ULSAN — Several thousand liters of a chemical used to make antifreeze leaked from a tanker truck traveling on the Gyeongbu Expressway in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on the morning of the 13th. No injuries were reported, and related agencies are conducting a joint cleanup operation.
Fire authorities and Korea Expressway Corporation said a joint-response call came in at about 10:21 a.m. that day, reporting that hazardous material loaded on a tanker truck was leaking onto the road surface at the 50.7-kilometer mark of the Seoul-bound lane in Inbo-ri, Duseo-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan.
The truck was carrying 26,000 liters of ethylene glycol, designated a Class 4 (flammable liquid, water-soluble Class 3 petroleum) hazardous material under Korea's Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, and about 4,000 liters of it leaked, officials confirmed. Firefighters arrived at the scene 16 minutes after the call, at about 10:37 a.m., and began emergency safety measures.
The spill occurred because a discharge valve on the tanker, which had departed from Onsan-eup in Ulju-gun and entered the expressway, was not fully closed, authorities said.
Fire authorities, police, the Ulju-gun government and Korea Expressway Corporation stopped the tanker on the shoulder and are recovering the leaked material using large quantities of sand and absorbent pads. They are also building a containment line to keep the chemical from flowing into nearby drainage channels.
Ethylene glycol is a chemical used mainly as a raw material for automotive antifreeze. It is harmful if absorbed into the body or ingested, and it causes irritation on contact with the eyes and skin.
Police and fire authorities plan to question the driver and transport officials once the cleanup is complete to determine the exact circumstances of the accident and whether safety rules, including securing the valve, were followed.