AMMONIA LEAK. Clad in hazmats, members of the Bureau of Fire Protection respond to an ammonia leak incident in an ice plant in Quezon City. In a statement on Friday (Dec. 29, 2023), the city government said it will investigate to determine the cause of the leak. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The Quezon City government is urging residents that may have been exposed to the ammonia leak on Thursday, to have themselves checked, especially if they are experiencing symptoms of ammonia poisoning.
In a press release on Friday, the city's Health Department also advised residents not to pass by the area for now to avoid exposure and inhaling ammonia.
“Kung sakaling ma-expose dito, agad na magtungo sa pinakamalapit na ospital kung makaranas ng mga sintomas tulad ng (In case of exposure, immediately go to the nearest hospital especially if there are symptoms such as) cough, abdominal pain, blistering of skin, burning sensation on nose, throat, lungs, and eyes, difficulty of breathing, at nausea,” the release read.
On Thursday, 12 workers of an ice plant on Roosevelt Avenue, Barangay San Antonio, Quezon City were evacuated due to an ammonia leak.
Workers from nearby establishements were also advised to leave for their safety.
No one was reported hospitalized.
Clad in hazmats, members of the Bureau of Fire Protection as well as the city's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office immediately responded to the incident.
Ammonia is a colorless highly irritating gas with a sharp suffocating odor. When dissolved in water, it forms ammonium hydroxide solution that can cause irritation and burns.
Ammonia is used in agriculture as fertilizer. It is also used as a refrigerant gas, to purify water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, fabrics, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals.
When the chemical enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide, a very corrosive chemical that damages cells in the body on contact.
Under the city's Comprehensive Zoning Code of 2016, the ice plant involved in the ammonia leak is in a Low Intensity Industrial Zone.
Section 21 of the said code allows the “manufacturing of ice, ice blocks, cubes, tubes, crushed, except dry ice”.
The city government said it will thoroughly investigate the incident.
“Isasagawa rin ang imbestigasyon upang matukoy ang sanhi nito [leak] at tingnan ang mga paraan para ito ay hindi na maulit sa hinaharap (An investigation will also be done to determine its cause and to avoid similar incidents happening in the future),” it said. (PNA)
