The Kronos chemical plant near Montreal, Quebec, in Canada has been leaking a dangerous acid chemical for the past couple of days. People living in the area have been evacuated, and the chemical contamination has completely turned the air white like a fog. The chemical is dangerous to the lungs and severely affects breathing. Since these things are carried on the wind, even places that are not close to the chemical plant could be getting some of the polluted air. I was reading this and thinking about Ken's recent post of unexpectedly being sick with flu-like symptoms. Maine is pretty much in the same region as Montreal; so this might be causing some of the illness. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...k-puts-acid-cloud-over-varennes-que-1.3004300
It is possible that the chemicals traveled on the wind and caused more people than we know to get sick. I would be concerned for people that have allergies and the air quality. The article did not give any clue as to how long the cloud would be in the air and when people would be able to go to their homes.
It good to know that the chemicals mentioned are not known to cause cancer. On the other hand, the symptoms that it does cause may others with conditions like COPD or other respiratory conditions to become more at risk. It's scary when you think about all the chemicals that are being manufactured and transported around the world.