Homes in Lake City, Minnesota evacuated after anhydrous ammonia leaked from railroad car

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: CH-20070318-10388-USA
Date / time: 18/03/2007 06:04:14
Event: Chemical Accident
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of Minnesota
City: Lake City
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:

Authorities evacuated several homes in southern Lake City on Saturday morning after fumes from a rail car leaking anhydrous ammonia became overpowering.
U.S. Highway 61 was closed from Lake City south to Wabasha around 7 a.m. and the leaking car was moved three miles south into an unpopulated area, authorities said, but the fumes kept building. The evacuation began around 7:45 a.m.There were no immediate reports of anyone injured or hospitalized, a dispatcher with the Wabasha County sheriff's office said. The fire department and a hazardous materials team were sent to stop the leak, he said."We think we have it contained here," a Lake City firefighter redirecting traffic said.The leaking car was part of an Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad train operating on Canadian Pacific tracks, railroad officials said.

Officials told reporters a cap on the tanker car apparently failed.At a news conference, state, city and railroad officials said the tanker is an older model. The ICE crew did not have a replacement cap onboard and one wasn't readily available in the area, they said.The officials were hoping that a cap for a newer tanker might work. But if the hazardous materials crew couldn't stop the leak, they planned to drain the ammonia into highway tankers. The officials indicated that could take up to eight hours.

One resident told the Red Wing Republican Eagle newspaper she went to let her dog out at 6:30 a.m. and smelled a faint chemical odor. Five minutes later she went to let her pet back indoors and had to cover her face with her jacket in order to breathe.Some residents in southern Lake City complained of feeling sick, and people on the north end of the town on Lake Peppin also reported headaches and nausea, the newspaper reported.Authorities recommended "sheltering in place" for residents who weren't evacuated, meaning people were advised to stay in their homes unless instructed otherwise.Anhydrous ammonia can be extremely toxic and may be fatal if inhaled.

The vapors are irritating and corrosive, according to the federal Emergency Response Guidebook. Symptoms of exposure include a harsh burning sensation in the nose, a bad taste or stinging in the mouth, as well as headaches, nausea and difficulty breathing. The effects of inhalation may be delayed.Ammonia fumes were detected 15 miles to the north in Red Wing, which prompted police there to investigate if the rail car was leaking as it came through that city. But Police Chief Tim Sletten said officers checked the tracks and low-lying areas and found nothing dangerous of 8:30 a.m.Traffic was halted on the Canadian Pacific line, and trains were stopped at Minneiska, Winona and the Twin Cities.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10388

[justgamma]

1. We used to live

right in front of a place where they stored ammonia tanks. 2 or 3 times a year they would have a leak. We'd have to grab the kids and make a run for it. That is some nasty stuff.