Hundreds of gallons of acid spill from semitrailer in North Tooele
Sep 12, 2025, 4:58 PM
TOOELE — State Route 36 in north Tooele will be limited to one lane on Friday afternoon while crews clear a hazardous materials spill on state Route 36 and Pole Canyon Road.
A call came in to emergency officials at approximately 12:40 p.m. on Friday. When first responders arrived they said they found 200 to 300-gallons of polyphosphoric acid spilled from a semitrailer onto the road.
The Tooele County Sheriff’s Department, the Tooele Fire District and the Utah Highway Patrol all responded to the spill.
North Tooele Fire spokesman Jon Smith said an investigation continues, but as of yet they don’t know how the spill happened.
Smith said the spill did not spread far, and that there was no environmental damage. However, he said crews were being overly cautious during the clean up process.
On its Facebook page, the North Tooele Fire District reported that there were no evacuations in place, and “no anticipated danger to the public.”
What is polyphosphoric acid?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, polyphosphoric acid is a “viscous water-white odorless liquid. It:
- Is hygroscopic (tends to absorb moisture through the air),
- Issoluble in water,
- Reacts with water to generate heat and phosphoric acid,
- Is non-combustible, but may decompose upon heating to produce corrosive and/or toxic fumes.
The health hazards of polyphosphoric acid include:
- Burns to skin and eyes unless washed off quickly,
- Burns to mouth and stomach unless diluted at once.
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