Leaks spotted in tanker trucks bound for depot

This story was published Tue, May 21, 2002

By Karen Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

UMATILLA -- The Army has halted shipments of industrial solvents it plans to use to test the Umatilla Chemical Depot's incineration process.

Liquid and vapor leaks from three tanker trucks prompted the action last week. The leaks are not related to the stockpile of 3,717 tons of lethal nerve agent stored at the depot. The chemical weapons are to be incinerated after tests with the solvents confirm everything is operating properly.

Three employees of Washington Demilitarization Co. were evaluated by the company's medical team for possible exposure and deemed unharmed, said Mary Binder, Army spokeswoman. Washington Demilitarization is the contractor hired to build and manage the incinerator project.

A fourth person, a depot security guard, complained about dizziness and a headache. He was checked out and returned to work, Binder said.

The leaks were never a threat to the public or the environment, said Wayne Thomas of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

The Army had hoped to begin test burns Saturday, but that date has been postponed because emission monitoring systems are not yet operating properly, Binder said. No new date has been set for start-up, she added.

The Army hired Noah Technologies of San Antonio to ship 928,000 pounds of industrial solvent from Buffalo, N.Y., to Umatilla. Shipments had been arriving daily since May 7.

The depot's HAZMAT team was called out May 13 after a worker noticed a small amount of liquid on top of one of the stainless steel drums and a strong odor, Thomas said.

"The chemical was basically still on top of the container, where there was a depression like a saucer," Thomas said.

State environmental inspectors did not find evidence of any leaks outside the truck, Thomas said.

Clean-up contractors, hired by Noah Technologies Corp., recovered a cup of trichlorobenzene, one of the solvents being shipped to the depot.

"The chemical was discovered at the front gate like it should've been and the depot (officials) took care of it like they should have," Thomas said. "There was never any threat to the public."

The Army contacted Oregon State Police and notified the depot fire department, Binder said.

Lt. Darin Helman said state patrol requested assistance from the Oregon Department of Transportation. Helman said an "extensive inspection" was conducted by the state.

Helman said his office received notification of another incident May 14, but the Army did not request any help.

Binder said that's because what inspectors found was a second tanker truck that was leaking vapors of tetrachloroethylene, a chemical commonly used in dry cleaning.

And last Wednesday, another truck was turned away after high vapor readings were recorded, Binder said.

Binder said the last shipment was received Thursday. The Army has stopped deliveries until the vendor can determine the cause of the May 13 leak and the subsequent high vapor readings.

Noah Technologies Corp. has 90 days before it needs to send another shipment, said Diane Milner, company spokeswoman. That's plenty of time to figure out what the problem may be, she added.

She said the company has shipped solvents long distances without incident.

"We've had to ship this far before, but not in this volume or through these kinds of extreme temperatures," Milner said.

No citations were issued in connection with the incidents.

 

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