Fluoridated Chemical Accidents in Pennsylvania

Accidents involving water fluoridation chemicals in Pennsylvania: (Water fluoridation chemical accidents around the country.) [Note: this is far from a complete list. These are only the spills and accidents reported to the federal government and/or the media.] 12/10/2005: Fairview Township, PA - Fluoride overfeed at Pennsylvania American Water Co. contaminates water supply for 34,000 homes and businesses in York and Cumberland Counties. See: "Fluoride leak shuts the taps" and "Worker's error caused fluoride spill, state says" articles. 9/14/1996: Pittsburgh, PA - Tank of Hydrofluorosilicic Acid Spilled 5,000-7,000 of its 8,000 gallons into the Allegheny River 5/14/1988: Williamsport, PA - National Response Center reported a spill of "Hydrosilicofluoric" (see listing below) 8/20/1975: Lebanon, PA - Tank which held the fluoridation chemicals for Lebanon City, PA ruptured and released all of its contents. (see precedent-setting court case related to this, in which Lebanon City was forced to continue fluoridation against their will) 6/6/1972: Northeast Bradford Elem. School, Rome, PA - Blockage of BIF feeder by-pass occurred sending excess fluoride into water system as high as 67 mg./L. DER (Dept. of Env. Resources), Towanda, Pa. Records show fluoride at 48 ppm in water and 230 ppm in coffee. 150 students attending a school picnic vomited after drinking orange juice made with the water. (source)

Note: The information below only represents those accidents which have been called in to the National Response Center and includes no follow-up information. For example, the database listing for the Pittsburgh fluoridation chemical spill lists the spill as being only 100 gallons (the initial estimate), even through this was later revealed to be a 5,000-7,000 gallon spill.

In the list below, Allegheny Ludlum and Cabot Performance Materials are tied for the highest number of reported fluoride accidents (6 each), followed by Air Products & Chemicals with four.

Date	Company	City, County	Chemical	Amount	Cause	Medium	Notes
1/31/2005	Norfolk Southern	East Deer, Allegheny	Hydrogen Fluoride	10,000-20,000 gal	Railroad	Water	Train car carrying anhydrous hydrogen fluoride derailed into Allegheny River, releasing the gas into the river
5/8/2004	Honeywell	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Fluosulfonic Acid	Unknown	Unknown	Air	Leakage from the process area at the facility
7/02/2002	General Chemical	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Fluorosulfonic Acid	Unknown	Unknown	Land/Air	Release occured during the loading of a railcar. Release from both car and loading equipment, resulting in release of vapor cloud.
6/18/2002	Airborn Express	Media, Delaware	Fluoropolymer Resin	225 gal	Unknown	Water (wetland)	Caller reported a release from commericial truck due to puncture in container inside vehicle caused by unknown source.
8/1/2001	Osran Sylvania	Wellsboro, Tioga	Hydrofluoric Acid	170 gal	Equipment Failure (pipeline)	Land	The caller stated that an above-ground pipeline broke at a joint, the cause is unknown.
3/16/2001		I-90 between exits 7 and 8, Erie	p-Bromofluorobenzene	10 gal	Transportation Accident	Land	The caller is reporting a vehicle accident when a passenger van slid out of control in the east bound lane, crossed the median and into the on coming tanker truck. the tanker truck then swerved and rolled over into the median. 1 person hospitalized
12/1/2000	Verdict Chemical Company	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Ammonium Silicofluoride		Abandoned Chemical Drums		200 drums/500-1000 laboratory containers of hazardous susbstances in condemned building (2314 N. American St), including Acetone, Ammonium Hydroxide, Ethyl Acetate, and Para-Dichlorobenzene.
10/20/2000	General Chemical Corp.	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Hydrogen Fluoride	Unknown	Equipment Failure	Air	a rupture disk blew on a storage tank; 1 person hospitalized
8/4/2000	General Chemical Corp.	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Hydrogen Fluoride	1 lb	Equipment Failure	Air	the material released while performing maintenace on a rail car unloading line; 6 people hospitalized
8/21/2000		Easton, Northampton	Trichlorofluoromethane	Unknown	Dumping	Public Sewer System	Unknown amounds of 1-Ethyl-2-Methyl Benzene, Ethyl Benzene, Isoprotyl Benzene, Zylene and other unknown solvents were also dumped. The caller suspects that a unknown party is dumping unknown solvents into the municipal water system.
