B757 FLC DETECTS RED STREAK ON BOTTOM FUSELAGE DURING PREFLT INSPECTION. LOGBOOK INDICATED A SPILL OF SCHIFFS REAGENT HAD OCCURRED AND CLEANUP WRITTEN OFF AS NOT LEAKING BELOW CARGO FLOOR. THIS WAS COUNTERED BY THE PREFLT INSPECTION.

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FO FOUND A LARGE RED STAIN ON BOTTOM OF FUSELAGE STRETCHING FROM 2 DRAIN HOLES BACK TO WHEEL WELL AREA. A LOGBOOK ENTRY FROM AUG/XX/96 SAID THERE HAD BEEN A HAZMAT SPILL OF SCHIFFS REAGENT. WRITE-OFF SAID THAT HAZMAT FLUID HAD NOT LEAKED BELOW CARGO FLOOR BUT RED STAIN ON HULL INDICATED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF THE FLUID HAD INDEED LEAKED BELOW THE CARGO FLOOR. IN TRYING TO FIND OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SCHIFFS REAGENT I WAS TOLD BY THE CREW CHIEF WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE SPILL THAT THE CLEAN-UP WAS DONE BY A SPECIAL CREW WEARING SPACE SUITS. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE FLUID WAS HIGHLY TOXIC AND CANCER CAUSING. I TALKED TO THE RAMP MGR; WHOSE ATTITUDE WAS THE PLANE'S BEEN FLYING FOR 3 DAYS -- SO WHAT'S THE PROB? I CALLED THE HAZMAT HOTLINE; WHICH WORKED ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT SOMEBODY ANSWERED THE PHONE. HE COULD NOT TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT SCHIFFS REAGENT. HE NEEDED A NUMBER OF SOME SORT TO GET THE INFO. AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE MAINT SUPVR; I MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY THAT THE WRITE-OFF OF AUG/XX/96 WAS INCORRECT IN THAT THE LARGE STAIN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE INDICATED THAT A SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF THE HAZARDOUS FLUID HAD INDEED LEAKED BENEATH THE FORWARD CARGO FLOOR. AT THAT POINT MAINT TOOK THE PLANE OTS. WE GOT A REPLACEMENT ACFT LATER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH FLUID MANUFACTURER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST INITIALLY CHKED WITH A LABORATORY WHO MANUFACTURERS THE SCHIFFS REAGENT FLUID. THIS IS A DYE SOLUTION; A CHEMICAL USED TO STAIN CARBOHYDRATES FOR LAB TESTING AND TO DETECT GLYCO PROTEINS. IT IS NOT CANCER CAUSING; BUT LIKE ANY CHEMICAL; IT SHOULD BE HANDLED CAREFULLY; NOT INGESTED AND PEOPLE SHOULD WEAR LAB COATS; ETC; WHEN HANDLING. A SPILL WOULD NOT ORDINARILY CAUSE TOXIC FUMES UNLESS THIS WAS A FORMULATION THAT HAD TOXIC AGENTS; HYDROCHLORIC ACID FOR INSTANCE. OF ITSELF; IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.