10 people treated after Clark Atlanta chemical spill

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Paramedics transported nine people to Grady Memorial Hospital Friday after a chemical spill on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.

According to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, crews responded to a science building at the college after someone dialed 911 around 11 a.m.  Fire officials said a worker with a chemical disposal company was in the process of removing chemicals when a container was knocked off a cart and onto the floor, releasing an unknown substance.

"The product was spilled and he saw that it spilled and off-gassed--created a small, white cloud on the ground and after that, he started telling people to get out of the building," said Atlanta Fire Rescue Sgt. Cortez Stafford.

Initially, hazmat crews thought only two people had been exposed, but that number eventually climbed to nine.  Most of them reported coughing, respiratory issues or minor skin irritation.  Those people were isolated in another building on campus and decontaminated before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

Once those people were taken care of, hazmat crews returned to the site of the spill to clean it up.  Fire officials still are not sure what the chemical was.