Chemical fumes in Bulacan town downs 60

Some 60 residents, many of them children, were hospitalized before dawn Tuesday, hours after a truck reportedly dumped chemicals and waste into a river in Marilao town in Bulacan. Radio station dzBB reported Tuesday that hundreds of residents from Mary Grace Subdivision in Sta. Rosa I village close to the Rosario River spent the early hours of the morning on the highway, away from the fumes. "This is the first time this happened. We were confused, we didn't know how to react initially," town Mayor Epifanio Guillermo said in Filipino during an interview on dzRH radio. The incident was the second "chemical-related" incident since a cabinet containing chemicals inside the San Isidro National High School in Makati City fell and unleashed toxic fumes on school employees and nearby residents. GMA News' Unang Hirit reported that small children at the Marilao subdivision were relocated as residents complained of the nauseating smell from the river. Medical experts from the Department of Health (DOH) were already on the site to provide assistance and distribute face masks. Initial reports indicated the fumes may have affected up to 3,000 residents and hospitalized at least 20 people. Radio station dzBB reported at about 8:30 a.m., however, that the number of residents taken to the hospital swelled to 60. The Office of the Civil Defense for Central Luzon sent a special reaction team to get samples and analyze the effect of the fumes on humans. Residents started going back after 6 a.m. when the fumes were "more tolerable," Marilao police officer Superintendent Edwin Quilates said in an interview on dzRH radio. Guillermo cited initial information as indicating a white truck was seen near the river shortly before the fumes started to affect residents between 3 to 4 a.m. He said the stench of the fumes was strongest at about 4 a.m., shortly after a truck was seen parked near the river. Gloves were seen near the truck, the police chief said. As of 7 a.m., the reports conflicted as to whether the white vehicle was a tractor-trailer or a tanker-type truck. Guillermo said it was not clear which company owned the truck. He noted that there are many factories in the town, including those for leather and textiles, and a cannery. He said at least one elderly resident also fell unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. The incident came barely two days after residents in San Isidro village in Makati City were evacuated after chemicals in the school spilled. At least nine teachers and security guards have been hospitalized because of the chemical spill. Police cleared the area and were to resume cleaning up the mess Tuesday morning. As this developed, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III recommended Tuesday that chemical labs install working sprinkler systems to prevent fires caused by chemical accidents. "Sprinklers can help put out fires caused by chemical spills and similar accidents," Duque said in an interview on dzXL radio.-GMANews.TV