Five affected in SunBurst chemical spill
By Gary Popp
Published in News on February 14, 2012 1:46 PM
Five employees of SunBurst Foods were treated and released at Wayne Memorial Hospital on Monday after breathing fumes released from mixed cleaning solutions.
SunBurst Foods, located at 1002 Sunburst Drive near the Logan's Steakhouse and Chili's restaurants, is a food services company that prepares and delivers sandwiches and snacks that can be found in area convenience stores.
Goldsboro Fire Chief Gary Whaley said an employee was cleaning a concrete floor in the food preparation area of the building when concrete cleaner was mixed with a second cleaning agent that included bleach.
Vapors from the mixed chemicals entered the air, and several employees complained of breathing difficulty and headaches.
When firefighters arrived at about at about 11:45 a.m., the building had already been evacuated, Whaley said.
Firefighters ventilated the building and used a cleaning agent on the affected area.
Whaley said the department contacted Chemtrec, an information resource for handling hazardous materials, to be sure the area was property cleaned so employees could safety return to work shortly after the incident.
"Our biggest thing was making sure the chemical runoff was contained and to get the fumes out of the building," Whaley said.
Other agencies that responded included the Elroy Volunteer Fire Department, Wayne County Office of Emergency Services, Wayne County Health Department and Wayne County Emergency Services.