By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-26 21:27:30 | Updated at 2024-10-26 23:20:37
2 hours ago
Tesla could be hit with hefty fines after a chemical spill at their Palo Alto facility ended up in the city's drainage system.
The luminous liquid, which the Palo Alto Fire Department has said is a nonhazardous mixture of borax, lye, and green dye, spilled out of the office in the Bay Area.
City resident Mike Hedblom first discovered the fluorescent leak while on an evening stroll last Thursday, causing him to upload a clip of the footage to an online portal.
After failing to contact a city number due to it being past operating hours, he contacted police.
While it has since been cleaned up, officials have said they would be probing the spill due to Tesla, which is owned by Elon Musk, not having a permit to store sodium hydroxide.
The luminous liquid, which the Palo Alto Fire Department has said is a nonhazardous mixture of borax, lye, and green dye, spilled out of the office in the Bay Area
While it has since been cleaned up, officials have said they would be probing the spill due to Tesla not having a permit to store sodium hydroxide
Speaking with SFGate, Hedblom said: 'I didn’t know what it was. But I didn’t think it was right.'
Hedblom said that Tesla staff also appeared on the scene using absorbent pads to clean it up.
He said their 'very simple' supplies weren't enough to clean up the spill, with a fire truck later arriving.
According to a spill report dated October 18, the liquid was 'used for the chiller system to cool the Tesla Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer'.
It said that the spill happened while Tesla personnel had been draining the system, the mixture impacting the storm drain, the gutter and Matadero Creek.
The report continues: 'The Palo Alto Fire Department recovered approximately 550 gallons of the mixture from the storm drain.
'The incident occurred while Tesla personnel were draining the system.'
According to a post on Palo Alto's city website, Tesla had reported only releasing 12 gallons of the liquid - saying the rest amount for water.
The city said the liquid had managed to stream down a channel to nearby John Boulware Park where it was confined without touching any 'natural areas.'
According to a spill report dated October 18, the liquid was 'used for the chiller system to cool the Tesla Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer
Officials have said they would be probing the spill due to Tesla, who are owned by Elon Musk, not having a permit to store sodium hydroxide.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom are seen during a tour of the Palo Alto headquarters in February of 2023
The post added: 'In addition to cleanup, an investigation of the cause is under way. Storage of sodium hydroxide requires a City permit, which Tesla had not obtained.'
The city also determined that the substance did not pose a 'risk to life and health', but the National Institutes of Health say that sodium hydroxide is toxic if ingested.
It also says that it is corrosive to metals and tissue and can irritate skin, eyes and mucous membranes.
In an update on Thursday, the city said: 'Staff will complete its investigation upon completion of this incident and appropriate regulatory actions will follow, including reimbursement for remediation and clean-up costs as well as potential fines.'
DailyMail.com has approached Tesla for comment.
