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Emergency services off Rangiora property where a suspected gas leak was reported.
The smell of a decaying phone battery in a North Canterbury store sent three people to hospital, says Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz).
Fenz spokesman Andrew Norris said firefighters were called to the Spark store in Rangiora at 11:49 am Tuesday after reports of a possible gas leak.
One person was treated at the scene by an ambulance.
Firefighters could not find the source of the gas leak and left. They were called back to the store at 1.10 p.m. with more reports of an odor, Norris said. They still couldn’t track where the smell was coming from or what was making people sick.
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Norris said the decaying phone battery was later found to be the likely cause of the odor.
It was a lithium-ion battery and gave off “a gas that is obviously not visible,” he said.
EMMA DANGERFIELD / Stuff
A specialized unit from Christchurch attended the incident with gas detectors, along with two teams of firefighters.
The phone was removed from the building following technical advice from a specialized chemical unit in Queensland, Australia.
People were allowed to return after the building was fully ventilated.
A Spark spokeswoman said the store would remain closed and an additional investigation would take place on Wednesday. She said she did not confirm that the smell originated there.
Some team members who were feeling ill sought medical advice.
Canterbury University Associate Professor Aaron Marshall, an expert in electrochemistry and batteries, said that electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries have a very strong odor.
EMMA DANGERFIELD / Stuff
A specialized Fenz gas unit from Christchurch attended the incident, along with two fire crews.
“And it really doesn’t take much to make a little stink,” he said.
Marshall said that lithium-ion batteries can break down quickly if left in extreme temperatures.
He said the smell was “no different” from nail polish remover. He said it was not a great risk, but that people could feel bad if they were exposed to it for a long time.
“It would be like you were smelling nail polish remover for an hour, that would also make you feel bad.”
Marshall said lithium-ion batteries were generally safe, given the number that is used around the world. “I wouldn’t be scared by that yet.”
A spokesperson for St John Ambulance previously said that six people were tested at the scene and three were taken to Christchurch Hospital in “mild condition.”
Norris initially said that gas detectors couldn’t find any trace of gas.
A specialized unit from Christchurch attended the incident with gas detectors, along with two teams of firefighters.
