8 November 2018

[I]n the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian…nearly seven tonnes of C9 aromatics from the neighbouring Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Company had leaked during transfer between the wharf and a vessel when the connecting tube broke. Concern soon turned to anger when assurances from the local environmental authorities failed to match what people in the area were experiencing.

[T]he Quangang District Environment and Protection Bureau advised that treatment of the contaminated area of the sea was “basically complete” and volatile organic compounds – a range of chemicals including some which are detrimental to health – were within safe levels. Two days later, the bureau announced the water quality was now suitable for fish farming. “They were lying through their teeth,” said one fisherman from Xiaocuo village…“Yellow oil stains are still visible in fish farms this morning and the skimmers for absorbing oil were still scattered around in the sea. “The air still smelled disgusting,” said the fisherman…

Pupils at Xiaocuo Village Primary School were asked to attend school, even with masks on, but angry parents had been demanding the schools close, he said.

But what worries fishermen most is their financial losses as a result of the leak…The Quangang Bureau of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery has banned fishing since Sunday until water quality analysis is complete. The port city of Xiamen has also banned the sale of fish products from Xiaocuo village. The fishermen said they were losing thousands of yuan every day…The C9 contamination crisis is spreading beyond the village of Xiaocuo and its impact is continuing to grow.

Exposure to a high concentration of C9 would irritate eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and cause headache or dizziness, according to Wu [researcher with Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter], who also said consuming contaminated vegetable or fish products carried risks of poisoning and even cancer…