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A no-contact advisory has been issued for the Kalamazoo River following Pfizer\u2019s chemical spill.<\/p>\n
Pfizer initially declared there were no health risks for the city, saying in a statement: \u201cOn Tuesday March 12th, a tank at Pfizer\u2019s Kalamazoo plant discharged methylene chloride, a widely used industrial solvent, to the site\u2019s sanitary sewer system. We detected and captured the majority of the solvent onsite. A portion of the solvent which may have exceeded the permitted limits was discharged to the Kalamazoo Wastewater Reclamation Plant, which has its own treatment processes in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Kalamazoo Wastewater Reclamation Plant is designed and permitted to treat methylene chloride. Given the amount of the discharge and controls in place, we do not anticipate any health risks. Pfizer will continue to work with the City of Kalamazoo and is firmly committed to assessing and minimizing any potential impacts on human health, the environment, and the communities in which it operates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Pfizer spilled an estimated 1,057 gallons of methylene chloride, an odorless, colorless liquid used in pharmaceutical manufacturing.<\/p>\n
A Michigan toxicologist told<\/a> a local news outlet that the chemical \u201ccan be absorbed into the human body through three routes of exposure. It can be absorbed through the skin, it can be inhaled, and it can be absorbed into your digestive tract if you were to swallow it.\u201d<\/p>\n The toxicologist explained, \u201cInhaling it in large quantities can leave the central nervous system conditions such as dizziness, nausea, tingling in the fingers and toes, low-level inhalation of methylene chloride can lead to a lack of attention or hard to do hand-eye coordinated tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n Health Officer Jim Rutherford said the city issued a No Contact Advisory as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis advisory will remain in effect until further investigation and sampling indicates that there is no risk to public health,\u201d he said, according to Fox 17<\/a>.<\/p>\n