Acid Spill Shuts Down Busy Oakland County Intersection

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — Crews were still trying to reopen a busy Oakland County intersection Tuesday morning after a semi truck spilled acid onto the roadway, according to officials.

The incident happened at the intersection of Middlebelt Road and Eight Mile Road in Farmington Hills at 5 p.m. Monday, when a semi truck began leaking ferric chloride, officials said.

The Western Wayne Hazardous Materials Response Team and other crews were sent to the area to stop the leak and clean up the roadway. They wore specialized level A hazmat suits to enter the semi-trailer and stop the leak, officials said.

According to the federal National Library of Medicine, ferric chloride is noncombustible and used to treat sewage and industrial waste. It is also used to purify water, as an etching agent for engraving circuit boards, and in the manufacture of other chemicals.

Contact with the acid can cause irritation and burns on the skin. It can be harmful if swallowed and damage your eyes.