A nitric acid spill at the Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Health in Porto injured five people, one of them seriously, on Friday morning.
The incident occurred at 11:30, while one of the victims was handling a chemical substance on the fifth floor of a building located on Rua de Alexandre Herculano.
For reasons still unknown, the container in which the chemical was stored fell and its contents spilled out. As a result of the nitric acid spill, a woman between 40 and 50 years of age who was working with the product suffered burns to her face, which was considered a serious injury. Two men and two women who were the first to help him were also injured due to gas poisoning. They were all treated at the scene by firefighters and INEM crews and then taken to the San Joao Hospital.
“We received the alarm at 11:35 a.m. and immediately mobilized our resources to the scene. Upon arrival, we discovered that a 60% nitric acid spill had occurred and began evacuating the fifth and sixth floors. hazardous material and, in the end, decontaminated the site and the personnel present during the intervention,” he explained morning Post Carlos Marques, commander of the Porto fire regiment.
CUT TO STREET
During the operation, which lasted about two and a half hours, Rua de Alexandre Herculano was closed to traffic. Pedestrian traffic was also disrupted as hazardous material was removed from the site.
Hazardous materials
“This is a little different, but we have a specialty in hazardous materials. We have a specific vehicle and people trained in that area,” the commander said.