What happened

Sulphuric acid escaped under pressure while a maintenance team replaced a defective pressure gauge on the acid-loading installation at Glencore's Nordenham zinc works. Police initially reported five injured people, including a 20-year-old flown to hospital, and opened investigations into suspected negligent bodily injury and water pollution. Operator follow-up reporting counted seven people who received assessment or treatment, including workers and responders, and said all were released from hospital that day. A later account attributed the release to a broken thread and placed the volume at less than 10 cubic metres, or up to approximately 10,000 litres. Some acid entered the adjacent Weser River and water samples were taken. The marker is approximate to the industrial waterfront because the reports do not provide equipment-level coordinates.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.