A TOTAL of 54 Amazon workers in New Jersey, the United States, suffered the effects of being exposed to bear repellent spray Wednesday while at work in one of Amazon’s warehouses. Thirty of the workers were treated at the scene, 24 needed to go to hospital, and one remains in a critical decision. The incident was caused by a robot.

As ABC News reports, one of Amazon’s many automated robots managed to puncture a 9-ounce (255-gram) can of bear repellent spray.

In doing so, a concentrated form of Capsaican was released into the air and nearby workers were exposed to it. Capsaican is an active component of chilli peppers and therefore forms a very effective irritant for both bears and humans. You won’t be surprised to hear it’s also a major ingredient in pepper spray.

According to an Amazon spokeswoman, the repellent was released in a “contained area of the facility,” which was subsequently filled with strong fumes. The employees transported to five local hospitals were done so just as a precaution.

The area where the incident happened is on the third floor of the warehouse’s south wing. The ventilation system would have cleared the fumes away fairly quickly, but not before workers near to the can had been exposed to strong fumes.

Due to the time of year, you can imagine how busy the warehouse must be trying to fulfill all the extra orders for the holidays, especially with Amazon’s 12 Days of Deals promotion.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is not happy, though. Union president Stuart Appelbaum released a statement saying: “Amazon’s automated robots put humans in life-threatening danger today, the effects of which could be catastrophic and the long-term effects for 80-plus workers are unknown.” It’s unclear why he references over 80 workers when only 54 are known to have been treated at this time.

(SD-Agencies)

(SD-Agencies)

The infant’s mother was breastfeeding him at their home in the city of Agra when the animal entered the house and grabbed him, the family said.

The monkey dropped the badly bitten child on a neighbour’s roof after locals gave chase to the animal.

The baby died of his injuries in hospital. Locals say monkey attacks in the area are growing more frequent.

The baby’s uncle, Dhirendra Kumar, told the BBC that the family was heartbroken.

“There are too many monkeys in the area. We live in fear. We have told the administration so many times to help us but they haven’t done anything. The mother of the baby is too distraught to even speak,” he said.

Pushpa Devi, the child’s grandmother said the family would “never recover” from the loss and people are living in fear of monkeys

“I have lost my grandson. Just a few hours before the monkey attacked our baby, I had him in my arms. Our baby didn’t have to die. People will talk about it for a while and then forget it. But we have to live with the reality that our baby is gone,” she said.

Ajay Kaushal, the officer in charge of the nearby police station, told the Reuters news agency that the baby had been badly mauled.

“The monkey bit the infant’s head and only dropped him when people chased it with sticks and threw stones at it,” he said

This is the latest incident in a series of monkey attacks in Agra, which is also home to India’s most famous monument, the Taj Mahal. Two months earlier, a toddler was attacked by monkeys and is recovering in hospital.

In May, two tourists were attacked at the Taj Mahal.

“Monkeys are everywhere in Agra,” Shravan Kumar Singh, a local environmental activist told Reuters.

Locals say monkeys can be seen on almost every street in Agra

“They come in search of food, but they snatch and attack as well.”

Singh said monkeys were becoming more aggressive as a result of being displaced from their natural habitats, which have been destroyed by the expanding city.

Some local organisations have been calling for monkeys to be sterilised and excluded from wildlife protection legislation, he added.

(SD-Agencies)