Following an incident involving a stray cat, a state of emergency has been declared in Fukushima, Japan.
On the 12th, local Japanese media outlets such as Asahi Shimbun and NHK reported that a stray cat had fallen into a tank containing hexavalent chromium at the Nomura Plating Fukushima Factory on the 10th and had subsequently left the factory premises.
Authorities have warned residents not to touch the stray cat if they encounter it.
Hexavalent chromium is a Group 1 carcinogen and can cause severe respiratory and skin mucosa inflammation upon contact or inhalation, posing significant danger.
An employee at the Factory was first tipped off to a strange occurrence around 7 a.m. on the 11th. They saw paw prints, believed to be from the cat, leading away from a chemical tank.
Upon reviewing CCTV footage, the employee saw the cat leaving the factory around 9 a.m. the previous day, leaving paw prints behind.
The vat into which the cat had fallen was approximately 6.6 feet high and 11.2 feet wide. This vat was covered only with a sheet on top, and the cat had turned over part of it. The vat was reported to have been filled with a 70% solution.
Authorities have speculated that the cat climbed onto the vat due to its warm temperature and fell in.
Authorities have stated that while the cat may have died when spotting a cat that appears abnormal, residents are urged not to touch it and to contact the city or police immediately.
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