Eight people have been taken to hospital after coming into contact with a ‘poisonous chemical’ during maintenance work on the Moerdijk industrial estate, the Brabant safety board said on Wednesday.

One of them is said to be seriously ill after the chemicals were released during work on a storage tank. The Moerdijk estate is home to a large number of chemicals companies.

According to broadcaster NOS, the chemical is phosphorus trichloride, a corrosive and transparent liquid which is used in pesticides. It causes irritation to eyes, skin and airwaves and can lead to serious lung problems.

The safety board said it had not yet established if the chemical should have been in the tank or how the leak happened.