Foskor says there was no gas leak at its Richards Bay plant
|Published
Durban: Foskor Acid Plant in Richard’s Bay said a detailed investigation had revealed that no gas leak took place at its facilities.
On Monday, 37 learners from Hoërskool Richardsbaai were taken to hospital after they experienced nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing, with many having collapsed.
Paramedics said the number increased to almost 56 people being treated at various hospitals.
On Tuesday, Foskor said it received a complaint from the uMhlathuze Local Municipality just after 7am, regarding a possible gas leak from its acid plant at a localised area of Hoërskool Richardsbaai.
“A detailed investigation was immediately conducted by our team which revealed that there was no such gas leak at Foskor facilities,” said Hulisani Nemaxwi, the group manager for corporate affairs.
“Our Acid Plant monitoring is done daily as part of the preventative maintenance programme to ensure the plant integrity is within standards to avoid gas leaks.”
He said Foskor operated three sulphuric acid plants, called A, B and C.
“Two of our plants, being A and B, had been taken down for routine planned maintenance, and operating data for plant C indicated that Foskor was operating within the minimum emission standards,” said Nemaxwi.
Nemaxwi said that as a caring organisation working together with the communities, Foskor extended its sympathy to the schoolchildren and wished them a speedy recovery.
Sandy Camminga, of the Richards Bay Clean Air Association, a non-profit organisation started in 1997, said they had been inundated with complaints after yesterday’s incident.
IOL