Chemical spill at St. Catharines plant sends more than 20 to hospital, patients discharged

An acid spill at an auto plant sent 23 people to a Niagara Region hospital Tuesday, including three who were directly exposed to the hazardous material, but all were discharged later in the day.

Emergency crews responded to a hydrochloric acid spill at the THK automotive facility, located at 230 Louth Street in St. Catharines, around 9 a.m.

St. Catharines Fire Chief Dave Upper says a third-party contractor was doing work at the facility when the crew accidentally hit a valve which opened a hydrochloric acid vat. Five litres of liquid acid spilled and transformed into a vapour cloud.

Upper says the staff were able to mitigate the leak and contain the cloud in a single room by closing off the valve before first responders arrived.

Three staff members were directly exposed to the spill, suffering respiratory and skin exposure. They were transported to the hospital via emergency run.

Another 20 people at the facility were affected by the vapour cloud. These individuals were decontaminated at the scene, and city buses were used to transport them to the hospital.

The Niagara Health hospital network had previously asked residents to avoid the emergency department unless absolutely necessary as it dealt with the influx of patients but said normal operations resumed as of 1:30 p.m.

Dan Dakin, manager of communications for Niagara Health, confirmed that all 23 patients were assessed and discharged.

Upper says the severity of the injuries of the three exposed is unknown, but heavy exposure to the chemical typically provides burns to the respiratory and skin. The 20 others were taken to the hospital as a precaution.