Posted on 03/11/2003 4:49:36 PM PST by demnomo
What's the HTML thing to make that come out in "echo"?
I don't think it was series though.
My son and husband kept cracking up while reading this article. I can imagine them listening to a live newscaster trying to tell the story with a straight face. :-)
Store Reopens; Vapor Identified
By KIMBERLY D. MORAVA SNS Staff Writer
3/12/03 The E-Z Mart at 45th and U.S. 177 reopened about noon Tuesday after HazMat crews and officials spent all night decontaminating the air inside following the release of a vapor much like sulfuric acid.
Sheriff Kurt Shirey said testing from samples showed the vapors were similar to sulfuric acid, which is used in products, such as swimming pool chemicals.
"The air had a high acidic content," Shirey said, adding that HazMat crews ventilated the building until the air returned to normal levels.
Immediate contact and inhaling of the substance can cause symptoms including eye and skin irritation, but there are no dangers to the public as a result of what happened at the store, he said.
Authorities converged upon the convenience store about 7:15 p.m. An African-American male driving a Ryder box truck with a vehicle covered by a silver tarp was suspected of releasing the gas while inside the store's restroom, although there were several other customers in the store about that time.
A customer was overcome by some type of odorous vapor and a pregnant store clerk quickly developed a gagging cough.
Two local drug agents entered the store with protective canister masks, but the substance or vapor penetrated the masks, Shirey said. The agents experienced symptoms including head-aches, skin and eye irritations and coughs, he said.
With heightened Home-land Security issues, Shirey called the FBI to assist. Shawnee firefighters and local HazMat crews, REACT paramedics, emergency management and other law enforcement officers remained on the scene Monday night.
A convoy of HazMat officials from Oklahoma City traveled to the Shawnee store to collect samples and clear the building while drug agent's masks also were submitted for testing.
While the perimeter and massive operation to get the fumes from the building took about 12 hours, Shirey said in today's day and time with homeland security, it was necessary to be safe. Shirey was relieved this wasn't a biological-type incident.
Sealed food items in the store during this incident should be safe, he added.
My Comments: Well, those chili dogs can now be ruled out. I still wonder what that guy in the Ryder truck was doing and/or eating in the last few hours before the incident? Didn't his Mamma tell him NOT to swallow any pool water when swimmimg? ;)
Car-battery acid (electrolyte) is 25% sulfuric acid and 75% ordinary water; pool acid (muriatic) is hydro-chloric acid.
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