Hot sauce leaking from a tractor-trailer on I-10 in El Paso, Texas, was quickly deemed a “Level 3” Hazmat situation. But calling in El Paso’s toxic materials team begs the question of whether truckers should get a pay bump for hauling the dangerously spicy products.
First responders discovered nearly 100 gallons of hot sauce spilled onto I-10 Westbound. The slippery sauce reduced the interstate to a single lane, backing up traffic for miles. Although no injuries were reported, or looters dousing their BBQ along the highway, the fire department deferred to toxic materials professionals wearing personal protective equipment, face shields, and breathing tanks. For hot sauce?
Deploying a Hazmat team is usually reserved for flammable materials or chemicals that pose a danger to people and the environment. The sight of red liquid gushing from the trailer when they opened it was like something out of a slasher flick.
Some area news agencies seem to identify the brand as Old Bay. Others posted images of the Tabasco brand. As the story reached social media platforms, the peanut gallery had plenty to say. One YouTube video called it a “Hot Mess” and a “Spicy Situation.” Another platform ran the headline: “Looking for the Next El Paso Tabasco Party? Look No Further than I-10.” These were among the trending comments.
- “Someone put a little too much hot sauce on their burrito.”
- “EP needed that sauce…”
- “The block is hot 🔥🔥🔥”
As tongue-in-cheek as the savory situation became for readers and YouTube video enthusiasts, hot-sauced pavement might be more volatile than you realize. A study conducted by the University of Nevada at Las Vegas highlights the “Hidden Dangers of Hot Sauce.” According to the 2013 findings, 16 percent of hot sauce brands from south of the border contained unsafe levels of lead.
“If hot sauce is a regular part of a child’s diet, it could contribute to unsafe levels of lead exposure, especially when combined with exposure to lead in the soil, cookware, and candies, or paint manufactured before 1978,” according to the study. Other reports indicate that too much hot sauce can cause stomach and intestinal ailments such as Gastroesophageal Reflux.
Proponents of slathering tacos, burritos, chicken wings, burgers, scrambled eggs, and countless others say it delivers essential vitamins, minerals, and the kick bland foods require. During the research for this article, none of the scientific data or foody platforms advocated for using hot sauce as an interstate condiment.
Sources:
https://klaq.com/tabasco-spill-el-paso/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
https://klaq.com/tabasco-spill-el-paso/
https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/study-hidden-dangers-hot-sauce
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