Lubbock, Texas Chemical Leak: Hundreds Evacuated Near Bayer Plant

10.05.2013 [20:12]
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Baku, May 10 (AZERTAC). Several hundred people have been evacuated from a section of Lubbock, Texas, after a leaking tank released a chemical that could turn into highly corrosive hydrochloric acid, the city`s Fire Department said on Thursday.

No injuries were reported after emergency officials set up a 4-mile-wide (6.4-km-wide) exclusion zone in a sparsely populated area northeast of the city to allow a specialized team from Dallas to transfer the chemical from a cracked 3,000 pound (1361 kg) tank into a new vessel.

The incident occurred at Bayer Crop Science facility. Bayer Crop Science is a unit of Bayer AG.

The tank contained hydrogen chloride, which reacts with moisture in the atmosphere to form hydrochloric acid when released, the fire department said.

He said the company did not yet know what caused the leak.

The Texas Poison Control Center said the chemical could lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat if people come into contact with it or inhale it.

Lubbock, Texas Chemical Leak: Hundreds Evacuated Near Bayer Plant

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