23 people taken to hospital after workplace exposure to hydrochloric acid in St. Catharines discharged
A total of 23 people taken to hospital in St. Catharines following a hazardous workplace incident on Tuesday have been discharged.
According to Niagara Health, the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. at the THK Rhythm Automotive Plant in the Louth Street and Ridley Road area.
St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper told CTV News Toronto a contractor was working and accidentally hit a valve, which released five litres of hydrochloric acid.
Upper said the acid turned to vapour and three people were nearby. They managed to close the valve, but they were exposed to the fumes, he said.
Hydrochloric acid boasts a number of uses, including refining ore in tin and tantalum production, electroplating, and pickling and cleaning metal products, to name a few.
Officials on the scene said about 20 other people were exposed, and decontamination showers were used. Most of them were taken to the hospital by bus.
Upper said the exposure to the acid was more minor, and the other 20 people were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
"The chemical typically provides burns to respiratory and skin if you are exposed heavily," he said. "We don't believe they had that heavy saturation."
EMS Operations Sgt. Bryce Brunarski confirmed paramedics brought nine people to the hospital with minor exposure, while another 10 asymptomatic individuals with limited exposure to the leak went to the hospital by bus.
At 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Niagara Health confirmed its St. Catharines Site’s Emergency Department has been brought back to its normal operations, and has started to wind down from the response to the hazardous materials incident.
The health agency confirmed all patients were assessed, and are all expected to be discharged at some point today.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
The federal minimum wage is going up in April. Here's what you need to know
The federal minimum wage is set to increase next month. Here's what you need to know.