LANDIS ó A broken vial of hydrochloric acid resulted in the evacuation of Harmony Labs Tuesday afternoon.
No one was injured, but Hazmat teams from Rowan and Kannapolis spent nearly 90 minutes clearing the spill.
Frank Thomason, emergency services director, said a small vial ó a test tube ó containing hydrochloric acid was accidentally broken in a sink in the lab area of the company located at 1109 South Main St.
Hydrochloric acid is an inhalation hazard ó a clear, colorless, fuming poisonous solution used in many manufacturing processes.
A worker who was in the area inhaled some of the fumes and went to a local doctor to be checked out. Thomason said she was not injured.
Some time after that, the Landis Fire Department was called to the business, which manufactures prescription drugs and high-end cosmetics.
Landis evacuated the building and did a preliminary check to identify the chemical and then called in Hazmat teams.
Thomason said the spill was diluted and washed out. The water used to flush the acid out went into a storage tank at Harmony Labs.
A short section of South Main Street was temporarily closed. Thompson said it wasn’t because of any danger from the spill it was a matter of parking all the emergency vehicles that responded.
In addition to Kannapolis and Salisbury units, China Grove, Enochville and the Rowan County Rescue Squad also assisted.
Rowan EMS stood by at the scene, but didn’t treat anyone.
Harmony Labs has more than 200 employees at four plants in the Landis and Kannapolis area.
Thomason said there have been no major incidents involving the company.