TOLEDO, OHIO
A worker suffered chemical burns to the hands and face from a sodium hydroxide spill at the Port of Toledo on Wednesday afternoon, the Toledo Fire Department reported.
Pvt. Sterling Rahe, the fire department’s spokesman, said the unidentified worker was handling a chemical transfer at Midwest Terminals of Toledo International, 3518 St. Lawrence Dr., when he was splashed with the liquid, also known as caustic soda and most familiar as the active ingredient in drain cleaner.
The worker was wearing protective equipment but still was exposed to some of the chemical. A co-worker immediately provided assistance and began decontamination procedures that were under way when firefighters arrived, Mr. Rahe said.
After additional aid at the scene, the worker was sent to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were “serious but not life-threatening,” the spokesman said.
Mr. Rahe said as much as 300 to 400 gallons spilled before the flow was shut off, although Todd Audet, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s vice president of operations, said that amount seemed high to him.
The spill occurred in a contained area while the chemical was being transferred from a railroad tank car to a truck, Mr. Audet said, and citric acid was used to neutralize it. He described the worker’s hospitalization as precautionary.