Chemical Spill Slows Ventura Freeway
A van carrying several gallons of chemicals collided with two cars Saturday and overturned on the westbound Ventura Freeway, leaving traffic backed up for more than an hour, authorities said.
No one was seriously injured in the incident, but five people complained of minor respiratory ailments due to leakage from some of the plastic containers, said Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
The collision occurred at 9:23 a.m. as the van was traveling west on the Ventura Freeway near Reseda Boulevard.
The van had been carrying five gallons of sulfuric acid, two gallons of hydrogen peroxide and half a gallon of muriatic acid, a chemical typically used to clean swimming pools, Humphrey said.
Hydrogen peroxide and muriatic acid spilled onto the freeway, forcing firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers to close a stretch of the freeway for 10 to 20 minutes. The chemicals were later neutralized by a hazardous materials team.
“Had the products combined,” Humphrey said, “it would have represented a greater difficulty for firefighters. However, the adjacent community was never in danger.”
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