Explosions at two pharma plants
in the last week, local media reported.
Six employees were said to be injured in a blast at a Cambrex plant in Charles City, Iowa, last Friday. According to reports a fire was reported in the drying department early on Friday morning and while the cause of the explosion was being investigated, it was understood the fire "involved a paddle dryer used for manufacturing a feed additive for poultry", the WCF Courier reported. One man was transferred to a burns unit in Iowa while the "five other employees were treated for smoke inhalation and released", the WCF Courier reported. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that one person was killed in an explosion at a plant in Hanko, south Finland, belonging to Orion Pharma's subsidiary Ekokem late last Thursday. According to the news service a pressure boiler exploded, though the cause of the explosion was unknown. No further details were available. In related news, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Consolidated Pharmaceuticals, now a largely defunct company, to safely dispose of hazardous chemicals or face a fine of up to $32,500 (€22,551) a day. The chemicals, left at a warehouse in Anne Arundel, Maryland, at a former pharmaceutical factory site, were reported to be violating several fire codes and posed a very real fire risk. Under the orders given by the EPA, a hydrochloric acid tank must be removed by tomorrow, with other hazardous chemicals disposed before the end of the year.
