Thousands of SK hynix employees fled their factory stations earlier today as a fire broke out in a room where fluorine gas was used. Yonhap News reports that seven of the workers have been hospitalized, five are being treated for eye irritation, and two are under observation (machine translation). At the time of writing, a cleanup operation appears to be continuing at SK hynix’s Cheongju 4th campus, with all 3,600 employees evacuated. A company official told Yonhap, “There are no issues with equipment operation, so there will be no production disruption.”
Reports indicate that the fire began at around 10.23 am Korean time today. An unintentional fire is probably not a great thing anywhere in an advanced semiconductor fab, even in the burgers and cigars wing. However, in “the gas room on the 6th floor connecting the M15 and M15X factories at SK Hynix's Cheongju 4th campus,” it could have been a particularly nasty incident. This room includes equipment/canisters/pipelines holding highly toxic fluorine gas.
According to the Korean news source, the fire in the gas room was extinguished immediately by sprinklers, but fluorine escaped into the room at a concentration estimated to be 5 ppm. This is where the seven hospitalized workers had been situated.
Fluorine gas is used in various industrial processes, but it is a highly reactive gas that can cause spontaneous combustion or explosions if it comes into contact with common materials. It is also quite deadly to humans. Wikipedia states that “significant irritation of the eyes and respiratory system as well as liver and kidney damage occur above 25 ppm… The eyes and nose are seriously damaged at 100 ppm… and inhalation of 1,000 ppm fluorine will cause death in minutes.”
Official insists there will be “no production disruption”
With the immense demand and pressure on memory-making titans like SK hynix, some may be concerned that a facility like Cheongju closing even for a few hours could impact supplies, schedules, pricing, and more. However, an official insisted, “There are no issues with equipment operation, so there will be no production disruption.” It was also suggested that the fire/leak occurred in the gas pipeline, but that fact had yet to be determined.
At the time of writing, there may still be environmental purification and repair work to do. If and when that’s completed, operatives will begin safety inspections, including air quality measurements. After the all-clear, “we plan to return the employees,” the official told Yonhap. We’ve linked to the latest report on this incident available at the source.
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