Reuters AlertNet Lite - China chemical spill kills one, poisons 125

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China chemical spill kills one, poisons 125

02 Feb 2007 10:25:52 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Two truck-drivers in central China have turned themselves in to police after their vehicle's toxic cargo leaked along a highway for several kilometres, killing one person and poisoning at least 125, state media said.

Villagers along a 5-km (3-mile) stretch of highway in central China's Hubei province suffered chest pains and stinging eyes after cancer-causing dimethyl sulphate leaked onto the road from the truck's tank on Tuesday night, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

The driver of a car behind the truck died from the fumes, Xinhua said. By Friday, 125 people had been admitted to hospital.

"Thirty people suffered medium-to-heavy poisoning, and the rest were mildly poisoned," Xinhua said.

Dimethyl sulphate is a highly toxic chemical used in pesticides and industrial dyes which can lead to blindness, kidney and liver damage if inhaled or absorbed through the skin in heavy doses.

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Last updated:Fri Feb 2 10:26:04 2007