ULSAN, SEPT 27 – Sixteen people were taken to hospital today after a toxic chemical leak occurred at a factory in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, news agencies reported. Yonhap citing officials.
Firefighters received reports that a burning smell and white smoke were coming from a synthetic resin production plant in Ulju District in Ulsan, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 10:15 a.m.
According to officials, the smoke started coming out while testing the reactor containing about 50 kilograms of epoxy, a chemical compound, when the temperature suddenly rose to 200 Celsius.
Firefighters deployed 42 personnel and 16 fire trucks to cool the reactor. In the process, a 15-meter pipe near the reactor caught fire before it was extinguished two minutes later.
All workers inside the factory at the time were evacuated safely, but 16 people, including four interns at a nearby business center, complained of symptoms such as eye irritation and nausea, and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Small amounts of toxic chemicals such as toluene and ozone were detected at one point near the plant, but nothing has been detected so far, according to officials.
Firefighters are investigating the exact cause of the leak. – Named
