Navotas City mayor calls for evacuation over ammonia leak from ice plant

(Philstar.com) – February 3, 2021 – 5:30pm

MANILA, Philippines — Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco called on residents near an ice plant to evacuate after ammonia leaked from it.

Tiangco appealed to the public on social media to avoid North Boulevard and R-10 due to the ammonia leak.

Please avoid North Blvd and R-10, may ammonia leak from T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage. Nanduon na po BFP and mga ambulance natin. sa mga residente pls evacuate

— Toby Tiangco (@TobyTiangco) February 3, 2021

He said that the Bureau of Fire Protection and ambulances have responded to the situation.

A Facebook Live video by a resident there showed dozens of residents covering their mouths and noses, slowly leaving the area.

Ammonia can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, mouth and digestive tract, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency said that exposure to higher concentrations of ammonia can lead to more harmful effects, like burns to the skin, throat or lungs, which can be serious enough to cause permanent blindness, lung disease or death. — Xave Gregorio