The State : Solvent Leak Halts Traffic

The main street of Healdsburg was finally reopened 22 hours after a tanker truck went through town leaking a corrosive cleaning solvent. Shutting off the street in the Sonoma County city kept most people from direct access to the shopping district. Up to 50 gallons of the chemical apparently spilled out through a faulty spigot without the driver’s knowledge for more than 80 miles on various highways from Pittsburg to Petaluma and then to Healdsburg, the California Highway Patrol said. Although the spilled amount was small, authorities said the solvent’s fumes are dangerous if inhaled and can cause skin and eye irritations.