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Chlorine gas Two people were hospitalized and 25 others were treated for respiratory distress from a chlorine gas spill that led to the evacuation of about two dozen businesses in a Sand Island industrial area for four hours.
spill puts 2
in hospital
The chemical mixing error
in Sand Island closed roads
and businesses for four hoursMary Adamski
Star-BulletinDepartment of Health environmental branch officials and a Pacific Environmental Corp. team remained at the United Laundry plant on Alahao Place late last night in a cleanup that continued after the gas was dissipated by winds through the open warehouse.
The cleaning firm, which serves island hotels and hospitals, is owned by Vicky Cayetano, wife of Gov. Ben Cayetano.
Some 140 employees were at work yesterday afternoon when the potentially deadly gas was created by an accidental mixing of incompatible chemicals.
Most seriously injured was an employee of ABC Corp., the vendor who was adding chemicals to a 200-gallon storage vat for phosphoric acid used in a cleaning process. He was in guarded condition at Queen's Hospital, and a woman laundry employee was in satisfactory condition at Pali Momi Hospital."He poured the wrong solution into the wrong vat," said Honolulu Fire Capt. Richard Soo. The vendor poured a neutralizing agent, sodium hypochlorite solution, from a 55-gallon drum into acid, creating 20 pounds of chlorine gas, Soo said.
Police and fire department units closed the road, stranding about 50 workers on the dead end Alahao Place until the emergency was declared over at 7:15 p.m. Hoonee Place was also closed for most of the evening.
The emergency wasn't declared over until the fire department's Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) unit made a third survey of the building and found the gas was down to a safe level of 0.5 parts per million. Earlier, it was at a dangerous 30 parts per million below knee level within the plant. Soo said 10 parts per million is considered safe.Nearly 100 United Laundry workers lined the road, waiting to return to work or start late on the night shift. At one point, a company official came out and suggested they go off to dinner. None did. Some were brought into the warehouse after 9 p.m.
Mrs. Cayetano is out of state, and other United Laundry officials did not respond to requests for comment. ABC officials could not be reached for comment.
Harry Pedro, a delivery truck driver for Jack In the Box, was one of several people stalled by the emergency. He said he and another driver were failing to deliver food items to several stores in the fast-food chain. "It's going to push scheduling off to the next day and double up the load for day shift."
Jim Souza said his truck-repair shop for Mercantile Trucking Service "is just inches away" but police wouldn't let anyone take the chance of getting downwind of the deadly gas.
Ken Nekota, owner of Ken's Diversified Services, a food-vending company, was forced to call a customer and cancel an appointment. He waited to return to his office because "I know there's a couple of hungry cats waiting for me there."
Reporter Gordon Y. K. Pang contributed to this story.