Toxic chemicals caught fire in a plant in central China's Hubei Province Saturday and waste water flowed into a tributary of the Yangtze River, China's longest, after the fire was put out, local authorities said.
No pollution, however, has been found in the water.
The fire broke out at about 3 a.m. in a plant in Hongshan District of Wuhan City, nine kilometers away from where the Yangtze and the tributary Xunsi River meet, according to the Provincial Environmental Protection Department.
The chemicals included tons of ethylal, benzene and chlorhydric acid.
No pollutants have been found around the mouth of the Xunsi River, the environmental department said. Close monitoring is still continuing.
The toxic and flammable chemicals can hurt human's eyes and respiratory tracts. Exposure to them may cause headaches, bronchitis and vomit.
(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2008)
