Sulfuric Acid Leak at the East St. Louis Terminal
At a fuel terminal in East St. Louis, Illinois, you finish loading 16 drums of UN1830, Sulfuric acid, 8, PG II, and 4 totes of UN1789, Hydrochloric acid, 8, PG II. As you pull away, a dock worker yells that a drum is leaking. You stop and find a steady drip (about one cup per minute) from the bottom chime of one sulfuric acid drum; a 2-foot-wide puddle is spreading toward a storm drain 15 feet away. The shipping paper lists 20 packages. The shipper says, 'Put a bucket under it and sign; it is just acid.' You have a spill kit with acid neutralizer, goggles, gloves, and a face shield. It is 95°F and windy.
1. What immediate actions do you take?
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Stop and treat the leak as a hazardous-materials incident. Do not sign the paper or move the vehicle. Keep people away and stay upwind; at 95°F and windy, vapors and mist can travel. Prevent the acid from reaching the storm drain 15 feet away by placing an absorbent boom, sand, or dirt from the spill kit at the drain opening if you can do so safely. Do not wash the puddle into the drain. Notify the shipper, call 911 or the local fire department, and call the emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper. Use the Emergency Response Guidebook: find UN1830 in the yellow-bordered pages, read the guide, and follow isolation and PPE advice. Put on goggles, gloves, and face shield before approaching.
2. Should you use the spill kit and then continue the trip?
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You may use the spill kit only within your training and only to contain the spread; a drum leaking at the bottom chime is a damaged package that may fail further, so do not try to patch it or continue the trip. The shipper must offload the drum, overpack it in a compatible salvage drum, or hire a contractor. Neutralizer can be used on a small contained puddle if the kit instructions and PPE are followed, but acid and neutralizer can react and spatter; do not mix them in an uncontrolled way. The bucket suggestion is unsafe because it does not address the source, the drain, or the vapors. Do not sign the shipping paper until the leaking package is removed and the trailer is clean.
3. What information should you give responders, and how do you use the Emergency Response Guidebook?
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Give responders the UN number, proper shipping name (Sulfuric acid), hazard class (8), packing group (II), the number and size of packages, the leak rate, the puddle size, the distance to the storm drain, wind direction, and any injuries. Tell them the shipper's emergency number and that the material is in drums and totes. In the ERG, use the yellow-bordered pages to find UN1830, then the numbered guide; use the guide's isolation distance, protective clothing, and fire/spill guidance. Do not assume water is safe for concentrated sulfuric acid; follow the guide. Keep the shipping paper available for responders and do not reenter the area until they say it is safe.