Thursday, January 29, 2015

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES HAZMAT RESPONSE, EVACUATIONS AT PORT OF OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES HAZMAT RESPONSE, EVACUATIONS AT PORT OF OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON











January 28, 2015




OLYMPIA, Wash. — 




A cloud of potentially toxic hydrogen peroxide spread near downtown Olympia after the chemical began pouring from a stormwater treatment facility in the Port of Olympia.  People working at businesses nearby were told to get out of the area.




  “They just said that there was gas coming from the manhole covers and we needed to evacuate the buildings,” said Loren Burk. “So we just grabbed our stuff and took off.”



The leak started just before noon Wednesday.




“That leak is going into a storm sewer system,” said Olympia Fire Department spokesman Greg Wright. “We’ve set up a quarter-mile evacuation.”




About 3,000 gallons of hydrogen peroxide was spilled. The chemical is used to treat rainwater runoff from the port to correct the pH before the water is released into Puget Sound. Some people nearby say they could smell a chemical odor in the air.




Crews had the spill under control by about 3 p.m. A recovery team was sent in to clean up the remaining hydrogen peroxide. No one was injured.