China confirms deadly sodium cyanide at Tianjin blast site

The firefighters initially sent to the scene were “investigating and testing” the area and their reinforcements were arriving when the first blast hit “all of a sudden”, Zhou Tian, head of the Tianjin firefighting bureau, told a briefing Friday.

At least 85 people, including 21 firefighters, were killed in the explosions, and several firefighters were still missing as of Friday night.

He is said to have suffered serious burns on his legs and face, and damage to his lungs but is in a stable condition.

Hundreds of people were also injured in the disaster, which has raised fears of toxic contamination after officials said they were unable to identify what chemicals were at the site at the time.

“They were caught off guard, so the casualties are grave”, he said.

Preliminary forensic investigations of warehouse transactions show loading and arrival areas may have cargoes containing toxic chemicals including trichloroethylene and sodium cyanide, Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of the Tianjin Administration of Work Safety, said at a briefing Saturday.

Most of the port was destroyed along with the new cars it was storing.

Sodium cyanide, which can be fatal when ingested or inhaled, was found “roughly east of the blast site”, according to police.

But he said further confirmation is still needed, because the containers were not open, and some even not registered.

One piece of information on the Tianjin explosions that has been exposed recently is that the chemical warehouse’s location defied Chinese regulations for hazardous sites.

What is the environmental toll?

The state-run news agency Xinhua issued a warning telling people not to spread rumors about the situation, including the air quality in Tianjin and Beijing, which is about 110 kilometers (70 miles) away.

Greenpeace warned that the possibility of rain Friday could pose more challenges by setting off reactions and washing chemicals into the ground. “We can, however, confirm that no deaths have been reported”, a Toyota spokeswoman said.

“I’ve told my parents not to drink tap water”, she said. Numerous firefighters were trying to put out the fire in the warehouse when the first explosion occurred. Meanwhile, more people were gathering at the Tianjin Blood Center.

No one warned them of the risk that there could be risky chemicals that would react violently with water, said the report, which was later taken down from the website.

The incident, believed to have been caused by volatile chemicals stored on site, has led President Xi Jinping to call for enhanced management of risky chemicals, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.