Response to Elemental Mercury
CSX Railroad Tunnel Fire,
Spill, Honolulu, Hawaii
Baltimore, Maryland
On March 12, 2001, a police officer discovered
ATSDR provided assistance to the EPA Region
that children from a neighborhood near
3 on-scene coordinator regarding a July 21,
Honolulu had collected buckets of elemental
2001, CSX Railroad derailment and subsequent
mercury from an abandoned building and con-
fire in the rail tunnel in the city of Baltimore,
taminated numerous homes in the Puuwai
Maryland. As a result of the derailment, a rail-
Momi housing area. The abandoned building
road tanker car filled with hydrochloric acid was
had originally been a pump station for the U.S.
damaged and began to leak.
Navy. The children had broken into the building
As the need for urgent emergency unloading of
and acquired about 1.5 gallons of mercury from
this car became apparent, ATSDR provided the
manometers designed to measure the pump's
on-scene coordinator with information detailing
pressure.
the toxicity and potential chemical reactions
The Hawaii Department of Health contacted
and incompatibilities involving two other haz-
ATSDR to request information on health effects,
ardous materials (tripropylene and bis-2-eth-
action levels, and clean-up methods for elemen-
ylhexylphthalate) in addition to the hydrochlo-
tal mercury. Through March 14, 79 people from
ric acid held by railcars in the area of the
the neighborhood visited area hospitals to be
fire. Agency emergency response personnel also
evaluated. Of those, one person was admitted
reviewed and evaluated environmental data col-
for observation, and another was provided
lected by the state and EPA.
outpatient chelation therapy. During clinical
ATSDR's evaluation of EPA and state data--
screening, which was offered at three locations
and its subsequent recommendation--allowed
in the community, 130 urine samples were col-
emergency response workers to select the most
lected. Of those samples, 90 were below back-
appropriate equipment for responding to this
ground levels for mercury and 40 were above
incident. Specifically, the choice of emergency
the background level, but none of the individu-
equipment required to enter a high hazard, con-
als was symptomatic.
fined space--the damaged railcar--and unload
Through March 20, an ATSDR consultation
hydrochloric acid, was a direct result of the
team provided daily conference call updates to
agency's recommendation. By the evening of
the Hawaii Department of Health. Parameters
July 22, 2001, all of the railcars containing haz-
for treatment, soil concentrations of potential
ardous materials had been removed from the
concern, use of real-time meters, and compari-
tunnel without incident or injury to emergency
son values for levels of mercury in blood col-
workers.
lected by a private physician were among the
issues discussed. By March 20, all 260 units of
the Puuwai Momi complex had been evaluated.
Of these, 73 were found to be contaminated and
were cleaned using criteria based on ATSDR
recommendations.
30 chapter 1
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