A chlorine leak at Thatcher Chemical Co. sent six employees and a Gold Cross worker to the hospital Tuesday and closed portions of California Avenue and an I-215 west offramp for nearly an hour.
At least 20 pounds of chlorine escaped from a loosened valve about 8:30 p.m. as an employee transferred the chemical from one container to another, Salt Lake City Fire Department Capt. Rick Berrett said. The Tuesday incident marked at least the fourth leak at the site during 1993, he said.The six injured employees were shuttled from the chemical plant at 1900 W. Fortune Road (1500 South) to waiting ambulances near the intersection of Redwood Road and California Avenue. Their clothes were removed and bagged and all six were sent to LDS Hospital. The Gold Cross technician was referred to the hospital later Tuesday night. Tim Smith, 28, and Scott Rasmusen, 36, remained at the hospital Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Fire officials considered the leak accidental and did not cite the company, Berrett said. Thatcher Chemical was cited by state regulators in February 1992 for 13 safety violations, most stemming from a 1991 sulphur dioxide spill that injured more than 400 people and forced the evacuation of 13,000.
The Tuesday incident was immediately recognized and handled by plant personnel before the Salt Lake City Fire Department arrived, company safety director Tom Thatcher said.
"The main thing I want to stress is that we had a small release and it was handled properly," Thatcher said. "At no time was the community in danger."
He was unsure Tuesday exactly how much chlorine leaked from the plant but said he doubted it was 20 pounds.
"I have to believe it was very small as I walked right to the area 15 minutes after it happened," he said. He described the leak as a vapor release from a scrubber stack. Fire officials say the release was directly linked to the loosened valve.
An evacuation of the surrounding area was considered, but the chemical quickly dissipated, Berrett said.
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(Additional information)
Another in series of leaks
Thatcher Chemical Co. employees properly handled a chlorine leak Tuesday at the West Salt Lake chemical plant, fire officials say.
Employees secured the area and promptly notified authorities. They had the chemical contained before the department arrived, Salt Lake City Fire Capt. Rick Berrett said.
Tuesday's leak is the latest of a series of reportable chemical leaks at the plant. West Salt Lake residents called for stringent reporting and notification practices in 1992, following two major leaks in the industrial area within fourth months of each other.
- A plant employee was treated at LDS Hospital April 24 after being sprayed in the face with chlorine. Workers at the industrial plant found a hole in a hose and closed it. The man attempted to open a separate line and was sprayed.
- A chlorine cylinder leaked 60 pounds of the chemical onto the floor in a plant building May 14, 1992. There were no injuries.
- At least 13,000 people were evacuated and 400 injured Nov. 24, 1991, when a toxic cloud of sulfur dioxide drifted over their neighborhoods. A coupling on a hose connecting a railroad car to a chemical storage tank broke, sending thousands of gallons of the chemical into the air.
In March 1992, a hydrochloric acid leak at nearby Great Western Chemical, 1773 S. 300 West, forced the evacuation of a 16-block area. No one was injured.