Despite hundreds of reports across the island about an odor akin to smoke and chemicals yesterday, the authorities found nothing suspicious and were not able to confirm the source of the stench itself.
It all started at about 5pm, when members of the public in the Sengkang and Punggol area alerted the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) about a strong acrid smell in the air, with some describing it as a “chemical” or “kerosene” smell.
But the thing is, there was nothing that pointed to the cause of the smell. After conducting investigations, SCDF found no confirmed incidents, and did not detect the presence of toxic industrial chemicals in the air.
Strangely enough, the smell began to spread from the north-eastern end of the island to other districts — the same odor was reported by folks in Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Queenstown, Bukit Timah, and Orchard. The mysterious foul stench was strong enough to elicit similarly strong reactions.
This strong smell of gas/petrol I’m smelling in the air right now ain’t toxic but it’s really pungent
— Mami’s Husband (@mamidre) September 25, 2017
woah the chemical smell gtg!! it’s super strong & its giving me a headache!!!
— nicole 🍍 (@iznicz) September 25, 2017
Yeah, damn rabz sia the smell. Nose & eyes all burning. I think some chemical spill, uh?
— Suzanna S. Silvia (@suzannashantini) September 25, 2017
This don’t seems like a normal haze happening in Singapore now, the foul smell in the air is like exhaust pipe gas leaked kind. Very strong.
— AngelOfDeath92 (@Senorita_Te_amo) September 25, 2017
Unfortunately, the NEA did not have any explanation for the smell either. According to investigations, air quality levels were found to be “well within safety limits”.
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