Victims in a chlorine leak accident are
treated at a hospital in Shanghai, March 12, 2007. The leakage
affected 59 workers as they were tearing down an abandoned chemical
plant at a dock along the Huangpu River. All the workers are now in
stable condition.
Emergency staff guard at the chemical plant
after a chlorine leakage in Shanghai, March 12. The leakage
affected 59 workers as they were tearing down an abandoned chemical
plant at a dock along the Huangpu River. All the workers are now in
stable condition.
A group of 59 workers were poisoned by a chlorine leak from a
Shanghai chemical plant early on Monday, the local government
said.
The workers were dismantling a solvent plant on Nanmatou Road of
Pudong District when they were sickened by a spill of remnant
chlorine from some old equipment.
Fire fighters and workplace safety personnel capped the leak
shortly after the accident was reported at 7:00 AM, and all the
workers were hospitalized.
Eight workers were seriously poisoned and are under intensive
care, said a source with Shanghai Punan Hospital.
The local work safety watchdog has started to investigate the
accident.
Chlorine is a liquid under pressure but turns into a gas when
released. The toxic fumes can cause respiratory problems if
inhaled.
(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2007)
