Vedanand Dayaram

Background on 1992 Guadalajara explosions

Corrosion is a natural yet impulsive reaction of materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers and
composites. This phenomenon can be detrimental like the occurrence at Guadalajara, Mexico’s
second largest city that had a build-up of explosive gas in the main sewer.

On April 22, 1992, dozens of sewer explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, killed more than 200
people and damaged 1,000 buildings. The series of explosions was caused by a gas leak, the
warning signs of which were ignored by the Mexican government and the national oil company.
However, three days prior to the explosions, the residents of a working-class neighborhood in
Guadalajara noticed a pungent smell in the air. The people experienced stinging in their eyes and
throats. Some felt nauseous. Despite complaints, the local authorities did not seriously
investigate the issue. [ CITATION His09 \l 1033 ]

In details
Residents in the area, specifically in Analco District complained about a pungent smell of
gasoline for about three days. With many efforts, workers from City Council and Protection
Civil tried to satisfy residents through some major check-up and tests in Gante Street but they
served no justice to the worried residents. There were many instances where residents saw white
smoke coming out of the manholes and smell of gasoline in their running water that subsequently
increased day by day within those four days of this deadly occurrence. The fumes were tested
and it resulted in a 100% chance of explosion. Residents were given advice to evacuate if they
want to. Upon hearing a radio announcement on the day of the explosion, residents were told
that there will be no explosion and that all is well. [ CITATION Ste13 \l 1033 ]

On April 22, 1992 at about 11:30 a.m., a series of powerful explosions began for a duration of
four (4) hours. They took place in an area about one-mile-long and seemed to come from 35 feet
below-ground along the sewer system. Twenty square blocks of Guadalajara were leveled or
seriously damaged. In two places, craters nearly 300 feet deep opened up, absorbing the
surrounding buildings, roads, cars and buses.
“Children home for Easter break were a significant portion of the fatalities. It took a week to
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find and record the deaths and injuries. About 1,500 people were hospitalized and 25,000 people
had to be evacuated”.[ CITATION His09 \l 1033 ]

This was followed by two more explosions that occurred early morning next day, where
residents were advised not to light any flames and evacuation was in the process. According to a
case study prepared by Divine Sebastian, Lamar University, “The explosions occurred due to the
ignition of accumulated gas in a 3.50m diameter sewer drain that was buried 8m below the road
way. “[ CITATION Div16 \l 1033 ]

Investigations

Scientists began an investigation into this calamity. They used a Richter Scale for which they
assumed that an Earthquake may have causes the explosions but the series of explosion that
occurred could prove that there is no way an earthquake can cause sewers to explode in intervals.
Thus, they terminated that theory and focused on main lines of where the explosion may have
been rooted. “A subsequent investigation found that a leaky water pipe had caused a gas
pipeline below it to rust. The gas then leaked into a sewer line, where it set off the powerful
blasts.” [ CITATION His09 \l 1033 ]

Initially, Mayor Enrique Dau Flores was indicted for ignoring the warnings; he subsequently
resigned from office. Along with eight others in the government and PEMEX, the national oil
company, were also charged in the case. PEMEX was still reeling from a 1984 Mexico City
propane explosion that killed 450 people and for which they had also been found responsible. A
much more sustainable alternative was used to line the gas pipes in order to avoid such a deadly
calamity to occur and systems have been put in place to monitor the operations of the
underground pipelines.
Vedanand Dayaram

Images portraying the damage after the explosion

Major Causes

The major causes of the phenomenon can be pointed out in many ways:

Eight (8) days prior to the disaster, a loss of pressure in a 12-inch pipeline which carried the
gasoline from the Salamanca refinery to the Guadalajara depot of the petroleum company was
detected. This may have caused it.

