PHENOL GAS LEAK: FOUR FACTORY WORKERS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

KULIM, Four workers at a factory which produces plastic-based products in Lunas, near here, were rushed to Kulim Hospital this morning after they were believed to have inhaled Phenol gas. The Kedah Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) senior operations commander (Hazmat Team) Assistant Fire Superintendent Hamizul Azwan Hamdan said the department received a call at 9.53 this morning informing them of an incident of gas leak. 'Fire engines arrived at the scene of the incident at 10.12 am, and found that there had been a chemical leak, which is a type of Phenol gas,' he said. 'Two workers were in a semi-conscious state, while two other workers, including a Bangladeshi national, are in a state of dizziness and nausea...all of them have been rushed to Kulim Hospital for treatment," he said in a statement today. He added that the Hazmat team had carried out a decontamination operation on the victims, and around the factory area. 'The Kulim Hi-Tech Hazmat team has confirmed that there are no more readin gs of dangerous chemicals at the location. The operation concluded at 11.50 am,' he said. Source: BERNAMA News Agency