Emergency workers evacuated an Itasca manufacturing plant and the surrounding area within 200 feet after a caustic chemical plume escaped from a container Thursday morning.
No serious injuries were reported after a cloud of titanium tetrachloride leaked from a container about 6:50 a.m. at Toshiba Tungaloy Manufacturing Inc., 1375 E. Irving Park Rd.
The chemical, used as a coating for carbide inserts in metal-cutting tools, can burn eyes and skin and can be fatal if inhaled, according to Lt. Thomas Flanagan of the Wood Dale Fire Protection District.
The cause of the leak has not been determined, Flanagan said. There was no word on when the plant would reopen.
Other tenants in the 280,000-square-foot building were ordered to leave the premises, Flanagan said. A hazardous-materials team, including specially trained firefighters from several area towns, was called to the scene, he said. Irving Park Road was not closed to traffic, according to Cmdr. Michael Harrison.