HAZMAT event in Mass. - 3/4 inch hole in pipe

[ensho]

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php


A dozen people, mostly rescue workers, were taken to the hospital after a hazardous chemical spill yesterday at Barrday Composite Solutions, 86 Providence Road (Route 122A). Nobody was seriously hurt, and the spill was contained with only a small amount getting into the ground, officials said. They said the public was never at risk. “The situation is very much under control. The leak has stopped. There were very minor injuries,” Millbury Fire Chief Matthew R. Belsito said around 6 last night. “It is my understanding at this time that everyone was transported as precautionary and they will probably be treated and released.” About 1:35 p.m. yesterday, the town’s 911 dispatcher received a call saying a Barrday worker had been doused with the chemical phenol, Chief Belsito said. Michael E. Buck, president of the company, said a company engineer was working on an outside storage tank containing about 10,000 gallons of phenol when the
accident occurred. When the worker removed a wire, the tank sprung a leak and liquid phenolic resin sprayed onto the worker’s arm, he said. Mr. Buck said the engineer and a second employee who was having trouble breathing were taken to a hospital for treatment. When he arrived at the scene shortly after the initial call, Chief Belsito said, he immediately called Worcester Special Operations and summoned the state’s hazardous materials teams. He said the source of the leak was an approximately three-fourths-inch hole in the piping connected to the tank.

Andrew Delisio, the hazmat technician team leader on the site, estimated 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of phenol escaped. “At no time was the public in any danger,” Chief Belsito said. David Ladd, director of hazardous materials/emergency response systems for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, said phenol was steadily flowing from the tank, and a pneumatic plugging device was inserted to stop the leak. He said most of the product that was released was contained by a berm. He said a small quantity got into the ground soil, and that was being dealt with. “We monitored the situation very intently since arrival. We did air monitoring …We had a small vapor area contained just at the immediate site of the release so there was no need for any public protection action,” Mr. Ladd said. “It’s contained to a very small footprint.” In addition to the two Barrday employees, Chief Belsito said, nine firefighters
and a police sergeant were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester. As of last night, there were no updates available from the hospital. Phenol is a raw material used to make phenolic resin, or plastic, Mr. Buck said. The material is used in army helmets, aerospace products and other fiber-reinforced plastics and composite materials, he added. Mr. Buck called the phenol “a dangerous chemical and something we take very seriously.” At the time the spill was reported, firefighters from several communities and the regional hazardous material crew converged on that section of Providence Road. Police closed the road. Acting Police Chief Donald P. Desorcy said the neighborhood was not evacuated and there was no danger to the community because phenol dissipates when exposed to air. The Millbury plant employs more than 60 people.
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[SidDithers]

1. Phenol is really nasty stuff...

even the smallest amount spilled on you can be very dangerous, even fatal.

Acute effects:
Phenol is irritating and corrosive to the skin. Because it has a local anesthetic effect, little or no pain may be felt on initial contact. However, skin in contact with phenol will generally turn white; later, severe burns may develop. Phenol is rapidly absorbed through the skin, and toxic or even fatal amounts can be absorbed through relatively small areas. Ingestion of as little as 1 gram can be fatal to humans. Phenol can also cause severe damage to eyes. It could cause blindness.

Chronic effects:
Repeated or prolonged exposure to phenol or its vapors may cause headache, nausea, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, diarrhea, vomiting, shock, convulsions, or death. Phenol can affect the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys.

http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/pubs/factsheets/44phenol.html
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/phenol/recognition.html

Sid

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. What is Phenol used for?

Sounds dangerous as hell.

[SidDithers]

6. Plastics manufacturing. It's used to make resins, and is handled very, very carefully...

If I recall correctly, it's dangerous in it's undiluted form, but small amounts get mixed with other materials to make harmless compounds and plastics. Someone with a chemical background may be able to provide better information.

I used to do some work with Schenectady Chemicals up here in Toronto, and they had phenol on site. All employees and contractors went through a phenol education session, that talked about the dangers of exposure, protective equipment to wear, and proper handling procedures.

Phenol and hydrofluoric acid were the two chemicals I least liked being around, because they were both acidic and toxic. A scary combination.


Sid

[krispos42]

2. Well, at least it's not molassas. n/t

[formercia]

3. Phenol can cause burns

It readily soaks into the Skin, so it continues to react, even if washed-off. When I was taking chemistry for the first time, we had a class on cosmetic creams, so I made me Ma some Face Cream using Phenol as one of the ingredients. It made a great Chemical Peel. Her Face was pink and shiny for weeks.

[Occulus]

7. PSA: Never trust people who capitalize regular nouns.

That, and young men who habitually wear bow ties (Bill Nye and The Doctor excepted, of course).

[formercia]

8. It can lead to confusion:

I helped my Uncle Jack off a Horse, or I helped my Uncle jack off a Horse.

[Occulus]

9. .

:spray:

[MilesColtrane]

5. Yikes

Dangerous stuff

The Nazis used to kill people in concentration camps by injecting them with phenol.