Cat falls into toxic chemical tank in Japan and escapes, sparking health scare
- The cat was captured on security cameras entering the Nomura Plating factory, and could have climbed onto a sheet covering a tank of hexavalent chromium before falling in
- Residents have been warned not to approach or touch any cat displaying unusual behaviour, as animal-lovers take the company to task for negligence
In a plot line that could have come from a sci-fi film, an employee arriving for work on Monday morning at the Nomura Plating factory in Fukuyama, Hiroshima prefecture, noticed a trail of yellow animal paw prints across the car park area.
Examination of security camera footage revealed that a cat had entered the factory the previous night.
An official of the company told Flash magazine that the cat might have climbed onto a sheet covering the tank storing the chemical, which is kept at a constant 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), before falling in.
Hexavalent chromium is used in plating, but it is a known carcinogen. Swallowing the liquid can cause inflammation of the throat and internal organs. The chemical also causes rashes on exposed skin and serious irritation to the eyes. Untreated, the chemical can cause blindness.
The company reported the incident to police and the local authority, which have called on residents to be on the lookout for any cat displaying unusual behaviour but not to approach or touch the animal.
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Cat falls into toxic chemical tank in and escapes, sparking health scare in Japan
The manager of the plant told Flash that staff had received around a dozen phone calls from angry local people berating the company for failing to take steps to keep the cat away from the chemical.
The official, who was not identified, said, “We are taking the complaints seriously and will take thorough measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.”
The incident also sparked outrage on social media, with animal-lovers accusing the company of failing to take the appropriate precautions and being complicit in what most assume will be the cat’s death.
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One message on the NTV News website demanded that the company apologise, provide the owner of the cat with compensation and have its licence to handle dangerous chemicals withdrawn.
Others, however, pointed out it was difficult to keep a cat out of a factory complex, saying that pet owners who are terrified of what might happen to their animals should never let them outside their homes.
One more tongue-in-cheek poster suggested, “It may have evolved into a superalloy cat.”
