POINT PLEASANT — Officials are continuing their investigation as to how a chemical got on a Gallipolis Ferry man Sunday.

According to Sgt. E.B. Starcher, the wife of the man was taking her husband to Pleasant Valley Hospital from the Woodschool Road area Sunday after he apparently had been exposed to a high level of anhydrous ammonia.

The state police is not releasing the name of the person injured at this time because the case is being treated as a medical case and nothing criminal has been found.

Starcher said the woman told investigators that she tried to get the chemical off by rinsing it off then called for an ambulance, which met the couple while they were on their way to the hospital.

“There was a patient who was brought to the Pleasant Valley Hospital Emergency Care Center with a chemical burn,” said Amy J. Leach, spokeswoman with PVH. “He was decontaminated by the on-site HAZ-MAT team, stabilized, then transported to Cabell Huntington Hospital.”

Leach also dispelled rumors about the ER being closed during the incident.

“The PVH ER was never closed. All decontamination efforts were handled appropriately according to the facility’s HAZ-MAT training and protocol,” she added.

Leach said that if the emergency room were closed, which is a decision made by the hospital’s administration, the facility would notify all EMS organizations and other hospitals to accept patients that would have gone to PVH.

Members of the West Virginia Regional Response Team for the Huntington region responded to the hospital to assist with decontamination.

According to different Web sites, anhydrous ammonia is an efficient and widely used source of nitrogen fertilizer. Anhydrous ammonia has several advantages, including its relatively easy application and availability. It is a chemical made up of one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen. The properties of the fertilizer make it one of the most potentially dangerous chemicals used in agriculture. Ammonia gas is colorless and has a sharp, penetrating odor.

Anhydrous ammonia is a relatively common cause of chemical injuries, according to the National Ag Safety Database Web site through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to anhydrous ammonia can produce serious injury to the eyes, respiratory system and integument.

Not only is it used for farming, but anhydrous ammonia also can be used to make an illegal drug: methamphetamine. Crystal methamphetamine makers use anhydrous ammonia in the manufacturing of the drug, as it is easily obtainable because of its use as a fertilizer and because it is found on many farms and sold by agricultural supply chains.

Starcher said Trooper A.D. Wootton is continuing his investigation of the cause of the accident. So far, nothing has been discovered as to what the man was doing or how he was exposed to the anhydrous ammonia.

People with information about the case may call the Mason County Detachment at 304-675-0850.