12 injured after hazardous spill in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (FOX 11) - Firefighters treated a dozen crew members on a container ship for exposure to a concentrated industrial solvent at the Port of Long Beach, and one firefighter was hurt in a fall, according to the U.S. Coast
Guard.

The exposure was at about 9:45 a.m., at Pier G, Berth 232 where a flammable liquid leaked from a 6,000 gallon tank on the container vessel, Harbour Bridge, according to the Coast Guard.

The chemical was identified as propyl acetate, a solvent that in small doses smells of pears and is used as a food flavor. But in large amounts and concentrated form, it can severely irritate eyes, skin and lungs.

The 12 crew members were treated, and one taken to an emergency room. A Long Beach firefighter was injured in a fall of some sort, but details of that were not available.

The Coast Guard captain in charge of the Port then set up a safety zone of 150 yards around the ship to facilitate, assessment and clean-up operations.

The spill was being cleaned up by the Long Beach Fire Department Hazardous Materials team, along with Patriot Environmental Services.

There was no word on how long the clean-up will take to complete.

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