Noxious cloud injures 13

A Chemical Spill at the Southern Water Treatment company closed down a section of White Horse Rd. Eleven people were transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital. HAZMAT members suit up to inspect the site of the spill. (Ken Osburn/Staff) e-mail this story print this story Related Related stories: • Man mixing chemicals knew he had to flee fast Related Web site • Learn more about Southern Water Treatment Company • Learn more about hydrogen sulfide Photo gallery • Photos from the chemical spill

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A nearby elementary school was locked down as dozens of emergency officials and hazardous materials specialists in moon suits worked to decontaminate plant workers and people who drove through the cloud, not knowing it was composed of potentially deadly gas.

"When I got back from lunch it was in the air," said Keith Jeter, a 28-year-old forklift operator at Cemex, a cement company just down the road from the source of the gas. "It didn't smell too good, and my throat started getting a little scratchy."

He said he didn't seek any medical treatment.

The release happened shortly before noon after a worker at Southern Water Treatment Co., at 2806 White Horse Road near the Greenville Fairgrounds, passed out as he was mixing three chemicals — sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrosulfide and ferris chloride, officials said.

The chemicals were being mixed together in a container to create a solution that sewer plants use to treat wastewater, and there was some sort of chemical reaction, said Thom Berry, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. It wasn't a leak, he said.

"Something happened — we don't know what — when these materials were being mixed that resulted in some type of explosion or flash fire that activated the plant's sprinkler system," Berry said. "Whatever happened, it was an instantaneous thing and it was over."

The gas remained concentrated in the area outside the plant for several minutes, though, officials said. By 3:30 p.m. the road had been reopened and only the plant remained cordoned off.

Samuel Stokes, a 36-year-old blending operator for the company, said he was mixing the chemicals the same way he always did.

"I came to, and pulled myself up, and as I walked to the door, I was telling the other co-workers they need to get away because something ain't right," he said in an interview at the hospital. "And right about that time there was a big explosion."

A man at the scene whom firefighters identified as an official of Southern Water Treatment declined to comment. The company couldn't be reached to comment.

Berry said DHEC will wait for a report before determining whether any regulatory action is necessary.

The chemicals combined to form hydrogen sulfide, according to Richard Jones, chief of the Parker Fire Department.

Hydrogen sulfide is a flammable gas that can be deadly in very high concentrations, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A colorless gas that has the distinct sulfur smell of rotten eggs, it acts by paralyzing the respiratory system.

Symptoms of exposure can include rapid or slow heart rate, palpitations, low blood pressure, confusion and delirium, headache, muscle cramping, coughing, coma and convulsions.

People affected by the chemical were treated at the hospital for lung and skin irritation, officials said.

Kathy Sisk, a receptionist at Cemex, the cement company nearby, said she drove through the cloud on her way to get a salad for lunch, and passed through it again on her way back. She had her windows rolled up and air-conditioning on, which may have minimized her exposure, she said.

"It was just a haze of smoke like you're going up into the mountains," she said. When she got back, her throat felt scratchy.

Homes and businesses on the west side of White Horse Road, downwind from the release, were evacuated, said Jones, the fire chief. He couldn't say how many people were evacuated, but the potential danger zone extended about a quarter mile downwind. Residents within a half-mile were told to close their windows and turn on their air-conditioners, he said.

When the building's sprinkler system was triggered, the chemicals washed safely into a holding basin, Jones said.

People who had been exposed were taken to makeshift blue plastic tents set up in the road where they removed their contaminated clothing before being shuttled away in ambulances.

Thirteen people were taken to Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center where they were treated for lung and skin irritation, said Dr. Martin Lutz, medical director of emergency services.

They were decontaminated with soap and water, he said, and given medication for nausea and skin irritation.

One was in worse shape than the others, Lutz said, and was expected to stay overnight. Nonetheless, he was in stable condition and able to speak.

"He said he feels like he's still burning on the inside and feels like he can still taste the hydrogen sulfide," he said.

The man was given oxygen as well as medication for nausea and the skin irritation, Lutz said, adding it was too early to say whether he would suffer any long-term effects.

Twelve of the 13 had been released by 6 p.m.

All the patients were lucky, Lutz said.

"If you get a full exposure (of the gas) it can paralyze you and you can die, so it's very dangerous," he said. "Any time there's an event at a plant and no one's hurt badly, we think they're very fortunate."

While the gas can also cause neurological symptoms, none of the patients are believed to have suffered any, he said.

Lutz said the hospital opened its command center when officials heard about the spill in preparation. Two off-duty ER doctors came in, along with three surgeons and numerous nurses, he said. Afterward, an environmental employee tested the area to make sure there was no residual contamination.

Greenview Elementary School, which is about three-quarters of a mile from the site, was locked down for less than an hour, but officials said it was never in any danger because it was upwind.

All children were brought into the building from portable classrooms, the doors were locked and no one was allowed in or out, said Principal Judy Mulkey.

"It wasn't scary," she said. "They (the children) followed directions beautifully. It was a great execution of a drill situation."

No one in the school experienced any breathing problems, she said.

"We're in a challenging area — lots of industry around us," she said.

Residents near the plant walked up to the area that had been blocked off by yellow tape as hazardous materials specialists in yellow protective suits made their way from a tangle of emergency vehicles down the vacant four-lane highway to check for contamination.

"When we got up this morning the whole house smelled like rotten eggs," said Erika Sanders. "This concerns me because we have two small children in the house."

The incident backed traffic up on White Horse Road between Interstate 85 and Anderson Road from about noon until shortly before 3:30 p.m. Cars and 18-wheelers were diverted to side streets, clogging the area for hours.

White Horse Road averages 37,700 vehicles a day on that stretch, according to state Department of Transportation traffic counts from 2004.

Ed Swain of Myrtle Beach was detained for two hours in trying to get his truck to a dealer for servicing.

"I just called them and told them I won't be back until Thursday," he said. "Now I'm going to try to find a way back to (Interstate) 85."

Southern Water Treatment has hired 3R Environmental of Greenville to clean up the plant and is investigating the incident, said DHEC's Berry.

Founded in 1984, the company specializes in wastewater treatment and metal-removal methods, according to its Web site. The firm also maintains warehouses in Texas, New Hampshire, California, Utah, Oregon and Puerto Rico.