18 hours later, chemical spill from truck in Bridgewater cleaned up

BRIDGEWATER — It took over 18 hours to clean up a corrosive chemical from Route 28 after a truck overturned on the roadway Wednesday.

A tractor trailer owned by Solid Logistics spilled a load of 18 containers of aminoethylpiperazine after hitting a traffic light while making a left turn from Union Avenue (Route 28) onto Finderne Avenue.

The driver, Rafael Millasaky, of Lyndhurst, Maine, was not injured and was issued a ticket for careless driving.

Police said the spill was contained to the road surface which was deemed safe at 3:20 a.m. on Thursday.

The Somerset County Hazardous Material along with the state Department of Environmental Protection helped clean up the chemical and monitor the air quality.

DEP spokesman Bob Considine said Thursday afternoon there are "no concerns" about the presence of chemicals in the area. Air monitors detected the chemical only in the immediate area of the trailer during the clean up.

The intersection, west of Route 287, is mostly retail with homes located on one corner. The nearby Adamsville Elementary School was dismissed early out of caution and a shelter-in-place order was in place and to keep windows shut and air conditioners off. Police did not identify the chemical until Thursday morning.

Aminoethylpiperazine is a colorless liquid with a faint fishlike odor, according to the NOAA. It is used to neutralize acids and can burn the skin. Inhalation can cause a burning sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

On the Bridgewater township Facebook page, a parent whose children go to the Raritan Valley Montessori School near the intersection said her kids complained about their eyes, throats and noses hurting. She said her son had a "terrible cough" all night.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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