Pocatello man cited for sulfuric acid spill
UPDATE 10/9/18: Idaho State Police reports Brent Carlson of Pocatello has been cited for allowing the release of the hazardous material in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Standard 173.24(b)(1).
On Sept. 27, Carlson was transporting 1,060 pounds of 93 percent to 98 percent sulfuric acid.
According to ISP, he noticed the tank holding the acid was leaking as he traveled near Fort Hall Mine Road and US 91 in Bannock County and continued his trip to 746 McKinley Avenue in Pocatello where he tried to stop the leak.
Approximately 60 gallons of the acid leaked onto city and county roadways.
ORIGINAL:
Streets are stained, but at least they’re safe to drive on. Crews worked for hours Thursday night, neutralizing a chemical spill on the roadways. Around 7:00 p.m., a truck coming from Soda Springs carrying 83 gallons of sulfuric acid had a leak.
The sulfuric acid spilled for at least 40 miles. Of that 83 gallons, about 60 gallons were spilled.
That is about equal to a bathtub’s worth. Though it was a tough situation to handle, Assistant Fire Chief of Pocatello Fire, Travis Smith, was pleased with the outcome.
“Regional response team 6, it’s a specialized hazardous materials team. That team deployed in a unified command team system with industry experts, law enforcement, road and bridge, department of transportation, public works department, came together and figured out how to deploy, how to tactically to go about, strategically how to go about, neutralizing the threat of this spill.”
Crews examined the entire trail, neutralizing the abundant areas with Soda Ash
All provided by the experts. Sulfuric acid can cause severe burns on contact. So officials are urging people caution to those who may have driven through it. The man driving was badly burned when he tried to stop the leak and is being treated at the Portneuf Medical Center.
“As with any Alkaline or acid thing, it’s a different PH in the body so depending on the concentration and exposure time, depends on how bad it could be. But, it creates chemical burns is essentially what it is.”
Now, the acid is neutralized and the roads are safe. As a result, a white residue remains on the street. However, the Department of Environmental Quality suggests that the cleanup will be minimal. Doug Tanner, Environmental Manager says, “It may not look like it, but the white powder is a good sign. That means the acid has been reacted, it is clean as it needs to be. So, people don’t need to worry about driving in the white powder. So over time as rain and other events come the white powder will go away.”
