Hazardous materials accident report - anhydrous hydrogen fluoride release from NATX 9408, Train No. BNEl3Y at Conrail's Receiving Yard, Elkhart, Indiana, February 4, 1985

Technical Report · Wed Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5854201

At 6:30 a.m., on February 4, 1985, an empty placarded railroad tankcar, containing an estimated 800 gallons of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, a corrosive liquid, was found leaking in the Consolidated Rail Corporation's Elkhart, Indiana Receiving Yard. During the following 4 hours as local emergency response agencies worked to contain the spill, a vapor cloud formed and traveled approximately 2 1/2 miles affecting nearby residential areas northwest of the yard. A total of 1,500 people within a 1.1-square-mile area adjacent to and northwest of the yard were evacuated for 9 hours as an emergency precaution. Local area hospitals treated 75 persons for minor skin and eye irritations. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the decision by Burlington Northern to continue in transportation a tankcar reported to be leaking on February 3, 1985, at its Cicero, Illinois railroad yard. The leak in the tankcar resulted from a failure of the tankcar head at a weld undercut made during its construction. Contributing to the extent of the emergency and the unnecessary endangerment of railroad employees and the surrounding communities was the failure of mechanical inspection and supervisory personnel at both the Burlington Northern Railroad Cicero Yard and the Conrail Elkhart Yard to take prompt, appropriate action once notified of the leak.

• Research Organization: National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, DC (USA). Bureau of Accident Investigation
• OSTI ID: 5854201
• Report Number(s): PB-85-917015/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
ACCIDENTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILLS
AIR POLLUTION
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
RAILROAD CARS
INSPECTION
LEAKS
VAPORS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MATERIALS
POLLUTION
TRAINS
VEHICLES
290300* - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)