Health Fears Ease After German Chemical Park Blast

Health fears ease after German chemical park blast

Initial investigations into the substances released by a deadly explosion at a chemical park in western Germany this week suggest no danger to local residents, health officials said Friday

Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :Initial investigations into the substances released by a deadly explosion at a chemical park in western Germany this week suggest no danger to local residents, health officials said Friday.

"Contrary to what was feared, no critical levels of dioxin and PCBs have been found," Ulrich Quass of the enviroment department in North Rhine-Westphalia told a press conference.

More detailed analyses are still under way, with the results expected next week, officials said.

Three people are confirmed to have died in the explosion on Tuesday at the Chempark complex in the city of Leverkusen, with two still missing but presumed dead.

The blast at a waste incineration site, which was heard several kilometres away and rattled the windows of nearby homes, sent a cloud of black smoke into the air.

It also triggered a fire in storage tanks for solvents that took firefighters hours to put out.

Police closed several motorways in the area and residents were told to stay indoors and shut their windows over concerns dangerous gases may have been released.

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