Toxic chemical leak in Ulsan plant in South Korea leaves 16 hospitalized

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, Yonhap reports.

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 southeast of Seoul, at 10:15 a.m.

The smoke began while testing a reactor containing some 50 kilograms of epoxy, a chemical compound, when its temperature suddenly shot up to 200 C, officials said.

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

In the process, a 15-meter pipe near the reactor caught fire before it was put out two minutes later.

All workers 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 were spotted as of now, according to officials.

Firefighters are looking into the exact cause of the leak.