DALTON, Ga. – Federal and state investigators are looking into whether hundreds of pounds of compounds that spewed from a Dalton chemical plant Monday morning could contaminate the local water supply and whether the plant violated safety codes before the explosion.
On Monday morning, MFG Chemical workers were mixing 8,000 pounds of the compound known as Coaglant 129, used in water treatment, when the reactor overheated and some of the liquid spewed through the roof. Metal parts from the roof smashed into a next-door plant and liquid sprayed trucks, buildings and a nearby parking lot, officials said.
More than 40 people who worked in the industrial park around the plant were taken to the hospital and treated for possible symptoms, which included irritated skin and respiratory problems, Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier said. All were released by Monday afternoon.
MFG Chemical President Charles Gavin declined requests for comment Monday, but issued a news release on the company website stating the compound wasn’t toxic and the material was biodegradable.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials were testing the compound to make sure it wasn’t harmful to the environment and wouldn’t contaminate the water supply if rain washed it into a nearby stream, said Al Frazier, the department’s manager of the emergency response team. Rain was forecast for later Monday.