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Sulphuric Acid Plant Safety - Accidents
August 29, 2010
Introduction
No
matter how well a plant is designed and operated, there is the potential for accidents to
happen. Accidents can be as minor as small spills or releases to major incidents
that require evacuation, personal injury or death.
Plans
must be in place for all possible situations and personnel should be trained so they now
how to react to minimize the impact of an accident. The following are accidents,
both minor and major that have involved sulphuric acid plants or sulphuric acid.
| Date |
Location |
Details |
August 26, 2010 |
Las Vegas, Nevada |
A sulfuric acid spill brought traffic to a halt on parts of
Interstate 15 for nearly three hours Wednesday. Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman
Tim Szymanski SAYS a 55 gallon drum containing the hazardous liquid began leaking from the
back of a truck after 4 p.m. Wednesday. A driver who spotted the leak called 911 to
alert authorities. Firefighters neutralized the acid by using another chemical.
At first, traffic was blocked on both sides of I-515 near East Charleston Boulevard
and Las Vegas Boulevard. But officials began allowing some traffic to move as the cleanup
got under way. The entire roadway was reopened about 7 p.m. |
August 25, 2010 |
Florida |
Hillsborough emergency crews
responded to a report sulfuric acid spilled at the Reckitt Benckiser plant on Route 206 at
2:10 p.m. Wednesday. Police responding to the scene determined some acid vapor
leaked as it was being unloaded and transferred from a truck to a holding tank. The
leak was contained, police said. There were no injuries reported at the scene.
In addition to the police, the Somerset County Hazmat team and Hillsborough Board
of Health officials investigated the incident, also reporting no additional health
concerns. Other crews responding were from the Rescue Squad, and all three
Hillsborough fire companies. |
| August 16, 2010 |
Coeymans, New York |
Officials are
looking into what caused 27 cars of a CXS train to derail in Ravena Monday morning.
They say it happened around 5 a.m. on a single track area in the town of Coeymans.
Police say the cars were carrying diesel fuel and sulfuric acid, however no contents
were spilled. The wreck is however causing some headaches for other trains in the
area. This is the main line that runs from NYC to the Selkirk yards, just
north of the derailment it opens up to two tracks but unfortunately where it's at is a one
track area and all train traffic is currently stopped, said Coeyman Police
Chief Gregory Darlington. Crews are hoping to have the tracks cleared up by 9 or 10
p.m. Monday evening. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The
last time a train derailed in that area was in the early 1980's. |
| August 11, 2010 |
Petoria, South Africa |
Tshwane Emergency Services finished cleaning operations near the
Fresh Produce Market, west of Pretoria. The market was closed on Wednesday
after a truck carrying sulphuric acid experienced a leak there on Tuesday night.
The liquid is corrosive and toxic if inhaled. Officials evacuated people in
a kilometer radius from the vehicle. Tshwane Emergency Services
Johan Pieterse said, The product was classified as sulphuric acid and was evaluated
and the fresh produce market as well. We evacuated the area due to the wind direction that
was directly behind the fresh produce market. The market will resume
normal trading on Thursday morning.
The Tshwane Fresh Produce Market, in the west of Pretoria, re-opened for business on
Thursday, following a spillage of sulphuric acid from a truck on Tuesday. The acid
has been cleaned up by the Tshwane Fire Brigade Services and, together with the
Agriculture and Environmental Management Department, it has declared the area safe.
The market was closed to ensure cars and pedestrians did not step on the acid residue on
the piece of road affected or walk into the market and so that there was no inhalation of
the gasses from the acid which can have an irritating affect. "The city would
like to dispel rumours about the possibility of the produce having to be destroyed as a
result of gasses from the spill," says City of Tshwane spokesperson Console Tleane.
He said in fact the acid spill had not affected the produce at all. |
| August 11, 2010 |
Kansas City, Kansas |
A bulk materials storage company
in Kansas City, Kan., has been fined $97,000 to settle allegations that it violated
federal laws on toxic chemical storage. The Environmental Protection Agency
announced the settlement and civil penalty against Tanco Kansas City on Tuesday. The
agency contends Tanco failed to file proper documents about its storage of sulfuric acid
from 2006 to 2008. A subsequent report showed that in 2009 Tanco stored more than 2
million pounds of the hazardous chemical. The EPA also says Tanco did not have a
plan to guard against spills into a tributary of the Missouri River. The EPA says
Tanco's facility can store about 7 million gallons of liquid asphalt, sulfuric acid and
calcium chloride. |
| August 10, 2010 |
West Vancouver, British Columbia |
One person suffered minor
smoke inhalation after a smouldering sulphur fire broke out in a CN railcar near the Lions
Gate Bridge Tuesday afternoon. West Vancouver Police say people living nearby were asked
to stay in their homes and close their windows until firefighters doused the blaze.
Firefighters say everyone in the area cooperated. People within 800 yards of the tracks
were evacuated. Crews say sulphur fumes can turn into sulphuric acid once they're hit with
water.
"The sulphur in there was smouldering and causing a moderate amount of smoke.
It wasn't free flaming. We went in and put it out. The Squamish Nation and
Norgate were put on evacuation warning. Police went througn with their PA systems
and asked residents to shelter in place." Assistant Fire Chief Martin Ernst of
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue played many roles today: media relations manager,
firefighter, and coordinator, as sixteen fire fighters worked to extinguish smouldering
sulphur in an open box car on the Capilano Reserve. "We were mobolizing the Can
Alert system because the smoke was starting to drift and increase. The moment we
were able to put water on it, smoke died down. Winds were in our favour, because
they were quite light. We got the call at 2:45. We arrived at the scene
8 or 9 mintues later. We have to go through the process of product identification.
There was a victim. He was asthmatic. We had to see how we deal with this
specific product. We established there was a half mile radius of immediate
evacuation and that others would be put on alert. Everybody stayed put.  |
| August 10, 2010 |
Waco, Texas |
Emergency crews responded around
9:45 a.m. Tuesday to the report of a hazardous material spill at the Coca-Cola Bottling
Plant located in the 2700 block of Central Texas Parkway. Firefighters say about 10
gallons of sulfuric acid spilled outside of the plant loading dock after a load of
industrial-type batteries, used to operate motorized pallet jacks and forklifts, crashed
to the ground. Waco Firefighters established command of the scene and requested EMS
and HAZMAT crews while the plant manager evacuated the loading dock, isolated the spill
area and shut down ventilation to the plant. A neutralizing agent was applied to the
spill as HAZMAT crews worked to establish a cleanup plan. No injuries were reported
in connection with the incident. |
| August 4, 2010 |
Bencia, California |
Two contractors suffered minor
injuries following a leak of sulfuric acid at the Valero Refinery Tuesday, Public Affairs
Manager Sue Fisher Jones said. The lead occurred within the utilities, or process
block, area of the refinery and was contained on site, Fisher Jones said. An exact
time of the leak was not immediately available as was the exact nature of the injuries.
"The leak was contained locally and there were no off-site impacts and all is
operationally normal now," she said. An investigation will be conducted to
determine the exact cause, a process which may take a few days, she said. One
injured worker left the site in his own vehicle to go to a private doctor while the other
worker was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation and will be returning to
work, Fisher Jones said. |
| July 27, 2010 |
Massachusetts |
The Blandford Service Area on the
westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike was closed after a tractor trailer developed
a sulfuric acid leak Tuesday afternoon. State environmental officials and the
regional hazardous materials team rushed to the rest stop after the dripping acid was
spotted. Mass Pike motorists and the employees of the McDonald's restaurant and
service station were told to leave the area. Traffic kept flowing in both directions
along the Pike while crews worked to contain the spill. Hazardous materials officials have completed off-loading of sulfuric
acid waste from a carrier truck on the Massachusetts Turnpike, but the clean up is
scheduled to continue at least until Thursday. The tanker remains isolated at a
service plaza in the Hampden County town of Blandford. The rest stop is expected to be
closed at least another day. State police say the truck contained approximately
40,000 pounds of the waste sulfuric product. Hazmat officials who opened the tanker on
Tuesday discovered a rupture of one of its compartments. Police say there is no
danger to the surrounding area. However, the substance poses a threat to those exposed to
it. Police say the truck driver suffered an initial minor exposure and that the leak
is limited to the rest area.
The load, being hauled in a truck registered to the Ashland
Company, originated at Fort Devens and was bound for Binghamton, N.Y. The company is
licensed to haul harmful chemicals. It contained 40,000 pounds of a sulfuric acid
waste product. The load was distributed among 12 to 15 tote containers, each measuring
approximately 3,500 pound and 500 gallons. During transit, the load shifted and one of the
containers apparently ruptured. Some two to four of the totes were damaged when the
load shifted, Keefe said, adding that only a small amount of acid is believed to have
spilled outside the truck. A stainless steel containment system inside the truck caught
most of the acid |
| July 27, 2010 |
Port Moody, British Columbia |
On the evening of July 18, a minor
amount of sulphur dust was generated during the loading of a vessel at PCT in Port Moody.
This incident did not pose any threat to the public. The sulphur was being reclaimed
from a stockpile that had dried out due to recent dry weather. As the product was
being loaded, all of PCTs dust suppression systems were fully functioning, however
the shiploader was positioned too high above the hold of the vessel and some dust was
generated as sulphur dropped into the hold. There was a relatively minor amount of
dust that lasted for about 15 minutes. Some dust was also generated for very brief
periods when loading commenced in other holds. Unfortunately, PCTs dust
control systems were not able to control the dust from this very dry product for brief
periods. PCT has an air quality permit with Metro Vancouver. PCT discussed the
incident with Metro Vancouver on July 20, and the permit enforcement officer from Metro
Vancouver visited the site on July 22 to investigate. He reviewed all of our dust
suppression systems and observed that they were all functioning properly. A report
is pending. PCT has taken measures to adjust the dust suppression for this type of
product and to ensure the shiploader drop heights are minimized. We continue to ensure all
dust control systems are working. Over the years, PCT has invested more than $90
million in terminal improvements all with a focus on environmental protection
including dust suppression systems. This is the first complaint PCT has received
about dust from shiploading in approximately four years, which provides an indication of
our diligence and success in managing our air quality systems. PCT takes dust
control issues very seriously and has worked diligently to ensure dust is not generated
from our operations. We are very concerned that this incident occurred, and we will work
extremely hard to ensure it is not repeated. |
| July 26, 2010 |
Carson, California |
BP reported emissions of sulfur
dioxide in unknown amounts on Sunday at its 265,000 barrel per day Carson refinery in
California, according to a filing with state environmental regulators. The incident occured when too much pressure was
applied while steaming a line. It is under investigation. |
| July 19, 2010 |
Arizona |
Sulfuric acid is leaking from a
trailer after a crash in southern Arizona Monday morning. Arizona Department of
Public Safety Officials said a trailer and pickup collided around 9 a.m. on State Route
77, just north of Mammoth. DPS said the trailer is leaking sulfuric acid and traffic
is being directed around the crash area. The roadway is expected to be cleared by
11:20 a.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. No major backups
have been reported. |
| July 15, 2010 |
Newark, New Jersey |
A 400-gallon
container filled with sulfuric acid exploded inside a Newark processing plant today,
seriously injuring a nearby employee who was splashed with dangerous chemicals, officials
said. Authorities are still trying to determine what caused the explosion, which
forced 60 firefighters and Department of Environmental Protection officials to respond to
the bio-diesel fuel processing plant on Passaic Street around 3:40 p.m., according to
Newark Fire Chief Michael Lalor. The
victim, who was not identified, suffered third-degree burns to eighteen percent of his
body and was taken to Saint Barnabas Medical Centers burn unit in Livingston with
non-life threatening injuries, Lalor said. The man was apparently connecting hoses
to a tanker truck filled with methanol when the acid container burst behind him, according
to Lalor. He said the facility mixes acids and other chemicals to make bio-diesel
fuels. Firefighters and DEP representatives spent nearly 21/2 hours trying to
decontaminate the building. Lalor said 100 to 200 gallons of acid spilled and flooded the
structure, and hazmat teams werent able to fully neutralize the acid in the area
until 6:10 p.m. Methanol and sulfuric acid are flammable substances, according to
Lalor, and officials on the scene had to work quickly to close the methanol container
after the acid leak, fearing a possible second explosion. "It has a low flash
point, but we wanted to make sure it didnt ignite at all," Lalor said.
The incident also forced State Police to shut down water traffic in the nearby Passaic
River for about an hour, as firefighters worked to dissipate a vapor cloud that was
floating toward the river as a result of the acid explosion. |
| July 14, 2010 |
Manchester |
A sulfur dioxide leak from an old refrigerator forced seven people
from their Birch Street home Tuesday night. Two people - a resident and a
firefighter - were taken to Manchester Memorial Hospital as a precuation. They were
treated and discharged, fire department said, and the four-family house has since been
declared safe. The leak happened about 8:20 p.m. in one of the apartments at 64
Birch St., where a man and woman were cleaning ice out of a very old refrigerator,
according to a press release from the town's fire department, Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS.
The refrigerator contained sulfur dioxide, a precursor to Freon, which is a poisonous gas
that is severely irritating to the skin, eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The substance was
phased out as a refrigerant in the 1960s, the fire department said. The gas escaped
when a refrigerant line inside the freezer was punctured, fire officials said. Some
refrigerant was sprayed in the face of a female resident. Both the man and woman, who were
exposed to the pungent odor of escaping gas, flushed their faces with water, firefighters
said; they and the other five occupants left the apartment and called 911. A
regional hazardous materials team and the state Department of Environmental Protection
joined fire crews at the scene. The house was ventilated and the refrigerator removed. |
| July 13, 2010 |
Richmond, Virginia |
Fire and rescue crews spent hours tending to a hazardous materials
incident at the Richmond wastewater plant Tuesday morning. A potentially dangerous
chemical was leaking in the 1400 block of Brander Street - just off Interstate 95 near
Ancarrow's landing in Richmond's southside. A worker inside called emergency crews
after smelling something he thought was sulfur dioxide. Richmond fire Lt. Shawn
Jones says the employee was right. Rescue crews detected a small dose of sulfur dioxide
leaking from a pipeline connecting a rail car and the facility. Jones says sulfur
dioxide in large quantities can be very toxic and the worker who inhaled the sulfur
dioxide was checked out as a precaution. It was determined that he was okay and the other
workers were kept outside for hours for their safety. Chris Rossi works at the
facility and is also a volunteer Hanover firefighter. His experience came in handy. Rossi
spent part of his morning investigating the incident himself - trying to figure out the
dangers of sulfur dioxide. "I checked my handy dandy hazard book," said
Rossi. "Dangers of sulfur dioxide, distance, etc." Lt. Jones says the leak
is plugged, but the work isn't over. The complete cleanup was expected to take hours, so
everyone was kept away for hours. The plant has since been reopened. |
| July 02, 2010 |
Port Neches |
11 workers from the Huntsman plant
in Port Neches were treated at hospitals and returned to work Friday after they
were exposed to sulfur dioxide, according to information the plant manager provided
to KFDM News. No one was seriously hurt, according to Jordan Morgan, the plant
manager, and the workers were taken by ambulances to several hospitals for treatment
of irritation and other symptoms of exposure to sulfur dioxide. "About 11 a.m.
we had a valve on a pipeline within the plant leak sulfur dioxide," said Morgan.
"It remained on site. 11 of our employees were exposed to it. It's not toxic but
an irritating and corrosive gas." Morgan told KFDM News the Huntsman emergency
response team shut down the pipeline and isolated the leak. Although the leak was stopped,
wind blew the sulfur dioxide to an area where workers were located, according to Morgan.
"Our medical staff treated the people and about 11 were transported local
hospitals." 7 Acadian ambulances responded, and Morgan told KFDM News three
ambulances transported the workers to Renaissance Hospital, the Medical Center of
Southeast Texas, Christus Hospital St. Mary and Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth. The
employees were all released from hospitals and returned to work Friday afternoon.
Morgan said the plant is operating normally, with the exception of the pipeline and
related equipment. Huntsman has notified OSHA and the TCEQ. "We're
trained to respond to emergencies and our people did a real good job of dealing with
it," said Morgan. |
| June 14, 2010 |
St. Adolphe, Manitoba |
Police say about 12 cars on a
Canadian Pacific cargo train have derailed in a collision with a garbage truck near St.
Adolphe south of Winnipeg. The train was hauling sulphur and sulphuric acid but
there was no damage to those cars and none of it leaked. Some diesel fuel did
escape, however, and the environmental impact is being assessed. One house was
evacuated as a precaution. The driver of the garbage truck, a 43-year-old man from
Oakbank, Man., was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Tracey
Dinsmore and her husband live right by the crash site. "We heard the brakes
happen and we saw a big cloud of smoke and some of the train had derailed. My husband
drove the car to the end of our driveway, because it did happen right by our yard here,
and he went to go look for people," she said. "(He) found one lone
occupant and had pulled him out from by the truck and by that time I was calling
911." Dinsmore said her husband also checked on the locomotive engineers and
they were OK. |
| June 12, 2010 |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Two employees at a Buckeye chemical plant were taken to a hospital this week
after they were burned by sulfuric acid, officials said. The men were taken Tuesday
from the Thatcher Company chemical plant to the burn unit at Maricopa Medical Center in
Phoenix in stable condition, Buckeye Fire Chief Bob Costello said. They had "at least
second-degree burns" on their heads and faces. Plant manager Philip Belden said
the men were released from the hospital about two hours later. Firefighters
responded to the chemical plant at 6321 N. Rainbow Road about 11:15 a.m., Costello said.
Belden said the incident is under investigation. The men were repairing a
sulfuric-acid pipeline when the acid spilled. The men had been working on the pipes for
two days "so they had several pieces of it apart and had been replacing parts,"
Belden said. The employees were wearing full protective equipment, including
Gore-Tex acid suits, rubber boots and gloves, hardhats, face shields and goggles,
according to safety protocols, Belden said. They had completed extensive safety training
in accordance with company standards. The employees followed the standard protocol
for spills, he said, which prioritizes helping the injured employee. "Protocol
is obviously different depending on the situation, but your standard protocol is obviously
first aid," Belden said. "If it's beyond the ability of plant personnel, then it
goes out to a 911 call." Belden would not say what other procedures and
standards the company has in place to protect employees. Belden said Tuesday's
incident was the first chemical spill at the plant in the three years he has worked there.
"We do our best to make sure that this place is safe with all the safety
precautions, engineering controls, training procedures," Belden said.
"This was something that certainly is not commonplace. . . . so we'll have an
investigation into it and make sure that we do corrective measures to make sure this type
of incident doesn't happen again." Ten people work at the Buckeye plant.
Thatcher Company is a chemical manufacturing and distributing company based in Salt Lake
City, according to the company's website. It employs more than 250 people in eight states. |
| June 8, 2010 |
Valparaiso, Wisconsin |
A sulfuric acid spill closed one westbound lane on U.S. 30 through
Monday evening's commute. About 55 gallons of the acid leaked out of a
tractor-trailer traveling from KCI Chemical in Kingsbury in LaPorte County to Wisconsin.
A container holding the chemical had fallen over in the truck, as did another
container of phosphoric acid that leaked a lesser amount of that corrosive. A
Valparaiso police officer pulled the truck over after noticing the leak about 1:30 p.m.
The driver, according to some accounts, noticed the problem first after hearing a
crash inside his trailer, opened the back door and inhaled fumes. He was taken to
Porter hospital for observation, although officials didn't know if he'd been admitted.
"He got a good whiff," said Greg Eckhardt, deputy director of
Environmental Operations for Porter County. Eckhardt, who was the hazmat worker on
the scene, compared the inhalation to using strong cleaning chemicals in a small room.
No one else was hurt, and Eckhardt said that as long as no one touched it directly,
the acid wasn't a threat. There was no cloud or major fume collection from the
chemical. A clean-up contractor was expected to remove all the truck's chemicals and
neutralize the acid with a strong base, such as baking soda. Some of the topsoil
that the acid leaked onto would also be removed. The Valparaiso officer first
noticed the leak near the intersection of U.S. 30 and Indiana 2 and pulled the truck over
west of Marsh Street, Senior State Trooper Tom Quinn said. Quinn couldn't speculate
how long the materials had been leaking, but state police planned to inspect the truck for
any violations. "We know right away there's going to be a securement violation on the
load," Quinn said, referring to the tipped drums on board. |
| May 25, 2010 |
Memphis, Tennessee |
Potentially
dangerous chemical fumes at the Lucite International plant near Millington led to the
evacuation of businesses and residences along Highway 51 and Fite Road Tuesday morning.
The Lucite plant, which is next to the Dupont plant, started fuming a vapor mix of
sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide, which reacts with moisture in the air to create a
dense sulfuric acid mist. Sulfur trioxide can be harmful if ingested or inhaled, and can
also cause skin and severe eye irritation on contact. Plant spokesman Tom Eubanks
said there was not a chemical leak, but referred to the situation as "a fuming
condition" as the sulfuric acid regeneration plant was started up. The Shelby
County Fire Department and HAZMAT teams were called in to assist. Several businesses
along Highway 51 between Fite Road and the Loosahatchie River in about a one mile radius
were evacuated until emergency crews safely cleared the scene. Steve Shular, a
spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, said 30-40 people in the immediate area
were affected by the evacuation. No injuries have been reported. |
| March 23, 2010 |
Palmyra, Missouri |
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is responding this
morning to the report of an on-going air release of sulfur trioxide from the BASF plant in
Palmyra. The department was notified this morning by plant officials that the plant
began venting the gas about 8 a.m., and the release was continuing through mid-morning.
The department has dispatched an emergency environmental responder from its Macon
office to the scene to help determine the extent of the release and possible human health
and environmental effects. When mixed with water, sulfur trioxide becomes sulfuric
acid. BASF officials have evacuated the plant and neighboring industries. As a
precaution, the U.S. Coast Guard has stopped traffic on the Mississippi River between mile
markers 325 and 318. Prevailing winds from the southwest are carrying the vented gas
over a primarily rural area of Illinois. The department has contacted both the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency office that covers Missouri as well as the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency. The department has also notified Marion County
emergency management officials. Investigations are
under way after an estimated 200 pounds of the acid rain-producing gas sulfur trioxide
leaked into the air Tuesday at the BASF plant near Palmyra. There were no injuries
and no immediate environmental impact was detected. Initial company tests showed the
chemical was contained to the sprawling site along Missouri Highway 168 near the
Mississippi River. The leak took place in an isolated part of the plant. It was
detected about 7 a.m. and lasted until 10 a.m. Only 25 of the more than 300 employees were
evacuated. As a precaution, barge traffic was suspended until 1:05 p.m. Plant
Manager Michael McFarlane said that the leak more than likely resulted from a
mechanical failure, but added that at least a dozen BASF personnel would be searching for
what went wrong using data that records glitches in the system and how to prevent it from
happening again. State investigators also were going to test for environmental
damage and look at whether regulatory action was needed. Its too early
to say if theres anything that needs to be remediated, said Judd Slivka of the
Missouri Department of Natural Resources. We work hand-in-hand with regulators
to make sure we do everything we need to do, McFarlane said. Winds may have
blown some of the gas toward Illinois, but Adams County Emergency Management Director John
Simon in Quincy had received no reports of problems and a spokesman for the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency said no testing was planned. Our understanding
is the plume dissipated pretty rapidly, Slivka said. If it had to happen, the
weather was perfect for it. There was a light wind and no rain. Sulfur
trioxide is a precursor to sulfuric acid, which BASF uses to make herbicides. It is one of
the most massively produced chemicals in America, and is a component in acid rain.
The chemical is caustic and can cause respiratory problems. When sulfur trioxide is
exposed to air, it rapidly takes up water and gives off white fumes. If it combines with
water, it releases considerable heat while forming sulfuric acid. McFarlane said
production of sulfur trioxide would be halted until the internal review was completed. He
said the plants emergency precautions worked well. The people on site
are trained to handle this type of thing, McFarlane said. Everybody moved into
action pretty quickly. Everything was done by the book. Above all, were glad
everybodys safe. If investigators find that the plant exceeded its
permitted level of sulfur trioxide, the state could fine BASF. The allowable level for
BASF is 2,000 parts per million in a three-hour period, according to the state. The
release was the second reported by BASF in the last 10 months. In May 2009, an apparent
failure during an incinerator test led to the discharge of the anti-corrosion chemical
hexavalent chromium into the river. Slivka said the Department of Natural Resources
is seeking enforcement action against BASF because of the incident, but
declined to discuss specifics because the case remains open |
| March 16, 2010 |
Detroit, Michigan |
No chemicals have spilled from a train derailment on Detroits
west side, according to the Detroit Fire Department Hazardous Materials Unit. The
unit was sent to the tracks at Joy and Freeland roads after at least two cars carrying
sodium nitrate and sulfuric acid jumped the track at 11:33 a.m., Detroit Fire Department
Capt. Gerod Funderburg said. No one was injured in the derailment. |
| March 2, 2010 |
Prosser, Washington |
A semi-truck hauling a load that
included sulfuric acid crashed early Tuesday on Highway 221 south of Prosser after its
brakes failed. A minimal amount of the acid spilled, and the state
Department of Ecology was contacted, reported the Washington State Patrol. The wreck
happened at 12:15 a.m. The 1997 Volvo semi-truck with two trailers, driven by Jody
L. Fuller, 50, of Everett, was headed south on the highway approaching the intersection
with Highway 14 when its brakes lost air pressure, the state patrol said. The truck
rolled onto its side as it attempted to turn left. Fuller was not hurt. |
| February 25, 2010 |
Australind, Western Australia |
Four workers have arrived in Perth
after suffering serious burns after a sulphuric acid pipe burst at an industrial site in
Australind this morning. A Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman said it was
believed the men suffered the injuries after the Millennium Inorganic Chemicals plant, at
the Kemerton industrial park, was shut down because the pipe was blocked. When they
went to investigate, the pipe burst, the spokeswoman said. A 59-year-old man had
"very severe" burns to 45 per cent of his body, mainly his lower body, and was
transported back to Perth with a 48-year-old man who had acid "splashes" to his
feet, face and back. A 25-year-old man also has full skin thickness burns to his
legs, while a 54-year-old man had acid "splash" burns on his legs. The pair have
just arrived at Jandakot. All four men will be treated at Royal Perth Hospital's
burns unit, run by Fiona Wood. A Worksafe spokeswoman said both Worksafe and
Resources Safety inspectors were at the site, and it would be decided who would
investigate the incident after they were allowed into the complex, which is still under
the control of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority. Millennium Inorganic
Chemicals, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian-based Cristal Global, runs a titanium operation
at the plant. |
| February 14, 2010 |
Donaldsonville, Louisiana |
Portions of La. 3127 and La. 70
are expected to remain closed throughout the night as Ascension Parish Hazardous Materials
crews continue to clean up after a tanker truck holding nearly 4,000 gallons of sulphuric
acid overturned, a State Police spokesman said. Investigators believe thick fog
caused the driver of the truck, Phillip Vallare, 37, to lose control as he was traveling
west on La. 3127 just before 8 a.m. today, said Trooper 1st Class Russell Graham, State
Police spokesman. Vallare ran a stop sign at the intersection of La. 3127 and La.
70, then swerved to the left, Graham said. The tanker began to rotate
counter-clockwise and struck a utility pole before overturning and coming to rest in a
ditch on the side of La. 70, Graham said. State Police closed portions of both
highways and crews were still working on the cleanup as of 7:30 p.m., Graham said.
Vallare suffered minor injuries was treated and released from a local hospital, Graham
said. Troopers cited him with careless operation and failure to obey a stop sign,
Graham said. |
| February 14, 2010 |
Aukland, New Zealand |
Firefighters wore protective suits
to tackle a chemical spill in south Auckland on Sunday morning. Three fire crews,
three support vehicles and a hazardous substance unit, went to business premises in
Heritage Way, Flat Bush, just after 11am. They plugged a leak from where 20 litres
of sulphuric acid had spilled, according to Paul Radden, northern fire communications
shift manager. |
| February 13, 2010 |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia |
Area
firefighters and a county decontamination team were sent to an RIDC Park company Friday at
about 8 a.m. for a leaking tanker. O'Hara police Superintendent James Farringer said
hot, liquid sulfur was leaking from a tanker that arrived sometime Thursday at Sauereisen
Inc. at 160 Gamma Drive. The company manufactures specialized acid- and
temperature-resistant adhesives, sealants and cements. "No one has been
evacuated and no one is hurt," Farringer said. Allegheny County 911 dispatched
Highland Hose of Tarentum and other Alle-Kiski firefighters with special hazardous
materials handling equipment to assist. The units formed a convoy to reach the
industrial park. Sauereisen Vice President Carl Sauereisen said the leak was
contained and was being dealt with. "Molten sulfur solidifies almost
immediately (when it comes in contact with air), especially in these temperatures,"
Sauereisen said. He said the tanker, which doesn't belong to the company, leaked in
a contained area and Sauereisen employees were able to continue work in the plant.
The solid sulfur was to be taken away when it cools, he said. Molten sulfur can be
used in a process to test the strength of concrete mixes. It also can be used as a bonding
mortar on utility poles. Sauereisen employs about 38 people. The company was
founded in 1899 to make cements used in high-temperature, corrosive or acidic
situations. The company continues to develop new products and ships many of them
overseas, Sauereisen said. |
| January 22, 2010 |
Ohio, USA |
The Ohio State Patrol said traffic resumed to normal around 2 a.m.
on Interstate 75 after an acid leak shut down the highway for nearly 12 hours. It
took about 10 yours for police, fire and hazmat crews to clean up the sulfuric acid spill
that shut down the highway in Harrison Township and prompted an evacuation. Lt Bill
Peck said, He thought he had a flat tire and then realized he had spillage in the
trailer. The driver of the semi pulled over near Needmore Road as he headed
north. Then, clouds of vapor started to appear. Police and fire crews quickly
realized that they had an acid spill and were forced to shut down the highway. Then, they
called in the Dayton Regional Hazardous Materials team. The driver told authorities
that he was hauling three different kinds of acid in the truck. The acids had already been
used in an industrial process and were headed for proper disposal. According to the
driver, there were 40-50 containers in the trailer, some of them 55-gallon drums. Others
were 250 plastic containers known as totes. As night fell, workers suited up in
Level A hazmat suits, which provides the biggest protection available and went into the
trailer. The hazmat crew identified the problem as a leaking tote that had spilled
much of its 250 gallons of used sulfuric acid. They were able to neutralize the material
that had spilled on the ground, putting an end to the vapors that can cause nose, eye,
throat and lung irritation. The decision was then made to take the trailer slowly up
to an exit ramp, transfer the other barrels and totes and take them back to the plant in
West Carrollton, where the came from. Each container will have to be decontaminated
and then reloaded on another truck for disposal. Workers will look at the plastic
container that leaked. A hazmat supervisor told News Center 7 what the plastic
container was made of. Denny Bristow said, Polyvinyl, polyethylene-type container.
Its very thick-walled. Its not like a gallon milk jug. Its a very thick
plastic. Officials said the truck left the Veolia plant in West Carrollton
with the used and contaminated acids and were headed for a disposal site in Michigan near
the Detroit area. Troopers said they do not anticipate that the driver will face any
charges. Firefighters did evacuate Northridge High School and Timberlane Elementary
as a precaution, but there were no reports of any injuries.
Technical Solutions said it will re-evaluate its procedures following an acid spill
Wednesday, Jan. 20, that shut down traffic on I-75 in both directions for hours.
Denny Bristow, coordinator or the Dayton Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team, said
Thursday that the spill was caused when a valve from one container cracked another
container in the back of the tractor-trailer rig. Curtis Mabry, spokesman for
Veolia, said the containers of waste acids were loaded and packaged in accordance with
Department of Transportation guidelines, but a review of procedures could result in
changes companywide. Bristow said investigators consider the spill an accident. He did not
expect any fines or citations would be issued.
The spill involved a 300-gallon container of sulfuric acid on a truck loaded with
hydrochloric, sulfuric and phosphoric acids. A cloud from the spill drifted across I-75
from east to west, causing a potential health hazard. About 50 employees of a nearby
aerospace companys plant were evacuated for safety reasons. |
| January 22, 2010 |
Trenton, Ontario, Canada |
It could have been a major event earlier this morning no the 401 between
Belleville and Trenton.
A tanker truck carrying sulphuric acid caught fire around 6 on the 401 westbound
east
of the Glen Miller Road. Fortunately, the fire started on the trucks tires, and
Quinte West firefighters from Tuckers Corners had the flames out before they could effect
the tanks contents. Meanwhile..be warned
.traffic is slow on the 401 westbound
between Belleville and Trenton, as only one lane is open as crews continue to clean up the
accident scene. |
| January 21, 2010 |
Houston, Texas, USA |
A big rig
wreck blocked a freeway connector ramp in southeast Houston for hours Thursday afternoon.
