KOBE (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police on Tuesday said that the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group is under investigatoin after a container filled with poison injured employees at an industrial waste disposal center in Higashinada Ward, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 25).
On August 3, a plastic container containing liquefied hydrofluoric acid arrived at the center from the gang’s compound in Nada Ward via an industrial waste contractor. Exposure to gas emanating from the container subsequently resulted in minor injuries to 14 employees.
On that day same, investigators searched the Yamaguchi-gumi compound for possible violations under the Waste Disposal Law.
According to police, the contractor did not perform the necessary measures in disposing the acid.
Hydrofluoric acid is widely used in manufacturing. Direct exposure to the liquid can result in the death of skin tissue. As well, inhalation of the gas can be fatal.
In January of 2014, a hydrofluoric acid leak at a Samsung Electronics semiconductor factory near Seoul resulted in one fatality and four injuries.