Sorry, I have not seen any actual citations or details of how this incident occurred, but I will update if I get anything.
A chemical supplier and an Ingredients’ facility have been fined $1 million each for violating the federal Clean Air Act when a cloud of toxic chlorine gas was released over Atchison, Kan., in 2016. Both companies have paid the fines. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree sentenced the companies during a hearing in federal court in Topeka, KS. Both companies pleaded guilty to negligently violating the Clean Air Act, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
In their pleas, they admitted that on Oct. 21, 2016, a greenish-yellow chlorine gas cloud formed at the Ingredients’ facility in Atchison when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite. The Atchison County Department of Emergency Management ordered community members to shelter in place and to evacuate in some areas. Approximately 140 individuals including members of the public, first responders, employees of the Ingredients facility and supplier sought medical attention.
From 2016 – A federal grand jury indicted the Ingredients business on three counts related to an incident in which a cloud of chlorine gas was released over the city. The incident, which occurred Oct. 21, 2016, resulted in one employee and five members of the public requiring hospitalization after exposure to the chlorine cloud. The grand jury also indicted the chemical supplier of Kansas City, Kan.
The manufacturer of food, alcohol and cleaning products, inadvertently put one chemical into the wrong tank, mixing with another chemical. A Kansas Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman said the two chemicals were sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite. When mixed together, they can create chlorine gas, a highly toxic substance that has been used for chemical warfare.
A chemical supplier driver delivered the sulfuric acid, and the indictment alleges that he mistakenly connected the sulfuric acid line to the sodium hypochlorite line after an employee helped the drive access transfer equipment.
The plume of gas arose from the plant around 8:45 a.m., creating a huge fog-like bank that covered much of downtown Atchison, spreading about 10 miles north through the city of 11,000 people. City officials immediately ordered residents within the path of the plume to shelter in place and turn off their ventilation systems, and they called for evacuations throughout the city. An all-clear was sounded about an hour later.
The indictment accuses the facility of failing to ensure that employees were aware of and adhered to work practices such as verifying connections and staying in the area until procedures are accomplished. The indictment says the facility identified the risk of mixing incompatible chemicals at the plant but didn’t take steps to minimize the risk, including employing the use of state-of-the-art equipment that would have detected the creation of chlorine gas. It says the facility knew the unloading lines for incompatible chemicals were too close together and not marked at the point of connection.
“As a result, MGPI did not design and maintain a safe facility consistent with current industry standards, generally accepted good engineering practices and recommendations cited in the chemical material safety data sheets that would have prevented or minimized the consequences of accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances,” the indictment states.