Breaking News! Mitsui Chemicals TDI Unit in Japan Experiences Chlorine Gas Leak Accident!

On the afternoon of July 27, 2025, at around 6:10 PM, a passerby in Hashiguchi Town, Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, called 110 to report a smell resembling sulfur. An investigation revealed that the odor originated from a chlorine gas leak at the Mitsui Chemicals Omuta plant (which has a 50,000 tons/year TDI facility) located about 1 kilometer east of the reported location.

The Mitsui Chemicals Omuta Plant previously had a 120,000-ton/year TDI facility, which had just undergone maintenance and had its capacity reduced to 50,000 tons/year before the incident. According to reports from the plant and local fire department, the incident resulted in multiple people outside the plant experiencing health issues. As of that evening, approximately 40 to 42 individuals, including nearby residents and plant employees, were sent for medical examination due to symptoms such as coughing and eye irritation. About 5 of them required hospitalization for observation, but all individuals were conscious, and no severe cases were reported.

The factory stated that the leak occurred during the afternoon operation. The detector sounded an alarm at 5:40 PM, and the factory immediately pressed the emergency stop button in an attempt to control the leak. The gas leak was completely stopped around 7:50 PM. The specific cause of the leak is still under investigation, and the Omuta Station of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police has intervened to investigate the details. This leak incident directly affected an important local event. The city's summer traditional festival, the "Omuta Daijayama Festival," which started at 5 PM on the 27th and was held near the site of the incident, attracted a large crowd. Due to the leak, the festival was forced to be canceled midway.