Deviot: Downwind from the mill. Will they have to sleep with their windows closed?
Fortunately, Pulp mills do not tend to be accident-prone. But if an accident does occur it can be pretty serious so the topic must be taken seriously. In an accident in Canada when chlorine dioxide escaped, casualties were only avoided when wind blew the gas out to sea.
An effluent escape can be a disaster for the local waterways as an accident in Finland showed. The local waterways were polluted badly when the effluent overflowed from the containment systems
Gunns Ltd: ' Contingency plans will be in place to guarantee any unexpected outflows are captured, collected and pumped back in to the processing line. The mill will also have a large emergency spill basin located in the effluent treatment area.'
Let's hope that this covers every eventuality.
Comment: Gunns must make sure that chlorine dioxide cannot escape under any circumstances as it can kill and residential dwellings are nearby and it might damage the river ecosystem as well.
IIS: It looks as though Gunns intend to make the pulp mill as accident-proof as possible. It is obviously in their best interest to do so.At the end of November 2006, a huge bush fire threatened the site of the proposed mill. It was the second one in a decade so the site is prone to fires. Is it sensible to build a huge chemical factory on such a site?
An massive accident near a similar plant in Tennessee was blamed on steam emissions after a long court case.Verdict: Apart from the Chlorine Dioxide plant, fogs and the risk of bush fires, it looks as though the mill will be as accident-proof as possible. Let's hope Murphy's law #1(anything that can go wrong, will go wrong) will not apply here.
