Units from the Columbia Fire Department were dispatched to a hazardous material spill after a tractor-trailer spilled about 35 gallons of sodium hydroxide on Waco Road early Monday morning.
According for the Centers for Disease Control, sodium hydroxide is an odorless substance that can be a solid or liquid. It is often available in flakes, pellets and granules. Sodium hydroxide is used as a chemical base in the manufacturing of pulp, paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps, detergents and drain cleaners. It is used in food production to peel fruits and vegetables, as well as disinfect and dehorn cattle.
Sodium hydroxide can burn or eat away at any part of the body that it comes into contact with, according to the CDC. Breathing sodium hydroxide dust or mist can cause mild or serious effects, depending on the exposure. The effects may include sneezing, sore throat, runny nose or inflammation of the lungs.
Units from the department arrived on the scene at 7:02 a.m. to find a semi-tractor and trailer spilling the substance in front of the Kraft Foods factory. The sodium hydroxide did not enter the factory or any waterways in the area.
The spill did not affect any Kraft Foods operations, and it caused no property damage.
The sodium hydroxide, manufactured by Ecolab Inc., was contained in about 45 minutes, after which U.S. Environmental from Fenton, Mo., arrived to clean up the spill. Ecolab, Inc. is a sanitation company based in St. Paul, Minn.
The department stayed on the scene until the spill was entirely cleared up.
“The road was blocked off and will remain blocked off till the spill has been cleared,” CFD Battalion Chief Brad Frazier said. “I think it is still being cleared up but I don’t know for sure. We also don’t know what caused the spill.”
The tractor-trailer carrying the sodium hydroxide was privately owned but was operating for TransX, a transportation service provider for the U.S. and Canada.
A total of seven pieces of equipment from the department were used, including a hazardous materials truck.