Chemical spill at Moncure plant mostly contained

State officials say formaldehyde and phenol vapor escaped from a resin plant in Moncure on Tuesday, but that most of it was contained on site.

Arclin, a company that supplies resin used to make particle board, told state officials that a vessel containing formaldehyde and phenol overheated and blew off about 113,000 pounds of vapor early Tuesday. The vapor condensed and fell to the ground as liquid, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

Moncure is in Chatham County south of Jordan Lake.

It appears almost all of the chemicals were contained on site, state officials said. A small amount reached a stormwater drain running to the Haw River, but state officials say “much” of the chemicals were recovered before reaching the river. Results of water quality testing in the Haw and at the stormwater outfall are expected Thursday.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Chemical spill at Moncure plant mostly contained."