The crash happened on the ramp connecting the Gulf Freeway inbound to the eastbound
loop at about 11am. Crews were being cautious with the accident because according to a
placard on the tanker truck, it was hauling sulfuric acid. Thankfully none of the liquid
spilled. Firefighters had to pull the pinned driver out of the truck. He didn't
appear to be seriously injured |
| January 13, 2010 |
Lynden, Washington |
Firefighters were called to contain a sulfuric acid spill at the
Darigold plant. At about 3 p.m. an employee noticed the smell and realized an acid
spill had occurred at the plant, 8424 Depot Road. Lynden Fire Department crews arrived to
find about 15 to 20 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled out of one of the plant's warehouses,
said Chief Gary Baar. A cracked pipe or valve had led to the spill, which seeped out
of the warehouse and onto the road. The spill was caught and contained with sandbags
before any acid got into the city's sewer or stormwater drains. No one was injured
in the spill, and there was no threat to neighboring businesses, Baar said. Local
Darigold representatives did not return calls about the spill. According to the Darigold
Web site, the Lynden plant was built in the 1920s and has been producing dried-milk
products since the 1970s. |
| January 9, 2010 |
India |
The cars and transport vehicles plying between Dutywa and Mthatha on the N2
freeway were compelled to take a different route after an incident of toxic spillage. A
part of the road was closed after a truck carrying large amount of sulfuric acid developed
a leak. The incident took place in the wee hours of the morning. Tshepo Machaea, the
Arrive Alive provincial spokesperson said that the acid was highly corrosive. It could
pose serious threat tote cars and motorists had they come close to it. The administration
did not want to take any chances after 4 vehicles plying on the road after the spillage
took place got damaged. In fact several parts of those vehicles were damaged along with
the tyres. Later mechanics were called to help out the drivers.
The acid got
spilled over 4 km on the road. Even the grass at the roadside started changing color, such
was the strength of the acid. Around 15 cleaners were deployed in the area to make the
road usable again. They used a material known as road lime to neutralize the acid. Tshepo
Machaea said that at least one lane of the road can be opened to traffic and the motorists
would be able to use it. Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela, a police spokesperson said that
people living in adjacent areas were told to keep their kids away to avoid any mishap.
The residents were also advised to keep their pest away from the road. Luckily the
spillage did not cause any injury or accident as it was spotted early. By the end of
Saturday the cleaning is likely to be over. |
| January 9, 2010 |
Globe, Arizona |
A mining
accident nearly took the life of a valley man Saturday. A worker fell into some
sulfuric acid while working in Globe. The man was hit in the chest by a 500-pound
pipe, and fell backwards into a tank of sulfuric acid used to clean metals. The
unidentified worker fell backward into runoff from a leaching operation that contained a
very low amount of sulfuric acid. The man was airlifted to Maricopa Medical Center, and
while being transported, the flight crew complained of burns to their hands. About
20 firefighters set up a hazardous materials unit at the hospital when the medical
helicopter landed. "We're monitoring not only the situation and the byproducts
of that chemical, but we are also watching the staff as they treat this patient,"
says Phoenix Fire Dept. Capt. Jonathan Jacobs. They were able to contain the
hazardous material, and the victim remains in critical condition. |
| November 23, 2009 |
Gilbert, South Carolina |
A Norfolk Southern freight train carrying sulfuric acid derailed
early Sunday morning in Gilbert. The incident prompted authorities to issue
voluntary evacuations in the surrounding area. Around 5:10 a.m. Sunday, the
Norfolk Southern freight train left the tracks near Isiah Hall Road and Hayes
Crossing Road. Officials say the train had two locomotives and ten cars. Eight
of the ten cars derailed. Six rolled on their side, including a tanker full of
sulfuric acid. Railroad officials say the train was going from Linwood, North
Carolina to Savannah, Georgia. There were no injuries reported. "The concern
that we have is the integrity of the tank itself. It's a double-walled tanker," says
Thom Berry, a spokesperson for the State Department of Health and Environmental
Control. "There are some creases on the outside of the tank and so far it hasn't
leaked." After visual and thermal inspections, no leaks were detected on the
overturned tanker. He says that the car is back on the track and will be headed to the
Norfolk Southern rail yard sometime this morning. |
| November 13, 2009 |
Salgaa, Kenya |
One person
died and 37 others sustained injuries after a trailer loaded with Sulphuric acid collided
with a bus in Salgaa along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. The two vehicles were reduced
to shells after they caught fire on impact. According to Nakuru Provincial
General Hospital Superintendent George Muganya, 27 people sustained minor injuries while 9
suffered chemical burns. Three of the survivors are in critical condition |
| November 9, 2009 |
Melbourne, Australia |
Fire crews expect to spend the day
cleaning up leaked battery acid on a container ship in Melbourne. The Metropolitan
Fire Brigade (MFB) says a worker noticed a strange smell coming from one of the containers
when it was unloaded in Coode Road, just after 5:00am this morning. More than 100
litres of the chemical spilled inside a container and on the ship. Commander Frank
Besanko says cranes will be used to move forty containers. "Once we get the
containers off the ship, then we'll be able to get to the area on the deck of the ship,
because the container that had the battery acid, leaked down amongst these other
containers," he said. "We've got to neutralise all the other containers
that were in the vicinity and also neutralise the sulphuric acid on the deck of the
ship." |
| November 6, 2009 |
Dunn, Tennessee |
A tractor trailer accident
yesterday caused a diesel spill and a morning rush hour delay for many people on their way
to work and school. The truck veered off of Highway 43 in the Dunn community.
According to the WDXE website, the Lawrenceburg Fire Departments Haz-Mat responded
to the scene. Luckily, the only thing that needed to be cleaned up was the diesel
spill. Fire Chief Don Kelly told WDXE that it could have been a lot worse if the truck
spilled its load of sulfuric acid it was hauling. |
| October 26, 2009 |
Pascagoula, Mississippi |
Chevron Corp. said it had a molten
sulfur leak from a pipeline while a barge was being loaded with it at the marine terminal
of its 330,000-barrel-per-day Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery. "We had a leak
of elemental sulfur from a pipeline. We were loading a barge at the refinery when this
occurred," said Steve Renfroe, a refinery spokesman, referring to the Sunday morning
incident. "We stopped loading and we are repairing the line and are in the
process of retrieving the sulfur," he added. Renfroe declined to comment on
whether production at the refinery was impacted, citing company policy. He said
initial reports that about four tons of sulfur may have leaked into Bayou Casotte in
Mississippi were overstated. "We believe it's much less than that,"
Renfroe added. The cause of the leak was under investigation, he said. A spokesman for Chevrons Pascagoula Refinery said Tuesday that
nobody was injured from fumes or heat when about four tons of molten sulfur spilled from a
pipeline Sunday into the water of Bayou Casotte. There were people in the operating
area, but nobody was in the immediate vicinity of the spill. Steve Renfroe,
spokesman for the refinery, said that workers involved in loading the barges have
protective equipment for that part of the refinerys operation. Sulfur is a
byproduct of refining crude oil and Chevron sells it for several uses, including
fertilizer. It pipes molten sulfur from the refinery to barges at the company docks on
Bayou Casotte for shipping. At about 11 a.m. Sunday, the pipeline leaked what the
company estimated to be four tons of the molten material into the bayou. Renfroe
said the material is dense, so that amount is equal to about two cubic yards. He
said on Tuesday that the pipeline is repaired and back in operation. The molten
sulfur turned to a solid when it hit the water, he said, and sank to the bottom of the
bayou. He said the company had divers on the scene Tuesday and plans to remove the
hardened material from the bayou. Were preparing to send divers to
investigate the bottom, he said. Its our intention to remove any sulfur
that we can find. Robbie Wilbur, spokesman for the state Department of
Environmental Quality, said the DEQ did not go to the spill on Sunday, but contacted
Chevron by phone. Chevron will send us an accidental release report in a
letter. Were waiting on that, Wilbur said. He said the material spilled
is not hazardous to wildlife or fish or people. But the company must
clean up the spilled sulfur as it impacts the waters of the state, he said. |
| October 10, 2009 |
Pingdu City
Shandong Province
China |
About 3 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid leaked from a truck on Thursday
morning in Pingdu City, Shandong Province, after a crash involving a bus and a tricycle.
The truck, carrying 18 tons of the chemical, rolled over in the collision at a junction at
about 5am, Qingdao Morning News reported yesterday. Six people were injured by either the
crash or the acid, the report said. Firefighters took about six hours to clean sulfuric
acid from the road and neutralize and dilute 2 tons of the chemical which had spilled into
a nearby construction site. |
| October 2, 2009 |
Edmonton, Alberta |
Highway 15 at Range Road 22 will
be closed until midnight while crews clean up a sulphuric acid spill. Strathcona
RCMP said a tanker truck carrying sulphuric acid collided with another vehicle around 5:50
a.m. Crews have been on scene since cleaning up the spilled liquid. Nobody was
seriously injured in the crash. A police investigation is underway. |
| September 23, 2009 |
Saint John, New Brunswick |
No one was hurt when a fire broke
out today in a molten sulphur tank at the Irving pulp and paper mill in Saint John, N.B.
Fire crews arrived just before noon and are still at the scene monitoring the
temperature of the tank and for vapours. District fire Chief Mark Gillian says the
fire started when a contractor was installing industrial insulation around the tank.
He was finishing up when dust around the tank ignited. |
| September 23, 2009 |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
State police say the eastbound
lanes of Interstate 10 near LaPlace have been shut down because of an accident involving a
tractor-trailer rig. A fire was reported as a result of the Wednesday morning
accident and traffic near mile marker 203 was being diverted. The crash involved two
18-wheelers and a car. One injury has been reported. "According to Louisiana
State Police, Interstate 10 East near LaPlace is completely shut down to
traffic. Trooper Russell Graham said traffic was being diverted at the Gramercy
exit," according to WAFB in Baton Rouge. "Troopers said Airline Hwy is
getting backed up due to all of the traffic using it as a detour route. "One of
the semi-trucks carried sulfuric acid, which must be off-loaded before the truck can be
moved." |
| September 13, 2009 |
Kingston, Jamaica |
Jamaican authorities say 300 tons (270 metric tons) of sulfuric acid have spilled
into the sea near the world's seventh-largest natural harbor. The island's emergency
management agency says the spill originated from a container at Port Bustamente in
Kingston Harbor, where mostly cargo ships dock. The agency said in a news release Saturday
that police are investigating the spill, which happened late Friday. Officials say
the waters near the harbor and Greenwich Town Fishing Beach are still highly acidic and
advised people to avoid swimming or fishing in the area. September 15, 2009
The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has
served a Breach Notice on the management of Industrial Chemical Company (ICC) Jamaica
Limited, in relation to Saturday's (September 12) Sulfuric Acid spill at the company's
storage facility close to the Greenwich Town Fishing Village, Marcus Garvey Drive,
Kingston. In a release tonight, NEPA said that, under the terms of the Breach
Notice, ICC has 30 days in which to construct a bund (embankment or dyke) at the facility.
Additionally, the Agency says it will be taking further action against ICC, under the
Natural Resources Conservation Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. NEPA, in
partnership with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the
Jamaica Fire Brigade and the Marine Police has all but completed its investigations into
the spill, which has affected residents and fishing in and around the fishing village,
which borders West Kingston and South West St. Andrew. "Tests have shown that
the pH level of the ambient water quality in the area is returning to normal. Both surface
water and water taken from a depth of three metres were tested by NEPA's laboratory
staff," the NEPA release said. "There are still residues of the acid in
the soil, along the path the material took to the sea. There is a concern that a period of
heavy rain could wash out the sediment into the marine environment. If there is no
rainfall in the area, the land is expected to be rehabilitated within the next four weeks.
However, NEPA is unable to say whether such a washout will have any significant impact on
the marine environment. "Based on laboratory tests, there is no evidence to
prevent the resumption of all activities in and around the area affected by the acid
spill. ICC is expected to submit a report to NEPA by Tuesday, September 15, 2009."
NEPA also reported that it has convened a four-member team to complete a quick-scan
of the coastline along the Kingston Harbour, to identify those enterprises which conduct
trade in hazardous substances. Once the scan is completed, the enterprises will be
directed to apply for permits for the relevant activities. |
|
July 28, 2009 |
Charleston
West Virginia |
Management at DuPont Co.'s chemical plant in Belle waited more than
two days before reporting a toxic material leak to state and local authorities last week,
government and company officials confirmed Tuesday. The leak of sulfur trioxide
started at 11 a.m. on July 22, but was not reported to the state until 4:36 p.m. on July
24, according to state Environmental Protection and Homeland Security officials. No
injuries were reported, and DuPont officials described the leak as a minor incident.
"It was essentially a non-event when you get right down to it," said
DuPont Plant Manager Bill Menke. "Normally, we wouldn't have said anything."
The
leak occurred in a sulfuric acid production unit that was the subject of a major federal
enforcement action. In April, DuPont agreed to pay $2 million in fines for not upgrading
pollution-control technology when the company added equipment to increase production.
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said he was shocked that DuPont did
not report the incident, especially given the public furor over Bayer CropScience's
withholding of information about the fatal explosion and fire at its Institute plant in
August 2008. Initially, DuPont officials estimated the leak at 300 to 400
pounds of sulfur trioxide. Federal law requires companies to immediately notify federal,
state and local officials of leaks of 100 pounds or more of sulfur trioxide. Menke
said the company later downgraded its estimate of the leak's size to about 18 pounds -- an
amount that would not kick in the required notifications to government agencies.
Last
week's incident occurred in the Belle plant's "SAR" unit, where sulfuric acid is
produced by burning spent sulfuric acid to form sulfur dioxide. The sulfur dioxide is then
converted to sulfur trioxide, and then to sulfuric acid. The unit had recently been
shut down, and had just started back up when a two- to three-inch hole was discovered in a
duct on the unit when workers saw "puffs" of sulfur trioxide coming out of it.
"It was puffing intermittently," Menke said. Company officials attached an
"elephant trunk" hose to capture the leaking material and funnel it back into
the SAR unit, Menke said. The goal was to control the leak until the unit could be shut
down for repairs, he said.
But
the shutdown didn't occur for 18 hours. And, Menke said, it is unlikely that the
"elephant trunk" caught all of the sulfur trioxide that may have leaked from the
hole. "Did the elephant trunk capture 100 percent of that material? The answer
is likely not," Menke said. Menke said that it was not safe to shut down the
unit right away for repairs. "It takes a little time to actually de-pressure
and turn it down," Menke said. "There would have been production to be sure we
had the facility in line." Menke said he was personally aware of the incident
the day it began, but did not think to call government authorities. After the unit
was shut down, Menke said, a plant environmental official asked for a calculation of the
size of the leak. That produced the initial estimate of 300 to 400 pounds, Menke
said. Based on those figures, DuPont then notified state and local authorities late
in the afternoon on July 24, a Friday. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said
that neither they nor the National Response Center were notified. DuPont officials
quickly realized that estimate did not take into account any material captured by the
"elephant trunk." A rough recalculation then produced the 18-pound estimate,
Menke said. So, they called back state and local officials with the lower estimate, he
said. Jesse Adkins, assistant chief for enforcement at the Department of
Environmental Protection's Division of Air Quality, said his agency is waiting for a
written report from DuPont before considering further action. |
| July 1, 2009 |
Montana |
Two Montana Rail Link employees
are in the hospital after being splashed with sulfuric acid. The Laurel Police
Department says they responded to the MRL yard office, off Shannon Road, around
9:30 Tuesday night. Officer Stan Langve says employees were in the process of
switching cars that were connected and one tanker splashed sulfuric acid on the two
workers. An ambulance took the two to a nearby hospital. |
| June 19, 2009 |
Mississippi |
A
log truck collision with a Canadian National freight train in Perry County damaged nearly
a dozen box cars and tankers filled with molten sulfur. However, there were no
injuries were reported. Mississippi Highway 198 was blocked for several hours after
the collision occurred around 11:45 a.m. Thursday. Michael Pol, assistant to
Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown, said he lives near the scene of the accident
and arrived shortly after the collision. "There was a truck coming south across
the tracks and he must have failed to yield to the train," he said. Pol said he
contacted the Mississippi Department of Transportation rails division to report the
incident. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality assisted in the cleanup of
debris and spillage from tankers, Pol said. Molten sulfur is not toxic unless it
catches fire, emitting an acrid smoke, Pol said. A rail crossing signal mast also
was damaged in the incident. |
|
June 17, 2009 |
Macomb |
A sulfuric acid spill at Macomb's
water plant late Wednesday night never reached the city's water supply, Public Works
Director Walter Burnett said Thursday. Macomb firefighters were called to the city's
water plant, in Glenwood Park, just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Most of the park was then
sealed off to the public. The spill caused no injuries and did not affect the
water-treatment process, officials said. Burnett said an automatic shut-off valve
malfunctioned on a tank that holds 39 percent sulfuric acid, spilling about 400 gallons of
acid used in the water treatment process. "The automatic shut-off didn't shut
off," Burnett said. Firefighters were at the treatment plant for about five
hours Wednesday night and Thursday morning. In addition to the Macomb department,
firefighters from Emmet Chalmers were called in to help at the scene and to help man the
Macomb station in the case of any additional emergency calls. The hazardous materials
teams from the Galesburg and Canton fire departments also were called in. The tank
that spilled is used by water plant employees during the day to mix the acid into the
city's water supply. Burnett said the acid is a "pH balancer" for the water.
To counteract the acid, firefighters, dressed in fully sealed hazardous materials
suits, covered it with powdered lime. Most of the acid was found in the room where
the reverse osmosis process is handled as well as an adjacent electrical room. A small
amount went out a back door but was contained. The two rooms have been sealed off,
and city workers were allowed back in the building at about 3 a.m. Thursday. Burnett
said the cleanup will including shoveling up the lime-covered acid, bagging it, putting it
in a barrel and transporting it to an approved hazardous waste disposal site. A cleanup
team from Peoria arrived at the water plant at about 3 a.m. Thursday to begin that
process. The only damage to the water treatment plant, Burnett said, was blistering
on the paint on the floor. McDonough County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency
Coordinator Dan Kreps said the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois
Emergency Management Agency were notified of the spill. Burnett said Thursday he didn't
anticipate the IEPA would visit the plant because it was not a treatment violation. |
| June 12, 2009 |
Carthage, Missouri, USA |
A sulfuric acid leak on Friday at
the Renewable Environmental Solutions plant in Carthage prompted Carthage Fire Chief John
Cooper to prepare for to evacuate homes in the area of the plant, but no evacuation was
necessary. Cooper said a tank containing residual sulfuric acid started leaking this
morning. The acid was left over from when the plant was operational. Cooper
said Carthage police officers were available to evacuate homes in the city around the
plant and Jasper County Sheriffs deputies were on standby to evacuate homes in the
county. The countys new reverse 911 system was also put on standby.
One of the big fears was that an approaching rain shower might spread the sulfuric
acid into nearby Spring River, but Cooper said crews managed to contain the leak and none
of the acid escaped the dyke surrounding the plant. Firefighters and officers
cleared the scene at approximately 11:45 a.m. |
| June 1, 2009 |
Sudbury, Ontario |
A chemical
leak at Vale Inco smelter facility in Copper Cliff, Ont., near Sudbury, has been
downgraded to a Level 1 emergency, which means the incident did not have any impact
off-site and there is no threat to the environment or to the general public. The
leak has been stopped and isolated to one area in the facility, according to Ontario's
Ministry of Environment spokesperson Kate Jordan. A chemical called Oleum, similar to
sulphuric an acid, was leaking. In response to the leak, Inco initiated an emergency
response protocol shortly before noon Monday. A bulletin, alerting area residents to
stay indoors and to turn off furnaces and air conditioners was sent to residents living
near the plant. Staff at the Ministry of Environment are on standby, waiting for the
area to be declared safe. |
| May 18, 2009 |
Hermon, Maine |
Railroad officials say four cars
carrying sulfuric acid and ethanol that are derailed in Hermon don't pose a danger to the
public because none of the liquid has leaked. The cars from Montreal Maine and
Atlantic Railway derailed about 8 o'clock yesterday morning behind LMS Transportation.
That's in an industrial park off Cold Brook Road in Hermon. John Schultz, the vice
president of transportation with the railroad company, says crews continue to make repairs
to get the cars back on track. Three of them contain sulfuric acid, one has ethanol. A
hazardous materials team is on site, too, while workers off-load acid from two of the cars
to make the job easier. The Hermon fire department is also on the scene as a
precaution. Schultz says the train was on its way to customers in Searsport when the
cars left the track. He says the cause is under investigation and the re-railing
work should be done by tomorrow night. |
| May 4, 2009 |
Utah |
A contract worker was flown from a
Kennecott smelter to University Hospital on Monday morning after he suffered sulfuric acid
burns on his neck and arms. The man was using a vacuum system to load acid into a
tanker around 10:15 a.m. when some of the liquid escaped, said Kennecott spokeswoman Jana
Kettering. She did not have further details on how the acid seeped out. The man, who
works for North American Industrial Services, was wearing protective gear, including
clothing to guard his body, face, eyes and head, Kettering said. "But some acid
still made contact with the skin," she said, adding that the contractor suffered
burns on his wrist and neck. The man received immediate medical attention, including
a decontamination shower. He was flown to University Hospital, where he was treated and
later released. |
| April 27, 2009 |
Delaware City |
DNRECs Emergency
Responders, along with a cleanup crew from REACT Environmental Services, Philadelphia, are
on the site of a hazardous spill that occurred Monday. A tractor-trailer tanker
enroute from Sunoco Marcus Hook traveling to the DuPont Red Lion facility on Del. Route 9
spilled an unknown quantity of sulfuric acid onto River Road between Hamburg Road and
Governor Lea Boulevard near Delaware City. The incident happened at about 11:40
a.m.; DelDOT closed Del. Rt. 9 between Del. 72 at Hamburg Road.DNREC responders and
environmental protection officers are investigating the incident. The road is expected to
be closed for at least several more hours to allow the cleanup crew to safely remove any
remaining residue from the spill from the roadway and until DelDOT determines the road is
safe to open. |
| April 27, 2009 |
Plant City, Florida |
Three workers are being treated
for injuries after a scaffolding collapse outside Tampa. Authorities say the
incident happened shortly before 2 p.m. at C.F. Industries in Plant City, a phosphate
fertilizer facility about 30 miles east of Tampa. A company official says the employees
were doing maintenance work on an 8-foot-high platform inside a processing vessel when it
gave way and tossed them off their feet. C.F. Industries say the workers were not
trapped and appear to have non-life threatening injuries. They were taken to area
hospitals. Three had serious injuries. The third has minor injuries. The company
says the employees are contractors, and plans to investigate what caused the collapse. |
| April 9, 2009 |
Sri Lanka |
June 3, 2010 -
The Colombo High Court today imposed a fine Rs 10 million on a captain of a Turkish vessel
for releasing sulphuric acid into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka in Trincomalee.
Senior State Counsel Riaz Hamza appearing on behalf of the State complained that
the accused Sir Sidath, the Captain of the vessel "M T Grand of Turkey" had
released the hazardous chemical into the Sri Lanka Waters from April 5 to 9, 2009.
The Accused pleaded guilty for the charge and consequently the High Court imposed a fine
of Rs 10 million on the captain of the vessel. In default of the payment of the
fine, the accused was sentenced to one year imprisonment.
Sri Lanka government is to take legal
action against the Turkey Shipping Company, the owners of the sunken tanker with a load of
sulphuric acid off Trincomalee Harbour. Ranjith Kularatne, Chairman of the Marine
Environmental Protection Authority said the legal action would be taken due to the marine
pollution caused by the sulphuric acid leaked to the sea from the tanker. Necessary
reports are being compiled in this regard, he said. According to the Marine
Environmental Protection Authority the ship, 'MV Grand Bar' finally sank 90 nautical miles
off Trincomalee after the Navy managed to tow the vessel to the deep sea. The Navy
confirmed that it went down at a depth of 3,000 meters of the sea. The tanker
carrying 6,250 metric tons of sulphuric acid was plying from Tuticorin to Kakinadan in
India when it developed troubles on Monday, April 6. The ship's crew of 19 had been
rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy after the ship was crippled 8 kms off Foul Point in
Trincomalee. Naval personnel boarded the tanker found that its cargo tanks were damaged
and the Sulphuric Acid was leaking into the ballast tanks.
The 19-member crew of the Turkish tanker
that sank off Sri Lanka is to return to Turkey next week. The Turkish Transportation
Ministry said that the crew would depart Sri Lanka for Turkey on April 14, news agency
reports said. The Turkish-flagged chemical tanker had been abandoned by its crew off
the eastern Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee after its cargo of sulphuric acid began leaking
last weekend. Later the Navy and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority vessels towed the
tanker further out onto the high seas to prevent marine pollution near the coast.
The tanker sank totally 50 miles off Trincomalee port on Wednesday midnight.
The crew of a Turkish tanker that sunk off
Sri Lanka will return to Turkey next week, officials of the Turkish Transportation
Ministry said on Friday. Nineteen crew members of a Turkish-flagged tanker that sunk
off Sri Lanka the previous day would depart Sri Lanka for Turkey on April 14, the
officials were quoted by the semi-official Anatolia news agency. A Turkish-flagged
chemical tanker "GRANBA" started to sink off Sri Lanka on Monday after the
sulfuric acid it was carrying melted the tanks. Sri Lankan authorities evacuated
Turkish crew members from the tanker, and the crew were in stable condition and staying at
a hotel near the port. The tanker totally sank 50 miles off Trincomalee port the
previous day. |
| April 3, 2009 |
Utah |
Workers are trying to clean up
sulfur that spilled when a tractor-trailer overturned on U.S. Highway 6 in central Utah.
The wreck occurred near the lines of Carbon and Utah counties and is not
obstructing traffic, said Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cameron Roden. The rig ran off the
road about 1:15 a.m. Friday, spilling the sulfur into a gorge. Roden said the terrain is
making it difficult to retrieve the tractor-trailer and the sulfur. The truck's
driver escaped injury. |
| March 9, 2009 |
Detroit, Michigan |
The Detroit Fire Department is overseeing a chemical spill clean-up
after an undetermined amount of sulfur dioxide leaked from a railroad car today in
southwest Detroit. The 10:30 a.m. leak happened at a city wastewater treatment
plant, 9300 W. Jefferson, just west of Zug Island, Detroit Fire spokeswoman Katrina Butler
said. The railcar had a leak in it, Butler said. How it happened,
they dont know. It didnt hit anything. The leak was so small the
citys health department, which responds to incidents that could affect the health of
area residents, was not involved, she added. The car was carrying about 90 tons of
sulfur dioxide, but it was unclear how much leaked out, Butler said. A professional
chemical handling company was overseeing the transfer of the remaining sulfur dioxide to
another railcar this afternoon, she said. |
| March 6, 2009 |
Plaquemine, Louisiana |
A freight
train car carrying molten sulfur derailed and sprung a leak Saturday, dribbling stinking
orange-and-yellow goop into Bayou Plaquemine and prompting evacuation of more than 100
people from a nearby motel. Nobody was hurt. The five cars that derailed were
near the rear of a 67-car train that was going 16 mph at the time of the accident and
itcluded four of the 12 empty cars, Union Pacific Corp. spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza
said. She said Union Pacific railroad and the Federal Railroad Administration are
investigating.
None of the train cars fell into the bayou just inside Iberville Parish; the only one
carrying cargo was the leaking car, which was upright on the bridge, Cain said. He said
much of the sulfur -- the chemical which gives rotten eggs their stink -- was solidifying
on the bridge and bank; any of it that hit the water would solidify more rapidly and fall
to the bottom.
The sulfur car was 51st in line. Two empty cars just in front of the sulfur car tumbled
onto the bank, and two just behind it remained upright, she said. |
| February 15, 2009 |
Louisiana |
An overturned tanker truck loaded
with acid forced traffic to be diverted onto side roads while crews worked to clear the
wreckage on Interstate 20 near Minden. The driver remained trapped in the wreckage
for almost three hours while crews from the Minden Fire Department struggled to free him.
Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton says it was delicate operation to lift the
mangled cab off the victim, "You had two lines going to have to pick the truck up. If
you'd lifted to onside or the other, it would have crushed the guy. So the rescue
personnel were being extremely cautious." Sexton says 55 year old David
Yeager of El Dorado had acid burns on his head, but was talking to rescue workers and was
airlifted to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, in serious but stable condition. The
truck was headed from Shreveport to El Dorado, Arkansas with about 3800 gallons of
sulphuric acid. Some of the acid leaked out spreading fumes into the air. There were
no evacuations of homes or business. The breezy day quicikly dispersed those potentially
dangerous fumes. Sexton says, "The wind's kind of in our favor today. If it
would have been a still day and a light breeze we might have had some problems." |
| February 15, 2009 |
San Bernardino, CA |
Eight
cars from a Union Pacific freight train derailed early Saturday near West Rialto Avenue
and South Macy Street in San Bernardino. The 12:30 a.m. incident involved three box
cars carrying soda ash and five tanker cars that previously carried sulfuric acid, San
Bernardino Fire Department spokesman Steve Tracy said by phone. "It was an
interesting call with a large potential for hazards, but fortunately it was a low-speed
derailment, so we really lucked out," Tracy said. "I can assure you not at any
time were any residents in danger." Two containers of soda ash spilled during
the derailment as the train traveled northeast, Union Pacific spokeswoman Zoe Richmond
said by phone. Soda ash is used in making soap powders, glass and paper. The track
is near a BNSF Railway line used by Metrolink. None of the double-walled freight
cars were breached, Tracy said. The rail line has an estimated 200-foot right of way, with
homes and mobile homes nearby. The train cars were marked with placards indicating
the nature of the loads, and fire officials were able to quickly find out details from
Union Pacific. "They let us know those sulfuric acid cars were empty,"
Tracy said, with at most a residual of 10 to 15 gallons each. There also is a Kinder
Morgan fuel-transport pipeline adjacent to the railroad. Union Pacific contacted Kinder
Morgan, and the line was shut down as a precaution, Tracy said. The train cars
stretched from Mill Street on the north to about a quarter-mile south of Rialto Avenue.
Union Pacific's Richmond said the 80-car train was 4,461-feet long. The
cleanup was expected to be finished Saturday afternoon. |
| January 17, 2009 |
Englewood, Colorado |
A southbound
Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train carrying molten sulfur derailed about 11:45
p.m. in Littleton. Three of the 17 cars involved in the derailment leaked about 100
gallons of liquid sulfur that quickly solidified in the cold air, said Gus Melonas, BNSF
spokesman. Two cars fell onto their sides and 15 were leaning. Neither of the two
crew members was harmed, Melonas said. The freight tracks could be repaired and running by
this afternoon, he added. No one was evacuated because the spill was not a health
hazard. |
| January 13, 2009 |
El Dorado, Arkansas |
An 18-wheeler loaded with sulfuric acid overturned at approximately
8:30 a.m. Monday on U.S. 63 near Old Union, spilling several hundred gallons of the
hazardous chemical onto the westbound shoulder of the highway, according to the Union
County Office of Emergency Management. The truck, owned by the Groendyke Transport Co.,
was traveling eastbound at the time of the accident. The driver was taken to the Medical
Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado for non-life threatening injuries.
|
| January 3, 2009 |
Darwin, Australia |
Environmental officers are working
to save remote wetlands from a serious chemical spill after a truck rolled outside Kakadu
National Park. About 6000 litres of sulphuric acid poured onto the Arnhem Land
Highway near the turn-off to Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, 100 kilometres from the
entrance to the heritage-listed national park. The spill is believed to be one of
the largest recorded and there are concerns about the effect on surrounding wetlands.
John Woinarski, the Northern Territory Government's acting executive director of
environment, heritage and the arts, said work was under way to neutralise the spilt acid,
which covers an area about 50 metres long and three metres wide. "There is no
threat to wetlands in Kakadu National Park and Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve," he
said. "The spilt product is being neutralised and it is expected that this will be
completed shortly. "The product is quite viscous and does not mobilise readily,
making containment effective. "Environmental officers will remain on site until
we are satisfied that all actions have been effective in protecting the surrounding
environment and community." The rear trailer on the road train headed
for the Ranger uranium mine located in the middle of Kakadu overturned on Thursday
evening. The acid is hazardous to touch or breathe in. Its spill has prompted calls
for a review of the transport of dangerous liquids through wetland wilderness areas.
Friends of Fogg Dam president Heather Boulden told ABC Radio in Darwin: "It
would be very difficult to clean up, I'm sure, and in a wetland I would imagine there is
huge potential for it to spread over a vast area." Ms Boulden said there could
be serious ramifications for birdlife if the acid seeped into the water supply.
Police are investigating the accident. |
| December 26, 2008 |
Ohio |
Emergency and hazardous materials
cleanup crews are on the scene of a tanker truck accident that killed the driver at Steels
Corners and Akron-Peninsula roads. The vehicle was carrying sulfuric acid, and work is now
beginning to remove the substance from the terrain, said Mark Williamson, spokesman for
the city of Akron.
Akron Police have closed Akron-Peninsula Road at the Steels Corners Road intersection, and
Akron-Peninsula Road is shut down about "a half mile" in each direction, said
Williamson. He added he expects the roads to be closed "most of the day."
Williamson said the vehicle was found in a wooded area near the intersection of Steels
Corners and Akron-Peninsula roads at 7:20 a.m. He added it is not known when the accident
happened, but noted the tanker had been traveling west on Steels Corners, went through the
Akron-Peninsula Road intersection and into the wooded area.
Information is not available on the driver's identity. There was no one else in the
vehicle.
He said sulfuric acid is "leaking slowly" from the tanker. Once a second tanker
is brought in, the substance will be siphoned into that vehicle, said Williamson. |
| December 6, 2008 |
Australia |
A tanker truck carrying sulphuric
acid has rolled off the Bruce Highway in central Queensland forcing emergency crews to
impose a 250m exclusion zone to contain leaking acid. It is understood both tanks on
the B-double tanker were leaking and that the truck came to rest beside the road in long
grass. Emergency services have evacuated the area on the Bruce Highway north of
Bloomsbury, which includes a couple of farmhouses, due to inhalation concerns.
