HOUSTON — Southbound lanes of the 610 West Loop were impacted by a hazmat spill in the Galleria area Friday morning.
Houston TranStar reports the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. As of 9 a.m. the cleanup was still underway.
All southbound traffic is being forced to stay on the mainlanes as the exit for I-69/Southwest Freeway remains blocked.
Authorities tell us a big rig's tanker cracked while transporting sodium bromide. Emergency responders and even TV media were washed down as a precaution, but at this time southbound traffic is still moving past the scene of the incident.
The truck has been removed from the scene, but a hazmat team still continues their work.
The chemical is non-flammable and non-explosive but can cause health side effects, according to its Medical Safety Data Sheet:
Eye: Causes mild eye irritation.
Skin: May cause skin irritation. May be harmful if absorbed through the skin.
Ingestion: May cause irritation of the digestive tract. Symptoms may include: headache, excitement, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, stupor, and coma. May be harmful if swallowed.
Inhalation: Inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system effects characterized by nausea, headache, dizziness, unconsciousness and coma. May cause respiratory tract irritation. May be harmful if inhaled.
Chronic: Chronic ingestion may cause central nervous system failure.
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