Dangerous substance leaked at Ben Gurion Airport

Cargo operations came to a halt after a chemical spilled from containers unloaded from an El Al flight
 
Ben Gurion Airport announced the resumption of cargo operations at the airport’s Maman international cargo terminal, after hazardous materials treatment crews cleaned up a chemical leak from containers unloaded from an El Al flight that halted cargo operations.
 
Some 800 liters of chemical compound acrylamide leaked out when the containers were being stored in Maman warehouse.
 
A 65-year-old man, who experienced a burning sensation in his eyes, was taken to the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.
 
Some 10 containers of the chemical had been unloaded from an El Al cargo flight originating in Belgium, with four of the containers found to be leaking.
 
El Al's spokesman said that the incident occurred seven hours after a 747-400 Boeing airplane, which departed from Belgium's Liege airport, landed at Ben Gurion Airport.
 
The spokesman attributed the leak to a “malfunction,” and said the incident was under investigation. He added that there was no damage to the airport or the plane.
 Acrylamide is used in water purification plants and is also utilized to make glues, paper and cosmetics. According to the World Health Organization, the chemical can be toxic to humans at certain doses.
 
Earlier this month, a wide-scale drill simulating a crash landing and plane inflammation was held at the Ben Gurion Airport.