'Life-threatening' chemical accident in Konstanz hospitalizes 25

A total of 25 people were hospitalized suffering from respiratory tract irritation after inhaling fumes following a chemical accident in Konstanz in southern Germany on Friday morning.

Employees of a company that produces fruit preparation solutions for the food and beverage industry had detected a corrosive and fuming gas, a police spokeswoman said.

The gas was leaking from a container parked in the basement.

The situation was "life-threatening," but an employee acted quickly and did the right thing, according to the fire department's spokesperson.

The man was wearing full protection and able to use a forklift to move the container out of the building where the leaking gas could evaporate and no longer cause any damage. The environment or surrounding residents were not endangered and the man was unharmed.

According to the police spokeswoman, two chemicals had been mixed together in a 1,000-litre container at the company on Thursday to produce a cleaning agent for boilers.

According to initial findings, the two substances were 53% nitric acid and the detergent Horolith.

For unknown reasons, the temperature rose and a chemical reaction occurred, causing highly toxic nitrous gases to leak and spread throughout the building.

"The substances reacted violently with each other," the fire department spokesman explained, "causing corrosive gases to escape in the basement, which led to respiratory injuries."

The gases could have corroded the lungs of the employees if the container had not been brought out into the fresh air.

"The situation was life-threatening," the spokesman said.

A specialized company was hired to dispose of the container, while the fire department prepared to pump the chemical mixture into another 1000 litre container. The second container contained a solvent that would dilute the mixture and render it harmless.