the management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste 2019: a chemical reaction started a fire in an organic peroxide controlled-temperature storage The “worst-case major accident scenario” at the Painesville plant would involve hydrogen sulphide 83,330 people would be exposed to the cloud within a 7.5 km radius of the site 2018 : Painesville firefighters respond to a lubricant leak from a truck leaving the Lubrizol factory with an unsecured valve The liquid with a strong odor due to the presence of mercaptan spread over 2 km of roads Lubrizol works all night to reduce the odor Production : surfactants (which lower surface tension) and mixtures of surfactants and additives Most products are liquids and are used in industrial detergents The “worst-case major accident scenario” at the Deer Park plant would involve chlorine 27,633 people would reportedly be exposed to the cloud within a radius of 4.7 km around the site 1993 : for several years Shell refinery employees have complained about air emissions from the Lubrizol site The complaints were so frequent at that point that the Shell site did not include “Lubrizol events” in its inventory of fainting fits a new cloud of oleum (fuming sulfuric acid) flew over the Shell site Shell and Lubrizol quickly denied together that the death of Mr Butler had anything to do with the release of oleum or should be considered as a work accident The victim’s family and 12 Shell employees brought a complaint against Lubrizol the director of Lubrizol Texas at the time and 4 site managers at Deer Park acknowledged that the oleum tank was not equipped with a security at the time of release “We have since made a great deal of effort to prevent the air release of chemicals out of our site some of our neighbors at Shell continue to be affected by bad smells that come from us,” Mr February 23 an employee of Austin Industrial Specialty Services Industrial Specialty Services is a Lubrizol permanent subcontractor which cleans the tanks of trucks and railway cars used by Lubrizol to transport their finished or intermediate products Lubrizol portable tank washers are exposed to an average of 200 chemicals per three-month period Georgia Administrative Court judge acknowledged two years after the accident that Lubrizol and its subcontractor had not provided the victim with the training physical means nor documentation that were needed to ensure his safety By the time a Lubrizol employee put a hydrogen sulphide detector in the tank car where Mr the OL (Overload/Saturated) signal immediately appeared onscreen 2012 : Chlorine leak and poisoning of an employee 2015 : 4 serious violations of the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) criteria on the management of operational safety of highly hazardous chemicals hazardous waste management and emergency response protocols Occidental Chemical and Lubrizol to be co-responsible for the pollution by PCB dioxins and other micropollutants of the Patrick Bayou a body of water which stretches along the Deer Park industrial platform the 3 companies have refused to contribute to the cleanup of this polluted marine site The “worst-case major accident scenario” for the Bayport plant concerns acrylonitrile 14,673 people could be exposed to a cloud within a radius of 3.2 km around the site July 9 the EPA fined Lubrizol $225,400 for violating the Clean Air Act Failures in the maintenance and repair of valves and connection pipes 2018-2019 : racial discrimination within the factory is the victim of ad hominem insults and racist graffiti on his work clothes Management refuses to comment because of the ongoing judicial investigation acquired by Lubrizol in 2011 and Lipotec acquired in 2012 (see Spain) At least 2 products toxic by inhalation burned: ammonium persulfate and sodium chloride 8 people were cared for by the medical teams Containment of students within schools: Ambridge 2016 : violations of OSHA criteria for process safety management for highly dangerous chemicals The “worst-case major accident scenario” at the Louisville plant would involve chlorine 795,131 people could be exposed to a cloud within a 22.5 km radius of the site From July 1 to September 30 Clean Water Act violations for effluent discharges above the authorized limit Clean Water Act violations for discharging effluents beyond the authorized limit in the Ohio River 2010: An employee’s left ring finger is amputated while clearing an extruder From January 1 The worst-case major accident scenario at the Gastonia plant would involve vinyl acetate monomer 1239 people would be exposed to the cloud within a radius of 1.45 km around the site 2011 : 3 violations of OSHA criteria on maintenance and functionality of escape doors and on the safety of rotating abrasive machines 2005 : Serious violation of OSHA criteria for confined spaces required by the permit iviolations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act have been reported The RCRA provides a framework for the management of solid hazardous and non-hazardous waste The worst-case major accident scenario at the Pedricktown plant concerns acrylonitrile 8116 people would be exposed to a cloud within a 5-km radius of the site February 27 This site would no longer be operated by Lubrizol 2018 : An employee is burned in the face by a chemical spray