GEORGE TOWN – A chemical spill occurred at the School of Chemical Sciences of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) this afternoon.
In the incident, which happened about 3pm, an inspection by the Hazardous Materials Management Team (Hazmat) found that the spillage was of an acrylic acid liquid type.
A Penang Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said firefighters received a call about the incident at 3.28pm.
“Immediately after receiving the call, two vehicles from the Jalan Perak and Bayan Baru fire and rescue stations – including Hazmat – rushed to the location to inspect and clean up the chemicals,” he said.
“Upon arrival at the location, we found that a container containing 50ml of acrylic acid had spilled onto the floor of the laboratory room measuring 20 x 25 sq ft.”
The spokesman said the cleaning work was done by collecting the remnants of the material and putting it in a special container.
“We also cleaned the contaminated area using soda ash and carried out ventilation.”
He added that based on preliminary information, no casualties have been reported and the operation was completed at 6pm.
It is understood that during the incident, there were no students and lecturers in the laboratory, and that the emergency call was made by a USM staff who smelled the odour coming suddenly from the room. – The Vibes, March 13. 2021.
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