150 Vietnamese workers sickened by chemical in shoe factory
HANOI - More than 150 workers were hospitalized and one later died after a chemical preservative was sprayed in a shoe factory in southern Vietnam, a company official said Monday.
Hundreds of workers at the Nam Kang Shoe Factory, which produces shoes for a Taiwanese company, were allowed to go home early Friday after complaining of a noxious smell, said the official, who identified himself only as Binh and would not disclose the company's name.
The chemical formaldehyde _ widely used as a preservative, sterilizer and embalming fluid _ had been sprayed in a storage area earlier in the day to prevent leather from molding, he said.
One female worker, who had recently suffered from severe hepatitis, was hospitalized Friday night for breathing problems and died the next day, he said.
Workers returned Saturday to the factory, in Binh Duong province, but began experiencing headaches, eye irritation and vomiting, and about a dozen fainted, Binh said.
Of the people hospitalized, all but five had been discharged as of Sunday, he said. The five remaining in hospital are in stable condition, he said.
The formaldehyde is believed to have made the workers sick, but authorities are investigating other possibilities since the 14 workers who sprayed the chemical were not affected, Binh said. He said the company has been using formaldehyde to prevent leather from molding since April, but it normally sprayed the chemical on Saturday afternoons because the factory is closed on Sundays.
Nam Kang, which employs 3,100 workers, has produced shoes for the Taiwanese company since 1995, said Binh.
The Associated Press - October 28, 2002
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