China explosions: The questions people are asking about the Tianjin blasts

Many in Tianjin have expressed worry about pollution caused by the explosion

In the aftermath of the massive blasts that took place in Tianjin late Wednesday, many concerns have been raised by Chinese citizens.

Many have demanded answers on how the explosion could have happened and about the environmental and public health fallout.
Even state-controlled media such as the Global Times noted that the blasts "raised questions over loopholes" about safety precautions and city planning, but officials have so far provided limited information.
These are the main concerns.

Was the warehouse too close to residential areas?

Officials have urged patience as they are still investigating the cause of the incident. But that has not stopped many online from demanding accountability. Many censored posts on social media took issue with city planning officials.
"Who allowed a warehouse with dangerous goods be built just a few hundred metres from a residential area? Who allowed so many dangerous 'toys' to be clustered together? And which department failed to detect such a dangerous situation?" read one post by user Liu Tong.

At least three major residential communities were situated within 1km of the warehouse

At a press conference on Thursday, a journalist asked officials: "According to environmental regulations, what should be the distance between a residential area and [an area with] dangerous goods?"
Tianjin environment chief Wen Wurui appeared to be at a loss for words, and none of the other officials answered. CCTV then cut the broadcast.
The incident sparked heavy criticism online. Weibo user Parisian Taotaijun said: "When will the citizens know the truth, all the answers we are getting are heavily scripted, it's so fake."

Global Times said the minimum distance between businesses with dangerous chemicals and public buildings and transport networks is meant to be 1km, but data showed there were at least three major residential communities within that radius of the Ruihai Logistics warehouse.

Weibo user Ecle noted that the transmission was cut after officials could not answer queries

Could chemicals have contaminated water?

Reports that 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide were stored at the warehouse that exploded sparked concerns that it could contaminate the water.
"If this issue isn't addressed soon, it could be even worse than the blast itself," said Weibo user Tao Weng WT, in a censored post.
Officials have denied reports that there were increased levels of sodium cyanide detected in nearby drains.
They have also said the area is sealed off and hazardous material was contained at the site, in response to journalists' queries on possible leakages.

Is there a risk of airborne pollution?

Worried residents have been wearing face masks to guard against air pollution

Reporters on Thursday asked if pollutants released into the air from the explosion posed a serious health risk.
They also asked if the pollutants would drift towards other cities such as the capital Beijing, just 100km (62 miles) from Tianjin.
But government officials visibly struggled to answer the queries. Mr Wen attempted to leave several times, but was stopped by reporters who continued peppering him with questions.
He eventually said that a south-westerly wind was blowing pollutants into the sea away from populated areas, and while the particles in the air were dangerous, "so far we have observed [the pollution] has not reached a very high level".

Were firefighters well enough equipped?

The warehouse handled chemicals and flammable gases but the authorities were unclear about what exactly was there at the time of the blast. Some reports said all documentation had been destroyed in the fire.
Nevertheless questions have been raised about whether firefighters were equipped well enough and whether the materials they used to battle the flames were appropriate - as certain chemicals' exposure to water could cause explosions.
At least 17 firefighters died in the disaster. Lei Jinde, the deputy propaganda chief of China's fire department, defended the actions of firefighters, Reuters reported, saying they did not know the location of the chemicals.
end quote from: