Nine persons became victims of ammonia leak from an ice plant in Barangay New Lower Bicutan, Taguig on Sept. 25.
According to Taguig police, the nine persons, including a 92-year-old man, were given medical treatment following ammonia inhalation.
Authorities responding to the ammonia leak in Taguig. Some residents were evacuated due to the incident (Noel Pabalate)
The ammonia leak happened at about 7:31 a.m. at the ice plant on M.L. Quezon Street in the barangay.
The police identified the victims as Kyler, seven years old; Jevierah Ayao, 28; Angelica, 15; Jacqueline Tarepe, 43; Princess, eight; Ariel Dela Cruz Jr., 27; Mauricio Santos, 92; Rachelle Ann Ramos, 37; and Fely Villaluz, 80.
According to the police, an operator at the ice plant was draining an oil pack of the ice maker machine when the valve of a pipe hose broke, resulting in pressurized white smoke (ammonia) leaking from the pipeline.
The incident was immediately reported to the company technician, who fixed and replaced the pipe hose to stop the ammonia leak.
The Taguig City government evacuated residents to the Hagonoy gym.
Personnel from the police, fire department, Taguig Rescue, Taguig City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Social Welfare and Development Office and City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit responded to the incident.
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen widely used in fertilizers and pharmaceuticals, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Exposure to high levels of ammonia in air may be irritating to your skin, eyes, throat, and lungs and cause coughing and burns. Lung damage and death may occur after exposure to very high concentrations of ammonia. Some people with asthma may be more sensitive to breathing ammonia than others. Most people will smell a noxious odor or feel irritation that indicates exposure to ammonia, but exposure for a long time may affect their ability to sense the chemical," according to the CDC website.
According to the CDC, symptoms of exposure to higher levels of ammonia are:
- Abdominal pain
- Coughing
- Coughing up white to pink-tinged fluid (sign of pulmonary edema)
- Blistering of skin
- Burning sensation in the nose, throat, lungs, and eyes
- Frostbite if exposed to liquified ammonia
- Narrowing of the throat and swelling
- Nausea
- Permanent or temporary blindness
- Skin pain
- Skin redness
- Vomiting
Exposure to ammonia in sufficient quantities can be fatal.