Saline County official speaks on Sunday chemical spill

BENTON, Ark.- On Sunday, the Benton Fire Department responded to a call for a sodium hydroxide chemical spill dripping out the back of an 18-wheeler parked overnight at a truck stop.

The office of Saline County Emergency Management and Benton FD were dispatched to a chemical spill located at the Goodyear next to the Pilot truck stop in Benton off Alcoa Road.

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After looking at the manifest report for the truck, crews discovered that there was sodium hydroxide in the back that officials said had been leaking for quite some time.

“They then called in Little Rock Fire’s hazmat crew. They showed up on the scene, they contained the chemical spill just around the truck, and after it was contained, they called in the remediation folks to remediate the area,” Saline County Communication Director Trevor Villines said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sodium hydroxide exposure and risk of harm depends on “the amount, duration, and activity.”

“It can burn the eyes, skin, and inner membranes, and cause temporary hair loss,” the CDC said.

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Villines said because of the toxin in sodium hydroxide the crews were in full hazmat suits to breathe safely and clean up the contents.

The CDC noted that sodium hydroxide is commonly used in batteries, producing soap or dyes, creating explosions, producing petroleum products and even in some metal cleaning supplies.

“We had an 18-wheeler semi that was all enclosed. I believe there were multiple cargoes inside that trailer, but this one particular had the sodium hydroxide in it and it was dripping out the back of the truck,” Villines said.

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First responders and a remediation team cleaned up the asphalt and dirt around it while also containing and cleaning the chemical spill

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