Aug. 9, 2012

PLYMOUTH, N.C. - 9 On Your Side is following breaking news this afternoon.

Washington County Hospital is currently under lockdown. The lockdown affects the entire facility.

We have confirmed reports that Hazmat teams are at the hospital.

Staff members can't tell us at the current time what has caused the lockdown.

We're working to find out more information and we'll have more details as soon as they become available.

http://www2.wnct.com/news/2012/aug/08/3/breaking-news-washington-co...

Dangerous goods

"HazMat" 

Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. In the United States and sometimes in Canada dangerous goods are more commonly known as hazardous materials, (abbreviated asHAZMAT or HazMat). "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods. Dangerous goods include materials that are radioactive, flammable, explosive, corrosive, oxidizing,asphyxiating, biohazardous, toxic, pathogenic, or allergenic. Also included are physical conditions such as compressed gases and liquids or hot materials, including all goods containing such materials or chemicals, or may have other characteristics that render them hazardous in specific circumstances.

Dangerous goods are often indicated by diamond-shaped signage on the item, its container, and/or the building where it is stored. The colours of each diamond in a way has reference to its hazard i.e.: Flammable = red because fire and heat are generally of red colour, Explosive = orange, because mixing red (flammable) with yellow (oxidising agent) creates orange. Non-flammable Non-toxic Gas = green, due to all compressed air vessels being this colour in France after World War II^{[citation needed]}. France is where the diamond system of HazMat identification originated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_goods