SMELLS from a fridge at the University of Kentucky have sent nearly a dozen people to hospital, officials have said.

Multiple news outlets reported that workers smelled a strong odour coming from the fridge when they came to work yesterday at the Dimock Animal Pathology building. They opened the fridge to an overpowering smell.

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University officials say movers had moved the fridge from another campus building on Tuesday evening but did not detect anything amiss.

Fire battalion chief Joe Best says people reported minor irritation to the skin or eyes and some nausea.

Eleven were taken to the hospital. Firefighters evacuated the building and kept people away as a precaution.

University spokeswoman Kathy Jones says officials believe the odour was caused by a chemical residue left by something that had been inside the refrigerator. The building was reopened yesterday afternoon.