ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – About an hour southeast of Murfreesboro, workers at Arnold AFB discovered a powdered bromine leak during a facility walk down of the Turbine Engine Cooling Towers this past Friday (7/23/2021) evening.

Some of the powdered bromine compound mixed with the humid air and gasified, creating a gaseous plume. A cordon was established and nearby buildings evacuated. No employees reported bromine exposure symptoms.

The hopper holding the compound later ruptured, releasing more of the chemical.

As a precaution, emergency personnel closed Wattendorf Memorial Highway, which later re-opened at 10:30, Friday night. Utility operators returned to their work stations when the area re-opened.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “breathing bromine gas could cause you to cough, have trouble breathing, get a headache, have irritation of your mucous membranes (inside your mouth, nose, etc.), be dizzy, or have watery eyes.”

The area continues to be closely monitored and necessary precautions are being taken. 

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