MARCH 23, 2014
RACINE, WISCONSIN
Just three days after a resident moved into a new house,
people working there found what appeared to be a toxic surprise they weren’t
expecting.
They found what appeared to be a 30-gallon drum labeled
sodium cyanide that was two-thirds full, said Racine Fire Battalion Chief Paul
Madden.
As of Monday afternoon, Madden said they had not confirmed
what was in the drum, but he did not believe it was sodium cyanide, which can
be deadly when combined with water. Sodium
cyanide releases hydrogen cyanide gas, a highly toxic chemical asphyxiant that
interferes with the body's ability to use oxygen. Exposure to sodium cyanide
can be rapidly fatal.
Sodium cyanide is mainly used to extract gold and other
precious metals in mining. This application exploits the high affinity of gold(I)
for cyanide, which induces gold metal to oxidize and dissolve in the presence
of air and water, producing the salt sodium gold cyanide (or gold sodium
cyanide) and sodium hydroxide.
The Racine Fire Department’s hazmat team responded shortly
after 11:15 a.m. Monday to the home in the 1300 block of Summit Avenue and
police shut down the block where the chemical was found.
Madden said Monday afternoon the Fire Department had called
in a cleanup crew to assist in the removal.
He confirmed the chemical is contained and there doesn’t
appear to be any leak that would put anyone at risk.
“It’s more scary than anything,” said Megan Toeppe, 29, who
had just moved into the house.
Her family owns Wisconsin Plating Works in Racine and she is
familiar with the hazardous chemical. She said her boyfriend’s parents found it
Monday when they were knocking down a wall in the basement.