BOSTON-
A malfunctioning silo threw a thick layer of cement dust onto nearby school buses, disrupting commutes for thousands of students.
Dozens of people went to hospitals with mild breathing problems on Thursday, and workers worked through the night to clean the buses with power hoses, but some transportation problems continued Friday morning.
About 3,000 pounds of powdered cement was released from the Lafarge North America cement company plant following a malfunction in its dust-collection equipment, the company said in a statement
Frank Geraidi, 56, said he was walking in the bus yard when the silica dust began to fall, covering about 60 buses. He hopped inside an empty bus and waited for it to settle.
“It looked like snow–gray snow,” said Geraidi, who was treated at a hospital for burning eyes and a dry throat.
The crystalline silica dust was nontoxic, officials said.
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