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The Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) is an annual, international conference within the petrochemical industry intended to "spur mutual friendship and goodwill" within the industry with an aim to encouraging its "sound development". Known at its 1979 founding as the East Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference, it was a combined project of industry associations within Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, which northern Asian nations alternated hosting duties. In 2000, the conference was retitled to its current name when India, Malaysia, and Singapore entered the hosting rotation.

Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer, and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard chalk and wallboard. A massive fine-grained white or a lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, has been used for a sculpture by many cultures including Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Nottingham alabasters of Medieval England.

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2CH2)2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, poisonous, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent. It can be a contaminant in consumer products; this has resulted in numerous epidemics of poisoning since the early 20th century.