Tuesday, March 24, 2015

CHEMICAL SPILL OF CONCENTRATED PESTICIDE CLOSES PART OF SOUTH COUNTY ROAD IN FLORIDA




MARCH 24, 2015

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

A spill of concentrated pesticide on South County Road at Royal Palm Way closed that section of the road for nearly two hours Tuesday.

At 11:58 a.m., a gallon jug of cypermethrin fell from a truck onto the road. A car hit the jug, spilling the chemical on the road from Royal Palm Way to Phipps Plaza, said Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Sean Baker.

Fire-rescue personnel found out from a hazardous materials information service that the chemical would have been highly toxic to the environment had it come in contact with water, he said.

Cypermethrin, which kills insects that eat it or come into contact with it, is “highly toxic” to fish, water insects and bees, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.

“It was a concentrated substance, so one gallon mixed with water can make anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000 gallons of product,” Baker said. “We were concerned that if it had run down a drain and into the Intracoastal, it would have killed marine life.”

The spill was contained before it entered any drains, Baker said.

West Palm Beach’s regional hazardous materials unit cleaned up the spill, he said. By 1:50 p.m., the road had reopened, Baker said.

South County Road was closed from Royal Palm Way to Seaview Avenue during the clean up.