Mysterious Chemical Spill Brings HAZMAT Crew To Chatham Home: Cops

CHATHAM, N.J. – A Chatham family was given quite a scare Sunday when Poison Control said there may be Agent Orange in the basement.

On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Chatham Police, fire department and emergency squad were dispatched to a hazardous materials spill on Clark Street, police said. After the homeowner spilled a pungent-smelling chemical onto the ground, he called poison control and explained the situation.

After reading off the ingredients inside the spilled bottle to poison control, the homeowner was told he may have Agent Orange in his home and to immediately call the fire department and a hazardous materials team.

Poison control made a big mistake, however, and the substance was later identified as Malathion, not Agent Orange. Malathion is an insecticide with low toxicity to humans.

As a precaution, the Morris County HAZMAT Team was dispatched to positively identify the substance and appropriately dispose of it, police said.

The chemical was left in the home from a previous homeowner.

There were no injuries associated with the incident.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the homeowner believed the chemical was Agent Orange. It was poison control that instructed the homeowner to call authorities after incorrectly diagnosing the situation by phone.