St. Tammany bureau
A chemical spill at a Slidell home improvement store sickened about 10 people last week, according to emergency officials.
Lowe's employees were unloading a truck at 39184 Natchez Drive on Thursday night when bleach spilled onto fertilizer, causing it to smoke and stink, Slidell Police Capt. Kevin Folz said.
A cashier called 911, and store employees used a forklift to move the smoking pallet of fertilizer outside. Police and hazardous materials personnel from the Slidell area fire department arrived at 9:15 p.m. and evacuated the store.
Two employees who had tried to stop the chemical reaction with kitty litter were having difficulty breathing and complained of a burning sensation on their skin. One unidentified 54-year-old employee began to vomit and was checked by rescue workers but refused treatment, Folz said.
Fire Chief Larry Hess said the spill released chlorine gas from the bleach and 31 people, mostly employees, were evaluated. Ten people were treated for symptoms such as watery or burning eyes, but no one was hospitalized. After about 40 minutes of ventilation, employees were allowed back inside the store.
A manager at Lowe's said Tuesday that no one suffered any long-term health effects.
The incident occurred when a forklift was unloading a pallets from a truck in the receiving area of the store, according to Folz. A case of bleach fell onto a pallet of fertilizer, and one of six bottles began to leak. "It was a very small amount," Hess said.
The fire chief praised the employees' decision to move the fertilizer outside. "That was a smart thing to do," he said. Hess added that quick action by the workers, along with rescue personnel and police, "kept it from being a serious situation.
