Fire engines outside Tauranga Hospital on Saturday night. Photo/Andrew Warner
Ten students were treated for what are believed to be chemical burns at Tauranga Hospital overnight.
A police spokesperson said police were notified that a number of people were taken to Tauranga Hospital's Emergency Department with what were believed to be chemical burns just before 7.30pm on Saturday.
Northern Fire
Communications shift manager Daniel Nicholson said firefighters were called to assist the students who were exposed to quicklime powder that gave them skin and eye irritation.
"They were decontaminated using the internal showers in the emergency department," said Mr Nicholson.
Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature.