The fumes were from Ethyl mercaptan, which is a colourless, flammable, and highly odorous liquid. Authorities are investigating the source and composition of the fumes to ascertain their potential health risks.
In a tragic incident, as many as 59 students were affected after being exposed to fumes emanating from a storage tank at an energy plant in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred when fumes from the plant spread to nearby areas, impacting the health of several students, they added. Authorities are investigating the source and composition of the fumes to ascertain their potential health risks. While police said the tank was in the Jaigad Port LPG facility, the company stated that no such incident took place on their premises.
The students are from the Jaigad Vidya Mandir school, which is near the plant. Of the 250 students who were in the school, 59 complained of watery eyes and irritation after exposure to fumes emanating during the cleaning process of the tank, police said.
Some of them were taken to a nearby hospital, police added. The fumes were from Ethyl mercaptan, which is a colourless, flammable, and highly odorous liquid that is used as an odorant for natural gas and as a starting material for plastics, insecticides, and antioxidants, a police official said.
The students are under observation and will most likely be discharged on Friday afternoon, he said, adding that doctors will conduct a thorough check-up before letting the children go home.