Acid Cloud Forms at El Segundo Plant
A small cloud containing hydrochloric acid formed at the Allied Signal plant in El Segundo after a leak developed at a tank where refrigerant is manufactured, authorities said Thursday.
Firefighters were called to the plant at 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd, about 8 a.m., after an employee noticed a dime-size leak in the metal tank. The plant was shut down, and the 7-by-4-foot cloud dissipated after firefighters and plant personnel poured water on it, El Segundo Fire Capt. John Maki said. Employees plugged the leak after the plant was closed.
Investigators from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Los Angeles County Health Services Department were called to the plant.
There were no injuries or evacuations, and nearby businesses and neighborhoods were not threatened, fire and AQMD officials said.
Company spokesman Seth Jacobson said the cloud formed when an unknown amount of the toxic acid, the refrigerant and water leaked from the outside tank and then vaporized. The acid is a byproduct of the manufacturing process, he said.
Jacobson said the cause of the leak was not immediately known.
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