Hazmat spill on Tucson freeway forces evacuation, shelter-in-place order

A truck carrying hazardous chemicals overturned on an Arizona freeway Tuesday, forcing nearby residents to either evacuate or shelter in place.

The commercial tanker truck rolled over on Interstate 10 in Tucson just before 2:45 p.m. and began leaking liquid nitric acid, the Arizona Department of Safety said.

Red and orange fumes rose above the freeway as traffic snarled in both directions, shocking videos posted to social media showed.

Officials shuttered I-10 between Rita and Kolb roads and sent out a hazmat alert to people in the area — including students at the University of Arizona.

All personnel at the university’s research facility, Science & Tech Park, were forced to evacuate due to the hazardous chemical, according to campus police.

Authorities advised individuals within a one-mile radius of the spill site to shelter in place and turn off any heaters or air conditioning units that filter outside air indoors.

Exposure to nitric acid — a highly corrosive chemical used to create fertilizers, dyes, polymer, explosives and more — can cause immediate eye and skin irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prolonged exposure can lead to delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis and dental erosion, the federal agency states.

The nitric acid spill follows a similar disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, where a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed and forced authorities to conduct a controlled burn to prevent a potential explosion.

A cocktail of harmful toxins like volatile vinyl chloride, phosgene and hydrogen chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were released into the air and soil after the fiery Feb. 3 crash.

While residents were quickly evacuated from their homes ahead of the burn, pets and wildlife left behind are dying at unprecedented levels.

Locals there are now worried about potential long-term effects on their own health due to the chemical spill.