Firefighters from Mackay and Proserpine were on the scene and attempting to contain the
leaks. The truck driver, who was out of the vehicle when emergency crews arrived,
was taken to Proserpine Hospital with minor injuries. Paramedics remained on standby
at the incident. |
| December 1,
2008 |
Ohio |
A tanker truck,
carrying molten sulphur, overturned and caught fire on Ohio 65 near Cairo this morning. Allen County safety forces and fire
departments have been sent to the scene where there have been injuries reported. No details are immediately available,
however. The accident happened about 9:30 this morning. Fire departments from Beaverdam, Cairo and Bath Township were called to the
scene, where smoke can be seen from nearby U-S 30. Hazardous materials rescue crews and
others from American Electric Power are also on site. Ohio 65 traffic has been detoured. |
| November
14, 2008 |
China |
Two people were killed and four others were injured in an
explosion that sank two ships, causing one to leak concentrated sulfuric acid at a dock
yesterday in Hangzhou City, capital of Zhejiang Province. Environmental
protection workers are trying to clean up the acid leak as one of the ships was
transporting 250 tons of the chemical, Xinhua news agency reported today. The explosion occurred on a docked ship about 7:50am in Tangqi
Township, Yuhang District. The blast caused it and a nearby ship loaded with acid to sink,
the report said. Nearby residents and factory workers were
evacuated to safety yesterday. Maritime affairs authorities are investigating the
cause of the explosion. The dock was shut yesterday afternoon after the
explosion and the priority is to clean up the concentrated sulfuric acid as quickly as
possible, Chen Guoqing, vice director of Yuhang District Transport Bureau,
told Xinhua. We will also salvage the sunken ships. Yuhang District Environment Protection Office officials said
they had used liquid caustic soda to neutralize the polluted water and were monitoring
neighboring waterways. As of 11pm last night, the water quality on the
whole was normal, they were quoted as saying. Though
the water around the explosion site is still partially acidic. The
two who died were on the ship that exploded while the injured were on ships nearby. Three
of the injured are being treated at Yuhang District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
and are in stable condition while the other has already been discharged, the report said. |
| November 10, 2008 |
Australia |
Fire
Service Northern Communications shift manager Colin Underdown said the accident happened
on State Highway 12 between Ruawai and Dargaville, about 1 km south of the Tokotoka
Tavern, about 6.30am today. Four pumping appliances and a hazardous materials unit
were at the scene as well as members of the Northland Hazardous Substances Technical
Liaison Committee. Mr Underdown said there was no word at this stage about any
environmental contamination. He did not have any information on the dangers involved
in such an acid spill on the road. Sulphuric acid can boil and spit dangerously when
added to water. Sue Phipps from police northern communications said there was a
"hell mess all over the road", but also there was no indication that there was
any danger to the environment or the road. Two truck loads of sand and a crane were
needed at the scene, she said. The driver of the truck suffered minor
injuries. Road diversions were in place and it could be a couple of hours before the
road was open again.
Emergency services and hazardous chemical experts are unhappy that an Auckland company's
specialist recovery unit took eight hours to arrive at a serious acid spill on a Northland
road. Northland Regional Council hazardous substances manager Jerry Nelson said he felt
the company was "under-prepared" and its response WAS "very slow". The
lack of personal protection equipment for its workers was also a concern. "I'm
astounded that people would be involved in decanting sulphuric acid without proper
equipment ... I will be writing to Jascol regarding the matter," he said. |
| October 31,
2008 |
Umkomaas, South
Africa |
A section of
the Sappi Saiccor plant in Umkomaas, south of Durban, has been shut down following a gas
leak earlier in the week, the plant's chief executive Alan Tubb said on Friday. We
hope to find the root cause of the problem soon and until then it will remain
closed," he said. A team of environmental experts was expected to investigate
why 48 people were exposed to toxic sulphur dioxide gas. Khulekani Ntshangase,
spokesperson for the agriculture and environmental affairs department said on Friday they
would have to determine whether the leak was an accident or the result of human error.
"We have also told the plant that they need to give us a report on the incident
within 14 days. Then once we determine whether the leak was an accident or caused by human
error, we will decide whether to penalise them or not," he said. Sappi, a
global producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose, confirmed that 34 mill
employees and 14 residents were affected by a sulphur dioxide leak in the plant's newly
commissioned pipeline on Tuesday night. The employees were treated at the mill's
hospital and discharged. The affected residents were assessed at GJ Crookes hospital
in Scottburgh. They were discharged the same night. Sappi general manager Gary
Bowles said technicians at the mill were able to isolate the malfunctioning pipeline. He
gave assurances that precautions would be taken to prevent further emissions.
"The mill has procedures in place to deal with eventualities of this nature on a
priority basis, and we were able to contain the leak promptly," he said, adding that
the incident was regretted. |
| October 30,
2008 |
Clifton, Arizona, USA |
Police in Clifton Arizona, near the Arizona/New
Mexico border, are working on containing a sulfuric acid spill. Emergency crews have built up burms to keep the
acid from spreading outside of a creek in the middle of town. The acid come from the freeport mine. If the emergency crews can not contain the spill
it could flow into the San Francisco river that feeds in to the Gila River. Currently there are not any evacuation orders or
problems with drinking water throughout the state. |
| October
24, 2008 |
Charleston,
West Virginia, USA |
DuPont
Co. officials said this afternoon that they had contained a small leak of concentrated
sulfuric acid from their chemical plant in Belle. The leak from a flange was
discovered at about 11:30 a.m. in a half-inch sampling pipe in unit that recovers sulfuric
acid as part of the plant's acrylics production process, said DuPont site manager Bill
Menke. "It was just a drip type of leak," Menke said. Menke
estimated that only an ounce or two of concentrated sulfuric acid, called oleum, was
released. But when the material hits air, it generates fumes that created a grayish cloud
in the area, Menke said. Crews used water to try to limit the fumes. |
| October
24, 2008 |
Lewiston,
Idaho, USA |
Two people were injured in a crash involving a pickup and a semi
hauling liquid sulfur on the Lewiston Hill Friday afternoon. It happened at about
1:00 p.m. Idaho State Police said Kurtis Scheffer, 37, of Blaine, WA was southbound in a
semi on the inside lane when, William Slemp, 43, of Lewiston came in from behind in a
Toyota pickup on the outside lane to pass. ISP said Slemp looked off to the left and
drifted into the drivers side of the semi. The pickup collided with the first tank
on the trailer, and then Slemp jerked the wheel to the left. The vehicle rolled once
coming to rest in an upright position. Slemp and his 12-year-old son were extricated
from the pickup and transported to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. ISP at the scene
said both suffered head injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening. There
was minor damage to the semi but no sulfur spilled.
|
| October 17,
2008 |
Mulberry,
Florida, USA |
A sulfur dioxide release left 29
workers with injuries this morning. According
to Polk County officials, the leak happened at the Mosaic facility on Highway 60 in
Mulberry just before 8 a.m. A
company spokeswoman says the plant routinely admits sulfur dioxide, but weather conditions
this morning caused the noxious cloud to hug the ground instead of drifting away. Sulfur inhalation can cause respiratory problems
and nose and throat irritation, and 18 contractors had to be hospitalized with varying
degrees of those symptoms. One person was admitted in serious condition. As of 9 a.m., the sulfur cloud had dissipated and
the scene cleared. |
| October 12,
2008 |
Petrolia,
Pennsylvania, USA |
At least 2,500 residents were forced to evacuate after a toxic spill in a
chemical plant in western Pennsylvania on Saturday. A corrosive liquid overflowed
from a tank at a chemical plant, evaporating into a dense toxic cloud which moved close to
the ground in parts of Petrolia, Pennsylvania. The liquid known as oleum, which
resembles sulphuric acid, leaked from a tank at the Indspec Chemical Corp. plant in
Petrolia, said plant manager Dave Dorko. Authorities evacuated 2,500 people within
the spills range and took them to shelters in nearby towns. Three residents
were taken to the Butler Memorial Hospital, officials said. The state Department of
Environmental Protection said authorities were concerned about the potential for
respiratory damage and skin burns. Red Cross officials said they expected to shelter only
50 to 100 people overnight.
Followup
April 13, 2009 - The manager of a western
Pennsylvania chemical plant that had a toxic leak in October says the worker who caused
the leak was fired. Indspec Chemical Corp. Petrolia plant manager Dave Dorko says
the company plans to meet with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to work
out a settlement. OSHA has proposed fining Indspec more than $120,000 for the leak, which
led to an acid cloud and forced 2,500 people from their homes for a day. Dorko says
Indspec wants to resolve things with OSHA and move on.
May 20, 2009 - State environmental
officials have announced a $34,187 fine against a chemical company for a toxic leak that
caused and acid cloud that forced hundreds of western Pennsylvania residents to evacuate.
Indspec Chemical Corp. already faces $121,500 in federal workplace safety fines for
the leak at its plant in Petrolia on Oct. 11. About 3,300 pounds of oleum leaked
when a transfer tank overflowed because its internal pumps powered by an electrical outlet
without an automatic shut-off. Oleum reacts with the atmosphere and the resulting sulfuric
acid cloud forced 2,500 people from their homes for a day.
October 5,
2009 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says a pump used without an electrical safety shut
off caused an acid cloud that forced hundreds of western Pennsylvania residents to
evacuate last year. Indspec Chemical Corp. faces more than $150,000 in state
environmental and federal workplace safety fines for the leak in Petrolia on Oct. 11.
Oleum leaked when a transfer tank overflowed because its pump was connected to an
outlet without an automatic shut-off. Oleum forms sulfuric acid when exposed to air and
the cloud forced 2,500 people from their homes for a day. The Chemical Safety Board
says workers often used the outlet without the automatic shut-off to save time on
weekends, when fewer workers were present. Dave Dorko, who manages the plant 60
miles north of Pittsburgh, says the offending worker was fired. |
| October 9, 2008 |
Geismer,
Louisiana |
Nearby plant workers and residents across the Mississippi River in White
Castle sheltered in place Thursday when a valve at the PCS Nitrogen plant in Geismar
leaked sulfuric acid, State Police said. Roads near the plant and in White Castle were blocked for several hours while
officials observed the cloud of sulfuric acid vapors produced by the leak, State Police
Sgt. Markus Smith said. The
release didnt have a significant impact and there were no reported
injuries, Smith said. It
sounded worse than it was, he said. Nevertheless, the offices of Homeland Security in Ascension and Iberville
parishes issued the sheltering in place warnings to plant workers and White Castle
residents. Sheltering in place
means people need to stay inside their homes and businesses, turn off their air
conditioners and close their doors and windows, said State Police Trooper Russell Graham,
public information officer for Troop A. Law enforcement officers blocked roads in Ascension Parish leading to the
plant and in White Castle until the sulfuric acid cloud dissipated, Graham said. PCS officials reported a weld broke in the
storage tank, causing the acid to leak into the atmosphere, Graham said. The tank was leaking 30 to 50 gallons
a minute, Graham said. They have slowed the leak down to about 10 gallons a
minute. Graham said water
trucks sprayed a curtain of water on top of the cloud to keep it down until the emergency
was over. Workers pumped acid
out of the leaking, 700-ton capacity tank until it was empty and the emergency was ended,
officials said. |
| October 1, 2008 |
|
An employee working on a filter at Decas
Cranberry's water treatment plant was exposed to sulfuric acid Wednesday morning and
rushed to the hospital.
At 1 p.m. Wednesday,
Decas Cranberry Company President and CEO Jeff Carlson said hazmat officials were still on
the scene, but the employee had been treated and released from the hospital "without
any permanent injury". Police received a 911 call at 7:57 a.m. that a
chemical spill had occurred at the company. Carlson estimated between three and five gallons
of sulfuric acid, which is used to clean the treatment's filtration system, spilled and
affected the employee's eyes. "We have safety procedures in place and our
employees use full equipment when handling anything hazardous," Carlson said. "The employee was able to get to a nearby
wash station and wash his eyes out immediately which is very important. His skin was not
burned, but the fumes came in contact with his eyes. After the fire department is done
with their work, we'll assess what happened, why it happened and determine if changes need
to be made," he said. The Fire Department said further details would be
available after 2 p.m. |
| September 28, 2008 |
Finland |
About 2,700 litres of sulphuric acid was spilt at the YIT factory in
Ylivieska in Finland on Thursday. Rescuers said the spill had been caused by human error when filling a tanker
lorry. Some of the acid seeped
into the storm drain, but factory workers and firefighters managed to stop it from flowing
into the town's water supply. The
fire brigade pumped out some of the acid from the ground and the drain and neutralised the
rest with cream of lime. |
| September 27,
2008 |
|
Hazardous materials crews from the Unified Fire
Authority along with officials from the Utah Department of Transportation and Salt Lake
Valley Health Department are trying to figure out how a batch of sulfuric acid ended up on
the side of a state road Friday. A
little after 8 a.m., fire crews responded to a 911 call of a possible field fire right off
the onramp from state Route 202 to I- 80 near Saltair. The first responding crews saw a plume of smoke
but immediately recognized it did not look like smoke from a field fire, said UFA
spokesman Wade Phillips. They recognized it as a chemical spill and called a hazmat crew. That crew
used binoculars to confirm it was a chemical spill. When sulfuric acid meets water it
releases white plumes of smoke, which crews had originally believed to be a field fire. Hazmat crews conducted a "Level-A"
entry to the field about 8:45 a.m., meaning they were getting into encapsulated suits to
get a closer look at what might have burned, Phillips said. He said there were some
foaming bubbles on the ground. The
spill started on the shoulder of state Route 202 and spread over a 45-foot by 25-foot-wide
area, Phillips said. The hazmat crew took soil samples and determined it was sulfuric
acid. Yet, crews are still not sure exactly how it got there. There were no barrels on the
ground to indicate it dropped off a truck, Phillips said. Investigators were looking at
all possibilities from a spill to an illegal dump. The plume never posed a large threat to
motorists, as there was little wind, Phillips said, so the freeway remained open. |
| September
25, 2008 |
Grand Haven |
A
small leak from a faulty plug in a one-ton sulfur dioxide tank delivered this week to the
city's wastewater treatment plant forced authorities to evacuate about 75 homes for three
hours Thursday. Plant superintendent John Stuparits said the leak
on a reserve tank at the rear of the property at 1525 Washington Ave. was discovered by a
worker, who immediately called authorities. Stuparits
suspects the plug had a faulty thread, allowing the liquid substance to escape and
immediately turn to gas. Grand Haven Department of Public Safety Capt. Rick
Yonker said the concentration of the gas never reached dangerous levels, but the emergency
response erred on the side of safety.
Sulfur dioxide is used in municipal
treatment plants to neutralize chlorine during the cleaning and disinfection process.
Chlorine is toxic to aquatic life, and the plant sits adjacent to the Grand River. Yonker said police went door-to-door to alert residents of the
evacuation over a five-block area on the city's east side. There were no reported injuries
or effects from the gas release.
"It's a dangerous irritant and
can make breathing difficult if it is out in high concentrations," Yonker said.
"Thankfully, that didn't happen here. But you never know how quickly the line will
get capped or if the size of the leak will increase." Mary
O'Neill, who lives about a block west of the plant, said she never noticed the pungent
odor that spread over the area around the plant. She went to visit her daughter when she
was cleared from her home. "It wasn't much of a problem at all,"
O'Neill said. "There sure seemed to be a lot of commotion, a lot of police cars. But
I never felt that it was a danger." Residents
who were displaced were brought to a nearby church if they had nowhere else to go, Yonker
said. City buses transported those people from the area. "Everything
went real smooth," he said.
A county hazardous material team was
called to the scene about 4:30 p.m. and had the leak shut down by 7:45 p.m., authorities
said. Stuparits said he doesn't believe the tank was leaking long
before it was reported. |
| September
21, 2008 |
Richmond |
A gas leak at Richmond's wastewater-treatment plant forced an
evacuation of the plant at about 7:30 p.m. yesterday and sent seven people to area
hospitals as a precaution. "We're taking this very seriously," said
Robert C. Steidel, deputy director of the city's Department of Public Utilities and one of
the first people to respond. Police said 11 people apparently were affected by
the leak of sulfur dioxide gas.
The plant south of the James River
near Ancarrow's Landing treats up to 70 million gallons of wastewater a day. Steidel said the four workers who were on duty at the time
detected the leak, immediately evacuated the plant and were treated with oxygen. Sulfur dioxide can be fatal if inhaled in large quantities,
according to medical Web sites.
Four people in the area of the
landing who apparently had been fishing were treated at the scene and released. Two other
bystanders, an ambulance authority worker and the four plant employees were taken to area
hospitals to be examined. Steidel said the gas is piped from railroad tank
cars into a chamber within the plant, where it is injected into water. That mixture is
then added to wastewater to rid the water of chlorine before it is discharged into the
James River. The leak apparently occurred in the mixing
chamber, which automatically becomes sealed off and airtight when a leak occurs. About
8:40 p.m., hazardous-materials teams determined that the leak had ceased and allowed
utilities personnel to re-enter. |
| September 18,
2008 |
Savavvah,
Georgia |
Emergency
responders have closed Bay Street from Fahm to President streets because a tanker truck
was leaking sulfuric acid. Savannah-Chatham
police say Bay Street is closed in both directions as Hazmat teams clean up
small puddles of sulfuric acid left on the road. |
| September 16, 2008 |
Australia |
A SUNSHINE
North manufacturer has been ordered to pay more than $66,600 to local environment groups
after a major sulphur dioxide leak from its plant last year.
The leak of 473 kilos of sulphur dioxide in February last year
resulted in a large-scale evacuation of surrounding residences and businesses. Air Liquide Australia, which operates a gas
distribution and dry ice operation in Bunnett St, Sunshine North, was ordered to pay
$49,840 to the Moonee Ponds Creek Coordination Committee for an environmental education
program for school students in the local catchment and $16,800 for native grassland
revegetation in Spring Gully Reserve, Keilor East. Sunshine Magistrates Court heard that Air Liquide discharged sulphur
dioxide into the air, which made the condition of the atmosphere so changed as to
make or be reasonably expected to make the atmosphere harmful or potentially harmful to
the health, welfare, safety or property of human beings.
Sulphur dioxide is a common pollutant to which the community is
exposed every day at very low levels. Its effects can be extremely debilitating in larger
quantities. The National Ambient
Air Quality Standards and Goals recommendation is that exposure to sulphur dioxide is, in
an average period of one day, that exposure be no more than 0.08 parts per million, for
just one day per year. Exposure
to concentrations of 10 to 50 parts per million for five to 15 minutes causes irritation
of the eyes, nose and throat, choking and coughing. Those with im-paired heart or lung
function and asthmatics are at increased risk. Air Liquide national manager specialty gases, Tim Passmore, said the company
had made several changes since then, to prevent a recurrence of the incident. We have set about updating some of the
equipment, even though the plant is only three or four years old, Mr Passmore said.
Weve had the Metropolitan Fire Brigade come through and have a look, we had an
open day where Work Cover and the neighbours came in, so we could show them what
weve done and the changes that weve made to reassure them that nothing like
this will happen again. |
| September 15, 2008 |
|
A worker from
Eck Industries in Manitowoc was sent to the hospital late Sunday night after a chemical
leak ain the aluminum foundry. The Manitowoc Fire Department says it happened about 11:00 p.m. Eck Industries is in the 1600
block North 8th Street. The
haz-mat team had the scene cleared up by 6:00 a.m. Firefighters say a small amount of sulfur dioxide gas leaked from a tank. One
worker came into contact with the gas. He was taken to the hospital. His condition was not known as of Monday morning. All workers, about 30 to 40 workers, according to the
fire department, at the plant evacuated when the leak happened. No one else in the area was evacuated. The
fire department says Eck uses sulfur dioxide in its aluminum molding process. According to the EPA, sulfur dioxide can be
acidic and react with other chemicals to make dangerous compounds, and can cause
respiratory problems. Eck
Industries officials say business will run as usual Monday. |
| September 15, 2008 |
Martinez, California |
A spokesman
from the Shell oil refinery in Martinez confirmed today that a truck contracted to remove
sulfur from the refinery this morning appears to have spilled a small amount of it on the
Marina Vista onramp to southbound Interstate Highway 680.
The material, known as elemental sulfur, has dried on the
roadway and is not considered a health or safety risk, Shell's health and safety
supervisor Tom McKnight said. A
shell employee noticed the spill as he was driving home from work at 6:38 a.m. and
reported it to the California Highway Patrol, Shell spokesman Steve Lesher said. The trucks were contracted to take the
material, a byproduct of the refining process, from the refinery for further processing.
Elemental sulfur is used to make a variety of other products, including fertilizer. The spill area, located at the base of the
onramp, is about 10 feet by 15 feet with a 50-yard trail, Lesher said. Shell crews were still assessing the
situation this afternoon to decide whether they would clean it up. "We don't believe it needs cleaning
up," McKnight said. "There's no real hazard there." He said the spill was too small to be a slip
hazard and that the material is not harmful in its current state.
If they do attempt to clean up the spill, the California Highway
Patrol would have to close the ramp so crews could chip the material off the roadway,
which could damage the pavement, Lesher said. Shell officials are looking into how the spill occurred and have been talking
to the trucking company to find out which truck dropped the material. No road closures have been necessary and the
spill was not considered a hazardous materials situation, Lesher said. |
| September
5, 2008 |
Chicago, Illinois |
An acid spill at a
Chicago chemical company sent at least one person to the hospital and caused several
others to get treatment for respiratory problems. Hazmat crews were called to two
separate locations near the TBS Chemical Company in the 2900-block of East 126th Thursday
afternoon. Firefighters say 30 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled. The acid caused a
plume of smoke which may have drifted to the second location nearby. |
| August 22, 2008 |
Benton County, Indiana |
A semi rear ended a tanker on US 41 and State Road 352 near Boswell spreading
sulfuric acid on the road and releasing toxins in the air. The semi was coming up
behind the tanker apparently not paying attention and at the last minute, swerved to the
left and clipped the tanker in the rear and busted open his tanker. The accident
spilled 750 gallons of sulfuric acid and empty aresol cans all over US 41. The
sulfuric acid stung eyes and noses, so the police evacuated homes and businesses closest
to the crash and closed the road. Boswell residents were told to stay inside their
homes. |
| August 16, 2008 |
Edmonton,
Alberta |
A fire at the
Apache Zama Gas Plant Complex sent three workers to High Level Hospital with
non-life-threatening injuries. Zama
City is about 600 km northwest of Edmonton. The fire started at 1:30 p.m. on a block of sulphur and was extinguished by
5:30 p.m. Fifteen workers from the plant were evacuated and 30 residents in Zama City fled
of their own accord. The Energy
Resources Conservation Board is investigating the cause of the fire. They have not
detected any off-lease emissions from the fire. |
| August 13, 2008 |
Australia |
OAKEY Abattoir's 700 workers were evacuated yesterday
after more than 800 litres of sulphuric acid spilt on site. Emergency service crews, including a 8specialised Hazardous Chemical Unit,
responded quickly to the potentially deadly situation after receiving the call at 9.38am. All roads surrounding the abattoir were
blocked. Luckily, no-one was
injured. Oakey Abattoir plant
manager Bob Bradford said the 800 litres of acid had leaked from a tank located outside
the rendering building. Initially,
it was feared 2000 litres had been spilt, however Mr Bradford said the tank only held 2000
litres and that it had been in use for quite some time before the accident occurred. Mr Bradford said the steel tank had a
concrete bunded area around it which contained the spill. "The tank was reasonably new, actually, as we had replaced the old one
recently," he said. "We're
in the process of pumping the fluid from the bunded area to other vessels and then once
that is done, the tank will be inspected to find out why it had sprung a leak." The inspection will be carried out today. Staff was evacuated and kept outside for 50
minutes before returning to "business as usual". "We haven't evacuated the plant for anything like this before," Mr
Bradford said. "Everything
went as planned, the bunded area worked perfectly and we took the right precautions of
evacuating people." |
August 4, 2008 |
Houston, Texas |
Valero Energy Corp said production at its 130,000
barrel per day Houston refinery was temporarily reduced after an incident that heavily
damaged a sulfur loading tank on Monday morning. The Houston Fire Department said the tank, which contained sulfur dioxide,
ruptured, leading to a shelter-in-place order to nearby residents in Houston's Manchester
neighborhood. The shelter order was lifted about two hours after the incident. A total of five workers -- three contract
employees from the refinery and two contractors from nearby facilities -- were taken to
hospitals following the incident with breathing problems. All had been released by mid-afternoon, the company said. Earlier Valero said four workers were taken
to hospitals. Small homes in the
Manchester neighborhood are across local streets from the refinery, which is at the west
end of the Houston Ship Channel. Local
television station KHOU-TV showed video of a smoldering tank with a large hole in a
portion of its roof at the refinery in a Monday morning news report. Debris could be seen
on the ground near the tank. |
| July 28, 2008 |
Richmond,
Virgina |
A sulfuric acid
spill at the Chevron refinery this morning has caused no injuries or adverse effects to
surrounding areas, the company said. A leak in a pipeline containing the chemical was discovered around 8:10 a.m.
and involved about 1,000 pounds of the liquid, said Chevron spokesman Walt Gill. Because the sulfuric acid was in liquid and
not vapor form, there was no harmful odor emitted, Gill said. Crews have been dispatched
to clean up the spill. Even
though the spill did not cause any significant damage or harm, Gill said, the volume of
the spill required the company to report it to county and state authorities. |
| July 28, 2008 |
Sand Springs.
Oklahoma |
A tanker loaded with sulfuric acid and bleach burns on US
412 Monday morning. Emergency responders shut down the busy highway both directions while
fighting the blaze. The driver
of the truck said he was hauling the chemicals on US 412 near the Keystone Dam, when a
tire on his truck blew out. "I
just know that I was suddenly in the rail," he said. Doug Stevens, the operations manager for the chemical company involved, said
bleach could have a reaction to sulfuric acid, but said there was little danger to the
firefighters or general public from the smoke released from the fire. Sand Springs Fire Chief Mark Joslin said
there was concern about spraying water on the sulfuric acid. That could produce a violent
chemical reaction. That, combined with the potential for runoff of the dangerous chemicals
into the lake, played into firefighters' decisions to let the fire burn itself out. The blaze sparked several grass fires, as
well. Emergency workers shut
down US 412 for hours while fighting the blaze. As of press time, there was no word on
when it would be re-opened. |
| July 18, 2008 |
Grand Blanc |
Residents near
Grand Blanc Processing off Baldwin Road were evacuated early today when several tanks
filled with sulfuric acid caught fire. Police were called to the plant at 10151 Gainey Drive about 4 a.m., said
Grand Blanc Area Fire Department Fire Chief Jim Harmes. Most of the fires were quickly under control, but firefighters were concerned
about hazardous vapors in the air so began evacuating residences and businesses about 5
a.m. in about a half-mile area from the plant. One tank continued to burn from the inside,
making it difficult for firefighters to put the flames out, Harmes said. |
| July 16, 2008 |
South
Elgin, Illinois |
One man was injured and dozens of firefighters were tied up for several hours
Tuesday after an industrial accident spilled an estimated 40 gallons of sulfuric acid in a
Custom Aluminum Products building at 410 Division St. Capt. Burt Lancaster of the South Elgin & Countryside Fire Protection
District said a 58-year-old male employee sustained second-degree burns on his arms when
the acid began leaking from a pipe about 10:45 a.m. The man, whose name had not been
released, was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin, where he was reported to be
"in good shape," Lancaster said. Fire Chief Joe Cluchey said that when firefighters arrived, they found
employees working to shut off the spill, but "we also noted product still being
released from some of the dispensing equipment. Employees confirmed that this product was
sulfuric acid." Cluchey
said 15 workers were evacuated from the anodizing factory, which is one of a complex of
seven adjoining buildings operated by Custom Aluminum and the affiliated company Casco
Industries. However, when testing revealed the outside air was not dangerously
contaminated with fumes, work was allowed to continue in the other six buildings. The chief said Custom Aluminum managers
believed they were able to shut down the leak by shutting down an air compressor. But help
from six other fire departments was called to get enough trained hazardous-materials
technicians to enter the building, make sure the leaking had stopped, and make sure no
liquid acid was leaking into any drains or areas outside the building. One crew of
technicians entered the factory wearing impermeable plastic suits and positive-pressure
breathing gear, while another crew, similarly equipped, waited outside in case anyone in
the first crew collapsed. Misting
fans and tent-like shelters were set up to cool off the heavily encumbered technicians as
a cloudless sun beat down through the 90-degree air. About 1 p.m., the spill was declared to be contained, and a crew from Hazchem
Environmental Corp., a private cleanup contractor hired by Custom Aluminum, had arrived to
remove the acid and complete repairs. South Elgin firefighters were assisted by technicians, ambulances and/or
standby fire engines from the Elgin, West Dundee and Hanover Park fire departments, plus
the Hampshire, Pingree Grove & Countryside, and Rutland-Dundee Townships fire
protection districts. |
| July 10, 2008 |
Kurashiki, Okayama |
A pipe that
carries sulfuric acid at an oil refinery of Nippon Oil Corp. in Kurashiki was discovered
early Monday to be partially broken, resulting in a leakage of the high-concentration
liquid, police said. An employee
at the Mizushima oil refinery noticed the leak at about 2:40 a.m. and contacted the local
fire department. It is believed
that up to about 1,000 liters of the acid leaked from the five-centimeter-diameter pipe,
and there are fears some of the liquid might have spilled into the Seto Inland Sea. No damage has been reported so far, but the
Mizushima Coast Guard Office ordered surveillance vessels to the area to investigate
possible damages. According to
the refinery, highly concentrated sulfuric acid used to produce gasoline was sent via the
pipe to a factory from a tank about a kilometer from the refinery. |
July 10, 2008 |
|
A roll over accident on an I-75 exit ramp had environmental clean up crews
busy this morning. A semi carry sulfuric acid tipped over when it tried to take the
exit ramp from State Route 65 to 75. A small amount of the acid leaked out in the
crash. The State Highway Patrol
says that the ramp had to be closed for a short time so that the spill could be cleaned
up, but only a small amount is said to have gotten out. |
| July 9, 2008 |
Baltimore,
Maryland |
Firefighters worked yesterday morning to contain a spill of sulfuric acid at
the Maryland Chemical Co. on Childs Street in South Baltimore.
A Fire Department spokesman said a contract worker was injured
when some of the chemical spilled on his hands. Chief Kevin Cartwright said the worker, whose age and identity were not
available, was taken to a hospital. He said the man had been trying to repair a 4,000-gallon tank when it
ruptured about 9:30 a.m. Most of
the spill was contained by a berm set up for that purpose, and Cartwright said there are
"no concerns environmentally." The Fire Department contained the spill by 11 a.m. |
July 2, 2008 |
Rochester, Minnesota |
A tank carrying approximately 175 gallons of sulfuric acid
fell off the back of a semi truck on Highway 54 near Grant Avenue in Portage County this
morning. Authorities closed the
highway between Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids to clean up the spill. The road was
still closed at noon. Hazardous materials teams from the Whiting Fire Department and
Waupaca county were dispatched to the scene. The tank was laying in the center median of the highway, and some of the acid
pooled in a nearby ditch. According
to Lt. Dan Kontos of the Portage County Sheriffs Department, the truck was leaving
the So-White building on 54 when it turned west and the tank fell. There was a vapor cloud when I arrived
on the scene, Kontos said. I could smell it as soon as I got out of my
truck. Authorities will
set up a series of booms and dikes to keep the chemical from penetrating the ground and
reaching the ground water. The next step will be to apply soda ash to neutralize then
remove the tank, Kontos said. Conditions
are good right now because the wind is out, said Plover Fire Chief Tim Kluck.
At this time we arent evacuating the nearby businesses. The chemical is used to clean concrete and
can be harmful if inhaled, Kluck said.
The state Department of Natural Resources, the Portage County Sheriffs Department,
the Plover Police Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol also responded. |
| June 19, 2008 |
Hillsboro,
North Dakota |
The American
Crystal Sugar Co. plant in Hillsboro, N.D., was evacuated, and more than 20 people were
taken to local hospitals after a chemical leak at the plant.
Sulfur dioxide, which is used in processing sugar beets into
sugar, leaked from a hose from a delivery truck parked outside the plant unloading the
chemical into a storage tank at the factory. The gas was released shortly before noon
Wednesday and drifted into the factory. A statement released by Traill County Sheriff Mike Crocker said 21 people at
the plant, mostly contractors, were transported to Union Hospital in Mayville, N.D., and
the Hillsboro Medical Center in Hillsboro. Some complained of respiratory problems caused by the inhalation of
sulfur dioxide, a cold, compressed gas. The driver of the delivery truck, who was wearing proper protective gear and
managed to shut off the flow of the chemical from the truck to the storage tank, also
suffered sulfur dioxide burns to his feet, according to the sheriffs department. About 225 people, 150 of them American
Crystal employees and the rest contractors, were evacuated from the plant, according to
the company. Emergency crews were present at the scene giving oxygen to those who were
exposed, the company said in a press release. Authorities still were investigating the leak and monitoring the plant late
Wednesday. The Grand Forks hazardous materials team was called in to inspect and remove
the hose from the truck, which still was leaking a small amount of sulfur dioxide into the
air. American Crystal will
conduct a full and thorough investigation, Schweitzer said. But it looks like
all appropriate actions were taken to limit the amount of sulfur dioxide released, to
evacuate our factory and to take the proper precautions so the event was minimized as much
as possible. Schweitzer
blamed the leak on an apparent hose malfunction, allowing a vapor cloud to be released. He
said such an accident is rare. It
is not a common occurrence, Schweitzer said. In the 13 years I have been
working with American Crystal, I cant remember something like this happening. |
| June 14, 2008 |
Kiev |
Kiev, 14 June: Sulphur dioxide leaked out at [chemical plant] Stirol Concern
in Horlivka, Donetsk Region, at 0600 [0300 gmt] today during the launch after repairs of a
facility to manufacture sulphuric acid, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency has learned from
the press service of the territorial directorate of the state mining inspectorate in
Donetsk Region. A chemical cloud
covered the territory of the state-owned coal mine Shakhta Oleksandr-Zakhid. The press service said that 17 mine workers
had complained they felt bad and had undergone a medical examination. A total of 15 mine workers have been
diagnosed as having poisoning and admitted to hospital. |
| June 6, 2008 |
|
NOWRA Chemical Manufacturers has
been fined $100,000 in the Land and Environment Court over an acid spill. The Land and Environment Court heard that Nowra Chemical
Manufacturers Pty Ltd allowed 1700 litres of a sulphuric acid solution to escape from its
premises in January last year. The company admitted that
during the early hours of the morning on January 19, 2007, 1700 litres of sulphuric acid
solution leaked from an unbunded storage tank with a flange not suitable for storing
sulphuric acid, located on the premises. The court heard
company employees hosed the acid down an on-site stormwater drain.
The acid solution mixed with tap water flowed to a nearby heavily vegetated
stormwater easement. The court found 5000 litres of the
acid solution mixed with tap water were recovered from the easement.
The court found that the leak caused severe harm to common plant species within a
22-metre stretch of the stormwater easement. The court
also found there was the potential for greater harm, but this was ameliorated by the
companys prompt clean-up works. It was noted the
decision to store the acid in the unbunded tank represented a high level failure at the
company. |
| May 31, 2008 |
Hull |
RESIDENTS in part
of north Hull were urged to keep doors and windows closed after a chemical leak left a
toxic plume over an industrial estate. About 40 firefighters, some wearing chemical
suits and breathing apparatus, worked to contain the concentrated sulphuric acid.
Crews from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service were called to the incident at Holmes Halls
Tanners in Air Street, Wincolmlee, at about 9.30am yesterday. A worker called the
fire service after spotting smoke, caused by the acid reacting. About 250 gallons of
acid leaked from a ruptured 500-gallon cylinder. Glenn Ramsden, of Humberside Fire
and Rescue Service, said: It's not dangerous, but there was an extremely unpleasant
smell and for that reason people were asked to keep doors and windows closed.
Fortunately for us it's not a densely populated area, which worked in our
favour. We have been blowing the fumes out of the factory using
fans. Sulphuric acid is used in the process of tanning leather. It is
highly toxic and can cause severe burns if in contact with skin or eyes. Crews
stemmed the flow of acid before applying lime or calcium carbonate to neutralise the
acid. No one from the firm was available for comment |
| May 26, 2008
|
Tanzania |
Reports
from Tanzania say there was scare at the Dar es Salaam port when suspect cargo alleged to
be carrying more than 12,000 metric tonnes of bright yellow sulfur, a highly toxic
chemical, caught fire. The chemicals, which arrived aboard
a Cambodian shipping vessel, MV SALINA, were received by a Dar es Salaam-based company,
Grindrod Tanzania Limited. It is understood that some of the chemicals were also
spilt while being transported by rail after being offloaded from the ship. The huge bulk of cargo of yellow sulfur in powdered form
is highly toxic, highly hazardous and dangerous to human life, animals and
environment, said a court document filed by Dar es Salaam law firm, Sheikhs
Chambers of Advocates. The document, a written statement
of defense, was filed on behalf of the owner of MV SALINA after the company was sued at
the High Court in Dar es Salaam by Chemical Initiatives (PTY) Limited, the South African
owner of the chemicals, which is demanding a 2bn/- compensation for an alleged
contamination and theft or loss of some of the cargo. Official court documents
quoted by a local daily, ThisDay say a total of 12,356.740 metric tonnes of bright yellow
sulfur arrived in Dar es Salaam on March 14, this year, contrary to the countrys
Industrial and Consumer Chemicals (Management and Control) Act Number 3 of 2003. Contrary to Tanzanian laws and regulations on chemicals, the
cargo of yellow sulfur was unloaded from the vessel without any special necessary measures
being taken by the plaintiffs agents, Ms Grindrod Tanzania Limited, to protect the
stevedores and the environment from pollution, says the statement from Sheikhs
Chambers of Advocates. Advocate Hamida Sheikh, maintains
that the chemicals, which are the main object in the suit, are highly hazardous and are
described by Tanzanian laws as chemical wastes prohibited from being imported into
Tanzania. Section 43 (1) of the Industrial and Consumer
Chemicals (Management and Control) Act states that No person shall be allowed
to import chemical wastes in the country. But
lawyers representing the ship owner maintain that the cargo was illegally imported into
the country, hence the lawsuit in question was in fact asking the court to enforce an
unlawful contract. The chemicals, originating from the
Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company of Saudi Arabia, were reportedly in transit to Zambia. |
| May 6, 2008
|
Makkah |
The Road Safety Administration
(RSA) and the Civil Defense in Makkah have come under severe criticism for failing to take
quick action to avert a possible environmental disaster when a truck leaking highly
hazardous acid broke down close to the holy city on Saturday. The
truck, which was leaking concentrated sulfuric acid, remained on the expressway a little
away from the entrance to the holy city for 22 hours. It was neglected by the RSA and the
Civil Defense, which are the bodies responsible for dealing with such situations,
said Fahd Al-Turkistani, a chemical expert and environmental activist.
The truck, which broke down at about 10 p.m. on Saturday, was only noticed around 8
p.m. the next day by the RSA, which called the Civil Defense. It was then taken to a safe
place away from the road and its load was transferred into another truck. The Civil Defense also used alkaline substances to neutralize
the leaked acid. This operation took about 16 hours, according to a spokesman for the
Civil Defense. The truck was taking the acid from a Dammam
factory to a desalination plant in Jeddah. When it arrived in Jeddah, the plant refused to
take delivery after a leak in the trucks tank was discovered.
On its return to Dammam, the truck broke down and the acid began leaking on the
road. It was then that the driver requested his company in Dammam to send another truck to
take back the cargo. The trucks owner should
be held accountable for not taking necessary precautions. The desalination plant also
deserves to be penalized for its irresponsible handling of the situation, said
Al-Turkistani. The company should have informed the police of the situation and
should not have permitted the driver to take the toxic cargo all the way back to Dammam in
a leaking truck, he added. Al-Turkistani said he was
surprised by the response of the Chemical Safety Wing at the Presidency for Metereology
and Environment when he asked it to send a truck to transfer the acid.
Some officials at the presidency asked me who would pay the cost of the
truck, instead of sending emergency help, said Al-Turkistani.
On the other hand, Lt. Col. Ali Al-Muntasheri, official spokesman for the Makkah
Civil Defense, said his department responded quickly when the truck was discovered. He said firefighters neutralized the leaked acid and moved the
truck to a safe place before transferring its content to another truck, he said. |
| May 1, 2008 |
Londonerry, UK |
Traffic in the Altnagelvin area of
Londonderry has been brought to a standstill after a tanker containing sulphuric acid
overturned. All approach roads to Altnagelvin roundabout
are closed and police have advised motorists to find alternative routes and avoid the area
if possible. A police spokesman said there were no reports
of any injuries. |
| March 31, 2008 |
Northfield, Minnesota |
A
derailment of 28 cars on a Union Pacific Corp. (UNP) freight
train near Northfield resulted in a leak of sulfuric acid.
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the derailment occurred
near a residential area at about 2 a.m. Monday. No
injuries were reported from the derailment and no evacuations had been ordered as of 6
a.m. The acid was leaking slowly from only one tanker car.
Twenty-eight of 104 cars on the train left the track. Emergency
crews poured lime on the spilled acid to neutralize it and built an earthen dam to contain
it. An environmental crew also monitored air quality and tested the soil.
Workers planned to pump out the tanker and remove the sulfuric acid in trucks. The
railroad didn't know how much sulfuric acid spilled or exactly how much the tanker
contained, but the tanker held up to 14,000 gallons. A second derailed car holding
sulfuric acid did not leak.
Follow-upCar positioning appears to be what
caused a 28-car train derailment in Northfield, according to a railroad official. The derailment at Northfield on
March 31 was determined to have been caused by the way the various train cars were placed
or positioned in the train makeup the way the loaded cars and empty cars were
positioned in the train, said Mark Davis, spokesman for Union Pacific. The 104-car train headed southbound on its way to North Platte,
Neb., derailed north of Greenvale Avenue around 2 a.m. March 31, causing a tanker to leak
about 655 gallons of sulfuric acid. There were no injuries nor evacuations, although Davis
said he was checking to see if any residents had filed claims with the railroad of
suffering poor health as a result of the derailment. Other
than the tanker that was half full with sulfuric acid and another tanker that held peanut
oil, the rest of the trains cars were either empty or carrying stick lumber, Davis
said immediately after the derailment. Davis said Friday
in an e-mail that the railroad is running simulations to determine exactly how the makeup
of the cars contributed to the wreck. Once they have that information, Davis said,
theyll review it with all employees to ensure proper loading and empty car
placement. Federal law also requires that the railroad file a report on its findings to
the Federal Railroad Administration. An example of
how train makeup can contribute to a derailment if there are too many empty cars in
front of heavy-loaded cars as the train is coming to a stop, the heavy cars weight
will push an empty car off the track, Davis said.
The FRAs report on the derailment is pending, according to its Web site. At
the time of the derailment, FRA spokesman Steven Kulm said it would be months before its
investigators would complete their report. |
| February 20,
2008 |
Pascagoula,
Mississippi |
Gases were released on site at a
sulfuric acid plant Wednesday when a weld near the top of a converter vessel suddenly
ruptured, Mississippi Phosphates Corporation said. Two
employees received burns as a result of the accident and both were released after
receiving treatment at local facilities, the company said. The
plant is one of two sulfuric acid facilities operated by Mississippi Phosphates at its
diammonium phosphate, or DAP, fertilizer facility in Pascagoula. The
company said it continues to conduct air monitoring and had found no detectable
concentration of gas or odor outside its facility. "On-site
gas levels fall below threshold levels of concern," the company said in a statement.
"All appropriate governmental authorities and agencies have been notified and the
group continues to closely monitor what appears to be an improving situation." The cause of the apparent weld failure and the extent of damage
to the plant are being investigated, the company said. Representatives
of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality were sent to the plant. In January, the company had said that one of its 1,500
ton-per-day sulfuric acid plants would be down for several weeks while additional repairs
were made to a boiler. It said the boiler had suffered a major failure in July of last
year and that initial repairs had been after repairs. At the time Mississippi Phosphates
blamed the problem on the contractor that had done the work. |
| February 13, 2008 |
China |
Chinese tanker truck carrying more than 30 metric tons of sulphuric
acid has crashed in southwest China, spilling its load into a river and causing
"serious pollution," state media said on Wednesday. The
accident occurred on Tuesday, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, when the truck
ran into the guard rail on a highway linking Anning and Chuxiong in the mountainous
province of Yunnan, Xinhua news agency said. "Some of
the sulphuric acid has flown into a roadside river and has caused serious pollution. Many
fish were killed," Xinhua said. No human casualties
were reported, but up to 1,000 vehicles were stranded along a section of the highway, it
said. "The government has sent for another truck to
load the sulphuric acid still in the truck," Xinhua said. It did not say if the spill
had affected any drinking water supplies. |
| February 4, 2008 |
Richmond County, Georgia |
A leaking train car caused a road
to shut down in south Richmond County. The leak was found in the morning in a tank
car containing sulfur trioxide. The leak stopped on its own. As a precaution, Goshen
Industrial Boulevard was been shut down until DuPont representatives arrive around 3 p.m.
today to clean up the spill. The tank car is owned by DuPont. At the time, no one
was in danger from the spill. They hope to have the leak patched by nightfall. The
spill occured on a rail line owned by Norfolk Southern. |
| January 24, 2008 |
China |
Sulfuric acid
leaked into the water supply from a chemical factory in central China, poisoning at least
26 villagers who were admitted to hospital. Authorities said the victims had nausea
and swollen faces. An underground pipe broke at the factory - part of the Xiaoping
coal mine complex in Banqiao town in Hunan province's Chenxi county - causing the chemical
leak into groundwater supplies, said Yang Changyou of the Chenxi information office.
"There are 26 people seriously poisoned and hospitalised, and more than 200 villagers
are receiving free medical check-ups, but no one died in the accident," Yang
said. The government was providing free bottled water and extra water supplies from
four fire engines, he said, adding that authorities were trying to track and contain the
leak. The Beijing News said the number of poisoning cases could reach 1,000, citing
the hospital and relatives of those sickened by the polluted water. That estimate
could not be immediately confirmed. |
| January 23, 2008 |
Bristol,
Virginia |
Traffic on Interstate 81 began
moving normally at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday, some 26 hours after a two-truck crash brought
the artery to a standstill. Both north- and southbound lanes first were closed about
6 p.m. Wednesday when a tanker carrying sulfuric acid ground to a stop in the grassy
median after being struck by another tractor-trailer that crossed from the northbound
lanes. The tanker and its caustic cargo remained there, at the 8.7 mile marker,
until another tanker could be brought to the scene and the acid could be safely pumped
into it Thursday. Officials feared moving the wrecked tanker because its exterior was
damaged, said Sgt. Michael Conroy of the Virginia State Police. "They had
trouble finding a tanker to transfer the load. You might think theyre all alike, but
they have different insulation and the first one they located was not properly insulated.
Its a very specialized product," Conroy said of the acid cargo. One lane
on both the north- and southbound sides was opened Thursday morning as authorities waited
for the second tanker to arrive from Alabama, Conroy said. A tanker from Texas-based
FSTI arrived about 1:45 p.m., and contract environmental workers wearing green biohazard
suits and face shields began the process of hooking up hoses and a pump to transfer the
acid. After testing revealed a small leak in the system, repairs were made and the
process to off-load about 2,400 gallons of the acid got under way. Because the acid
is so flammable and so dangerous, authorities again closed both sides of the interstate
between 4 and 5 p.m., said Michelle Earl of the Virginia Department of Transportation. |
| January 19,
2008 |
|
No
one was injured when a rail car carrying sulfuric acid came off the tracks at GAC Chemical
Corp. and released a small amount of the chemical. The accident occurred while GAC
was taking delivery of four or five carloads of sulfuric acid that came in on the
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway. The car derailed due to human error, he said, and
came to a rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. The car's connection to the rest
of the train prevented the rail car from tipping completely over. Once the crane
arrived, Dittmeier said the tipped car was hoisted and loaded onto an empty car, so it
would remain upright. The process took between two and three hours, he said, to give GAC
personnel time to inspect the tracks and rail car for any damages. Dittmeier said there
appeared to be no damage to either. Then, the crane was used again to reset the car onto
the track. When the car was being transferred the last time, the repositioning
caused it to "burp," according to Dittmeier. This caused about 10 gallons of
sulfuric acid to spill onto the top of the railcar, a problem that was easily contained. |
| January 13, 2008 |
Kunnming, Yunnan
Province, China |
Five people were killed and 32
injured when an explosion ripped through a chemical factory in southwestern China's Yunnan
province on Sunday. Two people remain missing after the early morning explosion at a
sulphuric acid plant in the provincial capital of Kunnming ignited a large fire on the
factory premises, Xinhua news agency said. The injured had
been hospitalized and were out of danger. An official with the city's publicity office
told Xinhua that seven seriously injured people were in critical condition. Rescuers
were searching for the missing, according to a notice issued by the city government of
Kunming. "Rescuers said the survival chances for the two missing are very
slim," said an official who declined to give his name. The explosion happened
at a sulphuric acid plant under the state-run Yuntianhua International Chemical Industry
Co., Ltd., a leading chemical fertilizer producer in China, at 3:52 a.m. Sunday and caused
a big fire. Sulphur powder exploded and caused the fire when workers were loading
them in front of a store house, said investigators from the city's work safety
administration. The fire was put out at around 8:00 a.m. Sunday. Air quality in the
neighborhood of the sulphuric acid plant, which is less than 40 kilometers from the
downtown area of Kunming, remained normal, according to the city's environment protection
bureau. On Sunday afternoon, a great deal of sulphur powder could still be seen in
the messy warehouse when policemen with masks and helmets were busy investigating at the
scene. Wang Xiaoguang, vice mayor of Kunming, arrived at the site to supervise
the rescue operation and told the city's factories to carry out thorough safety
examinations. The Kunming city government had set up a task force to investigate
into cause of the accident and to deal with the aftermath, said Wang. Located at the
Haikou town in Xishan District in western part of Kunming, the sulphuric acid plant is run
by the Yunnan Sanhuan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yuntianhua
International Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., and it has more than 1,000 employees.
According to Huang Helong, an official with the Yunnan Sanhuan Chemical Industry Co.,
Ltd., all the victims were workers of the plant. Huang said the rescue operation had
almost finished and the whereabouts of the two missing were still unknown. Founded
in the 1970s, the sulphuric acid plant, which covers more than 50 hectares, is designed to
produce 1.39 million tons of sulphuric acid and 1.2 million tons of phosphate sulfate
fertilizer annually. |
| December 31, 2007 |
Franklin, Virginia |
Outside International Paper in
Franklin, steam filled the air, but it's what you couldn't see that had hazmat teams
concerned Monday night. Just outside the plant a train car was leaking sulfuric
acid. "They're thinking it got over pressurized," said Chief Chris Carr of
the Carrsville Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Carr was just one of many people
stationed at a nearby staging area, in case their help was needed. "They have a
team in place at the mill for these types of situations. They basically handle all of
them, but being this one was just outside the plant when it happened we were called
in," said Chief Carr. Chief Carr says the on-site hazmat team was able to
handle the spill, which turned out to be minor. He says mill employees were able to
contain the spill which posed no threat to the public. "Very little risk to
people in the area or to workers, either one," said Chief Carr. He says, had
their been any serious risk, crews would have worked to neutralize the acid. Instead they
decided to move the car inside the plant and off load what was left. |
| December 31, 2007 |
Rialto, California |
No evacuations were ordered and
no roads were closed Monday after a small amount of sulfuric acid leaked from a Union
Pacific Railroad tanker car in Rialto, officials reported. Union Pacific spokesman
James Barnes said the acid -- a thick goop which sticks to surfaces -- never touched the
ground. The leaked acid, which was estimated at 5 gallons, was cleaned up within
hours of the initial 9 a.m. report. A Rialto Fire Department report said the leak
resulted from mechanical failure involving a valve at the top of the tanker car.
Repairs were made and the tanker was back in service without incident by 1 p.m., the
news release said. After the leak was reported, hazardous-material crews from Union
Pacific and the Rialto Fire Department responded to Union Pacific's West Colton
Classification Yard near Slover Avenue. Crews entered the area wearing protective
chemical gear, Rialto fire Capt. Brian Park said. Before assessing the damage, crews
determined whether the damaged car could be repaired or if they needed to transfer the
estimated 130,000 gallons of sulfuric acid to a second tanker car. |
| December 27, 2007 |
Pevely, Missouri |
A train derailment in Pevely
involving sulfuric acid transport cars left cleanup workers scrambling Thursday. The
incident occurred Wednesday at about 9:30 p.m. when four cars containing the acid plunged
down an embankment near the Dow Chemical Company plant on Route Z. Two cars not
carrying acid were also damaged. No one was injured, and no chemicals leaked from
the cars despite a drop of roughly 100 feet. No evacuation was necessary. The
cause of the derailment is unknown. "It's still under investigation," said
Mark Davis, spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad. Officials with the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were contacted in the aftermath of the derailment
following concerns about a possible chemical leak into a ravine at the scene of the
incident. A DNR environmental emergency response worker was called to the scene
along with officials from neighboring fire and police departments and the Jefferson County
Hazardous Material Team. Cleaning crews transferred sulfuric acid from damaged cars
into tank cars as part of the cleanup process. Davis said the rail cars were able to
withstand such a drop thanks to their solid build. "It's really a testament to
today's tank car design," he said. "We work with car manufacturers on design and
safety, and to have this type of incident with no leak really punctuates that."
Davis said the train, more than 40 cars in length, travels between Ste. Genevieve County
and the city of St. Louis. Rosemarie Rung, spokeswoman for Dow Chemical, said the
derailment caused only minor disruption to the plant. "Only a little, because
of the increased traffic," she said. "It's nothing we can't recover from.
There's no spillage." |
| December 14,
2007 |
Detroit ,
Michigan |
A truck spilled 550 gallons of
chemicals in Fraser this afternoon, closing Masonic Boulevard, between Groesbeck Highway
and Utica Roads. Local businesses were evacuated and crews conducted a total
cleanup of the area. Fraser Public Safety officers responded to a call around 3:30
p.m. Friday of a vacuum truck containing about 550 gallons of sulfuric and nitric acid
developing a leak near one of its valves. The Clinton Township hazardous materials
team arrived on the scene and determined all of the truck's contents had emptied, some of
which ran off the road and into a nearby sewer and drain. No one was injured in the
incident. |
| December 10, 2007 |
Houston, Texas |
A truck driver was burned on more
than 90 percent of his body Saturday in a work-related accident. The incident
happened around 12:53 p.m. at the Brazos Valley Energy Power Plant at 3440 Lockwood
Road. According to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, an off-loading hose
burst during loading, spilling 500 gallons of 93 percent sulfuric acid. Vincent
Lewis, 44, was flown by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital and was admitted to the
burn unit. Officials said he's in stable condition. A power plant worker,
31-year-old Allen Perez, was also burned but not as badly. He was transported by EMS to
Oak Bend Hospital. |
| November 27,
2007 |
Mount
Laurel, New Jersey |
A
tanker truck leaking sulfuric acid caused traffic problems along Route 73. Crews
worked to contain the spill. Police said the leak was reported by a motorist around
7:20 a.m. who saw the truck as it exited I-295. Officers stopped the truck at the
intersection of 73 and Church Road. They contacted the Burlington County Hazardous
Material Response team. Route 73 was partially closed for nearly two hours as crews
worked to contain and clean the leak. Police said there were no evacuations and no
injuries. |
| November 11,
2007 |
Kerch Strait,
Black Sea |
A storm
sank two vessels, the Volnogorsk and the Nakhichevan, which were each carrying 2,000 tons
of sulphur. Update December 14, 2007 - European Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC)
presents experts' report on oil spill in Kerch Strait. It
concluded that the sunken sulphur did not pose an immediate acute risk to the environment
but recommended that the sunken ships with sulphur on board be salvaged so that the
sulphur can be appropriately processed. |
| November 5, 2007 |
Fresno, California |
A truck carrying sulphuric acid rolled over while entering Highway 168 on an
onramp. It was unclear if the truck was traveling at an unsafe speed or if the load
shifted. The truck rolled over and blocked the lanes of traffic. People on the scene
tried to help the trucks driver who was trapped inside the cab before CHP arrived.
Firefighters sawed open the twisted metal to reach the driver who was in critical
condition. The driver was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.
Since the tanker truck was full of sulfuric acid when it crashed, authorities had to bring
another truck to pump out the acid before they could clean up the crash site. The
front of the truck was crushed but the tank remained intact. |
| October 19, 2007 |
Hughenden, Queensland, Australia |
A road train carrying three trailers of sulphuric acid overturned near Hughenden,
in central north Queensland. The Flinders Highway was closed after the eastbound
road train crashed about 30km east of Hughenden. Police said the road train was
passing a truck and sedan travelling in the opposite direction when its third trailer
veered into a ditch before swerving across the road and overturning. None of the
sulphuric acid was spilt in the accident and there were no other environmental concerns.
No one was injured in the accident. |
| October 12, 2007 |
Syracuse, New York |
About 1,000 gallons of sulfuric
acid spilled at the Bristol-Myers Squibb plant. The spill traveled across the
property eventually flowing into a sewer. The sewer is a closed sewer on the site so
no acid ever left the property. The acid was neutralized while in the sewer by an
outside contractor. The acid is used to treat boiler water. |
| October 10, 2007 |
McCoole, Maryland |
Allegany Countys Hazardous
Incident Response Team and other emergency personnel responded to the Crooks Avenue area
late Wednesday morning when a tanker was reportedly leaking sulfuric acid from an exterior
hose of the rig. Maryland State Police also responded to incident that shut down
Crooks Avenue, which is located off McMullen Highway near state Route 135. The
chemical leak, which was first reported to the Allegany County 911 Joint Communications
Division at 11:16 a.m., prompted McCoole Volunteer Fire Company to the scene along with
State Highway Administration personnel. The Maryland Department of the Environment was
also notified of the emergency. Initial reports indicated an exterior
hose was leaking the sulfuric acid and the driver detected the leak but was unable
to shut it off. The tanker was reportedly parked on the side of the road at Crooks Avenue
when the incident began. Early Wednesday afternoon, no information was available
concerning the amount of acid that had leaked from the tanker or the rate at which it was
reportedly leaking. |
| October 9, 2007 |
Fairland, Indiana |
A collision between two tractor
trailers resulted in a sulphuric acid leak from the lead trailer. A tractor trailer
hauling sulphuric acid was rear-ended as it slowed to leave an exit ramp. The
collision caused heavy damage to the rear of the trailer damaging a valve allowing
sulphuric acid to leak out. A spill recovery team was able to contain the leak to a
small area. |
| October 2,
2007 |
Taft,
California |
A woman crashes into a tank causing an acid spill near Taft. A hazmat crew
was called out after the vehicle had put a four inch gash into the side of a tank carrying
sulfuric acid. The acid was coming out at a slow rate, but did cause a small
puddle. Hazmat determined there was no immediate threat so now it's up to the owner
of the land to clean up the mess. Sulfuric acid is often used in water that farmers
use to irrigate. |
| September 17,
2007 |
India |
The accident
involving a tanker lorry, a mini-lorry and a cyclist at Collectorate Junction in which the
cyclist was killed, has more than what meets the eye. The ten-wheeler lorry was
carrying highly-concentrated sulphuric acid, the spillage of which would have been
disastrous. It would have caused harmed human lives. It would have led to
groundwater getting polluted in many areas. Luckily, there was no spillage though
the huge lorry fell on its side into a road-side ditch. Personnel from the FACT
arrived at the spot to prevent spillage. Deputy Transport Commissioner M.N. Prabhakaran
said drivers of most tanker lorries were unaware of the forces acting on the vehicle when
their liquid consignment moves laterally and is thrust towards the front of the tank, when
the brake is applied. Lorries carrying petroleum products have compartments within the
tank, whereas many lorries carrying acids and chemicals do not have such partitions.
Any application of brake, negotiating a sharp curve at high speeds or sudden change
of lane, will result in the driver losing control of the vehicle. Wednesdays
incident saw the lorry crash into a median and a mini-lorry before overturning, which
shows that the driver did not slow down at all at the busy junction. Mr. Prabhakaran
said the lorry was 25-years-old which shows that it was not fit to carry such a substance.
We will soon direct the factories and companies that manufacture chemicals, acids
and other inflammable substances to entrust their transportation with firms having a fleet
of modern tanker lorries. In addition, the drivers and cleaners have to be made aware of
the nature (and implications, in case of accidents) of the consignment, Mr.
Prabhakaran said. |
| August 28, 2007 |
Louisiana |
Louisiana Highway 520 in
Claiborne Parish was shut down this morning after a truck hauling sulfuric acid wrecked.
The spill occurred about 1 a.m., half a mile south of the Louisiana 161 intersection
in the north part of the parish, State Police said. There were no homes in the
immediate vicinity of the wreck and no one was evacuated, State Police said. |
| August 28,
2007 |
Pocatello,
Idaho |
A
worker at J.R. Simplot's Don Plant has died of burns from an accident at the fertilizer
plant in Pocatello. Company officials say 53-year-old
Frank Rowberry was sprayed with molten sulfur as he inspected a clogged pipeline on
Tuesday. The sulfur caught fire, and he was rushed the University of Utah Burn Center in
Salt Lake City with burns over more than two-thirds of his body. A
plant spokesman, Rick Phillips, says the company received word Thursday that Rowberry had
died the previous night. Simplot and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration are investigating, partly to determine why the sulfur
caught fire.
Frank Rowberry was a maintenance worker who was doing a routine part of his job
Tuesday afternoon, unloading sulfur from railcars and working on a clogged pipe when
the sulfur suddenly ignited lighting Rowberry on fire. Officials
say Rowberry was wearing the plant's required protective gear but was burned on more than
50 percent of his body. |
| August 21,
2007 |
South Africa |
A Durban-based transport company
faces a clean-up bill of millions after the chemical spill on the N1 in Centurion this
week - and damages claims from drivers whose vehicles were damaged after the spill. A Warden Cartage tanker transporting a solution of 98 percent
sulphuric acid overturned near the John Vorster Drive off-ramp on he N1 south at about
3.30pm. It lost about 10 000 litres of its load. No one was injured in the
incident, but there have been scores of reports from motorists whose vehicles were damaged
by the corrosive liquid. These vehicles had driven over
the chemical on the road before emergency workers could cordon off the area. Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse said
their control room received dozens of calls from vehicle owners complaining that their
tyres, wheels and bodywork had been corroded by the acid.
South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) N1 route manager Tommy Bedford said
the clean-up operation cost about R120 000. The cost of
the environmental clean-up of the soil on the side of the road will run into millions. They have to remove the soil from the surface to a certain
depth. Environmental officers will test the soil every second day until they are satisfied
with that the clean-up had been successful. Bedford said
they were able to stop the chemical from reaching the nearby Sesmyl River. Two chemical spill response companies ran the clean-up
operation. The highway was closed for about 20 hours, which caused huge traffic problems.
Vehicles were backed up as far as the R21 turn-off. The
highway was opened at about 11.30am on Wednesday. |
| August 19, 2007 |
Romney |
Traffic at U.S. 231 and Ind. 28
were rerouted after a semi-tanker leaked an estimated 100 gallons of sulfuric acid. Traffic was rerouted through Tippecanoe County roads until the
spill could be neutralized before the evening rains arrived to the area.
The incident started west of the intersection on Ind. 28 about 4:30 p.m. The sulfuric acid exited through a valve on the tanker. The valve appeared it did work like it was suppose to. For some reason, the tank built up pressure, whether it was
the heat of the day, it leaked off some of the sulfuric acid but not any more. |
| August 17, 2007 |
Conroe,
Texas |
Four rail cars at a chemical
company in Conroe fell off the tracks. The accident
happened at Jefferson Chemical on FM 1485. There are no
residential areas nearby, but authorities say one of the cars leaked sulfuric acid. No evacuations were called, and no injuries were reported |
| August 9, 2007 |
Riverdale |
Someone accidentally poured
sulphuric acid onto a street, prompting a hazardous materials response this morning in
Riverdale. Fire crews were notified at 11:35 a.m. of the situation near the
intersection of Halsted and 141st streets. Someone trying to clean out a barrel
"inadvertently" poured a "minor amount" of the liquid acid on the
pavement, Riverdale fire Lt. Chris Van Dyke said. The incident happened outside a rail
yard building, he said. A hazardous materials response team was called and the
substance was cleaned up by 12:44 p.m., the lieutenant said. The person, acting on
behalf of the rail yard, had been trying to clean out the 55-gallon barrel, then rinsed it
with water and poured it onto the pavement, he said. The water reclamation district
and public works department were notified, but no evacuations were necessary and no one
was hurt. |
| August 4, 2007 |
Bangkok, Thailand |
More than 50 workers of a paper
factory in Ang Thong province were rushed to a provincial hospital on Saturday after they
inhaled contaminated gas released from a nearby textile factory. After
about an hour of treatment, the Ang Thong hospital discharged some 30 workers. The rest
remain there. Police investigators said villagers said bad
smell came from Thai Reyor factory located nearby. But when they arrived at the scene, the
factory stopped emitting the gas. Department of Industrial
Works said the smell resulted from leakage of sulphur dioxide, which happened after a
blackout in the area. The blackout caused machines at the factory to operate with some
problems. |
| August 1, 2007 |
Bakersfield, California |
An overnight fire was a cause for
concern for Kern County and Bakersfield firefighters. A large fire ignited at the Hondo
Chemical Plant just before midnight. A hazardous chemical team was called to the
scene to assist firefighters because the fire started inside some machinery that uses
sulfur. After the fire was out, firefighters had to stick around to water down
the sulfur so it would not re-ignite. Fire investigators say there was no need to
evacuate any homes nearby because the sulfur would not harm anyone indoors. The
cause of the fire is under investigation. The Hondo plant lost $500,000 in damaged
machinery due to the fire. |
| July
30, 2007 |
Timpson,
Texas |
A section of U. S. Highway 59 was shut down
due to a hazardous chemical spill. An 18 wheeler that was carrying about 40,000
pounds of sulfur, crashed into a stalled vehicle on US 59 in Timpson around 7:30 p. m.
Monday. The truck caught on fire and spilled its load all over the highway.
The initial danger was pretty high because of the fumes being emitted from the burning
sulfur. A couple of firemen had to be transported to the hospital due to exposure to
sulphur dioxide.
The fire took more than four hours to put out. The fire department initially used
water on the fire which enhanced the fire. A hazardous materials team had
to use a special foam to get the flames under control. The crash site was far
enough away from homes that no evacuations were needed. |
| July
20, 2007 |
Rupert,
Idaho |
A fire at the J.R. Simplot Co. fertilizer plant
at 200 W. 225 S. caused the evacuation of a 1-mile radius around the plant, as a deposit
of sulfur was ignited. The cause of the fire and extent of its damage were
unknown. East End, West End and Rupert fire departments responded to the fire.
