Hydraulic Fluid Spill In Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, MA —After a street sweeper's line snapped and almost a dozen cars were coated in hydraulic fluid along Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge Police are asking drivers to avoid the area near Mt. Auburn between JFK & Holyoke streets, as well as Harvard Square feeder streets if you can as they clean up the toxic spill.

At least 11 cars were contaminated and need to be cleaned before they can be removed, according to multiple reports.

Crews spread material down on the roadway in an effort to clean up the spill. But the process to clean up the slippery toxin is expected to take several hours.

Notes left on the cars read; “This car has been contaminated by hydraulic fluid. Please do not move this vehicle.”

Hydraulic fluids are a large group of liquids made of many kinds of chemicals, according to the CDC. They are used in automatic transmissions, brakes, and power steering; fork lift trucks; tractors; bulldozers; industrial machinery; and airplanes. The three most common types of hydraulic fluids are mineral oil, organophosphate ester, and polyalphaolefin.

The fluids can cause irritation if it comes in contact with skin, and death if swallowed.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff