Four people have been taken to hospital after inhaling fumes and another is being decontaminated following a chemical spill at a South Canterbury leather factory today.
About 300 litres of tanning chemicals were spilled about noon at New Zealand Light Leathers in Washdyke, 5km northwest of Timaru, Phil Dejoux, the on call duty officer for Timaru Fire Service, told NZPA from the scene.
St John treated four people who were taken to hospital for further treatment while another was treated at the scene and sent home. They suffered minor to moderate respiratory problems and were not expected to suffer long-term health issues, he said.
The spill was contained and there were no public health or environmental threats.
The Department of Labour was investigating.
