JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 15 — Two women have been treated for breathing difficulties while a group of residents in Kampung Baru Sri Aman, Seelong, near here, vacated their homes after inhaling a strong chemical odour, last night.
Johor Hazardous Materials and Waste Management (Hazmat) Unit chief, fire senior assistant superintendent Saiful Bahri Safar said they received a call at 10.22 pm and the first team arrived at the village 15 minutes later.
“Two victims, in their 20s and 40s, were sent to Sultanah Aminah Hospital and Sultan Ismail Hospital for treatment by the EMRS unit, after experiencing shortness of breath.
“Hazmat members conducted detection, isolation and damping in the tributary and it was found that there was a spill of solid-liquid in the area,” he told reporters when met at the scene, last night.
He said from the initial test, it was believed that the spill was methyl alcohol, a type of scheduled waste, with a concentration of 120 ppm (parts per million).
“Following that we asked five houses, located about 150 metres (from the tributary), to be vacated and they were moved to the community hall.
He said efforts to locate the source of the spill were ongoing.
A total of 24 personnel and officers with five engines from Kempas, Larkin and Johor Jaya fire stations were rushed to the scene.
As of 2.30 this morning, detection efforts were ongoing and the teams also requested assistance from the Department of Environment and the Melaka Hazmat Unit.
A check by Bernama also found that the strong chemical odour could be detected about 300 metres from the tributary.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency