15t acid spills as trailer overturns in E China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-20 13:38

HANGZHOU: Fifteen tonnes of toxic hydrochloric acid was spilled Friday when a tractor-trailer overturned on a mountain road in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, the city's fire department said.

The road was closed after the accident, which occurred at 6 am on a sharp bend.

All the acid on the trailer had spilled on to the road and into woods when emergency services arrived, said a spokesman for the fire service, who declined to be named.

The driver was unharmed and no injuries were reported. The local authorities have made no order for evacuation.

Fire fighters had diluted the acid on the road with water, but the acid in the woods was yet to be handled, said the spokesman.

The city's environment protection and work safety inspection authorities had sent investigation teams to the site to assess the impact of the spill on the environment, the spokesman said.

Hydrochloric acid is a hazardous chemical compound mainly used for industrial purposes. Contact with concentrated solutions can cause severe burns. Inhaling the fumes causes respiratory irritation, severe eye damage and pulmonary edema.