202 workers poisoned by chemical in central Turkey

ÇANKIRI – Anadolu Agency

CİHAN photo

Some 202 workers were hospitalized on Jan. 16 due to chemical poisoning at a hosiery factory in the Central Anatolian province of Çankırı.

The workers at the factory in the organized industrial site in the Şabanözü district of Çankırı fainted while working between 4 p.m. and 12 a.m. Some 116 people were transferred to the Çankırı State Hospital while the others were transferred to hospitals in Çankırı and hospitals in nearby provinces.

Residents living near the organized industrial site also checked in at local hospitals after also suffering effects from the scent.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has determined that the chemical causing the poisoning was Tetrahydrothiophene, which spread from an inactive furniture factory at the site.

The industrial site has been temporarily closed and is expected to be opened on Jan. 18.