South Charleston, Ohio-Southwest Landmark Inc. is still investigating the cause of a 3,000-gallon anhydrous ammonia spill from a half-full 30,000 gallon storage tank Tuesday, Dec. 19, that sent one employee to the hospital and caused three nearby homes to be evacuated. “We won’t be able to say anything about it until we determine if it was an equipment failure or a defect with the hose,” Southwest agronomist Doug Wical told Green Markets. “We’ve pretty much ruled out human error.” Wical said two workers were transferring ammonia into nurse tanks when the incident occurred. They were in protective gear but had minor inhalation problems, along with two others working nearby on maintenance. One was taken to the hospital for minor injuries from the hose dislodging. The release sent up a vapor cloud that was spread by the wind toward homes before a Clark County hazmat team could shut off the main valve. The local press reported 100 homes evacuated, but Wical said it was only three and that it lasted less than two hours. Since Southwest Landmark is on State Road 35, traffic was rerouted briefly for about a half mile in each direction.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain