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Anhydrous Ammonia Leak
Helping Victims Hurt in a Toxic Rail Car Leak in Minnesota
On March 17, 2007, authorities evacuated over 100 residents in southern Lake City, Minnesota after fumes from a rail car leaking anhydrous ammonia became overpowering. The leaking rail car was discovered in Lake City and moved three miles south into an unpopulated area, authorities said, but the fumes kept building.The leaking car was part of a 32-car Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad train operating on Canadian Pacific tracks, according to Jeff Johnson, a Canadian Pacific spokesman. Eleven of the cars in the train were carrying hazardous materials, but only the one tanker was leaking. Officials told reporters a cap on the tanker car apparently failed. State, city and railroad officials said the 28,000-gallon tanker is an older model. The ICE crew did not have a replacement cap on board and one wasn't readily available in the area, they said.
One resident told a local newspaper she went to let her dog out at 6:30 a.m. and smelled a faint chemical odor. Five minutes later, she went to let her pet back indoors and had to cover her face with her jacket in order to breathe. Several residents in southern Lake City complained of feeling sick, and people on the north end of the town on Lake Pepin also reported headaches and nausea, the newspaper reported.
Anhydrous ammonia can be extremely toxic and may be fatal if inhaled. The vapors are irritating and corrosive, according to the federal Emergency Response Guidebook. Symptoms of exposure may include a harsh burning sensation in the nose, a bad taste or stinging in the mouth, as well as headaches, nausea and difficulty breathing. The effects of inhalation may be delayed.
Ammonia fumes were detected as far as 15 miles north of Lake City.
If you or a loved one live in the Lake City, Minnesota area and suffered serious health ailments as a result of the toxic rail car leak, you may be entitled to compensation. Please fill out the form at the right for a free case review by a qualified attorney.
Anhydrous Ammonia LeakRSS Feed
Chemical leak spurs evacuation in Lake City
Mar 18, 2007 | AP
More than 100 people were evacuated from their homes in Lake City on Saturday after anhydrous ammonia leaked from a rail car, blanketing part of town with noxious fumes. U.S. 61 was closed from Lake City south to Wabasha about 7 a.m., and traffic was rerouted for several hours. The leaking car was moved three miles south into an unpopulated area, authorities said, but the fumes kept building. The evacuation on the south end of the town on Lake Pepin began about 7:45 a.m., and the fire...
Investigation of chemical leak in Lake City could take days
Mar 18, 2007 | AP
It could be several days before investigators determine the cause of an anhydrous ammonia leak Saturday morning that forced the evacuation of part of Lake City. The Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad will work with the Canadian Pacific Railway to determine why a problem developed with a valve on a customer's tanker car that carried 28,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia, said Jafar Karim, a spokesman for the IC&E in Sioux Falls, S.D. Local officials said only a small amount of the ammonia...
Minnesota train leak leads to evacuations
Mar 17, 2007 | www.wstm.com
Anhydrous ammonia leaked from a railroad tank car Saturday in southeastern Minnesota. The fumes led authorities to evacuate more than 100 people from their homes in Lake City.There were no reports of injuries. Authorities say the leaking car was moved three miles south into an unpopulated area. However, the fumes kept building and the evacuation began. Other residents were urged to stay indoors. A cap on the tanker car apparently failed. Authorities say they had capped the leak by early...
Anhydrous leak forces evacuations in Lake City
Mar 17, 2007 | www.postbulletin.com
Authorities evacuated more than 100 residents in southern Lake City this morning after fumes from a rail car leaking anhydrous ammonia became overpowering. The evacation began around 7:45 a.m., and evacuees took shelter in First Lutheran Church in Lake City until about 1:30 p.m., when authorities announced that the leak had been contained. U.S. Highway 61 was closed from Lake City south to Minnesota 42 at Kellogg around 7 a.m. and didn't reopen until after 2 p.m. Not long after the highway...
Anhydrous 'not something to mess around with'
Mar 17, 2007 | The Post-Bulletin
For some, the danger near their homes was not seen, heard or most importantly smelled. Residents of a Lake City mobile home park evacuated this morning because a nearby train car was leaking anhydrous ammonia, and they moved quickly to get out of harm's way. "It's something you take very seriously," said Jennifer Meyer, one evacuated resident. About 100 residences in the Edge O' Town development, on U.S. 61 on the south side of Lake City, were evacuated. Meyer was preparing her...
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