NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Crystallized acid found on a container in a Jersey Avenue industrial building forced a cleanup today from a hazmat team, according to Middlesex County officials.

Middlesex's Hazardous Materials Unit received the call at around 11:30 a.m. today, Aug. 14, at 100 Jersey Ave. in New Brunswick, according to the county. A “routine inspection” by the city's fire prevention squad revealed a container stained by crystallized acid, officials told TAPinto New Brunswick.

Certain crystallized acids, according to online accounts, can prove explosive or “explosively unstable.” But what precise danger this particular chemical reaction posed is unclear.

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The hazmat team evacuated the room that harbored the container, according to the county. The rest of the building and the nearby outdoor area, however, were “unaffected,” county officials said.

After entering the room, hazmat workers “neutralized the hazard” and packed the container into a salvage drum, the county said. A hazardous waste contractor was slated to dispose the materials.

No one reported any injuries or complained of any ailments as a result of the incident, county officials said.

The incident came to a close at 2:13 p.m., less than three hours after the initial call, according to the county.

Middlesex County didn't name the business where the incident occurred.





The Jersey Avenue building is an industrial property with a number of tenants, including at least one laboratory that specializes in research and the handling of bulk chemicals.