The Canton Fire Department responded to and contained a liquid nitrogen leak at a laboratory on Dan Road Friday morning. (Photo Courtesy Canton Fire Department)
CANTON — Chief Wendell Robery reports that the Canton Fire Department responded to and contained a liquid nitrogen leak at a laboratory on Dan Road on Friday morning.
The leak was reported to the Department at 10:08 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. When fire crews and the Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division (Hazmat) arrived on the scene at 45 Dan Road, the building had already been evacuated.
No injuries were reported.
Following an investigation, first responders determined the leak was due to a malfunction of a relief valve on a dewar tank that contained liquified nitrogen.
The large approximately 60-gallon tank was removed from the building and cordoned off in the rear parking lot of the industrial park facility.
The tank was fully emptied. Hazmat investigators and Canton Fire crews checked the building to ensure it was safe for everyone to go back inside.
Emergency crews cleared the scene by 12:26 p.m., and Canton Fire Department Deputy Chief Andy Morgan remained on the scene until a chemical company truck arrived to remove the tank from the premises.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was notified of the incident, but environmental damage was determined to be minimal since the Earth’s atmosphere already contains roughly 78 percent nitrogen.
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