There have been numerous fires and major explosions at the DKZKhI over the past three years, including an explosion in February 2017 that was covered by @DFRLab. After that explosion, Wim Zwijnenburg, the project leader for “humanitarian disarmament” projects at the Dutch organization PAX, told @DFRLab:

Depending on the source of the smoke, there will be likely acute health risk [sic] for those inhaling it. Pollution of groundwater and soil could result in long-term environmental damage and subsequent health risks, depending on quantity and types of chemicals present.

An earlier fire that occurred at the same Donetsk chemical factory. Photo originally published by @DFRLab in an earlier story. (Source: rusvesna.su)

Locals have been reacting to the explosion not so much with fear, but instead — as we see with many traumatic events in the Donbas —with a sense of familiarity, if not humor. In one of the largest online communities for Donetsk locals, in which the majority of users and administrators side with Russian-led separatists, the first reply to a thread on the explosion seems to represent how many in the region view large explosions near their homes:

Translation: “Yeah, like always, something is burning here :) We can’t have a single quiet or peaceful day….” (Source: VKontake user Andrey Lam)

Due to the illegal occupation of the non-government-controlled territory in the Donbas, it is not likely that international monitors will be able to assess the dangers of the smoke from the DKZKhI. This leaves local populations potentially exposed to long-term risks from both the immediate smoke and its lingering effects on soil and groundwater.