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25 July 2020.
Introduction:
An orange-brown chemical sheet spread over 15 acres (6 hectares) of a nationally recognized marine life area in the French Mediterranean following a leak at a petrochemical plant in southern France on 24 July 2020.
Highlights:
- The leak at the Lavera refinery of the American owned chemical company Kem – One spilled 200 gallons or more of iron chloride into the sea.
- The iron chloride spilled from a tank onto a faulty safety system, which flooded into the nearby sewage systems and into the sea.
- The area of the Mediterranean where the chemical ended up is listed as an ecosystem of outstanding natural fauna and flora for its coral and sea life of France.
- Contact with iron chloride can harm eyes and mucous membranes, and ingesting it can be fatal.
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Significance of the Mediterranean Sea:
- It is connected to Atlantic Ocean and is completely enclosed by land.
- The sea is one of the busiest trade routes in the world.
- The Suez Canal connects the red sea and the Mediterranean sea.
- The canal supports 8% of the world’s shipping.
- The sea through canals facilitates trade to Asia,Africa and Europe.