Links to details available at
Spill makes for
slippery Burlington streets
Police
say a spill left several Burlington streets extremely slippery-- so
slippery that one road was blocked off for a time.
The
substance is a mineral-based oil that is non-toxic. Officials say it
splashed out of a tanker truck that was hauling it. The oil came from a
transformer by the Burlington Waterfront. It was pumped out when the
transformer was moved. Apparently there was a problem with the cap on
the truck and the substance spilled out as the truck drove through the
city.
The substance left the areas where it spilled so
slippery, that authorities compared it to black ice. They urged drivers
to use extreme caution.
The Department of Public Works and fire crews have now
cleaned up much of the spill and police say most roads are back to
normal.
The truck
is owned by a private hauler who was contracted to move the substance.
Under Vermont law, the hauler will likely have to pay for the cost of
the cleanup.
us_ny: Dairy co-op employees evacuated due to toxic
gas
LOWVILLE =97
Lowville firefighters spent three hours today cleaning
up a toxic chemical spill inside the Lowville Producers Dairy
Cooperative store, located at 7396 Utica Blvd., First Assistant Fire
Chief Tim Bush said.
Earlier reports from people in the area incorrectly
identified the location as the Lewis County Dairy Corporation, which
also is located in Lowville.
Bush said the incident occurred at about 12:40 p.m.
when chemicals were knocked off a shelf in a storage room at the store.
Those chemicals, which included chlorine and ammonia, combined to form a
toxic gas.
Bush could not say exactly what the gas released was,
but chlorine and ammonia alone are capable of forming chlorine gas,
which causes severe damage to the respiratory system and was used as a
weapon during World War I.
Both chemicals are found in common household products
such as bleach and window cleaners.
