The Region - News from Feb. 14, 1985

A truck driver was hospitalized after his hands and feet were exposed to a powerful pesticide that attacks the central nervous system. Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Gordon Pearson said the driver stopped his truck in the 2100 block of Atlantic Boulevard in the City of Commerce, when he felt the load shift and smelled leaking chemicals. When he opened the rear cargo door, Pearson said the driver told paramedics, he discovered that a one-gallon container of the pesticide Chlorodine had ruptured. The driver, whose name was not released, telephoned paramedics, who took him to County-USC Medical Center for decontamination and treatment. He was later reported in stable condition. A paramedic also required decontamination. Authorities halted traffic in the area for more than an hour while a hazardous materials cleanup team disposed of the broken container and cleaned objects that had been touched by the chemical.