Much of Budget Surplus Is Erased Death Penalty Urged for Texas Escapee Dawn Clark, who said she was driving on Bobby Jones Expressway at the time of the release from a chemical plant on Columbia-Nitrogen Road, waited in her car for a paramedic's attention.
Officials say risks accompany the benefits of chemical plants.
Shortly after the sulfur dioxide release at General Chemical, Olin Corp. pulled out its emergency response plans and reviewed them. Officials wanted to be sure that employees knew what to do in the advent of an accident. The release, coupled with Tuesday's sulfur trioxide spill at General Chemical, takes its biggest toll on how the Augusta community perceives the chemical industry and could strain its relationship with it, chemical company officials say. Olin, which makes chlorine and sodium hydroxide, is one of more than half a dozen chemical companies located in Augusta. The chemical industry employs hundreds of workers locally and generates millions of dollars.