Mulhuddart acid spill causes havoc

Seventeen people were hospitalised and the west Dublin suburb of Mulhuddart sealed off after a lorry shed a load of containers carrying nitric acid.

The spillage took place at the Church Road roundabout shortly after 9am on Tuesday (June 10th) and hundreds of residents were told to stay indoors while adjoining roads were closed and gulleys were blocked to prevent the deadly cargo from seeping into the nearby Tolka River. A Health & Safety Authority investigation has been launched.

Unbelievably, this is the second such accident affecting Mulhuddart in a month: in May a nitric acid spill necessitated the sealing-off of the exit road to the M50.
In the aftermath of the latest spillage, emergency services (including six units of Dublin fire Brigade and crews in special chemical hazard suits), Gardai and Fingal County Council personnel arrived on the scene rapidly to contain the spread of the hazardous material.

The village was selaed off and residents of Parlickstown, Wellview Estate and Drumheath were told to stay indoors until the corrosive acid was treated.
It’s believed that twelve containers fell from the truck and a number of these shed their contents.

The 17 people who were exposed to the spillage were assessed, treated and discharged from James Connolly Memorial Hospital.