"A chlorine gas leak in the Khan Bani Saad [subdistrict] water treatment plant caused 20 people to suffer from poisoning," Faris al-Azzawi, the province's health department spokesperson, told Rudaw.
The leak came from “one of the gas cylinders” at the water treatment plant, according to Azzawi.
Six of the patients had to be hospitalized at the Baquba general hospital, Azzawi said, “while the other cases remained in Khan Bani Saad, and all the injured are in stable conditions.”
Located 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, the province has witnessed similar cases in the past.
In 2022, a chlorine gas cylinder explosion in the Baquba water treatment plant injured 69 people, and a gas leak in the northern al-Azim district of the province injured several others in the same year.
The previous year, a similar incident at southwest Baquba’s water treatment plant caused several injuries.
Chlorine is widely used across Iraq’s water treatment plants to disinfect water supplies and prevent the growth of algae, bacteria, and microorganisms.
Exposure and inhalation of chlorine may cause chest pain, coughing, and sore throat, while high-level acute exposure can lead to severe respiratory distress, nausea, and dizziness.
Abdullah Salam contributed to this report.
