REDONDO BEACH (CNS) - A package carrying a corrosive liquid fell from a pickup today on the San Diego (405) Freeway, prompting a roughly four-hour closure of the heavily traveled roadway in the Redondo Beach area as officials cleaned the spill, but no injuries were reported.
The small chemical spill was reported at about 11 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway near Inglewood Avenue.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a package of what was later identified as thioglycolic acid fell from a Toyota Tundra pickup truck. CHP officials said the driver had shipping papers and the legal authorization to carry the material, but the package was not properly secured in the truck, causing it to fall onto the roadway, where it was struck by another vehicle. Less than one liter of the chemical spilled, according to the CHP.
Thioglycolic acid can cause severe injury or possibly death if someone inhales it, ingests it or touches it, according to the United States National Library of Medicine.
All lanes of the 405 Freeway were closed in both directions while a hazardous-materials crew was called to the scene to determine the nature of the spill and clean the area. The northbound lanes were reopened around 2 p.m., and the southbound lanes were cleared an hour later.