A cat falling into a vat full of dangerous chemicals sparks a health warning in Japan

Tokyo
CNN
—

City in Japan On high alert because a cat falls into a tank of dangerous chemicals before disappearing into the night.

Officials in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, said they had increased patrols and warned residents not to approach the animal, which was last seen in security footage leaving a paint factory on Sunday.

A series of fingerprints discovered by a worker Monday led to a three-meter-deep vat of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing chemical that can cause skin rashes and infections if touched or inhaled, officials said.

A Fukuyama City Council official said neighborhood searches have not yet found the cat, and it remains unclear whether the animal is alive.

The lid covering the chemical container was found partially torn off when employees returned to work after the weekend, said Akihiro Kobayashi, Nomura Miki Fukuyama plant manager.

He said workers have been searching for the cat since then.

Kobayashi added that factory employees usually wear protective clothing and no health problems have been reported among employees.

Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, is perhaps best known as the cancer-causing chemical featured in the 2000 film “Optical fiber,” Starring Julia Roberts.

The drama, based on a real-life legal case, focuses on the titular activist's battle against a utility company accused of polluting the water in a rural California community, causing increased levels of cancer and death among its residents.

The substance is “harmful to the eyes, skin and respiratory system,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Workers may be harmed by exposure to hexavalent chromium,” the CDC says on its website. “The level of exposure depends on the dose, duration and work being done.”

Experts doubt the cat's ability to survive for a long time after coming into contact with the substance.

“Even if the fur protects the skin from getting major burns right away, cats clean their fur by licking it, transferring the corrosive solution to the mouth,” said Linda Schenk, a researcher specializing in chemical risk assessment at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

“I think the cat unfortunately died or will die soon due to chemical burns.”