EDITORIAL - Volatile substances

As the death toll soared, it remained unclear if the massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas was an accident or a criminal attack. Law enforcers described the site as a “crime scene” but did not elaborate.

The powerful blast also destroyed surrounding houses and buildings. The scene, according to survivors, looked like a war zone or the site of a nuclear explosion. Whether it was an accident or another terrorist attack, those images of enormous devastation, plus reports of the air being polluted with potentially lethal anhydrous ammonia emanating from the inferno, should prompt an assessment of security measures at fertilizer plants in the Philippines.

Also needing inspection for compliance with safety regulations are establishments that manufacture firecrackers, especially the mom-and-pop enterprises set up in the backyards of Bulacan, the country’s fireworks capital. To create the loudest bang, local manufacturers include dried manure and other fertilizer components in many types of firecrackers. The combination of materials can be highly volatile, and numerous accidents, several of them deadly, have occurred in recent years. The use of dried manure also raises risks of developing tetanus after a firecracker injury.

This year the accidents are starting unusually early. Last Thursday afternoon four workers, two of them teenage boys, were installing the fuse on a rocket or kwitis when it sparked. The consequent explosion killed the two teenagers, injured the two other workers and caused serious damage to the factory of Olly’s Fireworks Manufacturing in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Enforcement of safety standards at fertilizer plants is expected to be better in the United States, and still the tragedy in Texas occurred. As Filipinos commiserate with the victims in Texas, efforts should be undertaken to minimize the risks of a similar incident occurring in this country.