Cooling work continues after 60 hours in Manaus Gato Jr/Rede Amazônica The Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBMAM) completed, this Saturday morning (18), more than 60 consecutive hours of work cooling the tanks at the Innova company factory, located in the Industrial District, in the South Zone of Manaus. Monitoring began late Wednesday afternoon (15), after the leak of styrene monomer, a highly flammable and toxic chemical substance. According to Rede Amazônica, this Saturday morning, the containment work showed progress. The release of vapors lost strength and the smoke coming out of the reservoir gave way, becoming almost invisible. However, teams remain on alert at the site because the strong odor of the chemical still persists and can be felt intensely in front of the factory. For safety, the isolation perimeter of approximately 300 meters around the company remains maintained. Firefighters continue to use laser equipment to monitor the internal temperature of the tank and cool the external part. The leak at Innova was recorded at 5:36 pm on Wednesday (15), after the product stored in the reservoir showed an abnormal increase in temperature. Styrene monomer, a substance released in the incident, is a toxic chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and rubber. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp The teams continue to work on cooling the external part of the tank and monitoring the internal temperature of the reservoir. Monitoring is carried out with laser equipment to prevent the product from reaching levels that could cause an explosion. According to the Government of Amazonas, 35 military personnel participated in the first containment work after the company was activated. Since then, firefighters have remained on site to ensure the safety of the operation. Firefighters continue cooling tanks after 41 hours Patient care By the end of Friday afternoon (17), the State Department of Health of Amazonas (SES-AM) confirmed that 211 patients had sought care in the public health network with symptoms associated with gas inhalation. Among the main reports are: SES-AM also recorded the death of a 67-year-old man who sought care after reporting discomfort caused by the effects of the leak. However, the department reported that the patient had a history of chronic respiratory disease and that no direct relationship was found between the death and the incident. In addition to the state health network, 147 people were treated in a private hospital and another 57 in health units in the city of Manaus. Cracks in the structure under monitoring During the technical inspections carried out in the reservoir, small cracks were identified in the external structure of the tank that stored the styrene monomer. The appearance of cracks is attributed to the abnormal and extreme rise in the internal temperature of the chemical recorded at the beginning of the leak. Company engineers and experts from the Fire Department carry out rigorous, real-time monitoring of these deformities to ensure that there are no new liquid leaks or worsening of the tank's structural compromise during the final cooling stages. What is known about the toxic gas leak from a factory in Manaus Gas that leaked from a factory in Manaus is considered toxic and can spread over long distances, says expert Gas leak in Manaus: AM Public Prosecutor's Office investigates causes and impacts of the incident Partial closure of the company The company where the gas leak occurred in Manaus is partially blocked. Leandro Guedes/Rede Amazônica Due to the severity of the incident and the risks still present at the site, inspection and environmental protection bodies determined the partial closure of the Innova factory facilities. The measure aims to halt activities in areas directly affected by the leak to ensure the safety of workers and experts working to contain the substance. The full resumption of operations at the industrial plant is conditional on the complete elimination of the risk of new chemical reactions and the presentation of technical reports that attest to the stability of the area. The Pronto Atendimento ao Cidadão (PAC) Studio 5, which had interrupted services on Thursday (16), resumed operations this Friday. Companies in the Industrial District also adopted preventive measures on Thursday (16). g1 contacted the Metalworkers Union of Amazonas to find out if there were new releases or changes in the companies' activities, but did not receive a response until the last update of this report. Toxic gas leak in Manaus firefighters continue cooling tanks after 41 hours Reproduction/Rede Amazônica Isolated area and investigation The company located next to Innova was evacuated shortly after the incident, according to the Fire Department, and isolation continues to be maintained this Friday (17). Only teams involved in the operation, such as the Fire Department, Amazonas Military Police (PMAM), Civil Defense and health agencies, have access to the site. After the Fire Department clears the area, the Amazonas Civil Police (PC-AM), with support from the Technical-Scientific Police, will carry out an investigation to determine the causes of the accident. The main hypothesis put forward by firefighters is a spontaneous reaction inside the tank. "Everything is heading towards a spontaneous reaction inside the tank. Once the styrene molecule breaks, a chain reaction occurs that overheats the product", explained the colonel. According to him, if the safety valves were not activated, the reaction could cause an explosion or fire. "In the specific case of Innova, the tank's safety valves were released. This was what caused the leak observed in vertical jets, because the product was subjected to high pressure inside the reservoir.