Primary investigations revealed that an alleged delay in closing the isolation valve at the receiving end led to a spillage of 10–15 kg of DMS, a hazardous chemical. The spillage released fumes that caused eye irritation among the workers, officials said
The incident took place while Dimethyl Sulphate (DMS) was being transferred from Plant No. 4 to Plant No. 10 using a 500-litre receiver, an official said. Representational Pic/File
At least eleven people were hospitalised after a chemical leak was reported in the early hours of Sunday at a factory located at MIDC Tarapur in Boisar area of Palghar district in Maharashtra, officials said.
According to an official statement issued by N. A. Devraj, Joint Director, Directorate of Industrial Safety (DISH), Palghar district, the incident took place at the Camlin Fine Sciences Ltd. at around 3 am while Dimethyl Sulphate (DMS) was being transferred from Plant No. 4 to Plant No. 10 using a 500-litre receiver.
It said that primary investigations have revealed that an alleged delay in closing the isolation valve at the receiving end led to a spillage of 10–15 kg of DMS, a hazardous chemical. The spillage released fumes that caused eye irritation among the workers.
Initially, two operators received first aid at the site. Later, between 8 am and 8:30 am, more workers reported similar symptoms after returning home. They informed the shift in-charge and were called back to the factory. At around 10:30 am, 11 affected workers were admitted to Vikas Netralaya in Boisar for further treatment.
The workers were identified as Abubakar (30), Ketan Mhatre (45), Narendra Thakur (33), Abhishek Dev (28), Mangal Yadav (47), Sunil Patil (29), Manish Yadav (20), Jitendra Chaudhari (36), Manish Kumar (20), Ashish Deshmukh (31) and Vijay Pal (28).
According to the attending doctor, none of the workers are in danger, and all are expected to be discharged by the evening, officials said on Sunday.
The factory, which employs around 1,000 workers is involved in antioxidant manufacturing.
The officials said that they received information about the accident at around 12:35 pm on Sunday.
"A preliminary inspection was carried out by S. G. Sabban, Assistant Director and a detailed investigation is underway," said an official.
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