One worker has been taken to hospital, and an exclusion zone has been set up around an area at the Port of Brisbane after 20 tonnes of sodium cyanide spilled from damaged shipping containers.
A dozen Queensland Fire and Emergency crews attended the site, working to contain the leak, including specialist firefighters in hazmat suits with breathing apparatus.
Sodium cyanide is a solid material, commonly used as an extraction chemical in the mining industry. It is highly toxic.
Queensland Ambulance Services took one worker to the Princess Alexandria Hospital, and reports indicate he is in a stable condition.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman confirmed that scientific teams were at the site.
“They do have a lot of crews out there, and scientific officers are there, and they will determine what it is,” the spokesman said.
Queensland Police have set up an exclusion zone around one of the berths as crews worked to safely clean up the spill.
Early reports suggest that two containers may have fallen from a ship onto the wharf, although that has not been confirmed.