An old, degraded piece of metal pipe that had not been tested for corrosion led ...
NEW YORK - An old, degraded piece of metal pipe that had not been tested for corrosion led to the June fire and explosions at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said on Wednesday.
Three separate explosions then hurled pieces of the refinery across the nearby Schuylkill River and onto highways, causing a blaze that was visible for miles and destroying an alkylation unit that uses HF to produce components of high-octane gasoline. The report confirms what sources told Reuters in August, that the company was expected to say hydrofluoric acid was released during the incident. HF can burn the eyes, skin and lungs, and can be fatal.
HF has come under criticism by the CSB and refinery worker unions for its use in U.S. refineries in populated areas. After the blast, the thinnest portion of the pipe fitting was found to be half the thickness of a credit card, said CSB. The board has no regulatory or enforcement power but is authorized under the U.S. Clean Air Act to determine the cause of chemical plant explosions and fires and make recommendations to prevent them in the future.
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