One person was taken to a hospital and 13 others were evaluated for possible exposure after a hazmat incident in Palo Alto Tuesday morning.
Palo Alto Fire Department personnel responded to a call for assistance after a fire that was put out at 8:56 a.m. at a business located at 1066 East Meadow Circle. Arriving firefighters instead found a chemical reaction in a bucket that was off-gassing, Deputy Chief Catherine Capriles said.
Employees at Stangenes Industries Inc. were trying to dispose of epoxy resin by getting it to harden, but they had mixed the substance incorrectly. A chemical reaction caused the resin to release a hazardous gas, and it began to melt the bucket, Capriles said. Workers were able to remove the bucket from the 36,321-square-foot building.
Fourteen people with mild symptoms were decontaminated for possible exposure. Paramedics transported one of the workers, who complained of difficulty breathing and stomach pain, to El Camino Hospital. Paramedics monitored the other 13 people for one hour to make sure they were symptom-less.
Capriles said that 50 people remain evacuated from the building. Stangenes makes small custom-made transformers and magnetic components, according to the company's website.
As of 11:45 a.m., a cleaning company was on scene to clean any spilled resin from the building. The off-gassing bucket was still cooling down and was at a point where the chemical reaction could likely be stopped.
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