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Shell Rhineland Refinery

Shell jet fuel spill at Germany Refinery creates toxic underground lake

Kerosene is classified as environmentally hazardous. Undiluted kerosene irritates the skin from direct contact. Ingestion causes vomiting and diarrhea, damages the lungs, the nervous system and the kidneys, and in the worst cases, lead to death.  It is toxic to aquatic organisms and causes long-term damage if it drains into a large body of water, such as the Rhine.

By John Donovan: 27 November 2012


On 22 February 2012 a spill of 846 tonnes of jet fuel was reported at the Shell Rheinland Werk Godorf Cologne Refinery.

The refinery consists of two factories in Cologne-Godorf and Wesseling in the south of Cologne, located on the left bank of the Rhine.

The leak occurred in an underground pipeline between the plant and a fuel depot.

Because an alarm system at the Shell refinery failed, it took four weeks for technicians discover the leak.

Kerosene is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. Jet fuel is a highly toxic mixture of kerosene and naphtha. It is practically insoluble in water and has a lower density, so that it is deposited as a carpet on a water surface. read more

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