Germany: Several hospitalized in Konstanz chemical leak

Several people were hospitalized Friday after being exposed to toxic fumes following a chemical accident in Konstanz city in southern Germany.

A total of 25 people were taken to hospital for checks, suffering from respiratory tract irritation after inhaling the fumes, German news agency DPA reported.

What happened at the plant?

Employees at a company that manufactures fruit processing solutions detected a corrosive and toxic gas Friday morning, a police spokesperson said.

The gas was leaking from a container parked in the basement of the company.

The situation was described potentially "life-threatening" by the fire department's spokesperson, but who said that an employee acted quickly to mitigate the risk.

The employee clothed in protective gear used a forklift to move the container out of the building so the gas could disperse into a broader area rather than inside the building.

The employee was not harmed, and their action also posed no risk to residents in the surrounding area, the fire department said.

According to initial findings, nitric acid and detergent Horolith were the main components of the 1000-liter container, police said.

The two were mixed on Thursday to produce a cleaning agent for boilers and stored away in a container. For unknown reasons, the temperature rose and a chemical reaction took place, causing the highly toxic gases to breach their container, leak out and spread.

"The substances reacted violently with each other," the fire department spokesman explained, "causing corrosive gases to escape in
the basement, which led to respiratory injuries." 

The fumes are hazardous for the lungs and could have led to serious lung damage to employees had the container not been moved out in time, police said.

rm/msh (dpa)