Palghar: Thirteen workers were hospitalised after dimethyl sulphate leaked in a chemical manufacturing unit in the early hours of Sunday in Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said.
The incident took place around 3am at a unit in Boisar Tarapur MIDC, said District Disaster Management Cell chief Vivekanand Kadam.
Dimethyl suplhate is a clear, oily liquid with a faint onion-like odour and can cause skin and eye irritations as well as burns.
"The unit in which dimethyl sulphate leaked makes antioxidants. The leak took place when dimethyl sulphate was being transferred from the unit's plant 4 to plant 10. The fumes emanating following the leak caused irritation in the eyes of workers," Kadam told PTI.
As a precautionary measure due to the nature of the chemical exposure, 13 workers were hospitalised, he said, adding the incident was reported to his cell at 12:35pm.
"The probe into the incident is being carried out by SG Babban, assistant director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health. The probe will cover safety protocols in place during the chemical transfer process and overall adherence to industrial safety norms," Kadam informed.
A local fire brigade official said his department was not informed about the incident as the company handled the situation by itself.
"Our understanding is there was a chemical spill and water was sprayed on it. This resulted in fumes, which caused irritation to workers," he said.
The Boisar police visited the site and have begun a probe, another official said.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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