Hazmat crews were busy cleaning up a chemical spill at a health center in northwest Miami-Dade Thursday.
The spill happened at the Jessie Trice Community Health Center, located at 5361 NW 22nd Avenue in Miami. The center's Chief Operating Officer says the chemical spill occurred early Thursday morning in the podiatry unit.
Dr. Deborah George, the center's Chief Clinical Officer, says the chemical is called phenol - a therapeutic solution used primarily to treat ingrown toe nails. The chemical is toxic.
Hazmat teams from Miami-Dade Fire Department say seven people were affected, including two workers who each spilled about four ounces of phenol and were sickened by the vapors as they attempted to clean it up. MDF Chief Gary Fregeolle says five patients were also treated for inhalation as they were in the immediate area of the spill.
The center is closed for the day, and patients have been transported to a different community health center in the area.
