Unintentional Methyl Bromide Gas Release -- Florida, 1988
At approximately 11 a.m. on November 30, 1988, a
tractor-trailer truck carrying 32 cylinders of a gaseous toxic
pesticide (methyl bromide, 98%, and chloropicrin, 2%) overturned
on an unpaved road in a rural area of Collier County, Florida.
One of the cylinders, filled to an unknown level but containing
no more than 1500 pounds of pressurized gas (the maximum capacity
of the cylinder), was punctured during the incident and released
toxic gas into the atmosphere.
At the time of the incident, wind speeds varied between 5 and
10 miles per hour and came primarily from the northeast. The 53
emergency responders included personnel from the Collier County
Sheriff's Department, a county ambulance service, local fire
departments, and the Florida State Patrol. Firefighters used
protective equipment, including self-contained breathing
apparatus; the other responders had no protective equipment. The
Collier County Sheriff's Department initiated a voluntary
evacuation by visiting every house in a 10-square-mile area; this
area contained approximately 50 households with an estimated
population of 130-140 persons. Risk of exposure was declared over
at 7 p.m.
Nine emergency responders (none of whom were firefighters) and
one local resident were treated at a community hospital for
symptoms associated with exposure to the gas. Of these, six were
hospitalized for a total of 17 person-days. Symptoms included
nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, headache, dizziness,
burning throat, coughing, and chest tightness. The primary route
of exposure was inhalation only for seven patients, dermal only
for two, and both dermal and inhalation for one patient. Although
the driver was pinned in the truck for at least 1 hour, he tested
negative for methyl bromide exposure--probably as a consequence
of protection afforded by the cab and by the cab's location
upwind of the spill. The local resident, a 19-year-old woman who
resided approximately two blocks southwest of the overturned
vehicle, was most likely exposed by gas drift. All patients
recovered without neurologic sequelae.
Reported by: J Polkowski, MD, MS Crowley, MS, AM Moore, HRS
Collier County Public Health Unit, RA Calder, MD, State
Epidemiologist, Florida Dept of Health and Rehabilitative Svcs.
Div of Health Studies, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry. Div of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Center
for Environmental Health and Injury Control, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Methyl bromide gas, used primarily as an
agricultural fumigant for nematodes, is a severe pulmonary
irritant and neurotoxin. The major symptoms reported in this
incident are consistent with previously reported symptoms (1).
Renal tubule damage and pulmonary edema have been reported in
fatalities associated with methyl bromide exposures (2).
At least three studies suggest that the public health impact of
hazardous material releases is difficult to evaluate because
existing databases vary in format and cannot be readily compared.
For example, a review of two databases in California--one
maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the other
by the California Highway Patrol--examined 474 and 485 hazardous
materials incidents, respectively. Only 18 incidents were
reported in both sources (3). In a study of three national
databases, only eight (1%) of 587 acute releases of hazardous
materials were common to all three systems (4). In the third
study, even though 502 incidents were reported to two databases,
substantial differences were noted for specific details regarding
related morbidity and mortality (5).
To establish a consistent database, the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and five states
(Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin) have
developed a pilot Emergency Event Surveillance System to
investigate selected transportation and fixed facility incidents.
The objectives of this surveillance system are to 1) describe the
temporal and geographic distribution of hazardous material
emergencies within these five states, 2) describe the morbidity
and causes of mortality experienced by employees, first
responders, and the general public as a result of these
incidents, 3) analyze and describe the risk factors associated
with the morbidity and mortality, and 4) propose strategies to
reduce subsequent morbidity and mortality in comparable events.
The five state health departments plan to begin data collection
from local reporting agencies in January 1990. Data will be
forwarded to ATSDR, and a centralized database accessible to
public health agencies of the five states will be established.
This process should facilitate immediate review of potential
adverse health effects that can result from exposure to specific
compounds.
Adverse health effects from hazardous material releases can be
minimized through the development and implementation of
comprehensive contingency or preparedness plans. In particular,
because emergency response workers are at substantial risk from
hazardous material releases, appropriate equipment and training
for these persons could prevent injury and illness. The Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 mandates that local
emergency planning committees develop preparedness plans for such
events (6). ATSDR can assist in the development of the health
components of these plans. Additional information is available
from ATSDR's Emergency Response Branch, Division of Health
Assessment and Consultation, at (404) 639-0615.
References
NIOSH. Occupational health guideline for methyl bromide. In:
Occupational health guidelines for occupational hazards.
Cincinnati: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public
Health Service, CDC, 1978.
Marraccini JV, Thomas GE, Ongley JP, et al. Death and injury
caused by methyl bromide: an insecticide fumigant. J Forensic Sci
1983;28:GO1-7.
Shaw GM, Windham GC, Leonard A, Neutra R. Characteristics of
hazardous material spills from reporting systems in California.
Am J Public Health 1986;76:540-3.
Binder S. Deaths, injuries, and evacuations from acute
hazardous materials releases. Am J Public Health 1989;79:1042-4.
Office of Technology Assessment. Transportation of hazardous
materials, OTA-SET-304. Washington DC: Congress of the United
States, Office of Technology assessment, 1986.
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of
1986--Pub. L. No. 99-499, Sections 301, 303, Title III, Oct. 17,
1986 (Codified in 42 U.S.C. Sections 11001, 11003 �1989�).
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