Chemical Incident Reporting – Week of 1-4-25

NOTE: See here for series background.

Seattle, WA – 1-3-25

Local News Report: Here, here, here, and here.

There was a minor liquid ammonium hydroxide spill at a public building in Seattle. One person was treated for exposure on scene. The building was evacuated but no damage was reported.

Not CSB reportable.

Palm Beach Gardens, FL – 1-3-25

Local News Report: Here, here, and here.

There was a vehicle crash involving a pool servicing truck which resulted in a spill. No details are available beyond noting that traffic was disrupted.

Not CSB reportable.

El Cajon, CA – 1-5-25

Local News Report: Here, here, and here.

There was a single-vehicle traffic accident where multiple cool chemicals were spilled and mixed, releasing chlorine gas. No injuries were reported (no word on the driver of the overturned vehicle). No report about damages.

Not CSB reportable.

Lapeer County, MI– 1-7-25

Local News Report: Here, here, here, and here.

There was a carbon monoxide death at a construction worksite, another worker was hospitalized. The workers were doing concrete finishing work inside of a pole barn using propane powered equipment

CSB reportable (though almost certainly will not be).

Georgetown, DE – 1-8-25

Local News Report: Here, here, here, and here.

There was a chemical unloading incident at a meat processing facility where peracetic acid was unloaded into a caustic soda storage tank, a chemical plume resulted with a subsequent shelter in place order. Four employees were treated and released at the scene. There were no reports of damage at the scene.

The reaction between these two chemicals would have produced sodium peracetate and a great deal of heat. The ‘chemical plume’ would have been mostly steam. The ‘vinegary odor’ reported at the scene would have been small amounts of acetic acid in the cloud. There is a small amount of acetic acid remaining in commercial peracetic acid products as a residual of the manufacturing process. Peracetic acid is used as an antibacterial agent in meat processing. The plume would have also included small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, another peracetic acid residual.

Not CSB reportable.