About every 15 minutes, firefighters in two-man teams took turns scaling a ladder to reach
the fire through a hole in the roof of one of the plant's buildings. By 7 p.m., the fire
was mostly under control. |
| July
18, 2007 |
Virginia |
Virginia
State Police say Interstate 95 southbound is closed at mile marker 138 in Stafford County
because of a leaking truck. HazMat crews were called to scene just before 1:00
p.m. Wednesday because the truck was carrying sulfuric acid. Investigators
say the truck was not involved in an accident. What caused the leak remains unclear.
|
| July
16, 2007 |
Atholville,
New Brunswick |
Sulphur
dioxide was mistakenly released into the air at a northern New Brunswick pulp mill,
prompting an investigation by environment officials. The incident Monday at the AV
Cell pulp mill in Atholville started when a pipe that transports sulphur dioxide from
a rail car to the mill broke. The gas leaked for about 15 minutes before the problem
was fixed. "At this stage, the Department of Environment was on the scene
[Tuesday] and they gathered as much information as possible," said Paul Fournier of
the department. Fournier said it's not clear how much of the gas was released
Monday. He said the next steps would involve AV Cell presenting the department with
a report of the incident, and the department must do a study on what
measures should be taken to minimize the risk of another incident. |
| June 15, 2007 |
Sudbury,
Ontario, Canada |
Nine people were treated and released from hospital following a gas leak at an
Inco Ltd. acid plant in Greater Sudbury June 15. Inco spokesperson Cory McPhee said
the plant had a power interuption Thursday at 9:30 am which caused the SO2 (sulphur
dioxide) leak into the atmosphere. "Normally the plants shut down, but in this
case one of the fans in the booster house kept going so there was gas sent out that
shouldn't have been," said McPhee. The acid plant is located inside Inco's
smelter complex and is used to capture SO2 gas that would normally go up the Super Stack,
and turn it into sulphuric acid. Eight contractors and one Inco employee were sent
to hospital after being exposed to the sulphur dioxide. Some were sent home for the day
while others came back to work. The gas causes irritation in the throat and lungs.
It (gas) just dissipates . . . they were able to address the problem but why
it happened is still under investigation," said McPhee. Inco has launched an
internal investigation into the matter. McPhee said the company will "file a report
of an unusual occurrence" to the Ministry of the Environment, which is standard
procedure. |
| July 2, 2007 |
Camas,
Washington |
Part of Lake Road near WaferTech in Camas was
closed for nearly two hours after a tanker truck spilled about a gallon of sulfuric acid
onto the road. The acid was contained and cleaned up with no runoff and no damage to
the road. Sulfuric acid is a byproduct of WaferTech's manufacturing process, during
which silicon wafers are etched with circuitry to make computer chips. The company sells
the acid to other manufacturers. The spill, from a Chemical Transfer Company
vehicle, may have been the result of an improperly secured hose, which had been used to
drain the acid from WaferTech tanks into the truck. The vehicle's driver stopped as
soon as he realized the chemical had spilled, at about 1:30 p.m. Southeast First
Street was closed between WaferTech's west entrance and Northwest Friberg-Strunk Street
until about 3:15 p.m., when cleanup efforts were complete. The Camas Fire Department
worked with WaferTech to neutralize the chemical and clean up the spill. WaferTech
will submit a full report to the state Department of Ecology, which may prompt further
review by the agency. |
| June 29, 2007 |
Dallas County,
Arkansas |
A tractor-trailer, carrying 40,000 pounds of sulfuric acid, overturned on Highway
9 in Dallas County Friday afternoon. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management
says a small amount of sulfuric acid leaked from a gauge on the tanker and as a precaution
seven homes were evacuated in the area three miles north of Princeton. Families
returned home Friday night. The local coordinator from the Dallas County Office of
Emergency Management, along with a Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) response unit offloaded
the sulfuric acid. No injuries have been reported. |
| June 28, 2007 |
Raleigh,
North Carolina |
An accidental
spill of sulfuric acid at a Raleigh chemical plant yesterday caused evacuations of three
nearby schools for several hours. In addition, local residents were told to stay
indoors for part of the day. The 3,000 gallon acid spill occurred at the
Mallinckrodt Chemical facility located at 8801 Capital Boulevard. Initially, a
statement was issued by Division Chief Frank Warner with the Fire Department saying that
the leak was "confined to the company's property and poses no threat to the general
public." However, later in the day, officials were concerned that potential
rains could have a chemical interaction with the sulfuric acid, releasing a gas. Due
to those concerns, the city later asked residents who lived within a half mile radius of
Mallinckrodt Chemicals including the Riverhaven Apartments complex to stay inside their
homes. Late in the day on Thursday, the Raleigh Fire Department Haz Mat units were
able to clean up the spill and the city advised local residents that it was safe once
again for them to go outdoors in the area. |
| June 22, 2007 |
Freeport, Texas |
A small explosion and fire at a
sulfur plant caused no injuries and had no environmental impact. At about 8:30 a.m.,
Freeport Fire Department personnel responded to a call at SF Sulfur Corporation.
Process overpressure blew out a vent on top of a building at the 13-acre complex and
led to some spot sulfur fires. Authorities reported no injuries, no impact to the
ground or air and minor damage. SF Sulfur crews contained the incident. Two
Freeport units responded and fire officials were on scene for about an hour. SF
Sulfur receives sulfur and grinds it for shipping. |
| June 22, 2007 |
Marana, Arizona |
A tanker truck carrying sulfuric acid overturned on the Interstate
10 frontage road in Marana and caused the closure of the road for part of the morning and
most of the afternoon. The tanker did not leak. The acid had to be pumped from
the tanker to another truck before the wreck could be removed. The truck was the
only vehicle involved and the driver, its sole occupant, was not injured. The
truck overturned shortly before 10 a.m. about 1.5 miles west of West Moore Road.
Investigators have not determined what caused the truck to tip on the straight stretch of
road. The truck was traveling from Hayden to Red Rock. |
| June 20, 2007 |
Lake Park, Minnesota |
Authorities in Becker County say
eight to ten cars of a westbound BNSF freight train derailed on the west side of Lake Park
shortly before 3:30 pm. Sheriff Tim Gordon said several dozen people were evacuated
from some rural homes downwind of the site as a precaution because there are hazardous
materials on the train. Some of the cars contained ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acid
and hydrochloric acid. It was not clear if anything is leaking. The container
cars are piled up on top of another making it difficult to get an accurate count of the
cars or get into the wreckage. No injuries were reported. |
| June 22, 2007 |
Florida |
A man was killed in an early
morning accident causing southbound Interstate 75 in Florida to be shut down for several
hours. The left front tire blew out on the tanker which was traveling northbound on
I-75. The driver lost control and the truck struck the concrete barrier separating
the northbound and southbound lanes. The impact caused the tanker, which was filled
with liquid sulfur, to become airborne and cross over into the southbound lanes of
I-75. The tanker skidded about 200 feet before hitting a UPS tractor trailer head
on. The UPS driver died from injuries received in the accident, according to the
Berea Police Department. The driver of the tanker was not injured. The
northbound lanes of I-75 remained open but the southbound lanes were closed to clean up
the liquid sulfur spill. The spill was contained and posed no threat to the
public. The clean-up, which is estimated to take six to 10 hours, wass being
directed by Madison County EMA. |
| June 8, 2007 |
Philadelphia |
The truck was traveling Northbound on I-476
(Blue Route) and began to exit to get onto I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) when it overturned
around 7:53 a.m. Smoke was noticed coming from around the vehicle where the load had
dumped onto the road and the shoulder of the road. The smoke was actually corrosive
sulpher dioxide gas. The dry sulphur had apparently mixed with something else
causing a massive chemical reaction. Crews in full hazmat gear arrived. At the
crash scene, air samples showed gas concentrations 30 times the level that can cause
respiratory distress. Fortunately, the plume quickly dissipated. |
| May 9, 2007 |
Texas City |
A
sulfuric acid leak at the Dow plant Tuesday afternoon caused only a minor amount of damage
and didnt hurt anyone, officials said. The leak at the plant in the 3300 block
of Fifth Avenue South was small and contained by plant personnel. A Level 1 alert
was issued during the hour-long incident, which started about 1:15 p.m., reports
show. A Texas City Fire Department unit was dispatched to monitor the situation. |
| May 8,
2007 |
Texas
City, USA |
A sulfuric acid leak at the Dow plant caused only a minor amount of
damage and no one was injured. The leak at the plant in the 3300 block of Fifth
Avenue South was small and contained by plant personnel. A Level 1 alert was issued
during the hour-long incident, which started about 1:15 p.m. A Texas City Fire
Department unit was dispatched to monitor the situation. |
| May 3, 2007 |
Houston, TX, USA |
A man had to be transported to the
hospital after breathing in sulfur fumes at the Arkema Plant. The plant manager said
the truck driver was unloading molten sulfur when he was overcome. No one else was
affected. |
| April 25, 2007 |
Kingsport, VA, USA |
A cylinder containing
sulfur-dioxide burst on Interstate 26 in Kingsport. Crews got the call around 9 a.m.
Wednesday morning. A 150-pound cylinder containing the substance came loose from a
tractor trailer. A car did run through the vapor, which resulted in two people going
to the hospital. A firefighter also had to be treated for exposure. Crews
re-sealed the leaking cylinder in a vacant area. |
| April 18, 2007 |
Xifeng, Guizhou province, China |
A sulphur dioxide leak at a
chemical fertiliser plant in southwestern China has put about 140 students and teachers in
hospital with respiratory problems. Five teachers and more than130 students from
three schools reported respiratory problems and have been sent to a local hospital.
A local government official says heavy fog at the time of the leak stopped the gas
dispersing. Authorities are investigating the cause of the leak. |
| April 17, 2007 |
Valemount, British Columbia |
At around 2:30 p.m. a CN sulphur
train headed to Vancouver was reported to have sulphur smoldering. There were no
injuries and no danger associated with the smoldering product. Valemounts
volunteer fire department responded to a call for help from CN Rail. CN had trouble
getting through to the dispatch centre in Prince George, so they called it into the local
police, who got in touch with local volunteer fire chief. The train was directed to
stop north of town on Loseth Road by Crooked Creek because there was a good place to draw
water from. |
| April 16, 2007 |
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada |
A
rollover involving a truck carrying sulfuric acid knotted up traffic along Highway
138. Police said the weather played a factor in causing. At around 5:30 a.m.,
a tractor-trailer heading south on Highway 138 ended up in the ditch just north of Sand
Road. The driver of the vehicle was not injured. Traffic was reduced to one
lane as a long line of emergency vehicles, including Cornwall's hazardous materials unit
and officials with the Ministry of the Environment, tried to prevent the acid from
spilling. Ultimately, they were successful in preventing the spill. |
| April 14, 2007 |
San Roque, Spain |
The Cepsa refinery in the San
Roque area was at the centre of further controversy after a major leak of sulphur was
registered. The incident took place between seven and eight on Saturday evening when
a technical fault was experienced at the petro-chemical plant causing a high level of
sulphur dioxide to be released. Although the company has claimed that there was no
risk to the surrounding population, over 32 emergency calls were received by the Spanish
112 emergency services, with reports of over 2,000 residents in the area affected by the
high level contamination. The incident saw a larger than normal release of smoke, as
well as an increase in the smells surrounding the plants, causing some discomfort to
residents in the area. |
| March 30, 2007 |
Murarrie, Queensland, Australia |
A man was sprayed
in the face with sulphuric acid and three others suffered minor burns when a pipeline
ruptured at the Goodman Fielder manufacturing plant in Murarrie about 1.30pm. The
man, a subcontractor, had been pumping acid from a holding tank into a truck to allow for
routine maintenance when the incident occurred. Somehow in that process we believe a
valve was opened at the incorrect time...and there was a pressure build up that there
shouldn't have been. He was sprayed over his back, neck, arms and face and was
immediately put into the emergency safety shower. A Queensland Ambulance Service
spokeswoman said the man had been rushed to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in a critical
condition, but the full extent of his injuries is not yet known. The others were
taken to the Mater Hospital suffering a combination of acid burns and vapour
inhalation. Firefighters remained at the scene for some time to clean up the
sulphuric acid, which is used at the factory for cleaning. |
| March 30, 2007 |
Englehart,
Ontario |
Two dozen cars of an Ontario
Northland train jumped the tracks about 16 kilometres north of Englehart. Nine cars carrying sulphuric acid went off the tracks. One of the cars spilled its entire contents, estimated to be
about 100 tonnes, and four cars were still leaking acid into the Blanche River on the next day. Residents along a section of river in Northern
Ontario have been advised not to use its water. Ontario
Environment Ministry officials are taking water samples and have arranged for lime to be
added upstream of the spill site to counter the effects of the acid. |
| March 29, 2007 |
Godmanchester, Quebec |
A freight train derailment
occurred in Godmanchester, about 60 kilometres southwest of Montreal. Amongst the
derailed cars were three sulphuric acid tank cars. There were no leaks, no injuries
and no evacuation. The cars left the track on the outskirts of Huntingdon about 1
p.m. The Canadian National Railway train was being operated by a CN crew on track
owned by CSX Transportation. Investigators of the federal Transportation Safety
Board are assessing whether there will be a need for an in-depth investigation. |
| March 26, 2007 |
Columbus, Ohio |
A train derailment resulted in
seven tank cars derailing on a South Side railroad track. A tank car containing
molten sulfur leaked less than a gallon of sulphur onto the railroad ties. No one
was injured. The derailment was most likely caused by a broken rail or a broken
wheel on the train. The cause is under
investigation. Another tank car containing molten sulfur, didn't spill anything. The
molten sulfur was cleaned up by a hazardous-materials crew. |
| March 26, 2007 |
Bainbridge, Georgia |
The
Georgia Gulf Sulphur plant located at 1300 Spring Creek Road sustained heavy damage due to a fire at the plant. The exact cause of the fire
was not immediately known but it is suspected
that something metal created a spark, which in turn caused dust associated with
sulfur being stored at the plant to explode. Flames burst
through the side of a large building used to mix and grind the sulfur and quickly spread
to the roof of an adjacent storage building and office. The
fire began at approximately 2 p.m. and was not fully controlled until about 4 p.m. Almost
two dozen firefighters and more than eight fire trucks responded to the scene. |
| March 26, 2007 |
Bradenton, Florida |
Hazardous material crews contained
a 30 gallon spill of sulphuric acid at Norfolk Southerns Brosnan Yard. The
spill was considered relatively minor because the location was a railyard and not a
populated area. There was indication the acid leaked from a pressure valve on a rail
car. |
| March 17, 2007 |
Newark, New Jersey |
An overturned
tractor-trailer near Newark early today spilled diesel fuel on the highway and caused lane
closures along I-95 well into the afternoon. Initially police reported that sulfuric
acid and hydrochloric acid had spilled from the truck, but later the Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Control determined that it was just fuel from the truck that
leaked. The trailer also contained numerous individual containers of hydrofluoric
acid, which was of concern due to the high flammability of the chemical. |
| March 15, 2007 |
Tucson, Arizona |
A semi-truck
drove into a passenger car, which became lodged under the trailer. The collision
then ruptured an acid load in the truck and started a fire. Three people in the
passenger vehicle suffered serious injuries with one listed in critical condition.
The truck driver, as well as three firefighters and four DPS officers, were treated for
inhalation problems. The truck was carrying 1,500 pounds of sulfuric acid,
phosphorus acid and sodium hydroxide.
 
|
| February 28, 2007 |
Burley,
Idaho |
Two 55-gallon
drums of sulfuric acid punctured when a truck overturned on Interstate 84 near the
southern Idaho town of Burley, closing the highway for about three hours. Police say
the westbound tractor-trailer tipped over on a cloverleaf. An unspecified amount of
sulfuric acid spilled after the accident and the westbound lane was closed. A state-contracted crew cleaned up the spill after officials with the
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Homeland Security
determined the leak had stopped. |
| February 26, 2007 |
Longview, Washington |
A sulfuric acid leak at Weyerhaeuser's main Longview plant shot the liquid 45
feet in the air after a valve malfunctioned while a truck was unloading acid. The
leak occurred in a decontamination area and a crew of 15 hazard management workers were
nearby to clean the spill up within three hours time. No one was injured. The
decontamination area had a built-in shower, which made the clean-up easier. |
February 23,
2007 |
Ogden, Arkansas |
A retired
Bastrop Police Department officer is in stable condition in an Arkansas hospital after he
was injured when the truck he was driving overturned in southwest Arkansas, spilling
sulfuric acid onto the roadside. Chris Branum, 55, was
driving south along U.S. 71 near Ogden, Ark., just after 1 p.m. on Feb. 17 when he
apparently lost control of the tanker truck he was driving. A spokesman with Arkansas
State Police Troop G headquarters said Branum's skidded almost 150 before it entered the
median, where it traveled another 80 feet before it overturned. According
to a story published by the Texarkana Gazette, rescue crews arrived on the scene but were
initially kept away from the scene because of the leaking sulfuric acid. Branum was transported to CHRISTUS St. Michael Health Center in
Texarkana and treated for lung and head injuries. On Wednesday, he was reported in stable
condition. The State Police spokesman said no citations
were issued following the wreck. |
| February
18, 2007 |
Ogden,
Arkansas |
While sulfuric acid was leaking from a ruptured valve on an
overturned tanker truck Saturday, the driver was rescued by emergency crews and passing
motorists on U.S. Highway 71. Branum was southbound on U.S. Highway 71 about a mile
south of Ogden near the Arkansas Highway Police weigh station when the accident
happened. Authorities say Branum lost control of the rig as he entered a curve in
the highway. The truck is owned by Phoenix Transport. Investigators also say gusty west
winds may have contributed to Branum losing control of the tanker truck, which was loaded
with sulfuric acid. Firefighters used shovels to dig a trench to direct the flowing
acid to a culvert. They also used a smoke ejector fan to blow possible fumes away from the
firefighters who were shoveling the dirt. A backhoe was later used to dig a deeper
trench to contain the acid. |
| February
17, 2007 |
Mumbai, India |
The Mumbai-Goa highway had to be
closed down for over five hours after a tanker carrying a chemical substance collided with
a Maruti car near Panvel early Friday morning. The tanker overturned in the process
and spilled its contents onto the highway. The chemical compound (oleum), which the
tanker was carrying, then spread over a radius of five km causing such a dense fog that
motorists lost visibility even at an arms length. The police had to then step
in and close down the highway for a seven-km stretch until the fumes settled down and the
area was cleared. |
| February 9, 2007 |
Melbourne,
Australia |
A cloud of sulphur
dioxide leaked from the Air Liquide plant in Berkshire Road, North Sunshine, just before
6.30am. About 100 people were evacuated and 15 treated by paramedics after a
potentially fatal toxic cloud leaked from a plant in a Melbourne suburb. Fifteen
people needed medical treatment and residents were told to stay indoors at the height of
the drama in North Sunshine. Police have urged residents south of Berkshire Road,
Sunshine North, to stay indoors, shut their windows and turn off external air
conditioners. Police spokesman Senior Constable Adam West said the sulphur dioxide
spill caused "agitation and aggravation" to people in the immediate area.
Metropolitan Ambulance spokesman Phil Cullen said 15 people - residents and local workers
- were treated for symptoms including shortness of breath. |
| February 6, 2007 |
Paulsboro, New Jersey |
Sulphur
dioxide was accidentally accidentally released into the air and the gas seeped into
Paulsboro High School during first period, causing headaches, feelings of nausea and some
instances of vomiting in as many as 15 students and a handful of faculty members.
Valero officials tested the interior of the high school after the release measuring sulfur
dioxide at levels between zero and five parts per 1 million parts of air. The smell
of rotten eggs lingered in Paulsboro until the late afternoon, almost disappearing
entirely by 4 p.m. |
| January 26,
2007 |
Tillsonburg,
Ontario |
A chemical spill in Tillsonburg caused an evacuation, and sent 7 people to
hospital. At around noon a chemical spill of Sulphur Dioxide happened at Guardian
Industries. Two employees were taken to hospital, were treated and released, five
other also went to the hospital were found not to have suffered any effects.
Neighboring businesses and six homes were also evacuated. Roads in the immediate
area were closed for several hours. The Tillsonburg Emergency Control Group was
activated but an emergency was not declared. The Spills Action Centre was contacted
as well as the chemical supplier have dealt with the clean up. |
| January
25, 2007 |
La
Porte, Texas |
A gas cloud from the DuPont plant located at 12501 Strang Road forced officials
to issue a shelter-in-place and shut down a freeway. Officials said oleum was
released from the unit that produces sulfuric acid. "We had an upset in that
process. As a result, we vented a significant amount of sulfuric acid mist," said Ken
Martin, DuPont's safety supervisor. Oleum came out of a 300-foot stack for about 10
minutes. The unit was shut down and the release was stopped but not until after a
large cloud covered the area. "The cloud itself was a very, very fine sulfuric
acid mist. I personally drove through the cloud multiple times in my personal car. The
thing I would recommend people do if you thought you were exposed to a significant amount
of it or your vehicle, something like that, wash it off this afternoon," Martin said.
Residents south of
the plant and along Highway 225 were asked to shelter-in-place until it was lifted at 1
p.m. Residents in the Pasadena subdivision of El Jardin were under a
shelter-in-place until 1:30 p.m. La Porte Independent School District schools were
included in the shelter-in-place. Highway 225 was shut down in both directions
between at Highway 146 at Sens Road.
No one was injured. |
| January 24,
2007 |
Moratalla,
Spain |
A truck driver died in an accident on the C-3211 road, after his tanker came off
the road near Moratalla and fell from a height of 8 metres into the Rambla La Murta.
The tanker was carrying 15,000 litres of sulphuric acid. A specialist team from the
fire brigade was called in to neutralise about 25 litres of the acid which leaked from the
tanker. The company which owned the vehicle removed the remaining cargo to another
vehicle. There are no homes in the immediate area of the accident. The
operation was supervised by Protección Civil, who activated the emergency plan for
transport of dangerous goods. |
| January 19,
2007 |
Niles |
Nearly 100
gallons of sulfuric acid spilled a parking lot at French Paper Co. in Niles. There were no injuries and no equipment was damaged. A container tipped while being transported by a forklift. Mill staff
contained, neutralized and cleaned up the spill. Nobody
was injured and at no time was anyone in danger. Sulfuric
acid is used in paper making for pH control. French Paper
employees and emergency personnel used a powder to soak up the sulfuric acid and it was
then placed in a dumpster and French Paper is waiting approval from state agencies to
dispose of it. |
| January 7, 2007 |
Montmagy, Quebec |
Shortly after 1
a.m., 24 cars of the 121-car Canadian National freight train derailed, vaulting one of the
rail cars across a residential street, just missing the train station and stopping within
a few metres of a house. The freight train was headed for Dartmouth, N.S., from
Toronto. Mangled freight cars carrying automobiles, lumber, grain, salt, even corn syrup,
were scattered along both sides of the railway tracks as CN crews spent the day cleaning
up. Four of the derailed freight cars were filled with sulphuric acid, but none
ruptured under the impact. No toxic substance was spilled and plans to evacuate part of
the community were abandoned. |
| December 18, 2006 |
Houston, Texas |
Four people were taken to
hospitals after a 55-gallon drum of sulfuric acid exploded Monday night at a southeast
Houston chemical plant. The fire started about 8:20 p.m. at SET Environmental
Inc. The company stores and mixes hazardous chemicals. A truck driver and a
plant employee near the explosion were rushed to hospitals with unknown injuries.
Two more employees exposed to smoke also were taken to hospitals. Firefighters
believe the drum contained a solution of 60 percent sulfuric acid and another
chemical. The cause of the explosion is unknown because employees were not tending
the drum at the time. |
| December 12, 2006 |
Jinzhou, China |
About 40 residents in a city in
northeast China were hospitalized after a sulfur dioxide spill from a petrochemical
company. The spill occurred around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Jinzhou Petrochemical
Industrial Co Ltd, in Liaoning Province, according to the Jinzhou City Work Safety
Administration. The leak lasted ten minutes and five kilograms of sulfur dioxide
were released. All the residents who fell ill complained of pain in the throat and
chest, and were taken to nearby hospitals. A two-millimeter crack on a pipe led to
the spill, according to the administration. |
| December 7, 2006 |
Macedonia |
The impending contamination of
Probistip and its outskirts, caused by sulfuric acid leakage, has been thwarted, i.e. the
contamination was neutralized before it came into contact with the waters and the land. According to a statement released by the Ministry of
Environment & Spatial Planning, contamination threat was bridged in due time. The statement comes after last Tuesday's report saying roughly
1.5 tons of sulfuric acid leaked at car battery plant Sap Vesna. "The
samples of land and water near the car battery factory Sap Vesna have tested negative. The
testing showed that the land and the water were not polluted," the Ministry said.
Toxicity tests have been conducted on samples of five rivers and the surrounding land. State Inspectorate ordered the factory to immediately remove
the damaged pipe that caused the leakage. |
| November
23, 2006 |
Parksville
Lake, Tennessee |
A spokesperson for the Polk County, Tennessee Sheriff's Office says that they
have been forced to shutdown Highway 64 due to a sulfuric acid spill. A tanker truck has
overturned on the Highway near Parksville Lake and is apparently leaking acid. Emergency
and Hazardous Materials Teams are on the scene, or enroute to try and contain the leak.
There are no homes or businesses in the immediate area so no evacuations are underway.
However, again, Hwy. 64 is closed in both directions near Parksville Lake. |
| November 18,
2006 |
Brentwood,
California |
A
truck carrying molten sulfur spilled part of its contents and caused the shutdown of
traffic through a portion of Brentwood. The 12:30 p.m. incident happened on Brentwood
Boulevard, a two-lane highway which was closed for several hours between Havenwood Avenue
and Sunset Road. Motorists noticed a substance leaking from the truck and alerted
the driver who then stopped. While a small amount of molten sulfur that spilled on
the road was not considered dangerous, the high temperature of the chemical makes it a
potential hazard. Crews cleaned off the road and police reopened it shortly before 7
p.m. |
| November
16, 2006 |
Zambia |
A train spilled around 35 tons of sulphuric acid
destined for the copper industry after being derailed by broken tracks. The train
was carrying some 72 tons of the acid which was headed for the country's largest copper
mine, the Indian-owned Konkola Copper Mines (KCM). The accident occurred 50 miles
north of the tourist capital Livingstone. Railway officials told the local press
that unless the spill could be quickly neutralized with lime, there was a good chance that
rain would wash it into a nearby canal, posing a danger to local people, livestock and
wildlife. This was the second major accident in as many weeks for KCM, which last
week allowed untreated effluent from a plant in the town of Chingola to spill into a
nearby river. |
| November
6, 2006 |
Stockholm,
Sweden |
A truck driver was filling his
truck with the dangerous liquid when something apparently went wrong. Hes been taken
to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries remains unclear. Between 500 and
1000 liters of the acid reportedly leaked, but apparently did not get into the water,
where it would have combined to produce a poisonous gas. |
| October 30, 2006 |
South Hadley, Massachusetts |
Teams
from around the region yesterday were trying to recapture about 1,500 gallons of sulfuric
acid that escaped from a tank near the Granby town line Monday night and forced the
cancellation of school in South Hadley and the evacuation of 88 households in Granby and
South Hadley. A police officer was treated for exposure to sulfuric acid
fumes. In Granby, 68 households were evacuated as a precaution following the spill
about 8 p.m. on Monday at Presstek Inc., 755 New Ludlow Road. The liquid leaked into
a cement holding pit. On Tuesday, the evacuation was extended to include 20 homes on
East Street in South Hadley because the spill formed a gas inside the building. |
| October 20, 2006 |
Vero Beach, Florida |
City Water Plant officials were
busy cleaning up 50 to 80 gallons of sulfuric acid that leaked from a pump at the Water
Plant. The leak began about 11:08 p.m. Thursday when the pump moving the acid failed
to transfer some of the liquid to a holding container. The acid is used to
remove impurities from drinking water. The pump has a shut-off valve but it was
below the leak, making it impossible for staff to manually shut off the pump without
getting burned by the acid. Unable to stop the leak, which was seeping acid at
a rate of about a gallon a minute, staff called the Indian River County's Hazardous
Materials squad, a group of firefighters trained to clean hazardous chemical spills.
The squad spent about two hours assessing the leak, turning off the pump and making sure
there was no other damage done to the plant. said the leak was contained to a
concrete pad and did not run off into the ground. |
| October 11, 2006 |
Toronto,
Ontario |
One eastbound lane of Hwy. 401 near Milton
remains closed this morning after diesel fuel and sulfuric acid leaked from a
tractor-trailer after it collided with a car last night. Sulfuric
acid leaked onto the highway in a small amount, which was immediately
contained. Emergency crews were called to the
eastbound 401 just past Hwy. 6 where the two vehicles collided, sending a female in the
car to Hamilton General Hospital with what appeared to be non life-threatening injuries
just before 7 p.m. All eastbound lanes at the site of the
collision were closed down as hazardous materials crews clean up the acid and fuel, and
the tractor-trailer is removed from the ditch. The
Ministry of Environment has also been called in to investigate. |
| October 10,
2006 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Hazardous material crews are at the scene of a
spill at an east side chemical plant. Crews were called
just before noon on Tuesday to Chemsol Products, at East 163rd Street and St. Clair. Officials said there was a sulfuric acid spill there when a
3,000-gallon tank leaked about 1,000 gallons into a secondary containment dike. About 20 gallons leaked into the ground, a small amount of which
may have leaked into the sewer system. No boil alerts have
been issued and there have been no evacuations. |
| October 07, 2006 |
Prince George,
British Columbia |
Prince George RCMP were called to help out in diverting
traffic along Highway 97 last night after a southbound CN train had a fire on several
sulfur cars. The Bear Lake fire department had evacuated
homes adjacent to the tracks in Bear Lake as the train moved south to a location
where the fire could be fought without increasing risk to neighbours. The Prince George Fire Dispatch and Bear Lake Fire
Department decided the best way to deal with this kind of fire was with a water
fog so they wouldn't create any dangerous gases. The train moved to a spot about 2
kilmetres south of Bear Lake, near Hart Lake. That spot was chosen as there was more
than enough water supply, and any possible fumes would not endanger the
community to the north. The Bear Lake Fire
Department responded with two pumper units and crews in breathing aparatus. They
extinguished the fire and the train continued southbound to a spot on the outskirts of
Prince George where Prince George Fire Crews inspected the cars.
Because there needed to be a safety zone of 800 metres from the tracks, all traffic
on highway 97 north of the city was blocked. It took firefighters about 45
minutes to ensure the cars were safe, and traffic backed up for about a quarter of
mile in either direction. Thee were no injuries, but
the cause of the fire has yet to be determined. |
| October 4, 2006 |
Houston, Texas |
An accidental gas release at the Valero refinery in east Houston sent nearly
30 workers to area hospitals, where they were treated for respiratory complaints.
Alarms sounded about 9:30 a.m. when sulfur dioxide gas from a sulfuric acid tank escaped
into the atmosphere at the refinery on Central near Manchester. It prompted an
evacuation of workers and a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood and
several schools near the refinery that lasted about 45 minutes. The leak was quickly
contained, and workers were allowed back inside the refinery shortly after 1 p.m. The refinery had just begun a 40-day maintenance turnaround
that closed the entire plant. Sulfur dioxide gas leaked
from a sulfuric acid tank |
| September 28, 2006 |
Shreveport, Louisiana |
Four workers at an acid recycling
plant at the Port of Shreveport-Bossier were burned after they were accidentally sprayed
with sulphuric acid. Three plant employees and one contract worker were
burned. The injuries were not life-threatening
The accident is under investigation but it appears that there was some type of mechanical
failure that lead to the accident.
The injured suffered first- and second-degree burns to their necks, with one person
sustaining facial burns. All were taken to the burn center at LSU Hospital in Shreveport. |
| September 26, 2006 |
Elizabeth, New Jersey |
A trucking company worker damaged
a pressurized tank containing sulfur dioxide releasing a cloud of gas that sickened dozens
of people. 51 people were decontaminated and taken to three hospitals but none
of the injuries was considered serious. One firefighter also was taken to a hospital for
breathing difficulties. Those who were treated had respiratory problems.
Sulfur dioxide irritates the eyes and lungs. The accident happened at about 3 p.m.
as a worker was attempting to dismantle a pressurized tank similar to a welding tank at
Full Circle Carriers, a trucking company. While working on it, he snapped the neck
of it off, which released a cloud that traveled across the street and sickened several
people.
Police closed roads leading into the area, an industrial section near Port
Elizabeth. The cloud of gas sickened dozens at Columbia Containers, a truck yard
across the street from Full Circle. Victims were decontaminated at the scene. When
they got to Trinitas, they underwent a second decontamination in a yellow tent with hoses
before being taken inside. |
| September 7,
2006 |
Calgary,
Alberta, Canada |
Intense flames and sulphur dioxide
gas spewed into the air as a flash fire burned at a natural gas plant just north of the
city early yesterday morning. Hwy. 2A at the intersection
of Hwy. 72, was shut down by Airdrie RCMP and the Calgary Fire Department hazardous
materials unit for almost two hours, as a sulphur-dioxide cloud formed above the
Crossfield Prime West Energy plant. One person suffered
minor injuries |
| September 4, 2006 |
Hubei Province,
China |
A total of 184 people were
hospitalised in central China's Hubei province after suffering sulphur dioxide poisonning. All but ten were discharged later. The accident
occurred on Sunday evening when sulphur dioxide leaked from the Hubei Yihua Dajiang
Fertiliser Co. The leakage sent 184 local residents living more than a kilometre
from the site to hospital, local officials said. By Monday,
163 had been released from hospital while 10 were still being treated for poisoning. |
| August 29, 2006 |
Atlanta,
Georgia, USA |
A chemical spill
shut down the main street through downtown Austell during the morning commute. A
dump truck overturned about 7 a.m. at C&S Chemicals on Railroad Avenue, knocking a
hole in a tank of sulfuric acid. About 200 gallons of the acid, which the company
used to manufacture bleach, spilled from the tank. The acid was contained to company
property, and no injuries were reported. A two-block stretch of Veterans Memorial
Highway the major route through the south Cobb County town remained closed
at 9:30 a.m. No evacuations were ordered, but a nearby lumber yard and a couple of
other small businesses in the immediate area were asked to delay opening. |
| August 14,
2006 |
Silver City, New Mexico |
Crews have spent hours so far
cleaning up New Mexico Highway 90 after a tractor-tanker loaded with 3,000 gallons of
sulfuric acid overturned south of Silver City. An
undetermined amount of acid leaked from the tanker and flowed away from the road after a
pickup truck crashed head-on into the tanker. Both drivers
were taken to area hospitals, and police say a first responder was also hospitalized for
breathing fumes from the tanker. The Grant County
Emergency Management hazardous materials unit and Phelps Dodge workers distributed lime to
neutralize the acid. The owner of the tanker, mine
contractor CTI of Arizona, dispatched a team from its Tucson headquarters to complete
cleanup yesterday. September 6,
2006
The state Environment Department is requiring the tracking company to clean up groundwater contamination from a
spill of sulfuric acid in the crash near Silver City. The acid flowed along N.M. 90 and about a half mile down an
arroyo on Phelps Dodge Mining Co. property 10 miles south of town after an Aug. 14 crash
between two vehicles _ one of them a Chemical Transportation Inc. truck hauling the acid
for Phelps Dodge.
