Posted on 01/28/2005 7:22:41 AM PST by Petronski
Toxic Chemical Spill Creates Problems In Clearfield County
POSTED: 5:39 a.m. EST January 28, 2005
Clearfield County
Clearfield County -- A toxic chemical spill in Clearfield County has forced dozens of people to flee from their homes, businesses, and even one hotel. Late Thursday night, a truck carrying a toxic chemical began to leak on the off-ramp at Interstate 80 exit 97. The leaking chemical sent a toxic gas cloud into the air.
It all started when the driver of the truck carrying silicon tetrachloride noticed a leak. The Hazmat Shark Team was in full-body protective gear heading out to the spill to keep it from spreading. Dow Corning Company crews from, Midland, Michigan also responded.
Crews were worried earlier when a toxic cloud began to form. Residents from Falls Creek, the Singing Hills area and even a Holiday Inn were forced to leave and find shelter elsewhere. Many did at the 3rd Ward Hose Company.
All local roads within a mile of the exit closed and a 38-mile section of Interstate 80 shut down as well. Crews are re-directing the west-bound detour off Exit 111 at Penfield, down State Route 153, then west on State Route 322, 40 miles to Brookville, and, the opposite for eastbound traffic. In the meantime, Dubois overnight became bottlenecked with tractor-trailers.
Toxicity data
(The meaning of any abbreviations which appear in this section is given here.)
IHL-RAT LC50 8000 ppm/4h
Risk phrases
(The meaning of any risk phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
R14 R34 R36 R37 R38.
Safety phrases
(The meaning of any safety phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
S7 S8 S26.
Pennsylvania
This is Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
Damn. My HAZWOPER guide is down in my truck. I wanted to look up the evacuation radius.
I hear second hand that there were some hospitalizations for exposure...fluid buildup in the lungs.
Nasty stuff. It's a relatively unpopulated area (good thing), but there were still many evacuations.
The Hazmat HQ is in a Sheetz (think of a cross between a deli, a truckstop and a Seven-Eleven).
Posted on Fri, Jan. 28, 2005
Chemical spill shuts I-80
From staff and wire reports
DUBOIS -- A tractor-trailer carrying a hazardous material overturned Thursday night, prompting the evacuation of as many as 150 people from a nearby hotel and the closing of both lanes of a section of Interstate 80.
Authorities said they did not have much information about the spill near an exit of I-80 near Old Grade Road in Sandy Township, Clearfield County. It was unclear Thursday how long the section of I-80 would be closed.
Officials with the DuBois Fire Department said people from the hotel, about a half-mile from the wreck, were being evacuated and taken to a shelter as a precaution.
Initial reports from the scene said the chemical spilled from the truck was silicone tetrachloride.
The chemical is a colorless, fuming liquid with a suffocating odor. It becomes hydrochloric acid when it comes into contact with moist surfaces, such as mucous membranes of the nose and throat.
Used for depositing poly-silicon on microcrcuit chips.
Stretch of I-80 remains closed
DUBOIS -- A 15-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in Sandy Township, Clearfield County, remains closed in both directions this morning following the crash of a tractor-trailer carrying hazardous material Thursday night.
Few details were available early Friday morning. State Police at DuBois said traffic was being detoured from the interstate and a Haz-Mat team had arrived at the scene.
The overturning of the tractor-trailer near Old Grade Road about 9:30 Thursday night prompted the evacuation of as many as 150 people from a nearby hotel and those within about a half-mile of the wreck as a precaution.
Sandy Township Fire Chief Bill Beers said at 9 a.m. that he was awaiting information from the Haz-Mat team to determine how much longer the interstate would remain closed.
Thanks. I was wondering that.
The fire dept will be along anytime now to douse it with water. They get paid by the gallon.
Well, there is quite a bit of snow about already.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.