Places to Store Toxic Chemicals

[RWebb]

[id10t]

See, I just take a tip from the TSA and pour them in coffee cups, 20oz water bottles, 16oz soda bottles, etc. and then just throw them randomly into a few 55 gallon trash cans.

[Neilk]

What could go wrong?

Is the company bringing semi loads of bottled water for the citizens of the town? The people there shouldn't have to be spending their own money to buy water.

[Shuie]

Norco?

[Aragorn]

What did Yogi Berra say?

Buffalo Creek Flood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sago Mine disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have to understand the culture and history of this area to understand why things like this happen.

[RWebb]

No, as Neilk implied that is Freedom Industries, which stores large quantities of toxic chemicals used for processing coal (to burn in coal-fired power plants).

This plant is just upstream of the drinking water intake for Charleston, WV and the ater for that city was poisoned, not to mention the fish and other communities far downstream.

West Virginia is controlled by the coal companies ("King Coal") and is very weak on environmental protection.

This plant has not been inspected in the 20 years.

Besides the dangerous site location, note the lack of any containment walls or moats in the photo.

[GH85Carrera]

The most amazing thing is there are no berms around the tanks to keep a leak contained. Most tanks I see around here have a berm that can hold the tank contents and the run-off of a heavy 50 year rain and not overflow.

That company is screwed. The employees may as well look for a new job.

[widebody911]

We don't need more regulation, the Free Market™ will take care of it.

[stomachmonkey]

Pig blood from a meat plant being dumped into the Trinity River.

Meat-packers charged with dumping pig’s blood in Trinity River now say it was valuable product, not waste | Dallas Morning News



Car content.

Saw the Freedom Industries CEO on the news the other day, sounded like he had a British accent.

In the background were 2 MGs.

Looks like they need some love.

[Neilk]

Not to PARF it up, but Freedom Industries would be welcome in Texas where Rick Perry is trying to reduce the EPA's ability to regulate air quality. Air/water, what's the difference, Texas wants jobs.

[Hugh R]

Looks like a containment wall around the tank farm, but I could be wrong. But obviously inadequate/ineffective if there was one. Still stupid place to put a methanol-based extraction chemical storage plant. That chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol is 100% soluble in water, so they can't chemically remove it by filtering, or chelation or anything. One report said it "spilled" out of a tank, maybe overfilling a tank during filling or chemical pump transfer from one tank to another.

Why wasn't it inspected in 20 years? I used to do EPA contract compliance inspection work in WV 25-30 years ago, and yes I can tell you that the regs back then were very Lax. I just looked at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection website home page and there is nothing on this issue. Sure it might be buried somewhere.

[RWebb]

My understanding is that more recent inspections were simply not required - they are a matter of state law.

I would expect some SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act) suits to be filed - that is a federal law (somewhat ironically, it was pushed into enactment by a Republican Congressman; his district was in long Island and rich housewives were a major constituency - they were concerned about their children).

What it all says to me is that a little care and trouble early on could have prevented a catastrophe later.

[Aragorn]

You guys are looking at all the negatives here. It smells like black licorice. These residents should be thanking the company for making everything smell like candy. Ingrates...

[Hugh R]

Deleted

[Aragorn]

Hugh, would you please alter or edit your last post please...

[GH85Carrera]

I sat at a RR crossing watching a LONG train of molten sulfur roll by. I have no idea how hot and toxic it is but I sure don't want to find out.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Aragorn

Hugh, would you please alter or edit your last post please...

Same thought struck me.

Why risk giving someone otherwise clueless any bright ideas.

[Hugh R]

You are unfortunately right. I'll delete it.

[sammyg2]

Sloppy design and containment, that would never fly around here. No excuse for that.

But in an attempt to keep things in perspective, does anyone know the concentrations of contamination?

Tests have showed that levels were consistently below a toxic threshold, and in some samples, there was no trace of the chemical at all. Officials were also keeping a close eye on water downstream to make sure there is no further impact. No fish kills or other impact on aquatic life, wildlife or pets have been reported.

The stuff has a scary sounding name, but was the reaction really consistant with the situation?
Seems like gross over-reaction to me.

Good thing they didn't spill any di-hydro-monoxide, that stuff'll kill ya in you breath it.



4-methylcyclohexane methanol

TWA: 400 CEIL: 500 (ppm) (4 hours) from ACGIH (TLV) TWA: 1600 CEIL: 2000 (mg/m3) from ACGIH


Chlorine 7782-50-5 100 ACGIH TLV (United States, 3/2012).
STEL: 2.9 mg/m³ 15 minutes.
STEL: 1 ppm 15 minutes.
TWA: 0.5 ppm 8 hours.

500 ppm max allowable exposure for 4 hours, vs. 1/2 ppm max allowable exposure for 8 hours of the stuff they put in your drinking water ON PURPOSE!

[gearya]

Were they below a toxic threshold for children? And by toxic threshold do you mean sub-lethal or no effects on sickness??