IPOH, Sept 18 — The ordeal of being exposed to chlorine gas while carrying out gas neutralisation will forever remain an unforgettable and distressful experience for a Hazmat fireman who has served the department for four years.
Abdul Faris, 26, from the Hazardous Substances Unit (Hazmat) of the Pasir Puteh Fire and Rescue Station, was however thankful as he did not suffer any major injuries.
According to Abdul Faris, after the gas neutralising job at a factory in Menglembu, he removed his gas mask to rest.
“Suddenly a gush of wind brought a cloud of chlorine gas which entered my respiratory system.
“Even though I put on my oxygen mask back, my breathing was getting shorter so much so I felt something blocking my heart. At that moment, I was worried for my wife and child if something were to happen to me,” he said when met at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here, today.
Abdul Faris, who hails from Pahang, said his wife, now under confinement in her family home in Melaka after giving birth to their first child, will be visiting him.
Abdul Faris said he was expected to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.
In the 10 am incident yesterday, a ferric acid tank in a factory processing chlor-alkali in Kampung Baru Bukit Merah, Menglembu fell and leaked its content on hypochlorite pipe resulting in the formation of chlorine gas. — Bernama
