The mixing of two chemicals inside a Gloucester County pharmaceutical facility sparked an explosion that left one person hurt.
The explosion happened around 7 a.m. on Friday at Johnson Matthey Pharmaceutical Materials, Inc. located at 2001 Nolte Drive in West Deptford, N.J., officials said.
Officials say employees were mixing hydrochloric acid and another substance together when they reacted and the blast occurred. Hydrochloric acid is a highly corrosive material that can cause injuries to a person's lungs, eyes and skin. It is widely-used in manufacturing.
One person was hurt, but officials did not release the nature of their injuries or their condition. The explosion was thought to have started a fire, but that was later determined not to be the case.
Firefighters, police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office all responded to the scene. Employees were evacuated and sent to a staging area in the facility's parking lot.
Johnson Matthey manufactures pharmaceutical ingredients, controlled drugs and inorganic metals, according to their website.
