FUKUYAMA, Japan — A cat‘s fall into a vat of hazardous chemicals at a local factory has led to a public health warning from Fukuyama city officials. The incident occurred over the weekend at the Nomura Mekki Fukuyama factory in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Factory employees were alerted to the situation on Monday morning when an employee noticed unusual footprints on the pavement. Further investigation, including the review of CCTV footage from Sunday night, revealed the cat’s escape from the premises. Tracing the footprints, it was discovered that the animal had fallen into a vat containing hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogenic chemical.
Akihiro Kobayashi, the factory’s manager, noted that the vat was improperly covered, with a partially torn sheet that failed to secure the hazardous material. This oversight allowed the cat to come into contact with the dangerous substance.
In response to the incident, Fukuyama City officials issued an urgent health advisory urging residents to avoid contact with any cats displaying abnormal behavior, reflecting the potential danger posed by the chemical residue. The factory has been actively searching for the cat since the incident, with no sightings reported as of Tuesday.
The event has prompted a reevaluation of safety measures at the Nomura Mekki Fukuyama factory. “The incident woke us up to the need to take measures to prevent small animals like cats from sneaking in, which is something we had never anticipated before,” said a company spokesperson to AFP.
The condition of the cat remains uncertain, and experts are not optimistic. Linda Schenk, a chemical risk assessment specialist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, expressed concerns to CNN about the cat’s chances of survival. “Even if the fur would protect the skin from immediately getting large burns, cats clean their fur by licking it, moving the corrosive solution into the mouth,” she explained.
As the situation develops, the factory continues its efforts to locate the affected cat and assess the efficacy of its current safety protocols to prevent future incidents.