Chemical leak in Shanghai kills 15

ANG AI A P — A liquid ammonia leak from a refrigeration unit at a food company in hina’s commercial hub of hanghai killed 1 people yesterday, the local government said.

The leak also sickened at least others, who had been sent to hospital, with si in critical condition, the hanghai government said in a statement.

The incident occurred shortly before midday yesterday in the city’s northern district of Baoshan at a cold storage unit owned by a seafood company, media reports said.

Photos on the website of the Xinhua Evening News a local newspaper, showed fire trucks at the scene with hoses on the ground.

The government did not say whether the company’s workers or people living in the urban area nearby were affected.

iquid ammonia used in refrigeration can cause destruction of lung tissue, potentially resulting in death, and chemical burns on the skin, according to the Occupational afety and ealth Administration O A .

The company, hanghai eng Pai old torage Industrial o., is engaged in the import and e port, storage, processing and sales of aquatic products.

It has the capacity to free e 1 tons of products a day, according to its website.

hanghai is considered to be more tightly regulated than other cities in hina, but this marks the second accident at a food company in the city in less than a month.