Tokyo: A city in Japan is on high alert because of a cat. Let us tell you that before disappearing late at night, the cat had fallen into a tank filled with dangerous chemicals.
Authorities in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, said they have stepped up patrols and warned residents not to approach the animals, which were last seen in security footage leaving a plating factory on Sunday.
Cat fell into cancer causing chemical
Authorities said claw marks found by a worker on Monday revealed a 3-meter-deep tank of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing chemical that can cause a rash and swelling if touched or inhaled.
An official at Fukuyama City Hall said the cat had not yet been found during a search of the neighborhood and it was unclear whether the animal was alive.
Akihiro Kobayashi, manager of the Nomura Meki Fukuyama factory, said a sheet covering a chemical tank was found partially torn when workers returned to work after the weekend. Crews have been searching for the cat ever since, he said.
Kobayashi said factory workers usually wear protective clothing and there have been no health problems among the workers.
Contact with hexavalent chromium can be fatal
Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, is perhaps best known as the carcinogenic chemical in the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts.