Air quality normal after Tianjin blasts: authorities

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the air quality remained normal in the region near the warehouse which was destroyed by blasts Wednesday night, the city's environmental bureau said.

The city immediately began to monitor the air and water quality hours after the blasts, setting 34 temporary monitoring stations for air and five for water, according to the bureau.

So far, the water discharge port to the sea has been closed, and the water is being tested.

At 4 a.m. Thursday, the epoxyethane, a harmful gas which could lead to cancer, in the most polluted area has remained in a normal range below 2 milligram per cubic meter, compared with a stipulated hazardous level of 5 milligram per cubic meter.

At 5:30 am, the concentration of methylbenzene and volatile organic compounds, both harmful gases, slightly exceeded the standard.

As of 11 a.m., all harmful gas indicators fell back to the normal range.

The death toll climbed to 44 on Thursday afternoon, according to rescue headquarters.

Twelve firefighters were among the dead.

The first explosion occurred around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at the warehouse in the Binhai New Area. Only seconds later, a second blast wreaked more havoc, as fireballs shot into the sky, sent doors and windows flying in neighboring areas, and set cars and houses on fire.

Specialized anti-chemical warfare troops were being sent to the site.