Visakhapatnam Gas Leak Tragedy Details

As the county already facing COIVD-19 crisis, but the year 2020 wants us to face more issue. A few days ago, Styrene gas leaked from LG Polymers Plant in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The plant was positioned about 15 km from the coastal city of Vizag. According to the report, this happens due to the changes in temperature inside a storage tank resulted in a leak.

Approximately 5 villages were harmed due to the leak. The gas has reached across a radius of 3 km affecting at least 5 villages and over 3000 people. According to the experts, a gas leak occurred on 7th May – Thursday at 2 AM on in the morning and quickly spread to around 5 villages in the vicinity of RR Venkatapuram where the plant is located.

Below we have mentioned some points about the styrene gas and its chemeical reactions.

About Styrene Gas:

Styrene is a chemical compound that has been identified as neuro-toxins.
It is also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene, and phenylephrine.
The chemical formula of Styrene Gas is C6H5CH=CH2.
Styrene gas is a by-product of highly flammable raw material Styrene.
The gas produced by burning styrene is poisonous in nature. Coming to chemical properties, Styrene Gas is a colour-less and odour-less compound.

Health Impacts of Styrene Gas:

Styrene gas affects the respiratory system.
It causes chest congestion, gasping, air hunger and wheezing.
It slowly paralyses the lung muscles causing complete respiratory paralysis. This leads to death due to oxygen deprivation.
Death occurs within 10 minutes of continuous exposure to concentrate Styrene gas.

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