Hazmat spill could take 3 days to clean

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A hazardous-materials crew is working around the clock to clean up a corrosive liquid spill at Channel Chemical Corp.

Earl Etheridge of the state Department of Environmental Quality tells The Sun Herald he expects the cleanup will take two or three days.

Etheridge said the spill at the Gulfport plant apparently occurred Tuesday after a valve malfunctioned on a tank that held about 2,000 gallons of phosphorus acid, hydrochloric acid and a type of ethanol. The tank is outside the plant on the back of its property.

Etheridge and a company spokesman both said the spill did not pose a threat to public safety.
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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com