Hydrofluoric Acid Cloud Released in Nevada Toxics Test
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LAS VEGAS — Workers released a cloud of dangerous anhydrous hydrofluoric acid at a remote area of the Nevada Test Site in the third controlled test at a new toxic spill test facility, the Department of Energy said.
Department spokesman Jim Boyer said the latest test Wednesday night lasted seven minutes and went according to plan.
Boyer said the controlled spill released a gaseous cloud 10 to 15 feet high that was visible from as far as 4,000 feet from the spill area.
The test, the third in a series of up to six tests, was conducted for Amoco Corp., which paid the Department of Energy $2 million to perform the spill.
The test is designed to help gather data for predicting the movement of hydrofluoric acid vapors in the atmosphere in case of an accidental leak, Boyer said.
The acid is a clear, colorless liquid used in a variety of commercial chemical processes.
The testing facility, built by the Department of Energy to be used for government and private testing, was first used Aug. 1.
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