The EPA has identified the chemical compound spilled in Garnett, Kansas, on Dec. 31, 2025. Recent laboratory analysis corroborates EPA’s preliminary field screening results with a “high level of confidence” that the corrosive substance was sodium aluminate, the agency said.
Field tests were conducted early in the response and identified the material as a strong base with a pH level of 14. Strong bases are reactive chemicals that undergo various chemical changes when they are exposed to the elements. These characteristics made collecting a pure sample for broad-spectrum analysis difficult.
The laboratory conducting the analysis was able to account for chemical byproducts and reactions in the samples of the spilled material. The identification of the material as sodium aluminate supports EPA’s initial field screening techniques and analyses conducted at the response. These analyses enable EPA’s responders to characterize substances and direct responses appropriately.
Sodium aluminate is a chemical compound that is typically used in water and wastewater treatment, paper and glass manufacturing, and as a solidification accelerant in the construction industry. EPA responded to the spilled sodium aluminate in Garnett, Kansas, to prevent potential human exposure to the material after the material was spilled along two miles of roadway and impacted over 260 vehicles by an unknown, and still unidentified, party.
Throughout the week of Jan. 4, 2026, EPA treated 266 impacted vehicles in Garnett with a vinegar-water solution followed by a traditional car wash.
Source: EPA
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