the authorities order the evacuation of all people living within 1.6 km of the plant People living within 3.2 km must stay indoors with windows and doors closed and no air conditioning Anyone within 4.8 km must wear a mask until June 16 the evacuation order is extended for 24 hours Firefighters stop watering the flames in the afternoon of June 14 to avoid contaminating the Rock River Absorbent booms are placed on the water surface and trenches are dug near the plant Firefighters decide to extinguish the fire with foam the fire brigade declares the fire under control The extinguishing water in the trenches and on the ground is pumped by vacuum trucks The health authorities have so far not detected any contamination in the river or in the city’s water supply system Lubrizol says there is “no health risk other than the short-term irritation one would normally experience in the presence of smoke” Winnebago County health officials are not yet commenting A dozen patients presented to the nearby Beloit clinic with breathing difficulties in connection with the fire there is a twist : the US Environmental Protection Agency began an investigation into the use of fluorinated foams by US Fire Pumps The company allegedly poured 12,113 litres of fluorinated Signature Series 1×3% C6AR-AFFF foam (mixed with 268,764 litres of water) for 3 hours on June 15 despite warnings from the authorities The perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) they contain are harmful and persistent chemicals in the environment Additional water samples are to be collected Two firefighters were examined in hospital the other with breathing difficulties due to smoke inhalation The US Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Attorney General to file a lawsuit against Chemtool for violations of the Environmental Protection Act and the release of pollutants into the atmosphere © Image 2019 Maxar Technologies / 2018 Google Earth “The Lubrizol Zhuhai plant reflects our commitment to renewing our investments to modernize processes increase efficiency and expand our overall production capacity in line with market needs.” From the Lubrizol website © Image 2019 Maxar Technologies / Google Earth “Warren Buffet’s Lubrizol set up its first unit in Gujarat / 2019 Maxar Technologies/ 2018 Google Earth 2015 : A corrosive cloud including formaldehydes was released following an uncontrolled chemical reaction A cleaning lady sounded the alarm at 8:45 PM 100 guests from a nearby hotel were evacuated to the fire station where 150 people were examined by emergency doctors Residents of 21 neighborhoods were warned via radio Twitter and the “Katwarn” alert application to stay inside their homes The emergency services did not think the usage of vehicles with loudspeakers was necessary and the alarm sirens were no longer operational Three Lubrizol employees are being prosecuted They are suspected of not having mastered the manufacturing process for Contram MBO a caustic chemical solution which prevents the formation of bacteria in lubricants “Irritating but not toxic” black smoke was released Two employees were admitted to the hospital for examination “Steps will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again,” Lubrizol said in a statement Chemtool plant acquired by Lubrizol in 2011 Pearlstick™ and Pearlbond™) used in sportswear Production : acrylic polymers used in digital printing Arch Timber Protection Limited are located on part of a former ICI site The 3 companies are ranked among the most potentially dangerous in the county a fireworks factory and Hanson’s Logistics the county’s firefighters decided to quadruple the annual financial contribution of these companies to the development of security plans It has increased from £1000 to £4100 (€1200 to €4800) An annual or three-year field exercise –depending on the presumed dangerousness of the sites–  is now mandatory Each exercise is invoiced to the manufacturer approximately £13,000 (€15,260) Lubrizol’s customers will have access to new botanical extracts that comply with ECOCERT® and COSMOS standards and meet end-users’ expectations for naturalness and sustainability worldwide.” Lubrizol press release dated March 18 There was a fire and explosion due to a logging error an oxidizer and a heat source in the unit that was shut down The reactor considered empty due to a faulty safety measure protocol had not been disconnected from the heating circuit The reactor parameters were reported to the control room but no one monitored them 5 employees of a neighboring company suffered nausea medical evacuation of employees of a neighbouring company suffering from nausea It will take 50 firefighters 4 hours to control the fire 1975 : mercaptan leaks perceptible as far as Dieppe incineration of foodstuffs contaminated by the fallout of sulphur compounds due to the non-closure of ventilation systems in a supermarket on the path of the plume 1989 : Abnormal temperature increase on a manufacturing unit 2015 : 2000 liters of hydrocarbons spilled into the rainwater drainage network and then into the Seine during a transfer between 2 tanks September 26, 2019: fire and explosion. See Robin de Bois’s press releases (only in French) and the Lubrizol counter, information page on this accident (only in French) ® ROBIN DES BOIS | | Mentions Légales