Nearly 20 workers fall ill after chemical spill at Kedah factory

A worker at a factory producing rubber-based products in Bakar Arang, Sungai Petani, Kedah lost consciousness while 16 others complained of eye pain and dizziness yesterday, due to a chemical spill.

Sungai Petani Zone 2 Fire and Rescue senior operations commander Fauzi Shuib said they received a distress call via the Mers 999 line at 3.04pm reporting a sodium hypochlorite spill.

A team from the Sungai Petani Fire and Rescue Station was sent to the scene and on arrival found there had been a chemical spill at the factory.

"The incident occurred at about 3pm. The victim who fainted was taken to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) while the other victims were sent to a nearby clinic and HSAH for treatment," he said in a statement today.

Decontamination using water was conducted at the scene and the operation ended at 5.48pm yesterday, he added.

- Bernama