Salt Lake City — Some 2,000 gallons of highly concentrated sulfuric acid was released here May 4 when a hose ruptured at a Brenntag Pacific facility. About a dozen employees at work at the time self-evacuated the building and also were not injured. “The two operators were performing the chemical transfer outside of the building when the hose ruptured,” Salt Lake Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay told Green Markets. “At first they thought between 500-1,000 gallons spilled, but later estimated that nearly 2,000 gallons of high concentrate sulfuric acid, reportedly about 93 percent, was involved.” Scott Anderson, director of the Utah division of solid and hazardous waste, which provided oversight for the state, explained that most of the acid – or approximately 1,700 gallons – was able to be recovered for use by Brenntag Pacific. He said the remainder ended up in a gravel sump underneath the tracks and was carefully removed. The acid ended up in the containment area mixed with gravel and was removed manually with the help of a vacuum truck to was to be transported to an offsite disposal area. Brenntag Pacific is a chemical distributor with locations around the western United States.
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