4/19/2000	Jessop Steel Company	Washington, Washington	Nitric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid and water mixture	50 gal	Equipment Failure	Water	material was being transferred from process tub to vacuum box which had developed a leak
3/25/2000	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	Hydrofluoric Acid	400 lbs	Equipment Failure	Water	Process tank has crack.; 3 people hospitalized.
3/16/2000	Allegheny Ludlum	Washington, Washington	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Unknown	Water (Chartiers Creek)	An unknown about of Nitric Acid also leaked. The material released from an above ground waste acid storage tank due to a leak. The cause of the leak has not been determined.
12/11/1999	Tosco Refinery	Trainer, Delaware	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Unknown	Air	process line / release occured due to unknown causes; Plants emergency response team is responding. County emergency management team is investigating.
7/19/1999	Allied Chemical	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Boron Trifluoride	Unknown	Equipment Failure	Air	a leak in a pressure gage release got worse at 6:30pm
6/7/1999	Gessup Steel?	Smithton, Washington	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Transportation Accident	Roadway / Storm Drain / Water	Exit 23, I-70 Eastbound; tractor trailer tanker truck / a hole in the cargo tank developed due to unknown cause
4/5/1999	Air Products & Chemicals	Tamaqua, Schuylkill	Fluorine	18 lbs	Equipment failure	Air	Fluorine production plant / tube failure
1/11/1999	Armco Steel	Butler, Butler	Hydrofluoric Acid	400 gal	Operator Error	Water	spilled into water storm drain to Connoquenessing Creek; storage tank overflowed while contractor transferred material from a tank truck / tank is not DOT regulated
6/7/1998	Hamilton Precision Metals	Lancaster, Lancaster	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Equipment Failure		evaporator tank / pump seal ruptured / tank is not DOT regulated
3/20/1998	Hercules Inc.	West Elizabeth, Allegheny	Boron Trifluoride	50 lbs	Unknown	Air	tube trailer / hook up with cylinders came loose for unknown reasons causing release producing white cloud visible for 3 plus miles
1/29/1998	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	Hydrofluoric Acid	3 gal	Operator Error	Land	also spilled 5 gallons of sulfuric acid; above ground processing tank/ tank was being taken out of service by cutting up tank when rainwater got into tank and leached out material
10/4/1997	Angelica Textile Serv. Inc	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Ammonium Silicofluoride	0 gal	Operator Error	Land	ammonium silicofluoride tank / sodium hypochlorite tank / the two products were mixed together / bubbled out of tank; injuries were treated and released
10/21/1996	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	Hydrofluorozirconic Acid (pH 1)	55 gal		Land (Concrete)	55 gal plastic drum leaked material
9/14/1996	City Water Treatment Plan	Pittsburgh, Allegheny	Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (25%?)	100 gal or 833 lbs (later found to be 5,000-7,000 gallons)	Reported As "Unknown" (Really, The Tank Split)	Water	Huge Fluoride Spill in Pittsburgh (article)
5/29/1996	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	Hydrofluoric Acid	100 gal or 900 lbs			Hydrofluoric Acid spill
5/27/1996	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	Hydrofluoric Acid	100 gal or 900 lbs	Equipment Failure (Storage Tank / Valve Failure)	Land
10/24/1995	Trinity Industries	Greenville, Mercer	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Operator Error	?
