RUMFORD – As much as 8,000 gallons of titanium dioxide poured into the Androscoggin River very early Friday morning turning the water brown.

The accidental release of the metallic compound used for making paper white at MeadWestvaco was caused by a valve malfunction, said company spokesman Tony Lyons.

He said the discharge, the first in many years, will not harm the environment or reduce the amount of oxygen in the river. He said the river should clear within the next day or so.

“This is purely a visual impact,” he said.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was called to the mill Friday morning to investigate. Lyons said the DEP and mill personnel will learn specifically what caused the spill and how to prevent others.

“We’ll look at other areas of the mill where the same (remedial) measures should be put in place,” he said.

Waste discharge inspector Don Albert of the DEP’s water bureau arrived at the scene in late morning. He could not be reached for comment.

The results of the incident investigation should be concluded sometime next week, said Lyons. He said the titanium dioxide sludge generally doesn’t enter the river, but is filtered out through the mill’s treatment plant.

Whether the mill will be subject to fines is not yet known, said Lyons.

Titanium dioxide is an inert substance used as a paper coating, as well as in many household products such as toothpaste, antacid tablets and sunscreens. A press release issued by the mill and information on Web site www.wikipedia.org said that it is not hazardous to human health nor to the environment.