Frequent Chemical Accidents in Northwestern Chungnam Region, Establishment and Deployment of 'Dedicated Chemical Accident Response Team'

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A dedicated chemical accident response team will be newly established and deployed on-site in the northwestern region of Chungnam, where chemical accidents have frequently occurred.

According to Chungnam Province on the 21st, there are 888 hazardous chemical-related businesses operating within the province as of the end of last year, and among them, 536 (60% of the total) are concentrated in the northwestern region including Cheonan, Asan, Seosan, and Dangjin.

The problem is that chemical accidents are also concentrated in the northwestern region where chemical-related businesses are densely located. The total number of chemical accidents in Chungnam by year is recorded as 6 in 2015, 8 in 2016, 6 in 2017, 3 in 2018, and 9 last year, totaling 32 cases. By region, Seosan had 9 cases (28%), Dangjin 6 cases (19%), and Asan 5 cases (16%), with these northwestern areas accounting for 66% (21 cases) of all accidents in the past five years.

Accordingly, the province plans to first deploy the dedicated chemical accident prevention and response organization, the ‘Northwestern Environmental Management Team,’ in the Daesan complex, where large emission businesses such as chemical, steel, and thermal power plants are concentrated. Next month, after deliberation by the Chemical Substance Safety Management Committee, the province will finalize and implement the ‘Chungnam Chemical Substance Safety Management Implementation Plan (2020?2024).’

The Northwestern Environmental Management Team will consist of 8 members: 4 from the Northwestern Environmental Management Team of the Provincial Environmental Safety Management Division and 4 from the Environmental Measurement Team of the Provincial Health and Environment Research Institute.

Their main duties include ▲inspection and prevention of chemical accidents in the northwestern region and on-site response in case of accidents ▲continuous guidance, inspection, and administrative action for pollutant-emitting businesses ▲operation of the provincial chemical accident situation sharing app ▲operation of the Daesan area environmental council and implementation of 13 air quality improvement measures.

Additionally, the province prepared the ‘Chungnam Chemical Substance Safety Management Implementation Plan’ last year through a research project, establishing guidelines for chemical substance safety management, accident prevention, and rapid response in case of accidents.

The implementation plan includes 39 action tasks such as ▲development of an emergency response manual for chemical accidents ▲identification and sharing of disaster prevention supplies by substance and establishment of a cooperative system ▲collection and integrated management of information on chemical substance manufacturing and handling companies within the province ▲investigation of major hazardous substance emissions ▲preparation of chemical substance management maps for major industrial complexes ▲establishment of real-time monitoring of hazardous substances in industrial complexes and spatiotemporal distribution surveys ▲development of the Chungnam chemical substance sharing app ▲provision of information on large chemical transport vehicles entering Chungnam.

Kim Chan-bae, Director of the Provincial Climate and Environment Bureau, said, “The repeated chemical accidents in the petrochemical industry are increasing residents’ anxiety,” adding, “We will strengthen the preparedness system for accident prevention during normal times and activate an emergency response system in case of accidents. Through a multifaceted chemical substance safety management system, we will make this year the ‘first year with zero chemical accidents.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.