Low pH in groundwater is not a primary health concern,
but such low pH causes contaminants such as heavy metals to more easily dissolve into
groundwater. Although Phelps Dodge is not responsible for
the spill, the mining company is helping the trucking firm with the cleanup.
October 6, 2006
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) - Officials say
itll take an additional three to four weeks to clean up a sulfuric acid spill on New
Mexico 90, south of Silver City. A tanker truck loaded
with about 3,000 gallons of acid collided with a pickup truck August 14th.
About 500 gallons of the acid spilled on the highway and adjacent property. The tanker is owned by Arizona-based Chemical Transportation
Incorporated. A company official, Jack Smith, says the
cleanup likely will cost more than $250,000. Crews have excavated more than 12,000
cubic yards of soil. |
| August 14, 2006 |
|
Police arrested one person in
connection with the accident in which six persons had suffered burns while they were
riding on the Tirunelveli National Highway after they had slipped and fell on the
sulphuric spillage from the tanker last Thursday. They
also picked up five acid tanker drivers for interrogation in this connection. On the order issued by the Superintendent of Police,
Senthamarai Kannan the Police picked up the five drivers on Sunday who had the permit for
transporting acid on the day when the incident had taken place, following which Madasamy
(40) was arrested and his tanker was seized. |
| August 9, 2006 |
Prince George, British Columbia |
Just
after 11:00, the chemical company on Industrial Way, was restarting its machinery
following a brief maintenance shut down. When the equipment fired up, a plume of
sulphur dioxide was released, and the wind carried the emissions to the Rustad
Sawmill plant. Thirteen sawmill
workers were rushed to hospital in Prince George Wednesday after being overcome by
fumes from a nearby chemical plant that manufactures sulphuric acid and liquid
sulphur dioxide. Fire officials say a large dark cloud of sulphur dioxide drifted
across the tracks from the nearby Marsulex plant to the sawmill on Wednesday
morning. But workers at Canfor's Rustad planer mill didn't develop breathing
difficulties for several hours. Seven of them were taken to the Prince George
Regional Hospital by ambulance, while the other six were able to make their
own way to the emergency ward. The 13 victims were treated with oxygen for
90 minutes and then released. Canfor's Prince George manager Mark Feldinger
says workers are angry and frustrated by the incident, and he says there are a lot of
questions that need answering. "We'll be dealing with the appropriate
regulatory agencies and Marsulex to find out what their procedures are, what the
regulatory requirements are and what we need to do to protect our employees."
The sawmill was closed for a few hours with all employees sent home, but it
has resumed operations with the afternoon shift. |
| August 3, 2006 |
Islington, UK |
Hundreds
of residents were evacuated from their homes amid fears of a terrorist attack on a bus. Police and fire crews rushed to the scene after a mystery
chemical began to fizz after it was spilt on a number 21 bus in Southgate Road, Islington. Several roads were cordoned off and residents were alarmed to
see men in bright yellow and orange decontamination suits surrounding the bus. After a thorough investigation fire crews discovered that the
spilt chemical was the highly corrosive sulphuric acid. The
Health and Safety Executive website says that inhalation of the mist given off by
sulphuric acid when it is exposed to the air will cause severe irritation of the lungs and
throat and may increase the risk of cancer. But the acid
turned out to have been spilt by a cleaner who immediately notified the driver. |
| August 3, 2006 |
Hangzhou, China |
A cargo ship carrying 200 tons of
sulfuric acid sank in the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.
Some of the acid spilled into the water. A rescue team comprised of maritime,
environmental, and fire control departments was established to deal with the situation. No
one was injured in the accident. Officials dumped liquid alkali into the
contaminated water to neutralize the acid. The section of the canal was closed for
12 hours.
Update November 17, 2006
A Chinese
shipowner was arrested on Friday following a spill of sulphuric acid which forced more
than 1,500 residents to evacuate and killed fish by the thousands.
Xu Changjun, 41, would face unspecified criminal charges for the spill in August on
the Grand Canal, a 900-year-old waterway in east China, Xinhua news agency said.
Update
July 6, 2007
A Chinese court
sentenced a ship owner and captain to three years in jail for not preventing an accident
that dumped 200 tons of sulfuric acid into the 900-year-old Grand Canal last year, state
media said Friday. The Yuhang People's Court in east China's Hangzhou city on
Wednesday convicted the cargo ship's owner, Xu Changjun, and the captain, Liu Guanhe, of
allowing their vessel to dump the chemical into the water last August, the official Xinhua
News Agency said.
The report said the ship had been damaged and repaired a month before the accident but
failed to undergo a required safety check before being put back into operation. The
two men tried to use liquid soap, glue, and iron flakes to patch holes in the ship when it
started to leak and kept sailing until it capsized, it said. They alerted local
authorities only after two thirds of the ship was underwater. Local authorities were
forced to pour 900 tons of liquid alkali into the waterway to neutralize the acid after
the spill. Xinhua said the men were also ordered to pay 23,200 yuan ($3,050) in
compensation to two downstream fishing companies that suffered economic losses from the
pollution.
China's waterways are dangerously polluted after decades of rapid economic growth and lax
enforcement of pollution controls. A quarter of the length of the country's seven
main river systems are so polluted that even touching the water is harmful to skin, the
vice minister of China's State Environmental Protection Agency, Pan Yue, told state media
earlier this week. Seven of the nine major lakes the agency monitors were equally toxic. |
| July 29, 2006 |
North Stockton |
Safety officials expected to spend
at least all of Saturday night and most of today clearing a 16-car derailment that
happened at about 6 p.m. Saturday in north Stockton. Cars containing sulfuric acid
and chlorine were expected to require special attention. No chemicals spilled during
the crash. No injuries were reported as of Saturday night and the cause of the derailment
was still under investigation. |
| July 29, 2006 |
South Africa |
Tshwane Emergency Services say
sabotage could be behind a sulphuric acid spill on the N1 highway outside Tshwane, towards
Polokwane. Emergency services say on arrival at the scene at the Panorama Petroport,
they discovered that both valves of the tanker transporting the acid were open. They say
it is still too early to conclude that sabotage was at play, but expect police to
investigate the possibility. An emergency services spokesperson, said over 20 000
litres of the highly toxic sulphuric acid will now have to be cleaned up by the Spillage
Response Team. The operation was expected to take over six hours. |
| July 28, 2006 |
Paulding County,
Georgia |
A tanker truck carrying sulfuric acid overturned in Dallas Friday, just
before 10 a.m. near the city's two major intersections, Ga. 61 and Ga. 278. The
accident will slow traffic into the evening. Emergency crews evacuated several
shopping centers in the area as well as the Hillcrest apartments. A tanker for the
cleanup effort was en route from Chattanooga. |
| July 28, 2006 |
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
A car accident in Ho Chi Minh City
Friday morning caused 12,000 liters of sulfuric acid to spill over the trans-Asia roadway
in Thu Duc District, sending 10 people to the emergency room. A
lorry carrying four tanks of acid was forced over the lane divider by an overtaking
container truck, the tumble causing the hazardous liquid to spill over 200 meters of
road. Many passersby fled from the poisonous white fumes, but many were caught and
found later burned and unconscious. Three
fire trucks were later dispatched to flush out the poisonous liquid. The fumes were
powerful enough to destroy many neighborhood TV sets, refrigerators, motorbikes and other
property. |
| July
26, 2006 |
Salt
Lake City, Utah |
Fire teams issued evacuation
notices in an area of west Salt Lake because of a chemical spill. High winds toppled a huge tank of hydrochloric acid.
The spill was contained in a bunded area but the acid began eating away at a tank that contains 10,000 gallons of sulfuric acid located in
the same bunded area. The Asst. Chief, Salt Lake
City Fire said "The other tank of sulfuric acid is
corroding. We made the determination, along with the company employees, that we could no
longer solve this problem." An area around the plant was
evacuated. |
| July 26, 2006 |
Martinez, California |
Rhodias
sulphuric acid regeneration plant released a gas plume this morning from a scrubber that
spurred Contra Costa County's hazardous-materials department to send out a brief
alert. An "upset" to a scrubber that cleans out impurities in gases before
open-air release resulted in the plume's release from the plant in the 100 block of Mococo
Road shortly after 8 a.m. Rhodia spokesman said the plume was "very brief and
small" and happened when a tube came loose up on a tower. The plant operators
elected to file the notifications with the county as a precaution should there be any
inquiries or concerns. Operations at the plant were never impacted. Most of those
gases were water vapor, but also some sulfur dioxide within permitted amounts to be
released. |
| July 25, 2006 |
Walnut Creek, Nevada
|
A box of batteries fell off a
flatbed truck onto the roadway, spilling acid and shutting down the busy northbound
Interstate Highway 680 at the state Highway 24 interchange near Walnut Creek for several
hours. CHP Officer Scott Yox said that the spill was reported at 10:39 a.m. after a
box holding 18 forklift batteries jostled loose from a flatbed truck transporting
forklifts. The box of batteries hit the road and one of the batteries bounced up and
smashed into the windshield of a dark blue Ford Explorer. Broken glass and battery
acid struck a 16-year-old passenger riding in the Ford Explorer. The girl was
treated at the scene and then taken to a nearby hospital. The driver was also taken
to the hospital for scratches from the broken glass.
Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Specialist Paul Andrews said that Hazmat teams
neutralized the acid. They used a sodium carbonate to neutralize the acid.
Once the sodium carbonate was on the acid, it only took minutes to neutralize it.
The CHP, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, the San Ramon Valley Fire
Hazardous Materials Team, the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Programs and
Caltrans were on the scene |
| July
20, 2006 |
Zambia |
THREE workers at Sino Acid plant
in Chambishi were injured in an accident. Kalulushi
district commissioner Joshua Mtisa has advised Sino Acid Zambia owners to improve safety
standards so that accidents can be avoided. Meanwhile,
Leach Plant chief executive officer Xie also assured Mtisa who went to make an on-the-spot
check, that all the dangerous and high risk jobs would now be done by Chinese nationals. Xie confirmed the accident, which occurred around 10:00 hours
on Tuesday. He said a four-metre acid tank lid blew off
when some workers were trying to weld a tank in order to block a leakage. He said the new tank, which was tested between July 13 and 15
contained 300 tonnes of sulphuric acid and because of pressure the lid flew off about 20
metres away, causing panic at the plant. Xie said the
victims, Reagan Mulenga, Pearson Masheka and Maybin Kalumba who are admitted at SinaZam
Hospital, formerly Nkana Mine Hospital in Kitwe, were injured as they were trying to run
away from the accident scene. We are really sorry
about this accident, we appreciate governments concern. We feel sorry but we are
doing our best to rectify the problem, he assured. All the dangerous jobs will
be done by the Chinese because we love this country. And
Mtisa told Xie that as a former miner, he believed that accidents of such nature could be
avoided by improving safety standards. He hoped that the
investigations would be concluded soon. The memories
of the BGRIMM accident where many lives were lost are still fresh in the minds of the
people and we cant afford to have another disaster, he said. Human life
is very important in such operations. |
| July 11, 2006 |
Chicopee, MA |
City firefighters and members of
the state Hazardous Materials Team worked hours to contain a toxic chemical spill that
injured one person. Two maintenance workers were at the company and were attempting
to evacuate some sulfuric acid out of tubs that treat the metal. It was a 137 gallon
mix of water and sulfuric acid. The workers were attempting to remove the sulfuric
acid with a vacuum-type device that sucks it out when something caused a chemical
reaction. The liquid started to foam and released some toxic vapors, and one of the
men suffered from burns in his mucous membranes and lungs. The injured man was
transported to Holyoke Medical Center for evaluation, but no further information was
available. The moving of the sulfuric acid is part of the normal process at the
company, but the reaction in the vacuum was not normal. Emergency response teams did
some testing in an attempt to neutralize it and it kept reacting. Crews attempted to
neutralize it with sodium bicarbonate and soda ash and it kept changing. It was
finally diluted with water and the liquid was placed in a storage container. |
| June 24, 2006 |
Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna, Philippines |
The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday assured
the public that a barge loaded with sulfuric acid, which was reported early Saturday to
have sunk off the waters of Bauan, Batangas, did not cause a major spill in the Batangas
Bay. A conflicting report stated that the
ill-fated Billy Star spilled a minimal portion of its 1,270 tonnes of sulfuric acid as it
sank on Batangas Bay.
Lieutenant Commander Darryl
Vargas, duty officer of the Coast Guard regional office in Batangas City, said they had
completely contained the toxic chemical from the Billy Star barge. The sunken vessel
had been cordoned off to avoid any potential environmental destruction it might
bring. Despite the heavy rains brought by typhoon Domeng, Coast Guard
personnel were able to bring the barge to a drydock. The barge has been undergoing
repair since June 14 at the shipyard of Keppel drydock in barangay (village) San Miguel,
Bauan town when the incident was reported at around 12:40 a.m. Saturday. The barge
came from Romblon and was undergoing repair after its bullet tank containing 1,270 metric
tons of sulphuric acid was damaged by typhoon Caloy last month.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Monday warned
Batangas City residents against eating fish caught in Batangas Bay after a barge loaded
with sulfuric acid sank off the coast of Bauan town Saturday.
July 6, 2006
THE Philippine Coast Guard will start this Thursday or on
Friday a cleanup of the Batangas Bay, where a barge containing more than 1,000 tons of
sulfuric acid sank in late June, an official said Wednesday. The
Coast Guard has hired Hideya Waste Management Corp. to do the cleanup, and a British
insurance company that covers the sunken Billy Star barge will shoulder the cost, said
Antonio Principe, regional environmental director for the Southern Tagalog region. The sulfuric acid will be transferred from the four
bullet tanks of Billy Star to another vessel, where the chemical will be
neutralized, Principe told reporters. The neutralized acid
will then be disposed 25 nautical miles southeast of Lubang Island |
| June 20, 2006 |
Matshiloni Village,
South Africa |
29 000 litres of concentrated
sulphuric acid spilled near Matshiloni Village, 50km from Beitbridge, after a tanker, in
transit to Zambia, burst a front tyre and overturned. The Civil Protection Unit and
a team from South Africa reacted swiftly to contain and neutralise the spill to minimise
danger and environmental damage but there is concern that some acid was collected by bus
passengers who mistook it for diesel. The tanker driver escaped with minor injuries
and was rushed to Beitbridge Hospital where he was treated and discharged. The
vehicle, owned by a South African company, was travelling from Pretoria to Zambia on the
Beitbridge-Masvingo Road when it overturned at 4am. |
| June 3, 2006 |
Townsville,
Queensland, Australia |
A chemical spill sparked an emergency clean-up and a potential environmental
disaster was narrowly avoided when a tanker carrying 25 tonnes of sulphuric acid began to
leak. Police and emergency services cordoned off an area at the Caltex roadside
truck stop on the Flinders Highway about 6.50am as the boiling sulphuric acid threatened
to leak into nearby Stoney Creek. Queensland Fire and Rescue Service teams, police
and ambulance officers spent most of the day in attendance while Chemtrans employees
cleaned up the spill. Chemtrans North Queensland operations manager estimated about
two tonnes of sulphuric acid had leaked into the ground. A valve on the tank, which
had been replaced just a week earlier, had failed, causing the chemical to spill.
The sulphuric acid was headed for a mine in the Northern
Territory where it would be used to extract metal from ore. About five tonnes of
hydrated lime was used to neutralise the acid spill. A backhoe removed the
contaminated lime and soil from the area and took it to a recognised dump site.
The remaining acid was decanted into another tanker. |
| June 1, 2006 |
Axis,
Alabama |
A freight train struck a
tractor-trailer rig hauling sulfuric acid, just after it pulled out of the Akzo-Nobel
chemical plant on U.S. 43 in the Axis area injuring four people and causing eight train
cars to derail. Three men and a woman were injured in the crash. None
of the sulfuric acid was spilled from the tank trailer being hauled by the rig. It ended
up wedged between two derailed train cars. None of the
train cars overturned, and nothing spilled from them when they derailed. The train hit the cab of the truck and not the tank filled with
sulfuric acid. |
| May 22, 2006 |
Waukesha, Wisconsin |
A section of Frame Park was blocked off with bright yellow caution tape Monday
morning as authorities dealt with a chemical spill in a small stream leading into the Fox
River. About 350 gallons of sulphuric acid entered the Fox
River through a storm drain when a container full of sulphuric acid broke open at the
International Truck & Engine Corp. When the container broke attempts were made
to contain the spill within the boundary of the company but the attempts were not
successful and the acid entered the river.
|
| May 18, 2006 |
Tucson, Arizona |
About 100 gallons of a sulfuric
acid solution spilled onto a street when a refrigeration line at a campus cooling facility
backed up. No injuries were reported. An employee at the University of
Arizona's Central Refrigeration Plant called emergency crews around 1:45 p.m. when a water
line backed up in one of the coolant tanks. The backup caused about 300 gallons of a
solution containing 40 percent sulfuric acid to spill into a containment field, eventually
spilling 100 gallons into the street. A Tucson Fire hazardous material crew was able
to neutralize the spill using sodium bicarbonate. Sulfuric acid is used to treat the
water in the cooling plant. |
| May 16, 2006 |
Taunton, Mass.. |
Police
and fire dispatchers say six cars of the C-S-X freight train left the track around 4 a-m.
No injuries are reported but the mishap is blocking traffic at Tremont and Somerset
Streets. Authorities are checking unconfirmed reports that one car was carrying sulfuric
acid, but they say there is no leakage and no evacuations have been ordered. |
| May 12, 2006 |
Indianapolis,
Indiana |
Sulfuric acid splashed on two workers sending them to a hospital today and
forcing the evacuation of a Westside aluminum fabricator. Wayne Township
firefighters said 20 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled inside Magnode Corp., 4151 W.
Washington Street, about 10:45 a.m. About 100 employees were evacuated and Marion
County sheriffs deputies stopped traffic on Washington between Holt and Lynhurst
roads. Employees inside the plant were transferring the acid from a delivery tanker.
They were trying to fill a sulfuric tank, co-owner Marianne Walter
said. There was too much pressure and it blew a pipe and acid sprayed.
Two workers were taken to Methodist Hospital. No conditions were immediately available,
but fire officials said their injuries were not life threatening. Walter identified
one of the victims as supervisor Norm Carpenter. The name of the other worker was not
released. Firefighters were cleaning up the spill. |
| May 11, 2006 |
Fieldsboro, New
Jersey |
A
broken valve allowed sulfuric acid vapors to be released from a tanker truck at the Stepan
Co. chemical plant yesterday, prompting authorities to halt service on a nearby section of
the River Line light rail for two hours. State police said the incident was reported
about 10:20 a.m. after vapors were discovered coming from the acid-filled tanker.
Stepan employees quickly evacuated the area, as state troopers, firefighters,
emergency medical personnel and the Burlington County hazardous materials team rushed to
the plant. The vapors released from the tanker were concentrated in an area of about
50-by-50 feet, but because the wind was blowing toward the railroad tracks, NJ Transit, as
a precaution, suspended service on the River Line between the Roebling and Bordentown
stations. State police said hazardous materials team members were able to shut off
the damaged valve and stop the release. The vapors that had already vented soon
dissipated, state police said. Emergency personnel left the plant and River Line
service was restored by about 12:30 p.m., state police said. |
| May 10, 2006 |
Ventura,
California |
Firefighters Wednesday
worked to clean up about 200 gallons of sulfuric acid that leaked from a tank at a west
Ventura linen and uniform service and ended up in a storm drain. Ventura city
firefighters cordoned off part of the 100 block of North Olive Street after responding to
a 6:50 a.m. call from Mission Linen employees who had found the acid leaking from an
above-ground container. Mission Linen representatives told authorities they had a
chemical delivery overnight and a 400-gallon container of sulfuric acid was half-empty and
liquid was on the ground when employees arrived Wednesday morning. The liquid ran
down a driveway and into a nearby storm drain, according to fire officials. About 18
firefighting units, including ones from the Ventura, Oxnard and county fire departments,
as well as county Environmental Health officials responded to the spill. Authorities
found acid in a drain where Olive intersects with West Main Street, about a half-block
from Mission Linen. Storm drains on either side of that location and toward the
Ventura River checked out OK. Crews stopped the spill from spreading, then
unsuccessfully tried to fix the slow leak from the tank Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters had to wait for a company to vacuum out the tank before the cleanup could be
finished. Authorities planned to continue an investigation into the leak, including
why the tank malfunctioned. |
April 26, 2006 |
Ireland |
A major accident plan was
activated after four 40 gallon barrels fell from an articulated truck onto the main N28
road between Ringaskiddy and Carrigaline in Co Cork at 10:15am. There were
unconfirmed reports that the truck, which was coming from The Carbon Group plant in
Ringaskiddy, had to swerve and brake suddenly to avoid a car just off the Shannon Park
roundabout. It is understood cables designed to hold the barrels in place broke
loose. Gardaí, fire brigade crews from Cork city, Carrigaline and
Crosshaven, and environmental officials from Cork County Council rushed to the scene and
cordoned off a large area. Fire brigade crews, dressed in special chemical suits,
sprayed the road with soda ash to neutralise the acid, which, according to fire officers,
was 96% concentrated. Nobody was reported injured. |
| April 21, 2006 |
Wendover, Nevada |
A
Montana truck driver was killed in a collision with another rig on Interstate 80 in
eastern Nevada. Investigators said a rig driven by Forrest Smith, 48, of Crescent
Valley, was westbound on the interstate, climbing a steep grade at a slow speed last night
when a tractor-trailer driven by Nathan Folsom, 54, of Ennis, Mont., drove up behind him.
Folsom apparently underestimated Smiths speed as he closed in. He hit
the brakes and steered sharply to the left, but clipped the rear of Smiths vehicle.
Folsom was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. He died at the scene.
Smiths last trailer contained sulfuric acid, but it was not breached and no leakage
was detected. He was not hurt. The interstate was limited to one lane in each
direction for about seven hours. |
| April 20, 2006 |
Hamilton,
Bermuda |
A toxic
chemical spill triggered a rush-hour alert at Hamilton docks as firefighters wearing
breathing masks raced to contain a sulphuric acid scare on the Bermuda Islander container
ship. Emergency crews hosed down the top deck of the boat, where the bulk of a 250
litre drum of the substance had leaked during the trip from New Jersey. Nobody was
injured in the incident. Lt. Wenda Godfrey, of the Bermuda Fire Service, said it
appeared that one of six sulphuric acid tubs stored on a palette on the Islander had
slipped off and leaked. The palette was removed from the Islander once it arrived in
Hamilton. Some of the sulphuric acid still in the leaking drum appeared to spill on
the docks before firefighters covered the affected area in sand. Inquiries were
ongoing to find out who owned the chemical at the centre of the scare. At this stage
we do not know who it belongs to, she added, stating that it looked like a strap had
slipped off one of the drums during the voyage.
Lt. Godfrey said such spills were rare. A fire service emergency plan to deal with
chemical spills swung into action yesterday, although an emergency support unit on the
dockside, dealing with hazardous material leaks, was not needed.
Six fire trucks and eleven firefighters attended the call out just before 9 a.m.
yesterday, when the rush-hour commute was in full flow. Bermuda Islander arrived in
Hamilton at about 8.15 a.m. And Maurice Brimmer, superintendent at Hamilton docks, said
staff were aware of the spill as soon as the boat berthed, carrying a total of 123
containers. We were alerted by the personnel on the boat, added Mr.
Brimmer, who said he was not certain how the chemical spilled on the deck, although a hole
in the drum may have been behind the leak. An eyewitness said that a morning
downpour led to the acid smoking up from the floor around the palette, before
firefighters quickly moved to sand it down during the clean-up operation. |
| April 18, 2006 |
Vadodara, India |
A fire
broke out during the start-up process of the SA-3 plant in Gujarat State Fertilizer
Company (GSFC) near Chhani on Tuesday evening. Five plant staffers sustained 30 to
40 per cent burn injuries in the mishap. The incident created alarm and confusion
among angry staffers when the injured were not provided with proper medical aid on
time. The accident occured around 6 pm during the start-up process, following a
shut-down process of the SA-3 plant two days back. A back fire from the acid unit
that trapped five men. Later, the fire also caused damage to the acid pipeline
carrying sulphuric acid to the unit. |
| April 13, 2006 |
Quito, Ecuador |
A truck
carrying sulphuric acid rolled over on a highway in northwestern Ecuador, killing the
driver and spilling its chemical cargo into the river that provides the drinking water for
the city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuavisa television reported. The
accident occurred near the town of Alluriquin, some 120 kilometers (about 75 miles)
southwest of Quito, on the highway that links the mountainous region of the country to the
coast. The truck driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel, Ecuavisa reported,
citing witnesses. Sulphuric acid spilled into the Toachi River, but officials in the
city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados said the chemical should not pose a hazard to the
city's residents. Residents of Alluriquin, however, told Ecuavisa that white foam
formed on the surface of the Toachi River and they feared the chemical would kill fish and
other wildlife. |
| April 7, 2006 |
Dharmapuri,
India |
One person was charred to
death and three others injured when a tanker lorry containing sulphuric acid caught fire
after colliding with another lorry filled with a chemical powder. The driver of the
Goa-bound tanker lorry died on the spot. The injured, including the driver of the
other vehicle, were hospitalised. The tanker lorry was proceeding from the Tuticorin
Sterlite company, while the other vehicle from Andhra Pradesh was bound for Erode when the
mishap occurred at 06:00 hrs. Four fire tenders put out the fire after a three-hour
struggle. |
| April 6, 2006 |
Pori, Finland |
Approximately,
16 cubic metres of concentrated sulphuric acid was spilled after a tanker veered off the
road and into a ditch on trunk road 2 in Finland on Thursday. The accident happened in
Pori in the Satakunta province. Rescuers said the road could not be safely reopened
for traffic before midday. No one was hurt even though the tanker ploughed through
the median barrier and through oncoming traffic. The road surface was extremely slippery
at the time of the accident. |
| April 4, 2006 |
Brussels,
Belgium |
A
massive clean-up operation on the Brussels ring road ended at about 11pm, some five hours
after a collision involving two trucks. The tail-end collision took place on
the internal ring just before the Vilvoorde junction. About 5,000lr of acid made up
of phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and sulfates was spilled across the road surface by a
leaking tanker. The DHL truck was carrying 20,000lr of acid when the accident took
place at about 4pm. No one was injured in the collision, but the acid spill forced
one side of the motorway to be sealed off, leading to long traffic delays. Residents
and companies were urged to keep windows shut and to stay indoors. The acid is
hazardous for the skin, eyes and breathing. And the effects of the acid worsen when
mixed with water, meaning emergency services could not simply hose the liquid off the
road. A truck with chalk was called in. Once mixed with chalk, the acid is
neutralised. The remaining 15,000lr was pumped from the damaged tanker to another
DHL truck and the road was given the all clear at about 11pm. Motorists on the ring
road were diverted via the A12 and the exits Grimbergen and the military hospital of
Neder-over-Heembeek. Traffic jams extended to 20km. Motorists were ordered to keep
their windows shut and turn off their car air conditioning systems. |
| March 30, 2006 |
Paddi, Quepem,
India |
A tanker truck carrying sulphuric acid went
off the road in the early morning leading to spillage of the entire content of 30 tonne on
the ground and contaminating a nearby rivulet. This caused a fear among the people
in the area as the vehicle continued to remain in the same position till late
evening. The tank truck was carrying sulphuric acid from Tuticorin destined to the
Zuari Industries Ltd at Zuarinagar. Immediately on noticing the contamination, the
fire officials along with officials of ZIL emptied 800 kg of chunnac (chalk) into the
rivulet in a bid to neutralise the acid content. Residents kept on thronging to
accident spot since morning and were told by the authorities of the hazards that the acid
could pose.
|
| March 15, 2006 |
Du Quoin,
Illinois, USA |
 A Canadian National (CN) train hauling sulfuric acid overturned
just before 2 a.m. at a switching site on the company-owned tracks forcing the evacuation
of about 250 southern Illinois homes in a half-mile radius of the accident.
Emergency teams are evaluating the situation and have implemented a 1/2 mile evacuation
zone as a precaution. The train was hauling four cars, including one that contained
paper and two cars that were empty. There was no leak from the tank car even though
it rolled down an embankment. Track crews were able to put the overturned sulfuric
tank car on a new set of trucks, and the car was to be taken to a siding near Dubois today
to have the sulfuric acid contents transferred to another tank car.
Three years ago, on February 9, 2003, another Canadian
National Railway train derailed in Tamaroa, Illinois, about six miles from Wendesday's
accident. In the 2003 derailment, toxic chemicals spilled from the train, forcing
the evacuation of more than 800 residents from a three-mile radius for more than a week. |
February 28, 2006 |
Atlanta, Georgia |
A sulfuric acid spill has
brought in hazmat teams to a large church campus in northwest Atlanta. The spill on
Tuesday afternoon happened at the Mt. Paran Church of God's campus at the corner of
Northside Parkway and Mt. Paran Road, just off of Interstate 75. Construction
workers were unloading some containers of chemicals, but found one leaking. Nearby
buildings that were downwind of the spill have been evacuated, and according to rescue
officials, hazmat teams were called in as a precaution. The hazmat teams have set up
a decontamination tent, also as a precautionary measure. According to Atlanta Fire
Department Captain Byron Kennedy, winds have helped dissipate the acid fumes, but
regulations require an evacuation within at least 150 feet from a sulfuric acid
spill. No injuries have been reported. |
| February 8, 2006 |
Kolkata, India |
An acid tanker overturned on
the Tala bridge near Shyambazar in the northern part of the metropolis. The tanker,
carrying sulphuric acid, oveturned while speeding away on the Tala bridge at around 7.50
a.m. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to wash out the acid that leaked
out of the tanker on the road. No injury was caused due to the incident. |
| January 17,
2006 |
Taylor,
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania |
A CSX Transportation freight train derailed dumping 10,000 gallons of
sulfuric acid into a company rail yard. Seven freight cars overturned at about 10:30
a.m. at the yard in Taylor, about two miles south of New Castle. Emergency workers
using lime and a vacuum had the spill contained about noon. Nobody was injured, said
authorities. Favorable weather conditions and the spot of the spill kept the
situation from becoming serious. Winds blew away from buildings where others were
working, and the acid was dumped between two sets of tracks that kept the material from
spreading. Two of the seven derailed cars were carrying sulfuric acid, but only one
-- containing 10,000 to 13,000 gallons of the material leaked. That tanker
was gashed by the coupling on another derailed car. The other five cars carried
non-hazardous freight. The cars were being moved in the yard when they derailed. |
| January 9, 2006 |
Crestwood,
Tennessee |
About
2,000 pounds of sulfuric acid leaked from a tractor-trailer after a wreck on Interstate
71. No homes were evacuated, but the southbound lanes were closed indefinitely for
the cleanup. The collision of two tractor-trailers the other carrying
isopropyl alcohol may have been caused by a crash a short time earlier and about a
quarter-mile away.
When the trucks crashed, Oldham County police sought help from the Jefferson County
hazardous material team and the state fire marshal, as well as other area fire and
emergency units. Many emergency crews could reach the scene only after the
southbound lanes were closed, allowing them to drive the wrong way in those lanes toward
the crash site. One of the truck drivers was flown by helicopter to University
Hospital. The alcohol carried in one of the trucks did not leak. |
| January 8, 2006 |
Jiangsu
Province, China |
A cargo ship carrying more than 460 tons of sulfuric acid on board sank into
the Yangtze River in eastern China's Jiangsu Province. No spill was immediately
detected. One crewmember was rescued while two others were missing. The ship
named Susuqian No. 498 was a transporting vessel from Suqian City of east China's Jiangsu
Province. It ran into reefs and sank with three people aboard around 03:40 am in the
morning. The local government shut down the water intake of water factories along
the Yangtze River and was monitoring water conditions in the area. The local
maritime rescue team has begun salvaging the sunken ship and continues to search for the
two missing crewmembers.
|
| December 9,
2005 |
China |
Three southern Chinese cities were struck by chemical spill scares this week
following traffic accidents involving tanker trucks. The spills happened as
authorities try to solve a three-week crisis over a toxic slick that polluted a
northeastern river, forcing the shutdown of water supplies to millions and raising alarm
bells in Russia as it flows into that country.