Secondly, the loss of pressure was the result of the perforation of the pipeline, leading to a leak
of gasoline. The leak was localized in the Alamo industrial area, less than 1 km from the storage
tanks of the petroleum company. Town water pipes, probably made of copper coated with zinc –
installed five years previously, had been installed close to the steel hydrocarbon pipeline without
respecting standards for protection, provoking the corrosion and then the perforation of the
pipeline. The gasoline thus poured out into the ground, infiltrating to a great depth (3 to 4
meters) before running into the drainage network as far as the next main drain, following the
natural slope of the terrain.

Galvanic Corrosion may have occurred between the water pipeline made of galvanized iron and
gasoline pipeline made of reinforced steel. Now, different metals have different chemical
composition. When the investigators dug deep into the case, they noticed a water pipeline was
bent around the gas pipeline. There was a small hole at the exact point where they were touched
Vedanand Dayaram

and where gasoline was leaking out [ CITATION Ste13 \l 1033 ].

Having different metal composition, crevice corrosion may have occurred as well where it is
caused by contact of metals with metals. The water and gas pipe metals were sent to Mexico’s
top metallurgists and they recorded that it is the different metal chemical composition of the
pipes that lead to their corrosion[ CITATION Ste13 \l 1033 ]. At this point, the electrochemical
theory of corrosion can also be referenced. “Electrochemical corrosion of metals occurs when
electrons from atoms at a surface of the metal are transferred to a suitable electron acceptor or
depolarizer. Water must be present to serve as a medium for the transport of ions.” [ CITATION
Low20 \l 1033 ]

More so, the configuration of the town drainage network was also called into question. To solve
a problem of an intersection between a main drain and a subway line, a siphon had been
positioned on a sewage pipe, which created favorable conditions for the creation of an explosive
atmosphere caused by the presence of gasoline remaining on the surface of the siphon
(inhabitants had complained of the presence of vapors and of smells of gasoline escaping from
the manhole covers since the 18th of April).

Normally, a sewage pipe is traditionally built in a slope so that gravity can carry the weight
downwards, the sewage line was then altered into a U shape to accommodate the subway line.
The explosions may have taken place at 10 different locations due to the gas- lock that occurred
inside the sewage line since the pumps are designed to now push its contents upwards.
Moreover, the pumps are designed to only drive liquid fluids thus causing the dangerous gasoline
fumes to build up and remain. And with the gasoline fumes being built up upstream, it is directly
under Gante Street where the effects were even more fatal. Thus, causing the gasoline to escape
through the corroded area and caused it to be soaked up in the soil and contaminated the water
through the corroded area of the water pipeline. This may also be a reason why residents were
complaining about gasoline in their running water.

The huge amount of gas that was escaped in surrounding soil may have moved to the sewage
tunnel whereby contamination may have occurred since the sewage tunnel is only miles away
from the water and gas pipeline.
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During that time, the atmosphere was heated. Heat may have permeated through the ground
causing the explosions since there was build-up of gasoline in the U shape pipelines as
mentioned earlier.

Additionally, a series of measurements of explosiveness appears to have been conducted at the

manholes and these appear to have revealed the potential risk of an explosion. An explosive
atmosphere in a confined space was created (presence of air and gasoline vapors) and the
explosion could have been initiated by a metal/metal impact or more simply by a cigarette end
thrown into a drain.

Images depicting the root cause of the gas leak.

Reference
Vedanand Dayaram

Babey, S. (Producer). (2013). Seconds From Disaster S01E08 Inferno In Guadalajara [Motion Picture].
Retrieved July 8, 2020, from https://youtu.be/odefOwa8XQ8

Editors, H. (2009, November 13). Sewers explode in Guadalajara, Mexico, killing hundreds. Retrieved
from HISTORY: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sewers-explode-in-guadalajara

Lower, S. (2020, May 18). Electrochemical Corrosion. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/: chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Book
%3A_Chem1_(Lower)/16%3A_Electrochemistry/16.08%3A_Electrochemical_Corrosion

network, E. o. (2007, December). ARIA. Retrieved from aria.development :

https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/

Sebastian, D. (2016, August 24). Slideshare. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from www. slideshare.net:
https://www.slideshare.net/divinesebastianperangattu/guadalajara-sewer-explosions