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« WPRO adds Jay Severin, Jim Cramer | Today | Go fishing for free this weekend in R.I. » June 2, 2006Warwick metals refinery reopens after chemical leakWARWICK – The metals refinery Pease & Curren has opened for business today after a 12-member hazardous materials team stopped a hydrochloric acid leak and cleared the air, Fire Battalion Chief David DelVecchio said. The team left the business at about 7:45 a.m., nearly three hours after getting the call about a hazardous materials leak, which turned out to be hydrochloric acid, DelVecchio said. No one was injured. The team discovered that a 300-gallon container used for removing precious metals such as platinum, gold and silver from manufacturing facilities’ waste products had overheated. The acid in the tank was boiling off and producing dangerous vapors, and it then damaged the company’s ventilation system, DelVecchio said. By shutting down the steam lines used in the heating process, the hazardous materials team stopped the emission of the vapors and then stabilized the unit, the battalion chief said. -- projo.com staff writers Jack Perry and Kate Bramson Hydrochloric acid causes skin damage if it comes into direct contact with a person, and it causes varying degrees of eye and nose irritation. If its strength and concentration are high enough, the acid can cause death, DelVecchio said. The fire department dispatched its hazardous materials team this morning to the metals refinery after police detected fumes in the building when they responded to a burglar alarm, according to Police Lt. Kevin Mowry. The police were called to Pease and Curren at 75 Pennsylvania Ave. at 4:38 a.m., Mowry said. The responding police officers saw a cloud of smoke coming from a ventilation opening outside the building. They called for a company representative to let them in. Once inside, they detected fumes, left the building and called the fire department, Mowry said. The hazardous materials team was dispatched just after 5 a.m., DelVecchio said. Posted by Kate Bramson CommentsPost a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006