Japan's Tosoh shut its 550,000 mt/year No 2 vinyl chloride monomer and 400,000 mt/year No 3 VCM plant at Nanyo, western Japan, after an explosion and fire erupted at the complex on Sunday, a company source confirmed Monday.
The explosion occurred at the No. 2 plant, but Tosoh decided to shut its No. 3 plant as well as a precaution.
The company's No. 1 plant, with a capacity of 260,000 mt/year, began a month of maintenance mid-October.
In a press release issued Sunday, Tosoh said that one employee was missing, and the company was not able to provide an update yet as of early Monday.
The company also said it was likely hydrogen chloride had been released due to the incident and advised residents Sunday in nearby Shunan and Kudamatsu to close windows and stay indoors.
