A cat falling into a vat containing dangerous chemicals has sparked a health alert for an entire city in Japan

(CNN) — A city in Japan has been put on high alert because of a cat that fell into a vat containing dangerous chemicals before disappearing into the night.

Authorities in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, said they had increased patrols and warned residents not to approach the animal, which was last seen in security footage leaving a paint factory on Sunday.

A series of footprints discovered by a worker Monday led to a 10-foot-deep vat of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic chemical that can cause skin rashes and infections if touched or inhaled, authorities said.

A Fukuyama City Council official said that searches in the neighborhood have not yet found the cat, and it is not yet clear whether the animal is alive.

The lid covering the chemical container was found partially torn off when employees returned to work after the weekend, said Akihiro Kobayashi, Nomura Miki Fukuyama plant manager.

He added that since then, workers have been searching for the cat.

Kobayashi added that factory employees usually wear protective clothing and no health problems have been reported among employees.

Hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6, is perhaps best known as the cancer-causing chemical featured in the 2000 film, “Optical fiber” Starring Julia Roberts.

The drama, based on a real-life legal case, focuses on the titular activist's battle against a utility company accused of polluting the water in a rural California community, causing increased levels of cancer and death among its residents.

The substance is “harmful to the eyes, skin and respiratory system,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Workers can be harmed by exposure to hexavalent chromium,” the CDC says on its website. “The level of exposure depends on the dose, duration and work being done.”