A woman was hospitalized Thursday after mixing drain-cleaning chemicals at a hair salon in Whitman, Massachusetts, prompting a hazardous materials response.
The woman, who works at Eugene Hair Salon on Temple Street, said she poured Drano and another brand of drain cleaner into the company's sinks around 2 p.m., according to fire officials. Fumes were sent into the air throughout the store, and the woman experienced coughing and a burning sensation in her throat.
After she left work, her symptoms worsened. The Whitman Fire Department learned of the case around 5:30 p.m., and the woman was taken to Brockton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Crews responded to the salon for what fire officials called a Tier 1 hazmat incident, finding foam residue in four of the salon's sinks. The District One State Hazardous Materials Team joined Whitman Fire to help with the cleanup, which took about an hour.
The building was cleared for occupancy. A tenant who lives on the second floor was home at the time, but was not affected by the chemical reaction.
"Thankfully no one was severely injured as a result of this incident, and the building is safe now," Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Grenno said in a statement.
