A deadly explosion at a chemical plant in China has created shortages of certain key chemicals purchased by Western firms. It has also prompted a call for those firms to reconsider sourcing policies that allowed them to purchase from a company that was clearly out of compliance with local safety and environmental laws. The March 21 explosion at Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical, in the city of Yancheng in China’s Jiangsu Province, killed 78 people and injured more than 600. After the explosion, local officials closed all operations in the industrial park where the plant was located to assess safety conditions. Customers started to feel the effects of the explosion soon thereafter. In its April 18 earnings report, the Swiss chemical maker Lonza said the explosion and other Chinese supply-chain disruptions were creating raw material sourcing challenges for its specialty ingredient business. And the British Coatings Federation recently warned members that the