SEREMBAN: Employees and patients at several units of the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital (TJH) here had to be evacuated 15 minutes after they reported for work when a glass bottle containing 2.5 litres of ammonia kept in one of its labs exploded.

State health director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the employees and patients had to be immediately evacuated as acrid fumes began to permeate at the ground floor within minutes of the incident.

The incident occurred at a lab at the tuberculosis unit around 8.15am.

“The bottle exploded on its own and the liquid fell on the floor,” he said, adding that hospital employees immediately called the Fire and Rescue Department to report the incident.

Among the units that had to be closed were the haemodialysis, psychology and counselling, occupational therapy, serology and respiratory (tuberculosis).

A Hazmat team from the Seremban 2 Fire and Rescue Department arrived within minutes of being notified.

The Hazmat team managed to neutralise the area within two hours.

A section of the ground floor at the hospital had to be cordoned off as Hazmat team members in protective equipment entered the premises.

“We had to close the area as we did not want patients or hospital staff to inhale the toxic fumes.

“The area was declared safe around 11am and the employees were allowed to resume work shortly after that,” he said.

However, patients who came to seek treatment at the clinics where the spill occurred were given appointments for another day.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/7/nation/20080507175958&sec=nation