16 hospitalized after toxic chemical leak in Ulsan plant

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16 hospitalized after toxic chemical leak in Ulsan plant

Published: 27 Sep. 2024, 16:40 Updated: 27 Sep. 2024, 17:42

Smoke comes out of an epoxy plant in Ulsan on Friday. [YONHAP]

Sixteen people were taken to a hospital Friday after a toxic chemical leak at a plant in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, officials said.

Firefighters received a report that a burning smell and white smoke were coming from a synthetic resin production plant in Ulju County in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Seoul, at 10:15 a.m.

The smoke began while testing a reactor containing some 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of epoxy, a chemical compound, when its temperature suddenly shot up to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit), officials said.

Firefighters mobilized 42 personnel and 16 fire trucks to cool down the reactor.

A 15-meter (49-foot) pipe near the reactor caught fire in the process. It was put out two minutes later.

All workers who were inside the plant at the time safely evacuated, but sixteen people, including four trainees at a nearby business center, complained of symptoms like eye irritation and nausea and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Small amounts of toxic chemicals like toluene and ozone were detected at some point near the plant, but none continue to be spotted as of press time, according to officials.

Firefighters are looking into the exact cause of the leak.

Yonhap