Notice Regarding the Incident at U.S. Subsidiary Nippon Dynawave Packaging (Sixth Update)
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
We would like to provide an update on the tank collapse that occurred at the facility of our U.S. subsidiary, Nippon Dynawave Packaging (“NDP”), located in Washington State, U.S.A.
We express our deepest condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families. We would also like to express our sympathy to all those affected by the incident. We recognize the significant impact this incident has had on the local community, our business partners, and all related parties.
The status as of 3:30 p.m. local time on June 15 (7:30 a.m. Japan time on June 16) is as follows (We would like to provide an update and summarize the current status as follows.):
1. Incident Overview
At approximately 7:00 a.m. local time on May 26, a chemical tank used in pulp production at the facility collapsed. The tank has a capacity of approximately 900,000 gallons, and the authorities have estimated that between 550,000 and 570,000 gallons of chemicals were released.
(*1 gallon = approximately 3.8 liters (U.S. standard))
2. Human Casualties
- eleven (11) dead
- eight (8) injured
3. Equipment Damage
A chemical tank used to produce paper pulp collapsed, causing a chemical (white liquor) leak and damage to the surrounding area. No severe damage has been confirmed to major equipment such as paper pulp production machinery, boilers, paper machines and extruders.
4. Cause of Incident
The cause of the incident is still being investigated.
5. Impact on the Environment and Public Health
At this time, no health effects on nearby residents or significant contamination have been confirmed. Ongoing monitoring by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed the following:
・Air quality: No harmful gases detected under 24-hour monitoring by the EPA
・ Longview city drinking water: Safety has been maintained. The drinking water source is a deep underground aquifer located approximately 200 feet (about 60 meters) below the surface. In the event that any signs of contamination approaching the public water system are detected, an automatic response and shutdown mechanism is in place on the public water system side, which is monitored 24 hours a day.
・ Columbia River: Although dead fish were observed immediately after the incident, no significant impact on the main Columbia River has been confirmed. Also, there has been no impact on recreational activities such as swimming and fishing.
・Water quality of surrounding waterways: Water was released, cleansed and diluted, and pH levels are confirmed to have returned to normal ranges.
6. Impact on Production
Due to this incident, production of NDP has been suspended.
7. Impact on Financial Performance
The impact of this incident on our financial performance is still being assessed.
8. Responding Structure of NPI Group
We established the “NDP Incident Responding Headquarter” with the executive vice president and representative director as the chief immediately after this incident, and we are supporting NDP with grasping its situations and sharing its information.
NDP is working closely with local authorities, such as U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State Department of Ecology, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and fully cooperating for their research and preservation of evidences.
End