JUNE 8, 2015
ELGIN, ILLINOIS
The accidental discharge on Friday of an old and outdated
fire extinguisher at Elgin Fire Station 1, 550 Summit St., left the station
unusable over the weekend as hazardous materials crews cleaned the station,
officials said.
The extinguisher, believed to be from the 1950s, was dropped
off at the station at an unknown date and time and then was placed in the garbage,
according to Battalion Chief Bryan McMahan. A firefighter decided to release
pressure from the canister and did so in the station. The extinguisher,
however, held carbon tetrachloride — a known carcinogen, McMahan said.
Exposure to the material poses health risks to humans.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, the human symptoms of
"acute (short-term) inhalation and oral exposures to carbon tetrachloride
include headache, weakness, lethargy, nausea and vomiting. Acute exposures to
higher levels and chronic (long-term) inhalation or oral exposure to carbon
tetrachloride produces liver and kidney damage in humans.
"Studies in animals have shown that ingestion of carbon
tetrachloride increases the risk of liver cancer," the EPA website states.
"The station was evacuated, and a hazardous materials
crew has been in there for the last couple of days. We are hoping to get back
in there tomorrow," McMahan said Sunday.
The firefighter who released the chemical and two other
individuals were taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital for treatment, he said. All
were released and returned to full duty, he said.
The hazmat crew finished cleanup of the site and fire
officials were waiting for a third-party air-quality test to be administered
and for the station to pass before reopening it, McMahan said.
Stations 5 and 6 have been covering Station 1's area during
the cleanup, he said.
First rule of HAZMAT and Bomb Disposal...If you don't know
what you are doing, do not touch and leave the area. Second Rule...See rule
number one. Very lucky to be alive; may
not be so lucky next time, so please be careful.
Source:http://www.chicagotribune.com