Spilled dry-cleaning chemical cleaned up quickly

The Columbia Fire Department responded to a chemical spill Friday afternoon when a container carrying dry-cleaning products cracked open, leaking its contents onto the road at the corner of Eighth and Locust streets. The driver of a tractor trailer was making a delivery to Tiger Cleaners, located at 126 S. Eighth St.

The driver was delivering a liquid called Sour Nu, a mild sulfuric acid product used to balance the pH level of clothing during the dry-cleaning process, according to Battalion Chief Gary Warren Jr. As the driver was removing a container carrying the product from the trailer, it fell on to the trailer bed, cracking and spilling 15 gallons onto the street, Warren said.

Warren said the product “does have to be dealt with, because it’s an acid,” but “it’s not inherently dangerous.”

The spill occurred next to a storm-water drain, so firefighters initially spread a product called Oil Away on the street to keep the chemical from going into the drain.

Firefighters later learned the drain was exactly where they wanted the chemical to go. Warren said they found out water neutralizes the chemical, so after removing much of it with brooms and shovels, firefighters sprayed 500 gallons of water on the street, flushing it down the drain. Warren said this was not dangerous, because the product becomes harmless when diluted with water.

Columbia Police blocked off Locust Street between Seventh and Eighth streets and between Ninth and Tenth streets as a precautionary measure.

Tiger Cleaners owner Steve Pohl declined to comment.

No one was injured in the accident.