Reassurance after tanker spills chemicals onto A19 near Northallerton
Police say the incident on Wednesday evening is 'not thought to have posed a significant health risk'.
Police in Cleveland and North Yorkshire have reassured the public that a chemical spillage on the A19 is not thought to have posed a significant health risk.
It happened on Wednesday evening when the tanker was travelling south between the Tees Flyover and Exelby Services.
The incident was first reported at 5.37pm and the stretch of road had to be closed until 9.30pm, with the services having to remain shut until 3am on Thursday.
Specialist decontamination contractors were called in to assist the fire service as chemical waste products had leaked from the tanker.
At the time, urgent advice was given for any members of the public who were suffering any ill effects to seek medical attention, as the product can produce potentially toxic gases.
However, specialists have since advised that the product would be in limited quantities at any one location, and would have been very quickly diluted by the heavy rain that evening.
Therefore it shouldn't cause any significant risk to the public.
Police have advised that the chemical involved does have a foul smell which may linger in vehicles. If this is the case, motorists should ventilate the vehicle – ideally leave the ventilation system on full with windows open – for a period of time until the smell disappears.
In relation to cleaning any of the product from the outside of a vehicle, it can just be washed off as part of a normal vehicle washing. It may already have been removed by the heavy rain that evening.
Police say as always, if you have any concerns or feel you have suffered any ill effects as a result of this spillage, you should seek medical attention without delay.