Fire and Emergency responded. Photo / RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Two people have been hospitalised after one of Niwa’s Wellington buildings had a sulphur dioxide leak.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said the leak was reported at 10.16am, and the building was evacuated.
Crews at the scene raised the response to a second alarm hazardous substance response.
This included five appliances and three specialist support vehicles.
Two people were taken to hospital as a precaution and one appliance remains at the scene in Evans Bay as a precaution.
Sulphur dioxide is a gas with a pungent smell which forms sulphuric acid when combined with water.
According to the Ministry for the Environment, it can cause respiratory problems such as bronchitis, and can irritate a person’s nose, throat and lungs. It may cause coughing, wheezing, phlegm and asthma attacks.
It has also been linked to cardiovascular disease.
A selection of cartoons from Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson over the past year