The city of Hechi in the southern
Guangxi region went off high alert on Friday after winds dispersed an "acidic
mist" of poisonous yellow phosphorous escaping from a tanker truck that overturned
and ruptured on Wednesday. Many people in the city of 200,000 were "overcome
with nausea from the fumes".
Also on Wednesday, 23 tonnes of
sulphuric acid poured out of a dangerously overloaded truck that overturned near Guangxi's
capital of Nanning. Fields around the crash site were burnt black and tests had
shown land further away was severely polluted.
The string of chemical spills and coal mine disasters raises questions about
the cost of China's breakneck economic boom as it rushes to meet insatiable demand for
energy and chemicals. |
| December 2005 |
Nathkuva
(Halol), India |
A
tanker full of oleum located outside Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited (GFL) plant
compound leaked oleum. The factory manager called at 0145h informing the villagers
about the leakage and to cover their faces with damp cloths and evacuate the village
immediately. The area outside the factory was covered in thick white fumes.
Neighbours and some youths were sent to wake up others. The Gogamba police
sub-inspector sent constables to the village to hurry up the evacuation but provided no
police vehicles. No vehicles or guidances were provided for evacuating the
village.
A mock evacuation drill had been
conducted by the district authorities some months back but none of the guidelines were
followed by the authorities themselves.
Workers at the factory reported that
after the leakage occured, no siren was sounded. They had no wind of what was
happening outside the factory. Management had vanished from the unit in their
private vehicles. On discovering the leakage, workers ran for their lives leaving the
plant running.
The Goghamba sub-inspector and the
mamlatdar arrived at the factory where the tanker had leaked. But with no technical
know-how they were of little help. There were no sprinklers that could be turned on
to ward off the fumes and even the fire-fighters ran out of water. Ultimately, the
tanker was allowed to empty out its entire load of 11,000 litres of oleum and the fumes
cleared in eight hours due to natural wind course. There was no loss of life.
After the incident, about 392 people consisting mostly of women and children from the
village reported sick at the Ranjitnagar public health centre after inhaling sulphuric
acid fumes produced by oleum. |
| December 6, 2005 |
Shanghai, China |
A tanker carrying sulfuric
acid collided with a container truck in Pudong District of Shanghai on Tuesday, leaking
acid into a roadside watercourse which ends in a pond. No casualties occurred in the
accident. Rescuers have stemmed the drainage outlet of the pond. Sulfuric acid
contaminated an estimated 1,000 square meters of water surface. Investigators found
that the container truck, registered in Shandong, bumped into the rear tank of the tanker
owned by the Fourth Branch of the Shanghai Chemical Commodity Transportation Co. and
caused the accident. The two vehicles have been pulled away from the accident site.
Firefighters and relevant departments used water and caustic soda to dilute the pollutant.
Local environmental officials said the pond water is used for greenery, not as a
source for drinking water, and the contamination has been brought under control. The
accident does not post a threat to the health of local residents, they said. |
| November 18,
2005 |
Borås, Sweden |
The area around an industrial
estate in Borås was sealed off on Friday morning after 1,000 litres of sulphuric acid
leaked from the premises of Brandsta Nordic Chemical company. a acid was disocvered in in
Borås on Friday morning. An area with a radius of 50 metres around the factory
buildings on the Viared industrial estate was sealed off. The area was thoroughly
cleaned on Friday morning with chalk to stabilise the acid, which was then flushed in to
tanks inside the factory. The closest residential area was only one kilometre away from
the site but according to the police and rescue services the leak did not pose any threat
to people in the immediate area. |
| November 16,
2005 |
Jones, Oklahoma |
Authorities
say residents here were forced to evacuate their homes after a train derailed. About
eight cars left a track owned by Stillwater Central Railroad on a stretch located north of
Britton Road between Hiawasse and Sooner roads. Authorities say some of the cars were
tankers. Firefighters could not locate the engine that had been pulling the train. An
Oklahoma City Fire Department hazardous materials crew responded to the scene.
Reports are that molten sulfur was in the tanker that overturned. |
| October 18, 2005 |
Tampa, Florida,
USA |
A storage tank at the Port of
Tampa ruptured Monday, leaking about 4,500 tons of molten sulfur. Most of the
spilled liquid was contained on land owned by Gulf Sulfur Services, according to the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Tampa Port Authority. Three to
four tons escaped into the waters of Sparkman Canal, east of Harbour Island, where it was
quickly contained by the Coast Guard. No injuries were reported. The leak developed
at a broken weld. When Tampa Fire Rescue units arrived about 3:40 p.m., company employees
were pumping the sulfur from the damaged tank to another container. |
| 2005 |
Pocatello,
Idaho, USA |
Four
workers at J.R. Simplot's Don plant were treated and released from hospital care Saturday
night after an undetermined amount of sulfur dioxide was accidentally released into the
air in their vicinity. A valve was mistakenly left closed within a system of ducts
that transports the gas. Computer monitors showed there was a system malfunction as gas
built up at the valve. After the system was shut down at 9:15 p.m., sulfur dioxide seeped
from a large vent for between 10 and 15 minutes. The sulfuric acid plant had been
shut down for repairs, and workers were in the midst of starting it back up. A
female laboratory technician complained of nausea, a headache and a sore throat - classic
signs of sulfur dioxide inhalation. She and two men who were working outdoors within the
facility were transported to the hospital, where they were given oxygen and pain
relievers. A driver for Simplot's private plant ambulance, which transported the
three workers, also asked to be checked at the hospital. Simplot will also
investigate whether mechanical failure or operator error is responsible for the shut
valve. The incident was determined to be a Level One emergency, meaning it was
contained within the facility, there is no cleanup necessary, no physical damage to the
facility and it's appropriate for Simplot to conduct the investigation on its own. |
| September 17,
2005 |
Thane, India |
Two
workers were killed and six injured following two explosions in Century Rayon Factory at
Shahad near Kalyan on Friday. Police held the company's management and some private
contractors carrying out installation work on the factory premises responsible for the
accident. The first blast took place at 9.45 am and instantly killed two workers.
They were working on a 55,000-litre tank that was being installed in the factory.
The tank was filled with water to check for leaks. The water in the tank came in
contact with sulphuric acid that seeped out from an overhead pipe. The gas formation
increased the pressure inside the tank leading to the explosion. The workers were
thrown away to a distance by the impact of the blast. It is likely that hydrogen gas
formed inside the tank. |
| September 15,
2005 |
New Jersey, New
York, USA |
A
several-mile stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike was closed for two hours after a
tractor-trailer, initially believed to be carrying sulfuric acid, struck a car and caught
on fire. Hazardous materials response crews were called out because the tanker had
a placard that indicated it contained sulfuric acid. The fire department placed a
protective layer of foam around the truck while the cab fire was extinguished. The
tanker turned out to be empty. The tanker apparently sideswiped a car while making a
lane change. |
| August 31, 2005 |
Mumbai, India |
A
sulphuric acid leakage was reported at the decomposed pipeline of the sufala plant of the
public sector Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers (RCT) Limited at Trombay.
According to RCF officials, a minor gas leakage was noticed in the pipeline between 12.30
pm and 1.00 pm, and it was soon brought under control. No casualties or damages were
reported, the officials said. Fire brigade sources said that four fire tenders, one water
tanker and one oxygen vehicle were rushed to the spot to bring the gas leakage under
control. |
| August 26, 2005 |
Rua San Tome,
Panjim-Goa, India |
In yet another mishap involving a vehicle carrying
hazardous liquid, a tanker carrying 18,000 litres of sulphuric acid swerved off the road
and turned turtle near the Forest Rest House at Poinguinim in the wee hours of
Friday. The tanker (KA-01-D -315) was proceeding to Zuari Nagar, Vasco, for
unloading. The two occupants of the vehicle including the driver sustained injuries.
According to Canacona police, the driver of the vehicle drove his vehicle at the extreme
left side. The soft soil could not withstand the weight of the tanker and the vehicle
overturned by the roadside. SDPO Quepem Jayprakash Nagvekar along with Canacona PI
Braz Menezes and Margao Traffic PI Darmesh Angle rushed the site. The slight leakage
from the vehicle prompted Canacona fire services to rush to the spot. Canacona Fire
Station Officer P Prabhu Desai told Herald that he immediately used one can of foam and
neutralised the hazardous liquid. Later, experts from Zuarinagar, Govind Lotlekar
and Chetan Despande also visited the site to initiated measures to prevent further leakage
from the tanker. This is the second mishap involving a tanker carrying hazardous
liquid within a gap of eight days, after a tanker carrying naphtha turned turtle near
Bendulem on August 19.
|
| August 23, 2005 |
Fort Worth,
Texas |
A tanker
truck filled with sulfuric acid fell on its side in north Fort Worth, and tied up traffic
near the Interstate 35W-Highway 287 split. Hazardous-materials crews said there is
no danger to drivers -- only delays -- while crews cleaned up the mess and moved the
truck. Less than 10 gallons of sulfuric acid spilled, according to officials. The
accident occurred on southbound I-35W at the Highway 287 northbound ramp. The 18-wheeler
was uprighted and lanes were opened on the freeway by 8 a.m. |
| August 18, 2005 |
San Jose,
California, USA |
About
100 gallons of a sulfuric and nitric acid mixture spilled from a tank truck traveling on
Highway 101 in San Jose causing traffic backups on the highway. The tanker truck
spill was caused by a leak and not an overturn, so it was easier for crews to contain and
clean up. An additional 200 gallons was captured in containment
vessels. The rest of the acid was pumped directly from the leaking truck into
another tanker. The spill was on the dirt, so it was relatively easy to pick up using a
loader. The dirt was scooped up and put it in barrels and then transported it to an
industrial waste site. ``We were able to collect the fluids that were leaking, so we were
able to stop the vast majority of the fuming. That really minimizes the problem for us. As
long as you can keep shoving tubs under there, you can handle it for a while.'' The
trouble began shortly after 9 a.m. when the truck driver hauling 538 gallons of the acid
mixture pulled over to the southbound side of the highway just north of Bernal Road to try
to fix a corroded valve. Alarmed motorists called the California Highway Patrol to
complain of a stinging sensation. The truck driver was taken to Santa Clara Valley
Medical Center for observation. He inhaled acid vapor and some of the acid splashed on his
clothes, but he didn't sustain any serious injuries and was released. There was no
record of any problems with California Tank Lines, the registered operator of the truck,
over the last 15 years. |
| August 15, 2005 |
Chocolate Bayou
(Houston), Texas |
A barge
carrying 425,000 gallons of sulfuric acid ran aground and began leaking. Workers
noticed the partially submerged barge about 2 a.m. Tuesday en route to a Solutia Inc.
terminal about 1.5 miles north of the FM 2004 bridge. The Coast Guard is monitoring
the sulfuric acid spill. The barge was moved about a quarter-mile to open
Chocolate Bayou to make removal of its cargo easier. Approximately 126,000 gallons
of acid was taken off tank barge MGM3030 onto a smaller barge. The acid was taken to a
storage facility. Officials were conducting tests to determine the direction and
density of the acid plume. The area is considered ecologically important because it
has significant wetlands and marshes that provide habitat for wildlife. The tank
barge was grounded Monday evening (August 15) when it started to sink. The starboard
bow of the barge is now partially submerged. The tank barge and the cargo are owned
by Martin Product Sales. The transfer of 430,000 gallons of sulfuric acid to another
vessel from the barge was completed late Thursday, August 18. The sulfuric acid was
stored in two separate containers, but only a small amount leaked into the bayou.
The cause of the barge sink is unknown. |
| August 11, 2005 |
Santa Cruz,
Mexico |
An estimated 24,000 gallons
of sulfuric acid spilled from two train cars and contaminated the Santa Cruz River.
The contamination followed a derailment on the FeroMex Railroad on Thursday, Aug. 11 at
about 3 p.m. The accident happened near the Santa Cruz River about 40 river
miles south of the international border in the vicinity of Santa Cruz, Mexico.
Private well-users in the South and North River Road areas and along State Route 82 were
are asked to not use water from their wells until the situation is mitigated. A team
of emergency-management officials monitored the water flow at the border throughout the
night. Public works crews from Nogales and Santa Cruz County built a number of berms in
the river north of the border about 1,000 feet apart. Firefighters from the Nogales Fire
Department are continuously testing the pH levels in the river. As of midnight on
August 11, the pH had decreased to four. After being treated with lime, the pH
levels had risen to seven by 11 a.m. Friday. |
| August 11, 2005 |
Taylorsville,
Utah |
A man
was flown to the hospital Thursday morning, after he was suddenly splashed with sulfuric
acid at the American Express processing facility in Taylorsville. Officials say that
sulfuric acid is routinely used at the facility as part of the company's processing, and
it somehow came into contact with the victim's face and arm. It wasn't immediately clear
what the unidentified man was doing at the time or how he came into contact with the
chemical. He was flown to the University of Utah Hospital's burn unit in good
condition.
Officials say the man was treated rather quickly, thanks to a decontamination unit that is
constantly stationed at the facility. This is the second chemical spill at the
American Express processing center this month. A large barrel of sulfuric acid
sprung a leak there on August 5th. More than a dozen people were evacuated from the
building in that incident, but no one was hurt. |
| July 29, 2005 |
Arizona, USA |
A
head-on collision between a small pick-up truck and semi-truck carrying a full load of
sulphuric acid claimed one life and injured two other people. The accident occurred
at about 11 p.m. near mile marker 279 on the west side of Bylas, about 2 miles from the
Bylas bridge. The driver of the pick-up truck was traveling west on Hwy. 70 when he
crossed the center line and ran head-on into a semi-truck carrying sulphuric acid.
The collision caused the semi to roll, killing the driver of the vehicle, whose name was
not released at the time of publication. He was declared dead at the scene. Because
the dome of the acid truck was breached, the scene was declared a hazardous materials
situation, and the San Carlos Police Department was required to reroute traffic to the
Coolidge Dam area until 2 p.m. on Saturday, causing delays for travelers on Hwy. 70. San
Carlos firefighters on the scene were treated at a Phoenix hospital for injuries related
to acid exposure. The truck involved in the accident was carrying a sulfuric acid
solution to be used in mining operations at the Phelps Dodge Morenci mine. It was
being transported by CTI trucking company. |
| July 13, 2005 |
Planeview, Texas |
Discharge of 30 t sulphuric
acid from loading arm that broke away during loading of tank car. The spill was
contained using soda ash. |
| July 6, 2005 |
Indianapolis,
Indiana, USA |
Indianapolis firefighters
were called to Color Inc. when a seam on a tank being filled with sulfuric acid split
open. Approximately 3,100 gallons of sulphuric acid had just been pumped into the
tank from a semi and it was unclear how much acid spilled onto the ground. Eighteen
people were evacuated from the business, which anodizes aluminum. People were also
evacuated from a nearby warehouse. |
| June 22, 2005 |
Guadalajara,
Mexico City |
At least three dozen children
and teachers got sick today from sulfuric acid fumes that were released from a nearby
chemical company. The victims suffered from headaches, vomiting, nausea and throat
irritation at the Licenciado Francisco Medina Ascencia children's center. The
victims were given oxygen by emergency crews and taken to the hospital. The source
of the fumes was identified as Silicatos y Derivados, S.A. de C.V. |
| June 2005 |
Panama Canal,
Panama |
The escape of sulfuric acid
gas from a Norwegian ship transiting the Panama Canal caused the visitors center at
Miraflores Locks to be evacuated yesterday as a security measure. All nonessential Canal
operations personnel were also evacuated until the ship completed its transit through the
locks. |
June 3, 2005
|
Fieldsboro, Pennsylvania, USA |
Two mechanics suffered severe
burns when they were accidentally sprayed with sulphuric acid while working at Stepan
Chemical Co. The mechanics were sprayed in their faces with sulphuric acid that was
contained in the line. The workers believed the line to be empty. The workers
suffered burns to the face and chest. They were wearing protective masks and
clothing. The workers were rushed to safety showers and then treated with a solution
to soothe the burns. |
| May 19, 2005 |
Umdloti, South
Africa |
Two police officers were
watching for overloaded vehicles when a tanker conveying sulphuric acid from Umbogintwini
to Mandeni passed them. The officers were sprayed by sulphuric acid as the tanker
passed them. The fire department was contacted and the tanker was stopped at the
Tongaat Toll Plaza and taken to the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) office to assess the
leak. It was found that a faulty valve was responsible. The tanker would only
be released after the valve was replaced. |
| March
25, 2005 |
Huntington,
USA |
Crews were called Thursday to
the scene of the second railroad tanker-related chemical leak in Huntington within five
months. A spokesperson for BPS Printing Systems, formerly BASF, said a sulfuric acid leak
was reported at the 5th Avenue manufacturing plant at about 10 a.m. Thursday. About
50,000 pounds of 98 percent sulfuric acid, leaked from a rail tanker. The leak was
spotted by an employee watching the rail cars that carry raw materials to the plant.
He said the leak was caused by a malfunctioning hose that ruptured on the top of
the rail car. The hose was carrying the acid from the rail car to the plant. The
sites emergency response team immediately began cleaning up the leak. No one
was hurt or needed medical treatment because of the leak. |
| March
17, 2005 |
Plant
City, Florida, USA |
Nine railcars carrying
hazardous chemicals derailed in downtown Plant City. Five derailed cars carried
sulfuric acid, three phosphate and one with fluorosilicic. The derailed cars
remained upright, there were no injuries and no hazardous materials spilled. The
train had 38 loaded cars and 68 empty cars. CSX officials said they did not know
whether the derailed cars were empty or loaded. The train was heading north from
Mulberry to Wildwood when the railroad cars slipped off the tracks about 9:45 p.m.,
shortly after rounding a curve. |
| March
6, 2005 |
Salt
Lake City, Utah, USA |
A railway tanker ruptured and spilled its toxic contents in a
rail yard in South Salt Lake. The tank car was carrying nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid,
sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia and acetic acid in a water solution, according
to the Utah Department of Health. Lab tests also indicate phosphoric acid may have
been present. The tank car was not designed to carry this mixture of acid. A
federal investigation is under way. And the companies involved are scrambling to
explain what happened. About 6,000 residents were sent packing and traffic was
halted on the state's busiest highway. The car's manifest, which is supposed to
travel with the tanker and detail its contents, did not account for every chemical inside.
The tanker's owner, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp., contends the car should only have been
holding one chemical: sulfuric acid.
Officials from the company believed to have filled the tanker, Houston-based Philip
Services Corp., claim the rail car was properly loaded and labeled for shipment when it
left their command in Fernley, Nev., near Reno. And the company says the car's manifest -
which was signed by a representative of Union Pacific - notes the tanker was being used to
transport sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids.
Philip Services officials call the 12,500-gallon concoction a "waste
corrosive liquid" - a mix of acids and water - and say the mixture's contents comply
with the terms of their contract to use the Kennecott tanker.
A Kennecott spokesman pointed out that the tanker is clearly labeled for sulfuric acid use
only.
On March 2, the tank car was sitting in South Salt Lake's Roper Train Yard, according to
Union Pacific. Early Sunday morning, yard workers noticed acid bubbling from three
holes in the tanker. It wasn't until late Sunday, however, that emergency officials felt
they had a grasp on what was in the tanker and what should be done.
|
| February 4, 2005 |
Helsingborg,
Sweden |
About
11,000 tons of sulfuric acid leaked from the Kemira Kemi factory in central Helsingborg,
forming a poisonous gas cloud over the city of Helsingborg that forced citizens to stay
indoors for four hours. Thirteen people were injured, but none seriously. No
fatalities were reported. The acid leaked out shortly after 4 a.m. (0830 IST).
Carina Mohlin, director of the Helsingborg Lasarett hospital, said six factory employees
were taken to the hospital, some with teary eyes and respiratory problems, but none with
serious injuries. Two police officers and five others were also taken in with
similar symptoms, but all 13 had been cleared from the hospital by 11 a.m., she said.
The acid had leaked during the loading of a ship. A portion of the acid spilled into
the sea causing a chemical reaction that formed a steam cloud containing droplets of
sulphuric acid. |
| January
30, 2005 |
Kenwood,
Ontario, Canada |
Crews
worked through the night to clear the CN tracks after 17 cars derailed and one leaked
sulphuric acid into a treed area near Kerwood -- the fourth train derailment since 1991 on
the same stretch. No one was hurt or evacuated in the derailment. Fifteen cars were on their sides and two others
that had slipped off the tracks. And
one of two derailed cars carrying sulphuric acid was leaking. The derailed cars were from the middle of the
125-car train, which was headed west from Toronto to Sarnia. |
| January 29, 2005
|
Hamburg, Germany |
Chemical tanker Stolt Fulmar
(4,300 dwt, built 2000) carrying 5000 t of sulphuric acid collided with bridge and tug on
River Elbe in fog. No significant damage to tanker. |
| January 26, 2005
|
Gwanda, Zimbabwe |
Freight
train derailed in Southeast Zimbabwe spilling 40,000 litres of sulphuric acid from one
tank car into a stream feeding the Mtshabezi River |
| January 3, 2005 |
Pretoria, South
Africa |
Road tanker overturned on N1,
spilling 15,000 litres of sulphuric acid |
| July 25, 2004 |
Dujiang City,
Jiangsu, China |
At 8am on 25 July 2004, a
connecting pipe to a tank ruptured and resulted in a 60-ton leakage of sulphuric acid in
Dujiang City, Jiangsu. The toxic acid transformed into gas and formed a cloud causing
officials evacuate nearly 400 households in the immediate vicinity. Police allowed
residents to return 15 hours later after the accident. |
| July 1, 2004 |
Hamburg,
Germany |
A
tanker carrying sulphuric acid capsized late on Monday following a collision with a
container ship, causing a major pollution concern.
Much of the highly toxic sulphuric acid on board a tanker which capsized in the German
port of Hamburg has escaped into the river Elbe around the harbour.
Out of 960 tons of sulphuric acid originally on board the vessel ENA 2, only about 430
tons is still in its cargo tanks, said Werner Marnette, CEO of vessel owner Norddeutsche
Affinerie, Europe's largest copper producer. "We believe today that when the
ship capsized, the sulphuric acid escaped through its eight ventilation chambers into the
Elbe," Marnette said. Remaining acid in the ship was considerably diluted by
river water three days after the original accident, he said. Police incident
commander Peer Rechenbach said it was a "regrettable mistake" that authorities
had until now believed that most of the vessel's cargo was still on board. Hamburg's
city environment agency it did not believe the river Elbe had suffered major environmental
damage. But shortly after the accident local television stations showed large numbers of
dead fish floating in the water. Salvage teams with floating cranes were on Thursday
afternoon still continuing the operation to turn the ship upright so that the remaining
acid can be pumped out. The port continues normal operations. |
| June 26, 2004 |
Fayette,
Mississippi, USA |
A tanker truck overturned on
Mississippi Highway 61 spilling approximately 1,500 gallons of sulfuric acid into a
Jefferson County creek. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the
Jefferson County Sheriff's Department were on the scene and there were no reported
evacuations. The spill was at North Fork Cove Creek about six miles north of
Fayette. The creek leads to Cove Creek which runs into the Mississippi. |
| June 16, 2004 |
Ottumwa, Iowa,
USA |
A tanker-truck accident
spilled 2,500 gallons of sulfuric acid into Sugar Creek just west of Ottumwa, killing all
the fish in the creek between the site and the Des Moines River almost 1 mile
away. The tanker contained 5,000 gallons of 95 percent sulfuric acid. The
accident, which injured the driver, occurred on U.S. Highway 34. The creek was
extremely acidic and officials sprayed lime into the creek in attempts to neutralize the
acid. |
| March
5, 2004 |
Guelph,
Ontario, Canada |
A
chemical spill in Guelph Friday injured one person and forced the evacuation of
businesses, homes and a school. The spill of sulphuric acid and ferric
chloride, which combine to create toxic hydrochloric acid, happened around 8 a.m. at the
Gay-Lea Foods facility in the north end of the city.
Police evacuated a five-block area surrounding the
plant as a precaution. The evacuation order was lifted around 10 a.m., but
people have since been told to stay indoors and keep their windows, doors and ventilation
systems shut until further notice. The spill reportedly occurred while an acid
tanker truck was unloading materials at the plant. |
| February 4, 2004 |
Camp Pendleton,
CA |
Authorities
shut down the Basilone Road offramps on Interstate 5 on Wednesday morning when a truck
carrying sulfuric acid leaked the corrosive liquid. The truck's tank was too full as
the big rig was traveling south on the freeway, said Inspector Scott Simpson of the Camp
Pendleton Fire Department. He said some of the oily, colorless liquid started to seep
out. The driver pulled off at the Basilone Road exit just before 9 a.m. to get help
at the gate to the Marine base, officials said. A San Diego County hazardous-materials
team was called.About 10 to 15 gallons of the liquid spilled, but no one was hurt, said a
California Highway Patrol officer.The Basilone Road offramps on both sides of the freeway
were shut down to keep drivers away from the spill. A traffic alert was issued for the
area. The spill was cleaned up about 2 p.m., officers said. |
| November
25, 2003 |
Olympic
Dam, Australia |
WMC
ordered an external review of the accident-prone Olympic Dam after a leak at its sulphuric
acid plant put an end to copper production for up to three weeks at a cost of $1.5 million
a day. The acid plant shutdown will lose WMC 600 tonnes of copper and 12 tonnes of
uranium oxide a day in production, and is expected to trim pre-tax earnings by as much as
$31.5 million.
WMC was shooting for up to 180,000 tonnes of copper
production in 2003, but the replacement heat exchanger will take between two and three
weeks to install at a cost "in the order of $3 million". As a result, the new
output could be as much 12,600 tonnes lower. |
| November 3, 2003 |
Texas City, Texas, USA |
A barge operated by Martin Product Sales LLC containing
235,000 gallons of sulphuric acid capsized at Sterling Chemicals No. 2 dock. When the barge flipped some of the contents
spilled. The area was evacuated because
emergency crews deemed there was a risk of an explosion.
The lack of
equipment and equipment to safely move or contain the acid prompted the decision to drain
the contents of the barge into the water way.
During the
draining operation water entered and mixed with the acid in the barge causing a cloud of
steam to form. As well, a budge formed in the
barge hull from the apparent build-up of hydrogen gas in the hull. Holes were drilled in the hole to allow any
hydrogen gas to escape. Water sprays were
used to prevent any gases from escaping.
Draining of the
barge was completed on November 13, 2003.
The barge is
equipped with several compartments and if a compartment leaks or is breached, the cargo
can shift causing the barge to flip.
The barge was
towed to Newpark Shipping in the Houston Ship Channel where it will be examined and
repaired.
The Coast Guard is investigating
the cause of the accident. |
| September 10,
2003 |
Adelaide,
Australia |
Three men have been sprayed
with sulphuric acid in a chemical spill north of Adelaide. Police said the men were
removing the acid from trucks at Lochiel this morning when a hose broke. One man
suffered burns to his face, chest and hands and was taken to the nearby Balaklava Hospital
for treatment. He was expected to be transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
later today. The other men suffered burns to the hands and face but were treated at
the scene. Workplace authorities were conducting an investigation of the incident. |
| August 29, 2003 |
Toluca, Mexico |
A truck
transporting sulfuric acid lost control on a mountain road in central Mexico on Friday,
killing seven people, state authorities said. The truck collided with a sport
utility vehicle traveling in the opposite direction on a two-lane highway near San Juan de
Las Huertas, about 15 miles outside the Mexico state capital of Toluca. Seven out of
nine people traveling in the sport utility vehicle were killed, including a nine-year-old
and three teenagers. The truck also struck a house, where two people were injured.
The impact of the truck striking the oncoming vehicle and house accounted for the deaths
and most of the damages, according to Arturo Vilchis, director of the Mexico state civil
protection department.
Nevertheless, local firefighters and state emergency personnel worked Friday
night to dilute corrosive acid that spilled from the truck, and about 70 people from 12
homes near the wreck were evacuated to a shelter in San Juan de las Huertas.
It was unclear how much sulfuric acid the truck had been carrying and
whether it contributed to the injuries.
The Mexico state prosecutor's office had identified the company that owned
the truck and its driver Friday and were investigating the cause of the wreck, including
whether the truck's brakes were functioning properly. |
| July 18, 2003 |
Twinsburg, Ohio |
Hazmat
officials said there's minor concern about 2,000 gallons of sulfuric acid that leaked into
a tributary of Tinkers Creek. The leak was from a 6,000-gallon storage tank at Univar on
East Highland Road. Employees reported the leak when they noticed an odor around the
tank. Twinsburg service department crews used heavy machinery to build three dams on the
creek to contain the spill. The cleanup consisted of reducing the pH level of the acid
with soda ash and sodium bicarbonate. Then the contaminated water was vacuumed up and
fresh water was used to flush the area. City officials said the public is not at a high
risk since the area is largely industrial and the main concerns are environmental. |
| May 21, 2003 |
Orillia,
Ontario, Canada |
A
Canadian National (CN) freight train derailment near Orillia, Ontario blocked off a chunk
of Highway 12 and forced Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to briefly evacuate a small town
called Gamebridge, located near the crash site, on Highway 12 just north of Beaverton,
Ont.
Twenty of the 40 cars in the train were carrying sulphuric acid. Although acid is
leaking from three of the cars, OPP Sergeant David Lee said that the chemical is spilling
into a farmer's field and is nowhere near a water source.
The evacuation order was cancelled after it was determined that there was little danger to
residents of the town and that the spill was nearly under control.
"Sulphuric acid is only dangerous if it comes in contact with your skin," Sgt.
Lee told globeandmail.com. "But the town was evacuated because acid was leaking into
ditches by the roadside and causing a lot of smoke to billow up."
Crews are currently working to contain the spill by building dirt barriers, and Highway 12
is still closed between Brechin and Beaverton.
|
| May 05, 2003 |
Plant City,
Florida, USA |
CF Industries, Inc.
experienced a sulfur trioxide gas release due to an interruption of electric power at its
Plant City Phosphate Complex, north of Plant City, Florida, . The resulting cloud
dissipated and there were no injuries to employees and no reports of injuries or other
known adverse impacts outside the facility. CF cooperated with local officials to
ensure the continued safety of its employees and the nearby community. Also, the community
alarm system and telephone ring-down systems were activated as precautionary measures. At
the same time, appropriate state and local emergency response officials were notified of
the incident. It was also immediately reported to federal and state authorities. |
| March 13, 2003 |
Yangtze River,
China |
A cargo ship carrying more
than 200 tons of sulphuric acid has sunk in the Yangtze River after a collision with
another vessel. Two crew members are still missing. Investigators said the accident
was the result of darkness and the crew's carelessness. Salvage and rescue workers
who were rushed to the scene said one of the sunken acid containers was slowly leaking
into the river. |
| December 21,
2002 |
Turkey |
The 1974 built 5339 DWT Chemical tanker Metin Ka, believed to be
laden with 5,000 tonnes of Sulphuric Acid, ran aground at Yenikoy Point in the Bosphorus
Strait at about 1530 local time on 20th December 2002. The Turkish-flagged tanker was on
its way from Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, bound for Mersin.
Divers had been engaged to check the ships hull
and there have been no reports of acid leaking from the tanker as yet. The Master
reportedly tried to anchor but the vessel drifted because of strong winds and ran aground
about 10 metres off the shore of Istanbul's Yenikoy residential area. Attempts are being
made to refloat the vessel by her own means. |
| December 4,
2002 |
Seven Persons
Alberta, Canada |
An 80-car
Canadian Pacific Railways freight train carrying molten sulphur derailed in southwestern
Alberta causing a chemical fire and a brief evacuation of nearby residents. 42 cars
on the eastbound train left the tracks around 1:35 a.m. local time and sulphur began
leaking from some of the cars that ruptured. Fire crews from Medicine Hat and Seven
Persons were at the scene quickly but stayed back about 800 metres at first while they
planned their response. There was a risk of explosion and potential respiratory problems
from the sulphur, which becomes toxic sulfur dioxide when it burns. Firefighters
wearing breathing equipment put out the blue-burning fire at about 7 a.m. but continued to
douse the tanks until 10:30 a.m.
"The fire went out fairly easy, but keeping it out was the problem," said Terry
Bush, acting captain of the Medicine Hat Fire Department. "This stuff is hauled at
150 degrees Celsius, so it literally flashes again. So that's what we're doing with all
this water, trying to cool it down."
Sulphur is classified as a dangerous good. Barry Heath, a remedial measures specialist
with Transport Canada who was supervising the containment of the sulfur and the tanker
cars, said the major concern with sulphur is when it burns. Once the fire is extinguished,
the sulphur solidifies and poses little danger to people or the environment, he said.
With the temperature at 14 C range and firefighters pouring massive amounts of water
onto the spill, much of the sulphur had solidified and lay in the ditch beside the twisted
wreckage of black tanker cars.
The train, which wasn't carrying any other chemicals, had an engineer and conductor as
crew. Neither was injured, Ms. Park said.
The derailment happened in a sparsely populated farming area about 250 kilometres
southeast of Calgary. |
| November 30,
2002 |
Bristol, UK |
A
massive chemical spill sparked a huge clean-up operation in Bristol. Emergency services
were called in when concentrated sulphuric acid leaked out into the road at a tanker
washing station. But when water was added to the acid to try and wash it away, a chemical
reaction created a cloud of gas. Military fire crews spent more than six-and-a-half
hours clearing up the spillage in the Avonmouth area of the city on Friday evening.
The alarm was raised at 1516 GMT on Friday when Green
Goddesses were called to deal with a spill of sulphuric acid at the Pickfords Vanguard
site. It is believed water was added to what was thought to be 2,000 litres of diluted
acid. But the acid was actually 98% concentrate, and the water caused a chemical
reaction, releasing a huge plume of gas.
