Eleven people have been taken to hospital following a 'dangerous occurrence' at the Poolbeg Incinerator.

The Health and Safety Authority said that there was an 'uncontrolled release' at around 6am at the Dublin facility.

'Late on Wednesday night a small amount of lime was inadvertently released inside the flue gas treatment area during the commissioning and testing of the Dublin Waste to Energy plant at Ringsend,' a spokesperson for Covanta told The Journal.

'At the time, there were a number of workers in an adjacent area.'

'As a precaution, eleven workers were sent to St Vincent’s Hospital nearby for medical evaluation.'

'Two were detained overnight.Combustion Unit No. 1, which was operating at the time, was shut down in an orderly and controlled manner.'

'The lime was contained within the building and did not escape into the environment and the incident had no impact whatsoever outside the plant.Both the EPA and the Health & Safety Authority were notified of the incident, and the company is co-operating fully with them.'