SAUGET, Ill. (First Alert 4) – An all-clear has been issued in the Metro East after a fire at a shipping container facility involving a hazardous chemical forced hundreds of residents to shelter in place, including families with students on the third day of class in the East St. Louis School District.
The fire at the Container Port Group facility in Sauget involved trichloroisocyanuric acid, also known as TCCA. The compound is used in industrial and home settings for killing bacteria or algae in swimming pools, as well as for bleaching, cleaning and sanitizing.
TCCA dissolves in large bodies of water but is reactive to smaller amounts of water and can cause explosions and a plume. Human contact with TCCA can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs…