Chemical Spill Forces Evacuation
About 5,000 people were evacuated Tuesday from the city’s southeast side when a corrosive chemical spilled while being unloaded at a factory that makes shampoo and toothpaste.
About a gallon of the chemical--called chlorosulfonic acid, or CSA--spilled while being piped from a rail car into a storage tank at a Procter & Gamble Co. factory.
The spilled acid formed a vaporous cloud, which began drifting on the wind.
“They can harm you if you inhale them or just come into contact with your skin,” said Iowa City Fire Marshal Roger Jensen.
Two police officers exposed to the vapor were checked out at a hospital and released. There were no other injuries, Jensen said.
P&G; spokesman Mike McCleary said the spill occurred when a valve on the unloading equipment failed.
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