10/1/1994		Tionesta, Forest	Dichlorodifluoromethane	Unknown		Ground Water - Peters Run	wet weather spring and rain run off//material is released by rain water; caller has found 116 dead animals in his yard
9/12/1994	BP Refinery	Trainer, Delaware	Hydrofluoric Acid	100 lbs		Cooling Water Tower	heat exchanger//leaked due to a tube failure; neutralized material with soda ash and lime
8/26/1994	Allegheny Ludlum	Leechburg, Armstrong	Hydrofluoric Acid	50 gal or 450 lbs	Equipment Failure	Water	above ground storage tank above ground storage tank//leaked due to a hole
1/6/1994	Plymouth Mobil Wash, Inc.	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Operator Error	Air	aluminum trailers washing outside trailers and allowing to run-off
1/17/1994	Cabot Performance Materials	Boyertown, Berks	3% Hydrofluoric And 1% Sulfuric	500 gal or 4,950 lbs	Improper Maintenance Of Plant Piping	Land	flange on 3" waste acid line flange open due to maintenance work; material mixed with water. will notify the DER and LEPC
12/4/1993	Atlas Photo & Grave	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Trifluorochloroethylene	Unknown	Equipment Failure	On-Site	dumping in sewer & dumpster; release lasted less than two minutes
8/5/1993	Conrail	Allentown, Lehigh	Fluosulfonic Acid	1 gal or 14 lbs	Operator Error	Land	tank car dome mat'l spilled from top of car in the process of moving the tank car to another location / process known as "humping"
8/12/1993	Conrail	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Hydrofluoric Acid Vapor	Unknown	Equipment Failure	Air	rail car ruptured disk/vented due to pressure; a non railroad employee truck driver was taken to the hospital for observations
5/16/1993	Custom Compounding Corp	Aston, Delaware	Hydrogen Fluoride	320 lbs		Air	oven chemical reaction caused fire
5/15/1993	Yellow Freight Systems	Southampton Twp, ?	Fluoro Boric Acid	45 gal		Land	leak of hazardous material/not specified
3/26/1993	Allegheny Ludlum	Leechburg, Armstrong	Hydrofluoric Acid 5%	1500 gal (300 in water)	Equipment Failure	Land / Water (Kiskiminetas River)	above ground storage tank leaked
2/22/1993	West Motor Freight Co.	I-78 Eastbound, Allentown, Lehigh	Trichlorofluoromethane	50 gal or 417 lbs	Transportation Accident	Land	tank truck transport accident
9/19/1992	Air Products & Chemicals	Tamaqua, Schuylkill	Fluorine	116 lbs	Operator Error	Air	tube trailer valve was opened.
5/11/1992	U.S. Army - Letterkenny Depot SDSLE-ENE Bldg. 663	Chambersburg, Franklin	Dichlorodifluoromethane Gas (Freon)	2,000 lbs	Equipment Failure (Air Conditioning System Line Broke)	Air	7 employees evacuated; 1 employee (a painter) was taken to the clinic with complaints of headache; cost $7,074; worst case release is 2000 lbs.; company claims there were no environmental effects
4/16/1992	Chevron Oil Refinery	Philadelphia, Philadelphia	Hydrofluoric Acid Liquid (99%)	2 lbs (air); 2 lbs (treatment facility)	Faulty Process Design / Equipment Failure (Process Vessel)	Air / Treatment Facility	5 employees and 100 contractors evacuated; cost the facility $10,000; alcolation unit performing routine maintenance; the substance was a hydrofluoric acid-containing material (unk. amt. of acid).
3/18/1992	Air Products & Chemicals	Tamaqua, Schuylkill	Fluorine	20 lbs	Compressor Failure - Unknown Cause	Air
1/3/1992	Allegheny Ludlum	Leechburg, Armstrong	Hydrofluoric Acid	158 lbs (air); 1,546 lbs (water)	Equipment Failure (Pipe)	Air / Water	also spilled 3,612 lbs of nitric acid; cost the facility $12,000; company claims there were no environmental effects
11/5/1991	Allied Signal	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Boron Trifluoride	5 lbs		Air / Land
9/26/1991	Allied Signal	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Fluorosulfonic Acid	10 lbs		Land	tank car supply pump gasket failure; report recieved of a possible pipeline spill - no additional information available. see NRC case 96770
9/11/1991	General Chemical Corp.	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Hydrofluoric Acid	6 lbs		Air	valve / operator error; release lasted for 5 minutes
