Nine employees of a hardware manufacturing company were taken to a hospital today after complaining about burning eyes and respiratory problems following exposure to a cyanide powder, officials said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection was called to Corbin Russwin Inc. Friday morning to clean up dust that contained a cyanide residue.
Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the DEP, said the cyanide powder is used in the manufacturing process.
“Something went awry and there was dust in the air,” he said. “It happened when they were cleaning around the area. The basic cleanup is to let the dust settle and vacuum it up.”
No injuries were reported and employees re-entered the building several hours after state environmental officials arrived at the company.