A police spokesman said: "Military crews were
called to a tanker washing facility in Avonmouth where sulphuric acid had leaked into the
road. "Chemical fumes were being discharged from an underground storage tank."
He added: "A Red Goddess fire engine and a
breathing apparatus response team (BART) were sent to the scene from the temporary fire
station at Flying Fox in Bristol. Local water company Wessex Water said there was no
danger of the acid getting into the water supply. Gillian Winstone, spokesperson for
Wessex Water, said: "There is no concern at the moment. "Wessex Water is
monitoring the pumping station, in case any of it goes into the sewers.
"There is no danger of it getting into the water supply as this is totally
separate." |
| November 9,
2002 |
Gulfport, Mississippi, USA |
A
sulfuric acid spill at U.S. 49 and Airport Road sent a Gulfport motorcycle patrol officer
to the hospital and shut down northbound travel for two hours.
An estimated 15 to 20 gallons of the
hazardous chemical spilled onto the highway at the traffic light after a trailer hauling
cleaning supplies broke loose from the driver's van, officials said. Police charged the
driver with running a red light and spilling his load.
Sulfuric acid is a corrosive acid
that can cause severe respiratory problems and can become volatile when mixed with water,
said Gulfport Fire Chief Pat Sullivan. The motorcycle officer, who witnessed the accident
and began redirecting traffic until help arrived, was treated for respiratory problems. No
one else was injured. |
| October
14, 2002 |
Birmingham,
UK |
A
man suffered horrific injuries when he plunged into an acid bath at a Birmingham metal
processing factory. The 29-year-old worker
managed to drag himself out of the 6ft deep vat of sulphuric acid but had already been
severely burned by the deadly chemical. He was taken to City Hospital following the
accident at 5.25am at Birfield Extrusions in Austin Way, Handsworth Wood, but later
transferred to the burns unit at Selly Oak. Sub
fire officer John Surrof said: "He did well to get himself out of the vat considering
the temperature of the acid was 70 degrees centigrade.
"Someone had got his boiler suit off and put him under the works shower
when we arrived but the skin was already coming off, especially from his left leg and
upper torso. |
| September 2002 |
Freeport, Texas,
USA |
A
railcar containing cyclohexanone oxime exploded at BASFs Freeport, Texas site
rattling windows miles away and causing an evacuation of the facility.BASF is still
investigating the cause of its explosion and any required corrective action. Besides the
railcar, the explosion damaged a nearby storage tank, releasing an undetermined amount of
oleum, a concentrated sulfuric acid. The chemicals involved are used in the production of
nylon. Overall, four workers had minor injuries and three of 16 units at the site were
shut down. |
| September 16,
2002 |
Knoxville,
Tennesse, USA |
A Norfolk Southern train carrying 10,600
gallons of the hazardous chemical derailed in the Farragut community near Knoxville.
The train was traveling from Knoxville to Birmingham, Ala., when the accident
occurred. Twenty-four cars of the 141-car train left the track. No one was
seriously injured, but at least 3,000 people were evacuated. Residents living in 20
subdivisions within about a mile of the derailment were asked to leave their homes.
The highly corrosive acid, used in manufacturing, was transported as a liquid, but became
a gas upon release. Twenty people and one emergency worker complained of minor skin
and lung irritation and were taken to a hospital, where they were treated and released,
said Lt. Jeff Devlin, a member of the Knoxville Special Hazards Team. About half a
dozen schools in the area were cancelled Monday as a precaution. Gas continued to
spew from the tanker Sunday night. Emergency workers were using water, foam, and lime and
soda to neutralize the spill. |
| September 4,
2002 |
Prague, Czech |
About
600 litres of sulfuric acid leaked on Sazecska ulice in Prague 10 - Malesice at around
9:30 a.m. The acid leaked from a container on a lorry. The Prague sewer
system has been damaged by the recent flooding and the Prague water treatment plant is not
functioning, thus the acid would go directly into the Vltava River. The acid leaked
out of the container over a 50 metre long area and damaged the underbelly of five passing
cars.
"Some container or
tank fell off a lorry, allegedly," Daniela Razimova from the Prague police
administration said as to the cause of the spill. It is not clear, however, whether this
was caused by an accident. |
| August 19, 2002 |
Henan Province, China |
A Chinese family have been
killed after their vehicle collided with a tanker of sulphuric acid. Li Yanbiao and
his two sons were 'reduced to bone' within minutes of the crash, the Straits Times
reports. Police say the truck was carrying ten tonnes of the chemical illegally in
Henan province, central China. Mr Li's nephew was rescued by the police but died
hours later from severe burns. His wife suffered 70% burns while their five-year-old
daughter may lose her legs. Police are looking for the truck driver who ran away
after the crash. |
| August 2, 2002 |
Fort Worth,
Texas |
Investigators
say a break in a section of railway could be to blame for a potentially dangerous
derailment in Fort Worth. Two cars overturned late Thursday night in the 100 block of
Northside Drive, between North Main Street and Interstate 35-W. What made the situation
dangerous was the cargo. The cars were carrying about 26,000 gallons of sulfuric acid.
Fire officials said the cars are not leaking and they did not have to evacuate anyone from
the area. Crews expect to have the overturned cars upright within the next few
hours. No one was injured. Both the railway cars and the track belong to Fort
Worth Western Railroad. |
| July 20, 2002 |
Ludwigshafen,
Germany |
A leak of sulphuric acid from
a BASF chemicals plant in western Germany left around 10 people complaining of respiratory
problems late on Friday, police and firefighters said. The accident occurred when
around five kilograms (12 pounds) of an acid known as oleum escaped from a leaking pipe.
Oleum is used in the making of dyes and detergents. After the hour-long
spill, police told local residents around the site to close doors and windows. |
| July 17, 2002 |
Cape Town,
South Africa |
The Democratic Alliance has
called on the Department of Environmental Affairs to conduct an independent investigation
into an accident at a Richard's Bay industrial plant that resulted in almost 200 people
being gassed. The accident took place in the KwaZulu-Natal town on Monday afternoon, after
a start-up procedure at a Foskor-owned sulphuric acid plant went wrong, sending a toxic
cloud of sulphurous gas billowing across a busy public road.
Reports from the province shortly after the incident described the casualty departments of
the town's hospitals as "war zones", with medical staff battling to cope with
dozens of nauseous victims, many of whom had difficulty breathing.
In a statement on Tuesday, Foskor expressed regret over what it termed "an
unfortunate incident". It said this "was triggered when the new sulphuric acid
plant... had to be restarted... after a brief shutdown earlier in the day".
"During the start-up, the stack emission unexpectedly descended to the ground, where
it affected a number of people outside the plant."
The department on Tuesday issued a statement saying it had called on Foskor for "a
report detailing the reasons behind a sulphuric acid leak". It is understood this
report will be compiled by Foskor management, and not by independent inspectors. It is
also not clear whether it will be followed by an inquiry into the accident.
Ambler-Moore said it was "frightening that... people have become victims of
short-sighted planning on the part of Foskor, but even more disturbing is the fact that
this scenario had already been identified as a possible worst-case scenario". The
accident "was clearly a possibility Foskor was aware of, and had to take into account
in their decision to go ahead with the opening". |
| September 10,
2001 |
Hubei, China |
A total of 158 tons of
sulphuric acid poured into the Yangtze River, causing widespread pollution in the river's
Wuxue Section of Central China's Hubei Province on Sep.6, according to a report from
sina.com. The accident occurred when a vessel owned by a company from East China's Anhui
Province sank. The vessel was carrying industrial sulphuric accident. The local
environmental protection department is keeping a close eye on water quality and urged
relevant departments and personnel to pay special attention. |
| August 13, 2001 |
Christchurch,
New Zealand |
Two
Christchurch companies were yesterday fined $20,000 after a factory worker was severely
burnt when he slipped while pouring concentrated sulphuric acid into a vat. The
worker, Wayne Poskitt, suffered serious chemical burns to his face, arms, and legs. The
Department of Labour immediately forced the factory, Jenkins Biolabs, to stop its method
of having a staff member fill a bucket with acid and then climb on a chair to pour it into
the vat. "The process adopted can only be described as a Heath Robinson
one," said Judge Michael Green at a sentencing in the Christchurch District Court
yesterday. "A layman could have seen the potential problems with that."
Judge Green said: "Employers are not expected to
be perfect. They are not expected to foresee everything that ultimately happens, but they
are expected to look at their work practices intelligently and decide whether they amount
to potential hazards. They are also required to see that their employees carry out the
appropriate safety measures."
Jenkins Biolabs, which manufactures agricultural
products, was charged with failing to ensure that its employee was not exposed to a
workplace hazard, resulting in serious harm.
Soiltech Limited, which develops processes and
products for Jenkins Biolabs, had set up the production system involving moving and
pouring the concentrated acid from an open bucket. It was charged because one of its
employees - the scientist who developed the process - had been carrying out the same
procedures, though he was not involved in an accident. The Christchurch service
manager for Occupational Safety and Health, Margaret Radford, said yesterday the victim
had suffered serious burns which continued to affect his daily life. |
| June 2001 |
Placer Dome,
Porgera Mine, Papua New Guinea |
In June 2001, there was a
sulphuric acid leak from a chemical convoy container at Watarais (160 km west of Lae) en
route to Porgera. |
| May
31, 2001 |
Scotland |
Hundreds
of fish have been killed after a Scottish stream was polluted with sulphuric acid.
Brown trout have been seen trying to leap out of the water after a factory pipe burst and
flooded the River Almond in Newbridge with bright orange preservative.
Huge amounts of ferric sulphate were spilt from
Grampian Country Foods, a chicken factory. Residents watched dozens of fish at a
time spring from the water to escape the chemical, which changes to sulphuric acid on
contact with water. Ferric sulphate turns to a dilute sulphuric acid when it is
mixed with water and the burning sensation would have been driving the fish out. |
| May 27, 2001 |
Zhanjiang,
Guangdong, China |
A chemical spill at a
mothballed dye plant in China's southern province of Guangdong sent a toxic cloud into the
air, injuring 90 people who inhaled the fumes, state media said May 27. The chemical spill
occurred at the Crown Chemical Works Co, a plant three miles from the city center, which
was shut down in 1997. A two-ton tank holding nearly pure sulphuric acid ruptured around
midday Saturday, mixing with rain and producing a poisonous white cloud over Zhanjiang
city. No one had died, but some remained in the hospital with serious injuries after
inhaling the fumes, which affected people over an area of around a square mile. The city
government called in 30 members of a naval chemical warfare unit to contain the spill
after local fire and rescue workers could not bring it under control. Soldiers brought the
spill under control by digging a hole to contain the chemical and neutralizing the acid
with caustic soda. |
| March 23, 2001 |
Newark, New
Jersey, USA |
Approximately 1000 gallons of
sulphuric acid was spilled at a chemical plant |
| March 5, 2001 |
Richmond,
California, USA |
Oleum spill produced a small
cloud of sulphuric acid. |
| March 2001 |
Bay of Biscay,
Northern Spain |
A freighter carrying
sulphuric acid sank in the Bay of Biscay off the northern coast of Spain yesterday but the
risk of pollution seemed minimal, authorities said. All 23 crew members were rescued when
the Balu, a 24-year-old Maltese-registered ship, sank en route from Frederiksen in Denmark
to the south of Spain. A statement by the Malta Maritime Authority said yesterday
that a casualty investigator from the Malta Maritime Authority will today join the
authority's appointed flag state inspectors in Portugal to interview the 23 crew members
including the captain and other senior officers of the Maltese-registered ship. The
vessel sank yesterday at around 10am approximately 144 miles off La Coruna in Spain.
Balu, said the MMA statement, was carrying a cargo of 8,000 tons of sulphuric acid from
the port of Fredrikstad in Norway to the port of Huelva in Spain. The small tanker of 5795
gross tons and 120 metres in length was sailing in gale force 10 sea conditions when it
sank. All 23 crew members were saved following a distress message issued by the
ship. The crew are at present on board two vessels and will be disembarking at the first
port of call in Portugal. A Maltese source disputed newswires reports that the
seamen are from Malta. AP reported that the police port authority in the western
French town of Brest said the boat was carrying about 8,000 tons of sulfuric acid.
It sank 220 kilometers (136 miles) north of the Spanish coast and 350 kilometers (217
miles) south of Penmarc'h peninsula in the Finistere region of France, the authority said.
Lloyd's of
London, the world's largest marine insurer, listed the freighter as belonging to Dundee
Shipping and Trading Ltd. According to a spokesman for rescue services dispatched to
the region, the risk of pollution was minimal because sulfuric acid dilutes quickly on
contact with water. The spokesman, speaking on condition that his name not be used,
said there was a possibility that some slight residue might evaporate and be blown north
by the winds. The French Transportation Ministry said it had ordered its Accident
Inquiry Office to investigate why the freighter, which it said could carry 6,000 tons of
sulfuric acid, sank. The accident briefly raised the specter of another
environmental disaster in a country still scarred by a massive oil spill in 1999, and a
spate of other scares in its waters. An aging oil tanker, also Maltese-registered,
broke in two off the coast of Brittany in December 1999, spilling millions of liters
(gallons) of foul-smelling oil into the Atlantic and onto beaches and the rocky
coast. Last October, another tanker, the "Ievoli Sun," sank in the English
Channel with toxic chemicals aboard but little leakage was reported. The
"Balu" crew members were winched off the sinking boat by a Spanish rescue
helicopter and transferred to two vessels nearby. Winds of around 60 kph (37 mph)
were blowing in the region on Tuesday morning, and there was a swell of up to five meters
(16.5 feet). The freighter sank in 4,600 meters (15,180 feet) of water, and no
efforts could be made to retrieve the cargo before it sank. |
| January 4, 2001 |
Sahuarita,
Arizona, USA |
A Union
Pacific train derailed spilling about 10,000 USG of sulphuric acid forcing about 96
residents to evacuate overnight. The 107 car train was north bound from Nogales to
Tucson when 19 cars derailed about 20 miles south of Tucson. Two of the cars
spilled their cargo of acid. Two crew members were not injured but one firefighter
was treated for inhalation of acid fumes. The train was travelling about 41 mph. |
| 2001 |
South Africa |
A
sulphur dioxide emission during start-up of the Chemical Initiatives sulphuric acid plant
at Umbogintwini led to16 members of the public being hospitalised briefly.
Additional equipment has since been installed to avoid a recurrence |
| 2001 |
South Africa |
A
bulk tank of sulphuric acid failed during off-loading operations at Crest Chemicals.
Fumes from this incident drifted beyond the sites boundaries but,
fortunately, no injuries occurred |
| September 11-18,
2000 |
Mitrovica,
Kosovo |
A leak from a stationary tank
at the Trpeca industrial facility in Mitrovica resulted in the loss of 1,090 metric tons
of sulphuric acid onto the ground and into a nearby waterway. The product is highly
corrosive with the potential for significant environmental impacts. There is some
concern that the spill product could cross the Ibar River into the Republic of
Serbia. The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit sent out an initial alert to key
European donors identifying the required resources, following an official request for
assistance issued by UNMIK. So far, the Government of Germany has dispatched a team
of 5 experts and 5.4 metric tons of clean-up equipment (pumps, hoses etc.) to the disaster
site. Other donors are expected to come forward with additional resources to assist
in the clean-up efforts. |
| September 13,
2000 |
Zhanjiang City,
Guangdong Province, China |
Recently,
lots of fish and shrimps died in Hedi Reservoir of Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province.
Investigation shows that over 3 tons of sulfuric acid was discharged into Jiuzhou River
from a titanium powder factory in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The local EPA urgently controlled the pollution in the
area. The water quality in Jiuzhou River returned to normal, and stabilized. |
| July 6, 2000 |
Tooele, Utah,
USA |
While workers were cleaning a
line in the U.S. Army Chemical Weapons depot in Tooele, Utah, sulfuric acid leaked,
injuring six workers. No chemical weapons were involved in the incident. The workers
suffered from burns and inhalation of fumes; all were treated onsite and two were also
evaluated at the University of Utah burn clinic. |
| June 15, 2000 |
Colton,
California, USA |
Seventeeen vehicles including
2 locomotives came off the track near Colton, California. Six of the freight cars caught
fire and one began to leak sulphuric acid. There was concern that a gasoline pipeline that
runs longside the track may have been damaged. It is believed that the potential risk of a
serious incident was relatively minor and nearby residents were not evacuated nor was a
nearby freeway closed. There is no indication of a cause for the derailment.
Colton is 50 miles (80 km) east of Los Angeles. |
| March 14, 2000 |
Temagami,
Ontario, Canada |
A 4:15 pm on Tuesday, March
14th, a south bound freight train derailed at Mileage 63.5 of the Temagami Subdivision
(approximately 15 km south of Temagami). Preliminary assessment at the scene
indicated that 29 cars had been derailed, 25 of which contained sulphuric acid.
Immediate steps were taken to contain the spill by blocking off a culvert to stem
the flow of water from the area.
Ontario Northland's Emergency Response team, accompanied by Ministry of
Environment, Transport Canada and Noranda Inc. Emergency Response staff, were on site and
conducted a detailed assessment of the situation. Once the assessment was completed
steps were taken to neutralized the acid.Downstream sampling indicated some impact to the inflow point of
Hornet Lake. Sampling at the discharge point of the lake showed no impact.
Approximately 780 tonnes of acid was released. |
| December 10,
1999 |
Campbell
Industrial Park, Hawaii, USA |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given Brewer Environmental
Industries until Jan. 6 to respond to a list of questions related to the Thanksgiving Day
spill of 35 tons of sulfuric acid at Brewers Campbell Industrial Park
facility. Brewer received an EPA letter requesting information on Monday and has 30
days to respond. Once the information is received, federal officials will determine
whether any sanctions, including fines of up to $25,000 per violation, will be levied
against the company.Michael
Feeley, deputy director of the EPAs Superfund Division, inspected the plant
yesterday and said the cleanup by state health officials and Brewer Environmental
Industries appears to be going well. But Feeley said the EPAs investigation has just
begun and he would not comment on what violations, if any, have been found. He did,
however, describe the incident as a significant spill that the EPA is taking
very seriously.
When we heard the initial
numbers, we viewed this as a significant release into the environment; not just a release,
but an air release too, Feeley said. Sometimes the air releases are more risky
and more hazardous.
Feeley said the EPAs request for information
focuses on four issues, including the time it took Brewer to report the spill and whether
there were previous releases and how they were reported. The other questions involve
Brewers handling of hazardous wastes on the site.
On Thanksgiving Day, workers at neighboring Chevron
Refinery discovered that sulfuric acid was leaking into a concrete sump and gravel trench
along Brewers fence line. The acid mixed with chlorine bleach in the sump and
created toxic chlorine gas. The cleanup is expected to be completed in about a week. |
| September 15,
1998 |
Sao Paulo,
Brazil |
After the week-long release of sulphuric acid into an estuary in southern
Brazil, a local judge has ordered an immediate stop to the dump operation after protests
by Greenpeace and local groups. The salvage team and other agencies involved in the
operation were given 24 hours to find transfer tanks to receive the highly corrosive cargo
and 48 hours to remove all 100 tons of fuel from the ship. A Maltese flagged tanker, MV Bahamas,
released more than 6,000 tons of sulphuric acid into the Lagoa dos Patos estuary at the
southern tip of Rio Grande do Sul. Greenpeace and local NGOs testified to the prosecutors'
office on Friday and demanded the immediate halting of the dump into this important
estuary. The authorities monitoring the environmental impact of the accident have
published no information on the impacts of the release of acid.
MV Bahamas ran aground three weeks
ago and started to leak sulphuric acid. Environmentalists were able to stop about half of
the original 12,000 tons of acid cargo from escaping into the environment. Over 6,000 tons
of acid have been released already into the marine environment with the full support of
Brazilian Government officials. |
| July
9, 1998 |
Noida,
India |
Six
persons and more than 20 sheep were killed when a truck collided head on with a tanker
loaded with concentrated sulphuric acid early in the morning in the Dadri area. The two
vehicles overturned after the collision which caused a traffic jam for two
hours. A truck carrying sheep, going to Ghaziabad from Etawah, collided head
on with a tanker, loaded with concentrated sulphuric acid, parked at the road side near
village Dhoom Manikpur around 3 am in Dadri area. The truck collided with the tanker
crushing two men repairing the tanker. Both the vehicles overturned after the collision
leaving four occupants of the truck dead. Only one person, who was sleeping at the top of
the truck, survived the accident.
Fumes of the acid spilt on the road led to breathing
trouble for bystanders. The matter was reported to the police immediately but the fire
brigade reached the spot only after one-and-a-half hours after the incident and cleared
the traffic jam. |
| February 11,
1998 |
Timing
Ontario, Canada |
A 26
cars of 52 car CP Rail train derailed at 1pm about 80 kilometres northwest of
Sudbury. Five of the 26 cars slid down the embankment making contact with the
Spanish River, and at least one leaked about 7 tonnes of sulphur into the water.
While the sulphur was loaded into the cars in liquid state, it had frozen by the time of
the derailment, said Thurston, and remained solidified along the shore and the bottom of
the river Thursday.
The leaked sulphur has congealed
like a solid lava stream from one of the cars running down into the river and, as long as
it remains cold, it will stay that way and the spillage shouldn't contaminate anything, he
said.
Officials have tested water quality
both up and down river form the accident and have found no signs of contamination. |
| January 22, 1998 |
Amoco
Polymers
Augusta, Georgia, USA |
75 lbs of sulphur trioxide
release due to problem with pump bearings |
| January 11, 1998 |
Amoco
Polymers
Augusta, Georgia, USA |
82 lbs of sulphur trioxide
released from a broken flex pipe |
| November
19, 1997 |
Olympic Dam, WMC
Australia |
Seventy
workers at Olympic Dam have walked off the job after the second "life
threatening" leak of dangerous sulphuric acid in two weeks, union officials claim.
The workers walked off the job from the smelter area at Olympic Dam yesterday morning
after several were overcome by fumes. A union official said 23 workers had been
"gassed" by the emissions and one had collapsed from the fumes. A
spokeswoman for the Department of Mines and Energy confirmed they had been notified of a
sulphuric acid leak by Olympic Dam operators Western Mining Corp. It follows an
incident at Roxby Downs two weeks ago when 10 workers were taken to the plant's medical
centre after being overcome by sulphur dioxide fumes. A safety audit undertaken by a
union occupational hygienist yesterday afternoon recommended the workers not return to the
site until "structural damage" to the pipe had been fixed. Union and management
will meet this morning to determine when the workers will return. |
| January 1997 |
|
A 22,400 GT bulk carrier carrying a mixed cargo of 33,000 tonnes of grain and
animal feeds was under port pilotage to her discharging berth with one tug made fast aft
and two others in attendance. The weather conditions were good and, as the bulk carrier
had a bow thruster and good manoeuvrability, the Master and Pilot had agreed that it was
not necessary to make a tug fast forward to assist with a planned turn to starboard. The
size of the bulk carrier and the usual preferred turn position meant that her bow would
swing close to a chemical tanker which was moored at a berth adjacent to the turning
basin. Partly because the forward tug had not been connected the Pilot chose to keep power
and headway on to help with the turn. The vessel was turning to starboard and still making
headway when the bulbous bow came into contact with the side of the chemical tanker, which
was discharging a cargo of 4291 tonnes of sulphuric acid. Although the chemical
tanker was holed below the waterline which caused her to list rapidly to about 35º there
were no injuries and there was no pollution as a result of the accident. |
| December 15,
1996 |
Chile |
Despite
official assurances that 13,000 liters of sulfuric acid and copper accidentally spilled
into Loa River Dec. 15 by the El Abra copper mine have had no impact on plant or animal
health, communities located closest to the accident report unexplained livestock death in
the days immediately following the accident, and express disillusionment with the
government's handling of the incident.
The Regional Irrigation Authority
(RIA) reported Friday that water acidity in the area has increased significantly,
prompting Mining Minister Benjamin Teplizky to order El Abra to contract services with the
Mining and Mineralogical Investigation Center (CIMM) for the next two months to monitor
the area's water supply.
El Abra company officials say
they had solicited the same precautionary studies days earlier, without a positive
government response.
While discounting any adverse
health or environmental effect, Minister Teplizky expressed serious concern about El
Abra's failure to promptly report the accident, thus putting the area population at
greater risk.
Regional Intendente Tomislav
Ostoic publicly denounced El Abra's handling of the incident last Thursday, saying the
accident was not reported to regional health officials until Dec. 18, three days after its
occurrence, and inspection officials were not allowed on company property to review the
accident site until 11 days after the event.
The impact of the original spill
of sulfuric acid on Dec. 15 was apparently made worse when company employees that same
morning "washed" the spill from company grounds, says a report by the RIA.
The estimated 150,000 additional liters of water added to the spill in the
"washing" process assured that the sulfuric acid mix was able to make its way to
the Loa River, where it then flowed to the Conchi reservoir, which holds 2.7 million
liters of water.
Alberto Acuna, a member of the
government's regional environmental committee, said he believes the El Abra sulfuric acid
spill violates Article 64 of the new Environmental Base Law and could subject the company
to a fine of 500 Unidades Tributarias each month (US$27,600). Legal action is
doubtful, though, says Acuna, because the regulations relating to the new law have yet to
be promulgated. |
| August 10, 1996 |
Kerwood,
Ontario, Canada |
During transit, a total of 37
railcars derailed. Two of the railcars were tank cars containing sulphuric
acid. One tank released about 4950 kg of acid. The area was evacuated as a
result of the derailment. Emergency response crews were able to transfer the
contents of the tank car, clean up the spil, remove the contaminated soil and remove the
tank cars. |
| February 22,
1996 |
Leadville,
Colorado, USA |
A runaway train derailed in the pre-dawn hours in Leadville, CO, killing two
railroad employees and injuring a third. The February accident sent a "river" of
sulfuric acid down a snowy mountainside and across a highway, contaminating rescue workers
and early morning commuters alike.
The 82-car train was traveling at
about 65 mph in a 15 mph zone, according to a spokesman for the National Transpor-tation
Safety Board. Two locomotives and 41 cars of the Southern Pacific freight train derailed
in the wreck, which occurred at 5:30 a.m. along U.S. 24 north of the town. Two tank cars
containing 54,000 gallons of sulfuric acid ruptured in the incident. Two other tank cars
containing the acid derailed but did not rupture.
According to witnesses, sulfuric
acid flowed downhill in "three or four streams," flooding across the highway and
forming pools in a parking lot on the other side of the road. Fortunately the acid did not
reach the nearby Eagle River, which is the municipal water supply for several communities.
Dozens of drivers and rescue
workers sought treatment at nearby medical facilities for exposure to fumes, with symptoms
ranging from burning eyes to shortness of breath and nausea. Sulfuric acid is a corrosive
that is highly poisonous by inhalation and causes severe burns in contact with skin
tissue. Vapors are irritating to the eyes and throat.
Although the cold temperatures,
snow and ice may have helped to contain the spill, the winter weather hampered clean-up
efforts. Southern Pacific's hazardous materials team was unable to land at nearby Eagle
airport because of heavy snow and had to drive from Grand Junction, 150 miles away. Hazmat
teams also responded from the Colorado State Patrol and the Vail Fire Department.
Two million pounds of soda ash and
lime, needed to neutralize the acid, was brought in by truck and rail. Hulcher
Professional Services of Rapid City, SD brought in heavy equipment to clear wreckage from
the tracks. The acid-tainted snow was collected and removed from the mountain. The highway
remained closed for four days so that new tanker cars could be brought in to unload the
two derailed tankers, which remained perched precariously above the highway.
The
train was travelling from East St. Louis, IL to Roseville, CA. According to reports, this
incident was "eerily" similar to a 1989 accident in which a 58-car runaway
freight train derailed and spilled concentrated sulfuric acid down a steep embankment and
onto a highway only one-half mile from the site of the Leadville wreck. |
April 1996
to
November 2000 |
BHP San Manuel
Arizona, USA |
At BHP's San Manuel mining
operations in Arizona, 27 spills of sulfuric acid, arsenic, copper and mining wastes were
recorded from April 1996 to November 2000. Twenty-three of these spills were of sulfuric
acid and total more than 245,000 pounds. |
| August 20, 1995 |
Kentucky, USA |
In August 1995, the DuPont
facility released more than 23,800 gallons of a sulfuric acid solution into the air over a
four-hour period, creating a chemical cloud. Local authorities evacuated more than 1,000
residents from their homes, and several people underwent treatment for burns to their
eyes, nasal passages and lungs. DuPont was unable to stop the release, or to minimize it
in any way. The Justice
Department, on behalf of the EPA, sued DuPont in September 1997, alleging that DuPont
failed to maintain a safe facility as required by the Clean Air Act. The charge arose from
DuPont's use of cast iron piping in a tank used to store oleum (sulfuric trioxide
dissolved in sulfuric acid) and the company's failure to inspect that piping. The oleum
solution corroded the cast iron piping, which ultimately fractured on the night of August
20, 1995, leading to the release of sulfuric acid into the air.
DuPont's own written standard for tanks and piping
used for oleum storage, as well as chemical industry standards, indicate that cast iron is
an inappropriate material for use in tanks that store oleum. Cast iron is susceptible to
corrosion and abrupt cracking when in contact oleum.
The Justice Department and the EPA have reached a $1.5
million settlement with E.I. du Pont de Nemours related to the 1995 chemical release in
eastern Kentucky that led to the evacuation of several communities surrounding the plant.
The Delaware-based DuPont will pay an $850,000 penalty
and spend about $650,000 to create a state-of-the-art emergency notification system for a
10-county region of Kentucky. The agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in
Lexington settles federal claims that DuPont violated federal environmental laws at its
Wurtland, Ky., plant.
"This enforcement action reflects the EPA's
commitment to ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act to protect
human health and the environment from excessive air pollution," said John H.
Hankinson, Jr., Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 4 in Atlanta. "We will
continue to vigorously use enforcement along with other cooperative approaches that
benefit the environment."
The government also asserted that DuPont violated
provisions of two federal laws that require a company to immediately notify emergency
response officials as soon as the company learns about a release of a hazardous substance
exceeding a specified threshold. |
| July 26, 1993 |
General
Chemical
Richmond, California, USA |
15 mile cloud of fuming
sulfuric acid (oleum) sent 20,000 people to the hospital with burning in the respiratory
system and skin rashes. |
| 1993 |
USA |
An oleum spill at General Chemical cause a plume which resulted
in thousands seeking medical treatment. General Chemical paid $1.18 millon in
damages. This incident helpd spur the EPA to include oleum in the final list pf
chemicals subject to accidental release prevention requirements. |
| March
25, 1992 |
Kettle
Falls, Washington, USA |
A
railroad tank car carrying 13,000 gallons of sulfuric acid. The tank car cracked at the
bottom center of the tank along a circumferential weld, resulting in the release of all
the sulfuric acid. There was metallurgical evidence of a pre-existing crack in the area of
the failure. The tank car had just passed visual inspections and a hydrostatic test the
previous month, and it was carrying its first load of cargo since the inspection and test.
The tank car failed as the train began to move forward. |
| November 22,
1988 |
Herculaneum,
Missouri, USA |
A barge loaded with 1400
tonnes of 93% acid sank in the Mississippi river. The barge land in 3 m of water and
there was no sign of leakage. Three options were discussed to deal with the
accident.
1. Transfer the acid out of the barge
2. Re-float the barge with the cargo aboard
3. Discharge the acid into the river
Transferring the acid posed too great a risk to personnel and re-floating the barge
ran the risk of the barge breaking apart if it was not lifted properly. The third
option was selected as the course of action. pH monitoring downstream of the barge
was considered adequate protection against environmental damage. Acid was removed by
using an air-lift tube. Compressed air was allowed to bubble upwards through the
acid inside the tube drawing the acid from the tank. Flow was controlled by the
amount of air used. The entire operation took several months. |
| November 1988 |
Wilmington,
North Carolina, USA |
10,331 dwt
chemical tanker PANAM PERLA was found to be leaking sulfuric acid from a cargo tank into
the double bottom. An after hours telephone call led to a late night mobilization of a
salvage/hazmat team, chemical pumping equipment and confined space entry equipment to
Wilmington, North Carolina. Under the close observation of the US Coast Guard, the team
transferred the acid (approx. 300 tons) into rail cars and then neutralized the remains
aboard before flushing with water to enable entry and inspection by class surveyors. |
| Date Unknown |
Rock Springs |
A cloud of sulfuric acid gas
erupted from a phosphates plant and hovered for two hours near the facility before
dissipating. Neighbors were warned to evacuate if the cloud approached their homes
but an evacuation never became necessary, said Bill Wonnacott, fire chief of Sweetwater
County Fire District No. 1. The cloud moved away from the plant and hovered
southwest of the facility, he said. ``The winds were calm and we weren't sure what
direction the cloud was going to move,'' Wonnacott said. The gas escaped following a
10:15 a.m. malfunction at SF Phosphates' sulfuric acid plant Wednesday, the company said
in a press statement. ``The release continued for approximately 15 to 20 minutes
until the unit was shut down as a corrective action,'' the release said. No one was
injured, the company said. Wonnacott said he did not know how toxic the gas cloud was and
that his department will request information about the product. The gas is known as oleum,
which is made up mostly of sulfuric acid. ``This was a fairly large release, in my
opinion,'' he said. SF Phosphates is southeast of Rock Springs. |
| Date Unknown |
New York State,
USA |
A truck transporting sulfuric
acid leaked several gallons due to a faulty seal. The spill, near a toll barrier, caused a
three mile stretch of highway to be closed for about four hours. Ten toll collectors
reported respiratory irritation and were taken to a hospital for observation. |
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