PTBC chemical reaches Vishakhapatnam to neutralise styrene gas leakage impact

In a bid to neutralise the impact of the styrene gas leakage which led to the death of 11 people, the chemical para-tertiary butyl catechol (PTBC) reached Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on Thursday night.

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): A specialised chemical called PTBC was sent to Visakhapatnam on an urgent basis to help neutralise the effects of gas leak at a polymer plant there

"The Air India cargo flight arrived at the Visakhapatnam airport with the PTBC Chemical. It was airlifted via Air India flight at around 10:30 pm on Thursday. A 9-member team reached here with the chemical. The team has now left for its destinations," said Raj Kishore, airport director.

PTBC is produced only in Vapi town of Gujarat’s Valsad district in the country and it is a conventional antioxidant and polymerization inhibitor.

Earlier on Thursday, after the styrene gas leak incident, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had requested to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani for the PTBC chemical to control the impact of the chemical.

Styrene gas had leaked from the gas plant of LG Polymers in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam district on Thursday morning which has claimed 11 lives so far.

With inputs from ANI