DAYTON — UPDATE @ 1:50 p.m.:
A hazmat investigation forced a lengthy closure of the U.S. 35 ramps to southbound I-75 in Dayton while crews investigated the source of a leak inside a semitrailer.
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Police, hazmat, and fire crews were called around 9:20 a.m. on reports of a liquid leaking from a semitrailer.
The truck was returning to a chemical company in Cincinnati and was hauling strong acids, bases, and water treatment materials, Denny Bristow Dayton Regional Hazmat Coordinator told News Center 7.
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The leak was caused by a quick stop the semi made, which caused the load to shift, Bristow said. Hazmat crews tested the leaking liquid was the water treatment materials, which Bristow described as the “least hazardous” material inside the trailer.
However Bristow said crews avoided what would have been a dangerous reaction had either the base or acid mixed and reacted.
“We did have a strong acid and a strong base and if those would have been able to mix we could have had a neutralization reaction which would have caused a vapor cloud,” he said.
The trailer was unloaded and the materials were placed into another trailer to be taken to the Cincinnati company, Bristow said.
Police and fire crews blocked the ramps for about four hours before reopening them around 1:30 p.m.
No injuries were reported.
We’ll update this story as we learn more.