Washington-The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released a report regarding the uncontrolled oleum/sulfuric acid release from Indspec Chemical Corp. in Petrolia, Penn., some 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, which forced the evacuation of three surrounding towns in October 2008. In the report the CSB encouraged companies that handle hazardous chemicals to follow proper management-of-change procedures, monitor deviations from written operating procedures, and implement appropriate safeguards to mitigate human errors. The incident forced over 2,000 residents to evacuate or to shelter-in-place for approximately eight hours. Oleum, also known as fuming sulfuric acid, was released when a tank transfer operation was left unattended during weekend operations and an oleum storage tank overflowed. The oleum formed a toxic sulfur trioxide gas, which mixed with moisture in the air to form a dense, corrosive, sulfuric acid cloud that threatened the neighboring towns. CSB Chairman John Bresland said, “The managers of companies that handle highly hazardous substances, such as oleum, need to exercise special care that appropriate process safeguards are in place. In this accident, the CSB found that for many years, operators had been using an auxiliary pump power supply that lacked safety interlocks to prevent tank overfilling.” Owned by the Occidental Petroleum Corp., the facility produces resorcinol, a chemical used for making tires and other products.
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