Tesla could face heavy fines after a chemical spill at its Palo Alto facility ended up in the city’s sewage system.
The luminous liquid, which the Palo Alto Fire Department says is a non-hazardous mixture of borax, bleach and green dye, spilled outside the office in the Bay Area.
City resident Mike Hedblom first discovered the fluorescent leak while out for an evening walk last Thursday, prompting him to upload a clip of the images to an online portal.
After being unable to reach a city number because it was past business hours, he contacted police.
While it has since been cleaned up, officials said they would investigate the spill because Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, did not have permission to store sodium hydroxide.
The luminous liquid, which the Palo Alto Fire Department says is a non-hazardous mixture of borax, bleach and green dye, spilled outside the office in the Bay Area.
While it has since been cleaned up, officials said they would investigate the spill because Tesla did not have permission to store sodium hydroxide.
talking to SF GateHedblom said: ‘I didn’t know what it was. But I didn’t think it was right.”
Hedblom said Tesla staff also showed up at the scene using absorbent pads to clean it up.
He said his “very simple” supplies were not enough to clean up the spill, and a fire truck later arrived.
According to a report on the spill dated October 18, the liquid was “used in the cooling system to cool Tesla’s artificial intelligence supercomputer.”
He said the spill occurred while Tesla crews were draining the system, and the mixture affected the storm drain, ditch and Matadero Creek.
The report continues: ‘The Palo Alto Fire Department recovered approximately 550 gallons of the storm drain mixture.
“The incident occurred while Tesla personnel were draining the system.”
According to a post on the city of Palo Alto’s website, Tesla had reported that it had only released 12 gallons of the liquid, indicating that the remaining amount was water.
The city said the liquid had managed to flow through a canal to nearby John Boulware Park, where it was confined without touching any “natural areas.”
According to a spill report dated October 18, the liquid was “used in the cooling system to cool Tesla’s artificial intelligence supercomputer.”
Authorities have said they would investigate the spill because Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, did not have permission to store sodium hydroxide.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom during a tour of the Palo Alto headquarters in February 2023.
The post added: ‘In addition to the cleanup, an investigation into the cause is underway. Storing sodium hydroxide requires a municipal permit, which Tesla had not obtained.
The city also determined that the substance did not pose a “risk to life and health,” but the National Institutes of Health says sodium hydroxide is toxic if ingested.
It also says that it is corrosive to metals and fabrics and can irritate the skin, eyes and mucous membranes.
In an update Thursday, the city said, “Staff will complete its investigation upon completion of this incident and appropriate regulatory action will be taken, including reimbursement for remediation and cleanup costs, as well as potential fines.”
DailyMail.com has approached Tesla for comment.