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Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group chemical spill is one of the most severe water pollution event happened in Shangxi Province, China during 2012-2013. More than 39 tons of anilines (a toxic chemical widely used as precursors in the manufacture of pigment, herbicides , and other chemicals) have leaked from a loose drainage valve at a plant owned by Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group in the Shanxi city of Changzhi. This chemical spill contaminated the Zhuozhang River which is the source for drinking water, and so caused a water crisis in the downstream City Handan, Hebei Province. Punishments have been made to 39 people, including some managers of Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group.

Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group
Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group is one of the five largest, state-owned coal companies in Shanxi. They use a water-intensive gasification process to convert coal to chemicals that are critical for a wide range of products. According to the Greenpeace report, the factory owned by Tianji Industry Group in Changzhi dumps more than six million tons of wastewater per year, about 30 percent of the water taken from the river. In 2010 and 2011, Tianji has been judged by Shanxi’s environmental protection bureau to be polluting above normal levels in four quarters and was fined each time. Tianji’s pollution was abnormally high throughout most of 2011.

Aniline
Aniline, also called phenylamine or aminobenzene, is an organic compound with the formula C6H5NH2. Aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine with a phenyl group attached to an amino group. It is colorless and processes an unpleasant odor (like rotten fish). Aniline can be slowly oxidized in the air, showing a red-brown tint in aged samples. Aniline is toxic to human by inhalation of the vapor, ingestion, or percutaneous absorption. It can cause serious damages to internal organs, such as the kidneys and liver. The IARC lists it in Group 3 (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans) due to the limited and contradictory data available. The use of aniline in industries includes producing methylene dianiline, herbicides, dyes and pigments, etc.

Aniline Leakage
The leakage occurring on Dec. 31, 2012 is due to a poor-quality metal hose. About 39 tons of aniline, a potential carcinogen, went into the drainage from the fertilizer factory. Thirty tons were contained by a reservoir, but nearly nine tons leaked into the Zhuozhang River. A large amount of dead fish was seen in the upper reaches of the Zhuozhang River. Leaked aniline traveled along the Zhang River and reached reservoirs in neighboring cities.

Water Crisis
The contaminated Zhuozhang River feeds into the Zhang River which is a source of drinking water for Shanxi, Hebei and Henan Provinces. Therefore, the spill affected at least 28 villages and a handful of cities of more than one million people, including Handan. After getting the confirmation about this chemical spill, officials in Handan shut down part of its municipal water supply system which sent residents into a scramble for bottled water. In the countryside, officials also told farmers not to graze their livestock near the river. Fire engines have been mobilized to bring water to the city's residents and 66,000 bottles of clean water have been bought in from other cities. Underground reservoirs were also opened to support the city’s water use.

River Clean-up
Nearly 5000 workers were called for an immediate clean-up of the river. Because of the low temperature, a large part of contaminants is stopped by ices in the river. 670 tons of contaminated ices and more than 750 tons of wastewater have been cleared away. Activated carbon was also used to absorb the chemicals remaining in the unfrozen water below. After several days’ clean-up, concentrations of aniline in the river have decreased to 2.15 mg/L from the previous level of 72 mg/L, according to data from a monitoring station on the river. However, based on national standards, the concentration should be less than 0.1 mg/L. Since the pollutants could not be decomposed easily, it would take weeks to solve the problems caused by this spill.

Delayed Report
After the aniline leakage occurred, officials in City Changzhi, where the polluting factory locates, had delayed reporting the spill for five days. The reason for delay is not clear, but it may be due to the large underestimations of the amount of leaked anilines at first few days after spills. According to the regulation passed by the State Council in 2007, an institution responsible for an accident should report within an hour to the production safety department of a county-level government or higher. The report should reach a higher level of government within two hours. The mayor of Changzhi has apologized for the delay in reporting the spill affecting supplies of drinking water.

Punishments
After investigations of this spill, 39 people had been punished, including the mayor of Changzhi, who was removed from his position. Two heads of the plant's storage workshop were sacked. 24 managers in the company who were responsible for supervision have been given administrative disciplinary sanctions.

Challenges
The conflict over the Changzhi spill has drawn attention to the growing problems with water use and pollutions in China. In 2011, inspections in 200 cities across China found that water in 55 percent of the tests was rated “fairly poor to extremely poor”. During recent ten years, China has witnessed major pollution incidents due to local governments and enterprises' excessive pursuit of economic benefits and neglects of pollution control. Continuous incidents should sound an alarm to local governments and enterprises. Furthermore, deficiencies in emergency mechanisms to handle environmental incidents at some local governments worsen the pollution problems. Therefore, China needs to build a strong monitoring and accountability system, and balances economic developments with environmental protections.