A chemical leak Thursday morning at Predictive Food Safety off Industrial Boulevard sent one worker to the hospital.
Hall County Fire Rescue (HCFR) spokeswoman Kimberlie Ledsinger said units from HCFR and the Gainesville Fire Department (GFD) responded about 9:30 to reports of a chemical leak.
“The call initially came in at 9:00 a.m. across the roadway at U.S. Pipe Fabrication when employees
complained of symptoms associated with exposure to chemicals,” Ledsinger said. “One
employee was transported for further evaluation.”
She added the call was quickly upgraded when the first arriving Gainesville unit
located where the odor was emitting from.
“The crew discovered a container, filled with peracetic acid (PAA), which was accidently punctured with a forklift,” Ledsinger said. “Approximately 200 gallons drifted down the property in the direction of a storm drain. Responding units began to mitigate the spill and successfully prevented it from spreading any further.”
It is unknown how much of it leaked into the nearby storm drain. Gainesville Public Works arrived with sand to be distributed on the remaining pools of the chemical.
Ledsinger said no responding personnel were injured or affected by the leak and the scene was turned over to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(Photo courtesy HCFR)