What You Need to Know:
A local state of emergency has been declared in the southern Brazilian town of Joinville after a truck carrying sulfonic acid, which is used to make household cleaning products, crashed and spilled its contents into the Rio Seco river.
Sulfonic acid is a corrosive chemical that can cause harm to the nose, throat, eyes and lungs.
It is not yet clear what caused the truck to crash, nor the extent of the river’s contamination.
pic.twitter.com/fDMxZLZTbX#SantaCatarina – PMSC Eagle Helicopter flies over Serra Dona Francisca Region affected by sulfonic acid spill transported by a truck that overturned this morning #Brazil
*#Joinville City Hall declares Emergency Situation*
The mayor of Joinville, Adriano…— ??? World News ??? (@ferozwala) January 30, 2024
The Cubatão Water Treatment Station has been shut as a precautionary measure so as to avoid any uptake of contaminated water.
Furthermore, it is likely that hundreds of Joinville’s residents’ access to water will be affected as a result of the spill.
The company responsible for the truck, Buschle and Lepper released a statement after the accident:
“Buschle & Lepper Distribuidora de Produtos Químicos announces that the truck whose accident on the SC-418 resulted in the chemical leak was transporting Sulfonic Acid to the Joinville distribution unit. This input, used for the production of detergents and similar products, was transported by the outsourced company Transpare Transportes (Inlog). The carrier is approved for this activity by the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), in addition to having the necessary certifications for the transport of chemical products.
The company regrets the consequences of this occurrence for Joinville’s water supply and for the environment, informs that its technicians have been working with the Joinville City Hall Crisis Office since this morning to contribute to the search for solutions for the damage caused and that is monitoring with Inlog the identification of the causes of the accident, the necessary measures to mitigate the socio-environmental impacts and the evolution of the driver’s health situation”.
