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Pesticide Spill On U.S. 27 In Polk Being Contained

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TBO.com

Published: June 30, 2008

WINTER HAVEN - A hazardous materials team is working to contain a chemical spill on U.S. 27 after a semi-trailer tanker leaked pesticide into a nearby ditch, Polk County Fire Rescue officials said.

There is no immediate threat to residents and one lane of the roadway near Cypress Gardens Boulevard is closed while crews clean up the spill, fire rescue spokeswoman Heather McClanahan said in a statement.

The tanker, which was hauling about 900 gallons of pesticide, is not overturned. At least 500 gallons have spilled into the ditch, McClanahan said.

A rock or some debris from the road may have struck and damaged the tanker about 4 p.m., causing the spill, McClanahan said.

The company that owns the truck, C. Elton Crews of Avon Park, is at the scene transferring the remaining pesticide from the ruptured tank into a new one.

The Winter Haven Fire Department and Florida Department of Transportation workers are also helping to dike the ditch.

The tanker was transporting a pesticide known as Saf-T-Oil, which is used in the citrus industry. The product is toxic to fish and the agent — not the fumes — is harmful to humans and animals, McClanahan said.

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