The glue that spilled into the Coldwater River on Monday when a semi truck hauling it crashed on the Coquihalla Highway around Larson Hill is known as Liquid Phenol Formaldehyde Resin A22.
The Ministry of Environment told the Herald in an email the chemicals in this material include a five to 10 per cent concentration of sodium hydroxide and less than 0.1 per cent concentration of formaldehyde.
The total amount that spilled onto the highway was less than 15,000 litres and while the ministry doesn’t know how much entered the river, an estimate is still being analyzed.
The ministry expects concentrations of formaldehyde in the water to be low, and the samples taken in the river will provide a more accurate result.
The samples will take a few days to be received in Vancouver for analysis, and the results will help determine the environment ministry’s next steps in the cleanup.
Based on their current estimates, both the environment ministry and Interior Health Authority consider any risk to human health from this spill to be low.
The glue was found in a low-lying area and was observed to be going through the culvert underneath the highway before draining into the Coldwater River, the Ministry of Environment stated.
It also stated there have been no reported impacts to fish or wildlife so far, and any health advisories, if required, will be provided by other agencies.
The ministry tackles spills like this one in phases — initial response, recovery and remediation. At the moment, the ministry is in recovery mode.
To report an environmental spill, call the BC Environmental Emergencies spill reporting line at: 1-800-663-3456.
