Leak contained at CABB site

Swiss fine chemicals company CABB sustained a leak of acetyl chloride from a production building at its Pratteln site near Basel (pictured) on 26 April. The reasons and the amount involved have not yet been established and are currently being investigated, the company said.

During the incident a cloud formed, producing the characteristic vinegar-like smell of acetyl chloride reached outside the premises. As a precautionary measure, police instructed local residents to close their windows and stay indoors. However, the fire brigade did not detect any elevated levels at any time, no body of water was contaminated and there were no injuries.

The Alertswiss app, which alerts local residents, worked perfectly. However, this generated a lot of adverse media, such as comparing it with the incident on 1 November 1986 at Sandoz’s agrochemical storehouse at nearby Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland in which tonnes of pollutants entering the River Rhine. “Portraying events in this manner unsettles the population unnecessarily,” said plant manager Uwe Müller.