6/22/1991	Lukens Steel	Coatesville, Chester	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown		Air	storge tank/ leaking valve
6/2/1991	Allegheny Ludlum	Leechburg, Armstrong	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown		Water (Kiskiminetas River)	pickling facility rinse water sump / pump failure; acid content of release less than 5 gallons
2/2/1991	Merck	Riverside, Northumberland	Chlorodifluoromethane Gas	1250 lbs	Equipment Failure (Process Vessel)	Air	cost the facility $2,960; company claims there were no environmental effects
11/12/1990	Mill Service Inc. - on I-70	Charleroi, Washington	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown	Transportation accident		trailer / leaking, unknown
8/6/1990	Flowline Division	New Castle, Lawrence	Hydrogen Fluoride Liquid (52%)	206 lbs (land); 103 lbs (water); 132 lbs (treatment facility)	Equipment Failure (Storage Vessel)	Land / Water / Treatment Facility	4,457 lbs of nitric acid also spilled; the HF spill was reported differently to another federal database as 40 gal or 330 lbs; storage tank / discovered a spill release around the tank, cause is unknown; due to heavy rain, material in the water was not located. took sample of water and obtained normal pH results
8/6/1990	Allied Signal	Marcus Hook, Delaware	Boron Trifluoride	3 lbs	Equipment Failure	Air	distillation column pinhole leak
7/14/1990		Springfield Twp., ?	Tri-Chlorotrifluoroethane	100 lbs	Dumping	Water	these two containers had been dumped into the brook; reporter does not know how serious the materials are
4/30/1990	Carpenter Insulation	Fogelsville, Lehigh	Trichlorofluoromethane	44,000 lbs	Equipment Failure (Pipe)	Air	material released when in-line filter basket bowl ruptured due to an undetermined cause, possibly pressure build-up due to high temps; company claims there were no environmental effects
4/27/1990	BP Refinery	Trainer, Delaware	Hydrogen Fluoride Gas (90%)	300 lbs	Equipment Failure	Air	HF alcalation unit/leaking gasket
12/27/1989	Grinnell	Columbia, Lancaster	Hydrogen Fluoride Liquid (0.022%)	16 lbs	Equipment Failure (Pipe)	Water	hydrochloric acid also spilled
8/9/1989	Carpenter Technology	Reading, Berks	Hydrogen Fluoride Liquid (70%)	4,401 lbs	Equipment Failure (Storage Vessel)	Land	caused soil contamination
2/16/1989		?, ?	Hydrofluoric Acid	Unknown		Land	storage tank/tank had leak in liner
12/15/1988	Air Products & Chemicals	Manchester, York	Fluorine	Unknown	Equipment Failure - Faulty Valve	Air	Reporter claims bad health effects due to exposure to chemicals, also company failed to report release. Release alleged to exceed RQ during the time peroid.
5/28/1988	Ashland?	?, ?	Hydrofluoric Acid	200 gal or 1,648 lbs		Land	leaking storage tank/failure of tank-coming through the sidewall of the horizontal tank; Ashland is arranging for a tank truck to remove remainder of the product in the tank;eta unknown at time of report
5/20/1988		Montgomeryville, Montgomery	Hydrofluoric Acid 70%	10 gal or 82 lbs		Land	at Stump Rd and Route 309, rupture disk on a transport trailer/failed
5/14/1988		Williamsport, Lycoming	Hydrosilicofluoric	2 gal or 17 lbs		Land	at Newberry Yard: 10 cars derailed, 7 empty's 2 loaded with sand, and the one car leaking is leaning and leaking out of dome
8/3/1987	Ashland	Easton, Northampton	Hydrogen Fluoride Vapor (92%)	500 lbs	Equipment Failure (Storage Vessel)	Air
6/25/1987	Allegheny Ludlum	Leechburg, Armstrong	Hydrofluoric Acid Solution (70%)	15 gal or 124 lbs		Land	hose broke while unloading from truck to tank; tank truck delivering Hydrofluoric Acid to #8 acid station storage tank/possibly break in delivery pipe.
2/26/1987	J&L Specialty Products	Midland, Beaver	Hydrogen Fluoride Liquid (70%)	9,282 lbs (air) / 168 lbs (water)	Equipment Failure (Storage Vessel)	Air / Water	there were unspecified environmental effects
12/19/1986 to 12/22/1986	Armco Steel	Butler, Butler	Hydrogen Fluoride Liquid	1,590 lbs	Equipment Failure (Storage Vessel)	Spilled Into Water	1 employee injured; caused fish kills

Last modified: 30 November 2007

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