Omya reports product spill
Toolbox
Published: April 4, 2009
PITTSFORD — A calcium carbonate spill occurred at Omya's plant in Florence on Friday afternoon, the company announced.
Omya said in a release that shortly before 1 p.m., the plant experienced "an internal release" of Omyacarb, "a nonhazardous, fine-ground calcium carbonate used primarily in plastics applications."
The company said the spill was caused by a failure of a gasket at the product silo and that the majority of the released material was contained inside the silo area.
Omya spokeswoman Linda Pleiman could not say Friday evening how many gallons were spilled or how much of the spill may have escaped beyond the immediate area.
"If there was, it would have been very little," Pleiman said from company headquarters in Cincinnati.
She reiterated the calcium carbonate product contained no hazardous chemicals.
Omya said that employees "responded immediately to the release in accordance with our emergency response plan." The company further stated that emergency procedures were followed and that state and town officials were notified.
The company said there were no injuries and that it will conduct a "complete review of the incident to develop preventative measures."
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