Failed Pipe Fitting Caused Jan 31. Event At Eastman Chemical

Officials with Eastman Chemical in Kingsport revealed on Monday during a briefing that a pipe fitting failed in a steam line and that led to the Jan. 31 “steam line failure” that caused debris to rain down on nearby neighborhoods and led to unplanned air and water discharges…plus caused an explosion type noise to be heard from close to 6 miles away and caused the ground in Kingsport to shake for nearly 10 minutes. Eastman Tennessee Operations Site Leader Mark Bogle said the fitting that failed was over 50 years old. The problem with the fitting was that it was slightly thinner than standard….and was installed in the mid-60’s.

The steam line failure sent debris into the air that rained down on neighboring areas. Because Eastman waited till later that evening to warn nearby residents that some of the debris could contain asbestos, several citizens have now filed a class action lawsuit against Eastman Chemical.