A STUDENT who died after inhaling toxic chemicals had gone into a room to wash his irritated eyes, unaware it was the room in which the lethal chemicals had been spilled, an inquest heard.
Not realising the danger, post-graduate Richard Leung Wai-cheuk, 25, spent a minute washing his eyes, the inquest was told yesterday by Assistant Professor Dr Ian Williams, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Dr Williams said he had gone to see Leung in hospital after the incident and Leung had told him about going into the room to wash his eyes. He had not realised that was the room in which the spill took place until Dr Williams told him.
Coroner Warner Banks heard that on the evening of April 4, Leung, another post-graduate student, Chen Mei-fong, 25, and Dr Jia Guo-cheng, 34, an assistant professor, were at work in a room on the seventh floor. Xia Hai-ping, a research assistant, came in and Dr Jia left the room with him, without telling the other two what had happened, Ms Chen told the court.
She said Leung suggested they leave the room immediately because he smelt chemicals in the corridor.
She later met up with Leung and Dr Williams on the second floor. Ms Chen and Dr Williams said Leung's clothes smelled strongly of chemicals.