(Yicai Global) Nov. 26 -- Authorities in China's Fujian province have arrested seven workers involved in an incident that leaked 69.1 tons of aromatic solvent C9 into the atmosphere.

Six people from Fujian Donggang Petrochemical Industry, which caused the leak while loading C9 into a tanker at a local port on Nov. 4, and four of the vessel's crew have been put under criminal coercive measures, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported. Seven have been arrested.

Hospitals reportedly took in 69 patients who had been exposed to the C9, with 11 remaining at clinics for further observation. As of Nov. 16, all of the patients had been discharged.

Over 40 tons of the solvent were absorbed by oil felts with most of the remainder volatizing and some entering the ocean, authorities said on Nov. 25, adding that air and seawater in the affected area were mostly back to normal. The city set aside CNY5 million (USD733,000) in emergency funds to help affected fishermen get back to business.

The Quanzhou investigation team determined that Donggang Petrochemical intentionally concealed the truth, forged evidence and colluded to under-report the scale of the leak. The firm had originally said less than seven tons of C9 had escaped. The accident was mostly a result of the company's irresponsibility at a production and management level, the team added, holding the company and the Tiantong-1 oil tanker owned by Ningbo Zhoushan Tongzhou Shipping directly responsible.

Local authorities and a team from the South China Institute of Environmental Science concluded that the leak would have a limited impact on the environment in the surrounding villages, Economic Daily cited Li Guokun, head of Quanzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, as saying.

Editor: James Boynton