Qld gas leak clears factories, art show

An ammonia leak which caused the evacuation of hundreds of people in Brisbane including the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) has been fixed, an Emergency Services Queensland spokeswoman said.

Queensland police established an exclusion zone around a dairy products factory owned by Parmalat in South Brisbane after the leak was detected about 8am (AEST) Sunday.

About 60 staff were evacuated from the factory while 550 people were evacuated from
GOMA about 10.20am as a precaution after staff detected the smell of ammonia.
The gallery patrons were visiting a Picasso and His Collection exhibition, but were
allowed to resume their viewing about an hour later.
Several factories near the Parmalat premises at the corner of Hope and Peel streets
in South Brisbane also were evacuated.
The EMQ spokeswoman said the leak was controlled about 10am but emergency staff
feared ammonia residue could vent through the factory's pipes.
About 4.10pm fire crews completed flushing the pipes with water, enabling the all
clear to be given, the spokeswoman said.
In large quantities ammonia gas can induce asthma attacks and cause lung damage, but
no one fell ill because of the leak.