Five people have been taken to hospital after a parcel containing a prohibited substance is believed to have caused a chemical leak at two Australia Post locations in Queensland.
Emergency services were called to a parcel processing facility in Townsville and a post office in Charters Towers around 6.40am today over reports of fumes.
The Queensland Fire Department said crews identified a leaking contaminated package at Townsville and set up an exclusion zone.
One staff member was taken to the local hospital in a stable condition for precautionary monitoring. 
The Queensland Fire Department said the package had contaminated other parcels, which had been transported to Charters Towers this morning before the leak was noticed.
Four more staff members at the Charters Towers location were taken to the nearby hospital with mild symptoms of chemical exposure. 
9news.com.au understands they have all since been discharged. 
Firefighters in HAZMAT equipment have decontaminated both sites, safely contained the affected parcels and conducted atmospheric testing.
Police also attended both scenes to help.
Australia Post warned against sending dangerous, prohibited and restricted goods through the parcel system. (Getty)
The hazardous substance inside the parcel is believed to be prohibited.
Australia Post warned against sending dangerous, prohibited and restricted goods through the parcel system and said it would continue to support its affected staff. 
“The safety of our team members is our number one priority and Australia Post has strong, well-established safety protocols around these incidents. We continue to support our team members,” an Australia Post spokesperson said. 
“We remind all customers of the important safety regulations in place around the sending of dangerous, prohibited and restricted goods.”
Operations at the processing facility in Townsville are operating as normal, but the post office in Charters Towers remains closed until it is safe to reopen.