Contaminants have been found in the Columbia River after a chemical storage tank exploded in Longview, Washington, Longview Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said.
„The inspector confirmed that contaminants entered the Columbia River yesterday. Additional testing is underway to better understand the extent and scale of the environmental damage. "There are no known adverse impacts to the air quality in the surrounding area or to Longview's drinking water supply at this time," he said at a news conference.
Goldstein asked residents to stay away from the scene, where cleanup crews are still working.
On the morning of May 26, a chemical storage tank exploded internally at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper mill in Longview. Seven employees and one firefighter were injured, two people died, and nine people are still missing. The tank contained approximately 600,000 gallons (about 2.2 million liters) of white liquor, a chemical solution used to boil pulp. Experts estimate that there may still be approximately 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of the chemical in the tank.