An orange-brown chemical sheet spread over 15 acres (6 hectares) of a nationally recognized marine life area in the French Mediterranean following a leak at a petrochemical plant in southern France, the local fire service said Friday. The leak at the Lavera refinery spilled 200 gallons or more of iron chloride into the sea, American-owned chemical company Kem One, which runs the plant, said. Contact with iron chloride can harm eyes and mucous membranes, and ingesting it can be fatal.
The French Maritime Prefecture banned leisure boat cruising, swimming, fishing, and diving in about four miles of the along the coast surrounding the contaminated area until at least midnight Friday. The prefecture told The Associated Press it was awaiting toxicity test results before declaring the waters safe.
The polluted area receded to 2.5 acres (1 hectare) by 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and by Friday morning, the brown color had all but disappeared from the sea’s surface. French environmental association Robin des Bois said it planned to file a legal complaint against plant officials for polluting the sea and other issues based on its damage assessment. The association said it suspects that coral and other sea creatures were burned or poisoned by the spilled iron chloride.
Source: Economic Times
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