By John Collins
Lowell Sun
LOWELL, Mass. — A chemical spill inside the Siemens Water Technologies office building at 10 Technology Drive yesterday sent 15 people to the hospital, including one employee who suffered respiratory burns to his eyes and throat, according to Lowell Deputy Fire Chief Phil Lemire.
Firefighters responding to a call about 7:57 a.m., found that a male employee in the building had been exposed to about a one-gallon spill of a cleaning solution containing 5 percent hydrochloric acid, Lemire said.
“He had irritation around the eyes and in his throat,” said Lemire. “But he was pretty well washed up by the time we arrived. He was breathing on his own and ambulatory, but we ended up taking him by stretcher.”
Fourteen others were also taken to Lowell General Hospital as a precaution to monitor any possible effects from breathing air containing the acid.
The company sent about 240 employees home, according to an unidentified Siemens employee, who declined to make any further comment.
A phone call to a corporate contact number for Siemens reached an answering message that stated the facility was closed.
Siemens contracted with Norwell-based Clean Harbors Environmental Services yesterday to send a cleanup crew to the building to ensure that it’s safe to reopen, Lemire said.
The cause of the spill is being investigated by the company and the Fire Department, according to Lemire, although preliminary evidence seemed to indicate an accidental spill.
“The acid is contained in large vats, storage units that are used in the course of normal processing,” Lemire said. “A minor coupling or connective device apparently either failed or ruptured, allowing the contents to spray about the area.”
“Hydrochloric acid is not one of the ‘Big Bad Acids,’ the kind that can kill you,” added Lemire. “It’s probably not much stronger than what’s in your bleach at home. But it is a toxic and irritant, and it has to be dealt with.”
According to the warning label on Siemens’ Acid Cleaning Solution, inhaling hydrochloric acid “may cause severe irritation and burns of the respiratory tract with sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath and delayed lung edema.
“Inhalation may be fatal as a result of spasm, inflammation, edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Exposure to the mist and vapor may erode exposed teeth,” the label warns.
Copyright 2010 MediaNews Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved