At least 22 Durban factory workers had to be taken to hospital with respiratory problems on Monday morning, paramedics said.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said 18 of them were from the Beacon Sweets factory in the Jacobs industrial area, while the other four were from a nearby shoe factory. Some of those taken to hospital also suffered from a severe eye irritation, he said.
They were taken to Durban’s St Augustine’s and Chatsmed hospitals. By late Monday, all of those treated had been released.
Selvan Mudaly, the deputy head of environmental health for Durban South, said initial investigations revealed that a power failure had hit the area during the early hours of Monday morning.
The source of the chemical, believed to be butyl acrelate, was Revertex Chemicals. Butyl acrelate is used in the paint industry.
He said health inspectors had begun investigating the source of the chemical when the city’s health department received complaints from residents in Durban’s Bluff suburb.
He said the municipality would investigate if there was negligence on the part of the company. He did not know why emergency generators had not activated to prevent a release of the gas.
Revertex’s operations director, Dave Wills, said the area had been hit by a power failure, causing the factory to shut down. ”When the plant restarted we had a reaction surge. But there were no spills and we contained everything.”
He said he was ”a bit surprised” to hear that staff outside the factory had been taken to hospital, as none of the Revertex staff had been affected.
A statement released by Tiger Brands executive Neil Brimacombe said staff were evacuated from the Beacon Sweets factory in the early hours of Monday morning.
He said that tests carried out at the factory had not revealed any contamination of the sweets.
”Third-party tests” would also be carried out to ensure there was no product contamination, he said. — Sapa