A hazardous materials release in Hayward that forced people to shelter in place was caused by workers mixing large amounts of chemicals at a business that closed about four months ago, a Hayward Fire Department spokesman said.
The incident at the Contractors Chemical Inc. site at 3130 Depot Road was reported at 2:08 p.m. Tuesday. The shelter in place order issued for a one-mile radius was lifted at about 4 p.m., fire Capt. Don Nichelson said.
The California Highway Patrol closed northbound Clawiter Road at state Highway 92 because of the release but the road has since reopened, CHP officials said.
Nichelson said Contractors Chemical was still storing chemicals at the site even though it went out of business.He said the owner's son and several other people were mixing chemicals in an attempt to turn them into solids and then dispose of them, but a chemical reaction occurred that spread vapors throughout the area.
Nichelson said some people reported becoming dizzy, light-headed or nauseous but no one had to be transported to a hospital for treatment.
He said it generally is safe to mix small amounts of chemicals to turn them into solids, but it appears that the problem today is that the workers were mixing too large a quantity of the chemicals.
