Six staff treated in A&E after chemical leak at hospital

Twenty firefighters called as Addenbrooke’s employees given medical attention for respiratory problems

Six hospital staff members were treated in A&E after an 'unknown substance' spilled in a laboratory (PA Archive/PA Images)

Six members of staff at a Cambridge hospital have been treated in A&E for respiratory issues after an “unconfirmed substance” spilled at a laboratory.

The lab at Addenbrooke’s Hospital was evacuated as a precaution and 20 firefighters were called shortly after the chemical leak was reported at 11.20am.

Fire crews continue to work to ensure the area is safe and no patient services are currently affected, Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service wrote on Twitter.

“At 11.20am today our operations centre received a report that an unconfirmed substance had been spilled in our laboratory block,” a Cambridge University Hospitals NHS statement said.

The six staff members were treated for respiratory issues in A&E. They are now medically well and continue to be monitored, the statement said.

Several fire engines and police cars were filmed gathered at the hospital following the incident, as a part of the hospital campus was cordoned off.

“We were just working and then someone told us that there was a chemical spill and we needed to get out,” a woman reportedly employed at the hospital told local media.

“The fire alarms were going off. We’re just waiting now so we can get our belongings. We didn’t panic. This is the first time this has happened in around 10 years.”

At 5pm, Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service said the incident had been scaled back and some emergency services had left the scene. A specialist unit remained on site to conduct further monitoring.

Addenbrooke’s is an internationally renowned teaching hospital and research centre with specialist services for organ transplantation, cancer, neurosciences, paediatrics and genetics.