Long Beach : Cleanup of Chemical Spill Continues; No Damage Seen

Environmental crews on Wednesday continued cleaning up thousands of gallons of a corrosive chemical that contaminated the Los Cerritos Channel but caused no injuries or apparent damage to wildlife, officials said.

Sodium hydroxide, which has a green, frothy look and carries the smell of sulfur, was discovered in the channel Monday, said Fire Department spokesman Robert A. Caldon. The channel was dammed with sandbags at Atherton Street, and crews have been vacuuming the chemical out of the channel.

The cleanup is expected to be completed later this week.

Caldon said officials suspect the contaminant came from Douglas Aircraft Co., which uses the chemical in the manufacture of airplanes.

Health officials advised residents to keep their windows shut if they smelled fumes but said the chemical posed no danger. There were no reports of injured or dead birds or fish because of the spill, Caldon said.