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Very hazardous chemicals discovered in flood cleanup

Posted at 4:41 PM, May 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-20 19:22:04-04

SARPY COUNTY, Neb. (KMTV) — Extremely hazardous chemicals are left at a dump site in a Sarpy County lake community after flooding hit the area in March.

Now, public safety agencies are figuring out how to get them out.

People working on the cleanup at Hanson, Chris, and Betty Lakes located the materials in the hazardous household waste pile. They've since been relocated to a secure trailer.

Someone left 7 rusted cans of ethyl ether, 3 pounds of mercury, and a broken vile of potassium cyanide with other materials.

The cyanide is a deadly poison and the ether could explode. The head of the Sanitary and Improvement District (SID) says it put many people in serious danger.

“Take a moment and try and understand they have a responsibility to the community--to take care of these things properly rather than just dump them on the side of street,” said SID president Chip Frazier.

NEMA and the EPA are working to begin the removal process for those hazardous chemicals as soon as possible.

It's unclear who left them and if they knew what they had.