What we know:
At 11:30 GMT Wednesday night in Tianjin, the Rui Hai International Logistics Co. exploded. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead, dozens are missing and the death toll is only expected to rise. Information released by the Chinese municipal government has been extremely limited and unreliable.
Hazardous chemicals ignited in the Rui Hai warehouse, causing the blast - but the cause of the initial fire is unknown. Tianjin officials say they cannot release the list of chemicals housed in the warehouse. A second explosion, coming just 30 seconds later, was the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT - enough to register as seismic activity. Friday afternoon, a third blast occurred, much smaller than the first two, reigniting the flames. The fire burned through Friday evening in China, causing smoke clouds to engulf the city.
Tianjin is the world’s tenth-largest port, and even minor disruptions to a port its size can have effects on the global supply chain. As of Friday more than 100 ships were stuck outside the city waiting to dock. Major international companies including Airbus, John Deere and Wal-Mart have factories or distribution centers in the city. Following the explosion, John Deere suspended its operations in Tianjin.
Questions that Remain:
Why was the factory there?
By Chinese law, public buildings and infrastructure must be 1,000 meters from any storage facility housing dangerous chemicals. The Rui Hai warehouse was only 600 meters from a residential area. When asked about this discrepancy, a Chinese government spokesman was unable to answer. Many residents of Tianjin were not aware of their proximity to such hazardous materials.
Who knew what – and when?
It appears that firemen and other first responders entered the blast area without full understanding of the chemicals present. Without this information, they may have been exposed to dangerous levels of toxicity and were also unable to properly put out the fire. It remains unclear whether the local Chinese authorities chose not to inform the first responders of the nature of the chemicals – or perhaps did not know themselves. What’s more, there are rumors calcium carbide was being stored at the facility, which is a chemical that reacts with water to create an explosive gas. Thus, firemen may have unknowingly led to greater damage through attempts to stop the fire.
What are the chemicals, and what risks do they pose?
Chinese authorities confirmed Sunday that hundreds of tons of sodium cyanide were present at the facility. Sodium cyanide is used in chemicals production and can release hydrogen cyanide gas, which is a highly toxic asphyxiant that interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen. No other chemicals have been confirmed as present.
The smoke, which contains the toxic chemicals, has spread through Tianjin as well as neighboring cities. Rain on Friday raised fears of the chemicals seeping into the water supply in Tianjin.
Chinese state media stated that people are only at risk if exposed to airborne chemicals over an extended period of time. However, in previous disasters, statements by these outlets have not always proven true—think the tainted milk scandal or the Sichuan earthquake. Speculation and rumor are rampant on Chinese social media. The government has responded by suspending many social media and independent news outlets.
Alexandra Viers is an analyst at The Cipher Brief.
