Akhir 21, 1432 H/March 26, 2011, SPA -- Japan's earthquake and nuclear disaster has knocked out the entire world supply of a popular metallic additive to automotive paint, dpa quoted the manufacturer, Merck of Germany, as saying Saturday. Merck's product, Xirallic, an enhanced aluminium oxide, is added to pigment and supplied to paint companies in a range of colours that go by names such as solaris red, stellar green and cosmic turquoise because of their cold, metallic glow. The world's only Xirallic plant is located 45 kilometres from the Fukushima nuclear power station. People living within 20 kilometres of the burned plant must leave, and within 30 kilometres are advised to evacuate. Merck spokesman Gangolf Schrimpf said at Darmstadt in Germany that 160 plant staff and their families had been relocated to safer places and it was unclear when the plant, which was damaged by the earthquake, could resume production. He could not say what makes of car use Xirallic.
