Chemrez plant to resume full operations by Thursday

THE Chemrez plant in Bagumbayan, Quezon City that leaked unwanted fumes on Sunday has partially resumed operations while full operations are expected by Thursday, listed parent firm D&L Industries said.

D&L, which manufactures food and plastic inputs, told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday that “fumes have fully dissipated and the odor has subsided dramatically in the surrounding areas.”

Citing an investigation into the cause of the fumes that originated from the plant on Calle Industria, D&L said initial findings suggested that the fumes had “emanated from the vents of a storage tank and that the fumes were caused by heat generated by polymerisation.” During the polymerization, fumes came out of the vapor relief valve installed on the roof of the storage tank.

“The situation has been contained and local authorities have deemed the immediate vicinity safe. Further, the Department of Health has stated the fumes are not hazardous at the level of dilution,” the company said.

As such, D&L announced the partial resumption of operations on Tuesday and a full resumption on Thursday (November 26). Adjacent plants of Chemrez Technologies Inc.,including the oleochemical and biodiesel plants, had resumed operation on Tuesday.

“As previously disclosed, the suspension of operations is likely to have negligible impact on sales of D&L Industries,” the company said.

Dean Lao Jr., managing director of D&L unit Chemrez Inc. which owns the plant, said water spray on the exterior of the tank had been stopped before dawn as the temperature inside the tank cooled down. “This indicates that the polymerization of the monomer is complete,” he said.

Citing report from the response teams of Chemrez together with volunteers, Lao said the immediate vicinity had been declared “safe” even as the plastic plant was undergoing safety checks and housekeeping.

“Chemrez continues liaising with local government and regulatory bodies for compliance and to put a closure to the incident,” Lao said.

“In case there are trapped fumes in enclosed areas, we advise that doors and windows be opened for ventilation,” he added.