Seven employees in Genk ingested chlorine gas: “I had the company evacuated immediately” | Region

Chlorine gas was released on Tuesday afternoon during an incident in the water treatment plant at the Kanigen Works Benelux company in Genk, Limburg. Of the 33 employees present, seven were overcome by the fumes. They were taken to hospital for a check-up. What exactly went wrong is still under investigation. “We can say with 100 percent certainty that there has been no nuisance to the neighborhood,” says fire captain Rob Reynders.

The East Limburg Fire Department was called on Tuesday afternoon around 2 p.m. for an incident involving hazardous substances at Kanigen Works Benelux. 33 employees were present there. Upon arrival it turned out that the company, active in chemical nickel plating, had quickly intervened. “The internal emergency procedures were followed correctly and the building had already been evacuated,” said Karen De Smedt of East Limburg Fire Zone. Employees were gathered outside and were split up depending on whether they had complaints or not.

According to company management, the incident did not occur in the actual production process, but in the water treatment. “A disaster has occurred at the water treatment plant, where a reaction took place that was not anticipated,” says the manager. “I immediately had the employees evacuated to a staging area.”

The fire brigade determined that it was chlorine gas, which was released after a chemical reaction. Captain Rob Reynders explains: “A liquid – hydrochloric acid – has come into contact with peroxide. When the two come together, they start to react and gases are released, including chlorine gas.”

A total of seven to eight staff members were taken to hospital for checks after being overcome by fumes. “We are all familiar with chlorine in the swimming pool: stinging eyes and irritation of the respiratory tract,” says Reynders. “The employees involved were slightly injured. We did not measure anything outside the hall. So no gases were released into the area. We can say with 100 percent certainty that there was no nuisance to the neighborhood.”

The cause of the incident is under further investigation. The situation is now under control, but specialized teams are still busy clearing the hazardous substances. Wolfsbergstraat is still closed to all traffic for the time being. Motorists must follow a detour.