A 46-year-old man was rushed to the hospital Monday morning with burns to 5 percent of his body after being exposed to an alkaline chemical in the laundry room at the Pitchess Detention Center.
Paramedics were dispatched to the jail shortly before 9:45 a.m. for reports of a man requiring medical treatment on the 29000 block of The Old Road between Biscailuz Road and West live Oak Road, Hidy Kuang, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
He was treated for burns, then placed in a shower at the jail, officials said.
HazMat crews specially-trained in the handling of hazardous materials were dispatched to the same building for “a department exposed to a unknown chemical,” Kuang said.
The chemical was later identified as being alkaline in nature.
Alkaline substances have an acidic base with a pH level greater than 7. Many cleaning solutions used in washing clothes are alkaline.
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