Clean-up crews contracted by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) were on Interstate 59 at the “S” curve in Laurel into the night Friday, containing and cleaning up a chemical leak. An 18-wheeler left the highway in the northbound lane Friday around 10:45 a.m. and landed on its side, spilling the chemical methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI).

An 18-wheeler with DJN Express Inc. of Bramton, Ontario, Canada, left the roadway and spilled the chemical off the outside lane near the new interstate construction area. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality called in U.S. Environmental, its contracted chemical clean-up service. Crews approached the truck around 4 p.m. to survey the scene, and to begin the clean-up process, which was expected to take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours.

The chemical was to be pumped into drums by hand. If pumped by vacuum hoses, it could possibly come into contact with warm or acidic water and could give off cyanide gas.

The intake system at South Central Regional Medical Center — located across the interstate from the spill — was turned off as a precaution following the spill, and then turned back on. However, the hospital turned the system off again around 4 p.m. as clean-up crews moved into survey the system and began the clean-up. An evacuation of the hospital had not been necessary as of late Friday afternoon, and emergency officials believed it would not be necessary.

Lance Chancellor, public information officer for the Jones County Emergency Management Agency, said the actual threat to the hospital “at that distance was not that great. However we are taking all precautions to make sure the public if safe and well informed.”

The unidentified driver of the truck was taken to the hospital for observation. A spokesman for the Laurel Police Department said no citations or tickets had been issued as of Friday afternoon. “It was obvious from the witnesses and the condition of the truck that speed was a contributing factor,” said Capt. Tommy Cox, patrol division commander.

Agencies on the scene included DEQ, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Laurel police and fire departments, Jones County Emergency Operations Center, American Red Cross and the Jones County fire coordinator.

Chancellor said if the truck had caught fire, the chemical would have produced cyanide.