Warfare agent leaks from the walls Events were held in the contaminated site hotspot in Basel
When Swiss Life bought the former K-90 dye factory on the Klybeck site in Basel in 2019, the building was known as a hotspot for contaminated sites. Events will still be held there until 2023.
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- In the former K-90 dye factory on the Klybeck site in Basel, the warfare agent chloropicrin is leaking from the walls.
- There were already indications that the air in the dye factory was contaminated when it was sold to the new owner Swiss Life in 2019.
- However, the building was still opened for events.
- The dangerous chloropicrin was not detected in measurements until spring 2023.
- Swiss Life closes the building, claiming there was no risk to people.
In the former K-90 dye factory on the Klybeck site in Basel, trichloronitromethane has apparently been deposited in the walls, floors and ceilings, from where it evaporates into the air. The highly volatile liquid is known as a chemical warfare agent under the name chloropicrin, a nerve and lung poison which, according to the Federal Office of Public Health, is dangerous even in small quantities. It irritates the upper respiratory tract, and in higher concentrations it causes massive damage to the lungs.
Warfare agent production on the Klybeck site? This cannot be assumed, Martin Forter, expert on contaminated sites and managing director of Doctors for Environmental Protection, told SRF. The substance was probably used in the production of dyes.
In May 2021, trichloronitromethane was measured in the former dye factory. There were earlier indications that the air in the dye factory was contaminated. As early as 2018, an investigation revealed that there was "slight irritation of the respiratory tract" in the building.
The contaminated hotspot is sold to Swiss Life
When the chemical companies BASF and Novartis want to sell their site, BASF informs the canton in an internal report that there is a contaminated site hotspot at the K-90 building, writes SRF.
The new owner Swiss Life is opening the building as an event venue, for example at the Open House 2022.
When the substance is finally identified as the dangerous chloropicrin in spring 2023, Swiss Life closes the building. This was done as part of a "periodic review of the safety concept", Swiss Life writes in a statement. Trichloronitromethane was identified in three samples in the screening, but in a concentration that is not classified as a cause for concern. There was no risk to participants at events in recent years.
Swiss Life purchased the site in 2019 and is developing it together with its partner company Bricks AG. Another part of the former industrial site belongs to the investor Rhystadt AG. Together with Swiss Life and the canton, the area is to be developed into an urban quarter under the name "Klybeck Plus". Up to 8,500 people are to live there.
