2 burned in Saskatoon acid spill

Two workers were burned when hundreds of litres of a solution containing acid were spilled at a Saputo Foods plant in Saskatoon Thursday night.

Saskatoon fire department battalion chief Jim Wood said the workers had been cleaning out pipesaround 10:30 p.m. when they were splashed with a wash solution containing nitric acid thatburned their skin.

About 450 litres of the solution spilled.

The two employees were treated at the scene and taken to hospital.

"They have minor burns, they're at home right now, and they're in good health," said Manon Goudreault,company spokesperson.

The cleaning chemical was a dilute mixture— while the acid was at 35 per cent concentration, it was atless than 1 per cent in the wash solution, she said.

A "wrong manipulation during the maintenance" was behind the spill, said Goudreault.

Wood said the Saskatchewan Environment Department and the city's sewage treatment plant were notified of the spill. There was some discussion with officials about how best to deal with the acid that had leaked down the drain, he said.

"In this case, simple dilution with water was deemed to be the best course," he said.

Plant management was left to supervise the cleanup, Wood said.

The plant at 122 Wakooma St., in the north end of the city, makes cheese and other dairy products.