At least 11 workers were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after a chemical leak on Tuesday at a factory building at 166 Kallang Way in Singapore. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were in a "conscious and stable condition" when they were taken to the hospital.
According to Channel NewsAsia reports, the workers complained of skin irritation, and that the chemical involved is nitrogen trifluoride, which is colourless, odourless and non-flammable.
SCDF said it was informed about the incident at around 1.40 pm, and immediately two fire engines, a fire bike, three support vehicles and two ambulances were dispatched to the scene. However, it added that the leak, which was contained within a sealed production room, had been shut off by the in-built safety system on the premises before the SCDF arrived.
Later, SCDF declared that the surrounding environment was safe and there was no traces of the chemical in the air. The hazardous materials detectors also showed no reading of the chemical vapour in the production room.
The authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. Channel NewsAsia reported that the leak likely happened on the third floor of the building.
166 Kallang Way is the location of a block of flatted factories leased by JTC. The occupants of the building include electronic components manufacturer Epcos, telecommunications equipment company Qualcomm and Shell Solar.
The SCDF posted about the incident on Facebook at about 2.10 pm and confirmed that its resources were already are at the scene. It added that StarHub mobile subscribers in the area would have received a message urging them to stay away from the area.
