Elective surgery and non urgent lab testing has been suspended at Wellington Hospital following a chemical leak this morning.
Workmen accidentally cut a chemical pipe in the hospital's Clinical Services Block (CSB), a staff only building, about 11am, which caused formalin, a potentially hazardous chemical, to leak out, Capital and Coast District Health Board (DHB) spokesman Michael Tull said.
The CSB was evacuated and 14 people, most of them workmen, were checked by the emergency department.
All were walking and talking and it appeared any effects from exposure to the chemical were minor, Mr Tull said.
The building, where the hospital's main laboratories were located, was not expected to reopen until tomorrow morning at the earliest with the clean-up likely to last into the night.
Non urgent surgery had been postponed for the rest of today and all non urgent lab testing was being delayed until the building reopened , Mr Tull said.
Urgent lab testing had been outsourced to Hutt Hospital and Aotea Pathology.
The hospital asked people to visit their GP for non urgent health ailments where possible or call healthline and to save the emergency department for emergencies.
The DHB apologised for any inconvenience.
Formalin is a solution of about 37 percent formaldehyde gas dissolved in water.