A refrigerant leak at a single unit in an apartment building near San Francisco’s Union Square prompted an emergency response from the San Francisco Fire Department on Sunday afternoon.

SFFD brought a hazmat team to the residence at 625 Bush St. around 4 p.m., the agency said on X, as KRON4 first reported. Three adults were treated for exposure to the leaked substance and have since been released from the care of SFFD medical teams.

The situation also caused disruptions in the busy area, leading to traffic delays along Bush Street between Powell and Stockton. SFFD urged the public to steer clear of the affected zone.

Authorities confirmed that the leak was an isolated incident and did not spread to neighboring units.

Refrigerant chemical leaks, usually from HVAC units or refrigerators, can be poisonous — they can cause headaches, coughing, respiratory trouble, dizziness, nausea, or even mild burns if skin gets direct contact. (The chemicals can also be flammable.)

Feature image via SFFD.

to: brock@sfist.com
date: Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 9:46 PM
subject: cologne and santa cruz

Mr. Brock,

While I appreciate your coverage of the spray situation I don't appreciate the stereotyping and blatant prejudice against people who become ill from being around cologne.(chemicals, paint, new carpeting car exhaust etc etc) Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is recognized by the ADA and for people who have it, it isn't a joke, it's a nightmare. The sad thing is many people with mcs moved to Santa Cruz for the (once) clean air and now are threatened by the spray. Please educate yourself.

Sincerely,

[name redacted]

As always, SFist welcomes your most intimate questions and concerns. Send them here.

Although last week's test on the American tap water by chemists claims to have detected the sex hormone estradiol -- found such vertebrate animals as birds, reptiles, and fish -- a more recent test conducted by the American Waterworks Association Research Foundation, says that San Francisco's "best tasting" H20 has come up sparkling clean.

The Gate reports that our tap water, which is really quite tasty compared to, say, the waters of Southern California or elsewhere, has traces of neither pharmaceuticals nor chemical solvents that were previously reported. It seems that "[t]he mistake apparently resulted from confusion over the waterworks foundation's laboratory test results conveyed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to the Associated Press."

This should come as no surprise to Bay Area residents. It's not shocking that most of us are shocked after our first taste from the tap here. While most cities and states have to drink treated water, San Francisco has "bragging rights over pure Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water surrounded by nearly 500 square miles of Yosemite Valley wilderness." Snap.