MARCH 12, 2015
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Two people are being treated after a reported hazmat
situation at Samsung Austin Semiconductor on Thursday morning.
According to Austin-Travis County EMS, medics received
reports of people possibly exposed to sulfuric acid and peroxide at the Samsung
building at 12100 Samsung Blvd., #110, Austin, Texas 78754.
A Samsung spokesperson said two employees of Gruene
Environmental, a company contracted by Samsung, are being treated for exposure
to a chemical mix believed to contain sulfuric acid at University Medical
Center Brackenridge. Their injuries are not believed to be serious.
Samsung spokesperson Catherine Q. Morse said between 10:30
and 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the contractor's truck was trying to hook up to
Samsung's tank to deliver the chemicals when there was a malfunction in the
line, causing pressure to build up and the chemical to spill.
ATCEMS officials said the chemical mix was 70 percent
sulfuric acid and 30 percent peroxide. Morse did not confirm that. 70/30 mix is the standard ratio of this
solution that is called piranha solution.
Piranha solution, also known as piranha etch, is a mixture
of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2),
used to clean organic residues off substrates. Because the mixture is a strong oxidizing
agent, it will remove most organic matter, and it will also hydroxylate most
surfaces (add OH groups), making them highly hydrophilic (water compatible).
Morse released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
Today, two employees from Gruene Environmental were in the
process of performing a routine chemical offload of sulfuric peroxide mixture.
This is a process that happens several times a week. During the process, the
two Gruene Environmental employees were exposed to half a gallon to a gallon of
a chemical mixture which originated from the truck. Currently we are
investigating the incident to understand the root cause and determine what
further corrective actions need to be taken. The two employees of Gruene
Environmental were treated immediately and taken to the nearest hospital for
further treatment. At no time were other employees or contractors in harms way,
and the spill did not impact the fabrication plants, surrounding neighborhoods
or schools. The clean up of the spill is in progress right now as well as
further investigation.