A cat fell into a reservoir of a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance at a metal factory in the Japanese city of Fukuyama. The animal was able to escape from the factory and is now walking around freely. This is not without danger for the city residents: “Stay away from her,” the authorities warn.
Bron: The Guardian, South China Morning PostGisteren om 14:29
The search for the cat began when one of the factory workers on Monday noticed a trail of tan paw prints leading away from a container of toxic chemicals. And just as Obelix is strong because he fell into a vat of magic potion, the cat in question is tragically poisonous because he fell into a vat of chromium trioxide. Exposure to this highly acidic and toxic substance can lead to skin infections and respiratory problems, and even blindness and cancer.
The company checked surveillance footage and saw the animal leaving the factory. It has been missing since then. There are no images of how the cat fell into the three-meter deep reservoir, but the company does report that a sheet that serves to cover the tank was turned over. The four-legged friend may have crawled onto the sheet and then fell into the liquid that is kept at a temperature of 50 degrees.
(Read more below the photo)
The yellow-brown paw prints that the cat left behind. — © AFP
“We immediately alerted the police, the city of Fukuyama and the residents of the area surrounding our factory,” a spokesperson for the Nomura Plating company told the AFP news agency. Fukuyama residents have been asked to call police if they notice an “abnormal-looking” cat and are urged not to approach or touch the animal.
Local residents complain that the factory does not have protocols in place to avoid these types of incidents. “This incident has made us aware of the need to take measures to prevent small animals such as cats from sneaking in, something we had never taken into account before,” the company spokesman told AFP.
Because the unfortunate cat has not been spotted since the incident, it is suspected that the animal may have already died from contact with the toxic substance.