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Acid spill at Eaglecrest High School sends 14 people to hospital

By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 24, 2008 at 8:11 p.m.

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A hydrochloric acid spill at Eaglecrest High School on Wednesday sent 14 people to the hospital.

All were treated and released.

The school was evacuated, and afterschool activities at the Aurora high school were canceled Wednesday.

"Our first and foremost concern is the safety of our students and staff," said Anna Osborn, spokeswoman for Cherry Creek Schools.

"If anyone has symptoms, such as respiratory distress, nausea or watery eyes, they should seek medical treatment."

The district also used the reverse 911 system to alert parents of students at both Eaglecrest and Thunder Ridge Middle School of the spill and the symptoms of possible exposure to the vapors, according to Tustin Amole, spokeswoman for the school district.

The spill occurred around 2:54 p.m. as the school was being let out.

A private contractor was making a delivery of a 55-gallon plastic drum of hydrochloric acid to the school and had parked his truck near the northeast entrance, which is close to a bus loading area.

Hydrochloric acid is commonly used to chlorinate and disinfect swimming pools.

Somehow, the drum got damaged while it was being unloaded from the truck, and about 20 gallons of the chemical spilled onto the sidewalk and pavement according to Kevin Ferry, spokesman for the Cunningham Fire Protection District.

"As soon as we realized the chemical spill, we brought the students into the school," said Osborn, adding that the school also called 911.

The high school was evacuated later, with the students were taken to nearby Thunder Ridge Middle School, where they were later dismissed.

Members of the Cunningham Fire Protection District got the call around 3 p.m. and responded.

"There was no damage to the building or the ground cover, but it will release corrosive vapors," said Ferry.

Osborn said that five of the people who were affected were students. It was not clear how many went to the hospital. The delivery person was not affected, according to Ferry.

The spill covered an area about 60 feet long and 20 feet wide, and soda ash was used to neutralize the acid. The broken drum was also placed inside a larger package to contain the spill. Another contractor was brought in Wednesday night to complete the cleanup.

Ferry said there will be an investigation in how the leak occurred and whether the contractor had followed proper procedures in handling the chemical.

Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, fire officials declared that the school was safe, according to Amole.

She said that the district sent an e-mail to students Wednesday night, letting them know that Eaglecrest High School will be open Thursday.

Comments

  • September 24, 2008

    9:19 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jaimiek writes:

    I was walking out of school and was right by the truck when the spill happened. The delivery man already had two barrels of the stuff on the ground, and the third fell off the back of the truck and opened somehow. He got down and tried to pick it up. It got on my shoe and pants and on my foot. I was very impressed with the way the delivery man handled it. He was very quick to tell us all to get away and not breathe. My throat burned along with my eyes and foot. I didn't know what the stuff was until I was on the bus. And by then the acid had dried up on my foot. I got home and took a shower and (sadly) disposed of my clothing. After a recorded call, I went to the urgent care facility who told me to go to the emergency room. My throat is burned and my foot is slightly burned. They said it will take a few days to heal. I was NOT impressed with my schools' response to the spill. It took a few minutes for any security guards or adults to notice. And the buses didn't leave for a long time after. The bus driver did not tell the students to shut the windows. Many students were exposed and I was around the thirtieth at the hospital I went to. The hospital was extremely helpful.

  • September 24, 2008

    10:13 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    JohnElway writes:

    Whoops!!! My bad!!!

  • September 25, 2008

    5:43 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Denver1212 writes:

    Snif! - JohnElway must be a product of the Denver Public Schools...