THOMASTON (AP) – A 6,000-gallon chemical spill at Dragon Products’ cement plant injured two people Tuesday and spurred a voluntary evacuation within a half-mile of the plant.

The accident happened around 9:30 a.m. when two workers were transferring ammonium hydroxide from a tanker truck to Dragon equipment for a test run aimed at a controlling emissions from the plant.

But instead, the chemical spilled and the two workers were taken by ambulance to Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport and later released, said Terry Veysey, Dragon executive vice president.

The men are employed by F.L. Schmidt of Allentown, Pa., an equipment supplier to the cement industry.

Glen Wall, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman, said the entire contents of the tanker spilled into a catch basin, then traveled into a quarry at the plant. The spill did not pose a threat to the environment or residents, he said.

Still, Thomaston Fire Chief Michael Leo called for a voluntary evacuation of residents within a half-mile of the spill as a precaution.

A temporary shelter was set up at the Williams-Brazier American Legion post, Police Chief Kevin Haj said. About 20 people responded, most of them children from a day care center on nearby Old County Road.

It took Thomaston fire and Rockland hazmat personnel about an hour to set up equipment and gear and two more hours to stabilize the spill, Leo said.

Plant manager Stuart Guinther said the chemical was to be used in the cement-making process to lower nitrogen oxide emissions from the plant.

Ammonium hydroxide is a corrosive chemical that contains 19 percent ammonia and 81 percent water, Wall said. When it is breathed in, it can irritate the nose, throat and lungs, causing coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath. Skin contact can cause dryness, itching and redness or dermatitis.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-04-20-05 0217EDT