T2 Investigative Report Coming Tuesday
At a public meeting in Jacksonville, CSB investigators will present their final report on the batch reactor explosion that killed four workers and injured 32 people Dec. 19, 2007.
Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board will present their final report on the Dec. 19, 2007, explosion at T2 Laboratories Inc. during a public meeting on Sept. 15 in Jacksonville, Fla. The blast, started by a runaway chemical reaction, killed four workers and injured 32 people, some of them hurt by flying or falling debris from damaged buildings outside the T2 fenceline. The blast destroyed the chemical plant and ignited several container trucks, processing units, and storage tanks on the grounds of the plant that were burning when Jacksonville Fire-Rescue Department crews reached the scene.
CSB Supervisory Investigator Robert Hall described the batch reactor explosion on Jan. 3, 2008, as one of the most powerful ever investigated by CSB -- large pieces of the reactor's top were found about one-quarter mile away.
During the meeting, CSB investigators will show a 3D computer animation depicting the events that produced the explosion, which occurred as workers were producing a gasoline additive called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MCMT or Ecotane®). CSB says it plans to release a complete safety video on the accident, which will be posted on www.csb.gov and YouTube shortly after the final report is approved. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel, 4670 Salisbury Road, and is open to the public, with a public comment period before the board considers the report.