Police and firefighter/paramedics from Wauconda responded about 9:25 p.m. Monday, May 25, 2020 in the block of 400 Old Country Way in Wauconda to a report of a muriatic acid spill in a home.
A MABAS Division 4 Box #34-40 Hazmat response was activated at 9:37 p.m. Fire and Hazmat crews staged at Old County Way and George Avenue.
Firefighters and hazmat techs from Fox Lake, Lincolnshire, Lake Zurich, Lake Villa, Cary, Barrington-Countryside, Buffalo Gorve, Crystal Lake, Round Lake, Countryside, Newport, Gurnee and Grayslake were dispatched to assist Wauconda firefighters.
Muriatic acid is also known as Hydrochloric acid. In residential situations, muriatic acid is usually used for swimming pool maintenance and pH balance, rust elimination, washing brick, eliminating mold in basements.
A witness reported that a teen with ‘muddied’ clothes was handcuffed and transported from the scene by police. Also, the residents were assessed by paramedics in an ambulance.
Hazmat responses and any applications involving muriatic acid require respiratory protection for inhalation hazards, and require protection from skin contact. Muriatic acid can cause irritation of the nose, throat, larynx; and can cause coughing, choking; dermatitis; laryngeal spasm; pulmonary edema. If splashed on the skin, muriatic acid can cause skin burns.
Muriatic acid is also known to be used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamines. Initially, no connection to an illegal meth lab was confirmed by police.
The information in this article is an early report published before any summary information was confirmed or released by police or fire authorities.
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