Employees return to work following hazardous spill at St. Louis plant

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Employees at the Mallinckrodt plant in St. Louis returned to work Wednesday, after a chemical leak forced the evacuation of roughly 150 people from the plant and neighboring businesses on Tuesday night.

Hydrochloric acid was released from a line attached to a 5,200-gallon storage tank around 11:30 p.m. About 100 people were evacuated from the plant, which makes pharmaceutical ingredients. Fire officials said they also evacuated a few area businesses, bringing their count to roughly 150.

"An employee and two contractors were taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution and they subsequently were released," Mallinckrodt spokeswoman JoAnna Schooler said.

She said the chemical leak and its cause are under investigation.

St. Louis Fire Capt. Steve Simpson said Mallinckrodt had an onsite team trained to help with the hazardous materials situation.

He said hydrochloric acid can burn the skin and respiratory system. It was not clear how much had spilled.

St. Louis-based Mallinckrodt Inc. is a subsidiary of Princeton, N.J.-based Tyco International Ltd.