THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. --
Residents in Thomas Township are speaking out after a chemical spill at Hemlock Semiconductor over the weekend.
People who live near the plant said that although they heard the sirens sounding, they never got a call from plant officials regarding the nature of the chemical release.
Residents told TV5 a cloud of chemicals blanketed a small area before being blown by wind toward Midland.
One man said when he didn’t hear from anyone at the plant, he thought it was safe to go out, but when he went outside, he immediately felt a burning in his eyes, nose and throat.
When the man arrived for treatment at a local hospital, doctors there told him he had inhaled hydrochloric acid.
TV5 received unconfirmed reports of three people taken to the hospital after complaining of shortness of breath and burning sensations in their throat and eyes.
Hydrochloric acid is the byproduct when a certain chemical mixes with air. It is a byproduct of the process HSC uses to make silicon.
Stay with WNEM.com and TV5 as more information on the chemical release becomes available.
Copyright 2009 by WNEM.COM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
