18일 오전, 경기도 시흥시 정왕동 도로에서 화물차에 실려 있던 컨테이너가 넘어져 불산 40여ℓ(추정)가 유출됐다.

  유출된 불산은 55% 농도의 희석액으로 아직까지 인명 피해는 발생하지 않았다. 그러나 왕복 6차선 도로가 불산으로 뒤덮였으며, 사고현장 인근 아파트 주민 １,５００여 명이 외출금지 통보를 받고 창문을 밀폐한 채 집에서 대기하고 있는 것으로 알려졌다.

   경찰 조사결과 운전자 조모씨가 시화공단 방면으로 우회전하던 중 컨테이너가 좌측으로 넘어져 파손되면서 불산이 흐른 것으로 확인됐다.

현재, 경찰과 소방당국은 불산이 유출된 도로 인근의 출입을 통제하는 한편 중화작업을 하고 있다. (코리아헤럴드)

<관련 영문 기사>

Truck spills poisonous hydrofluoric acid

SIHEUNG-- A large container of hydrofluoric acid fell off of a cargo truck and spilled onto a road in Siheung near an industrial complex southwest of Seoul, police said Saturday.

Police said the container fell off of the truck while it was making a right turn in a residential area, causing three lanes of the road to be covered with the acid.

It said there were no immediate injuries caused by the accident, but the toxic acid spill encompassed at least 30 square meters of road leading to the Banwol-Sihwa industrial complex.

Officers on the site along with fire fighters said some drums carrying the acid probably ruptured when they fell off the truck driven by a person only identified by his family name of Cho.

However, they said the compound had been diluted prior to transport. The 8-meter-long container had 20 drums carrying 200 liters of acid.

 "We are in the process of neutralizing the acid with chemicals, although the areas have been sealed off for obvious safety concerns," a fire department official said.

Police are investigating to see whether or not the driver was speeding when the accident occurred.

Hydrofluoric is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water and is a highly corrosive acid, capable of dissolving many materials including glass.

It is mainly used for oil refining, as an etchant and cleaning agent and in production of organofluorine compounds, among other things.

The acid is considered a contact poison and must be handled with extreme care since it poses serious health risks. (Yonhap News)