Local chemical spill today - dimethoate???

Any chemists around?

Today there was a chemical spill near where I live, the details are strange though.

An accidental chemical spill at a Cordele plant caused a strong odor that's spread around several counties Wednesday morning.

They say about 40 thirty-gallon drums of dimethoate were spilled after the chemical overheated.

Police said that the chemical is not hazardous, but that the smell may affect people with respiratory problems.

WALB in Albany reported that the odor could be smelled as far as Eufala, Alabama.

www.13wmaz.com...

So first off "Police said that the chemical is not hazardous, but that the smell may affect people with respiratory problems." did not set right with me, its a contradicting statement.

2nd, the distance between Cordele GA and Eufala AL is like 100 miles...

"The weather helped exacerbate the chemical smell this morning. The winds were blowing 5-10 mph out of the northeast. This sent the smell down wind from Cordele."

www.walb.com...

The winds must have been faster than that?

So a quick search about the chemical tells me:

Dimethoate is an insecticide used to kill mites and insects systemically and on contact.

Dimethoate is one of a class of insecticides referred to as organophosphates. These chemicals act by interfering with the activities of cholinesterase, an enzyme that is essential for the proper working of the nervous systems of both humans and insects.

Dimethoate is moderately toxic by ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption.

and the link this is from makes it out to be pretty dangerous, to lab rats anyway?

pmep.cce.cornell.edu...

Any info appreciated, I have some friends that are pretty worried. Thanks

This stuff is highly toxic!

I would take a drive somewhere until the air has cleared.

reply to post by OccamAssassin


Thats messed up, I didn't go outside to be on the safe side today. Plenty of people I know were in it all day though because the news was saying it was safe..

This chemical is highly toxic. They should be evacuating, not telling you that it's not hazardous!

I can only submit this at this time; asparagas soup,
precautionary principle looks like it got tossed out the window...

reply to post by loveguy


Looks like it!

Since the precautionary principle is not a statutory requirement though noone will get in trouble for this and the general public won't find out..

The asst. plant manager told the police the chemical wasn't dangerous so the cops just took his word and told the local news people that. There are different reports on the number of barrels that exploded. When the cops first showed up the asst. plant manager actually played dumb about it! All over my facebook wall local people have been talking about it because they smelled it.

These things should possibly be brought to the attention of some authority who can hold people accountable. I mean, those cops have google in they're patrol cars! They could have looked it up just like I did and saw it was harmful, they are to blame too.

Wonder what agency you would file a complaint with for something like this?

Originally posted by OccamAssassin
This stuff is highly toxic!

I would take a drive somewhere until the air has cleared.

Amount of people in America killed during 2007 due to haz-mat incidents involving more than 20 gallons / 15 pounds (EPA reportable threshold that makes the event an "incident") of material - 812 (NDEC yearly report)National Disaster Education Coalition

Amount of people in America killed during 2007 due to traffic accidents - 37,248 (NHTSA yearly report) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Driving is a poor choice when given the option of a big old haz-mat or taking the grocery-getter out for a spin.

(PS - deaths and injuries from household cleaners outnumber those caused by a spill of ethylmetholbadstuff by over 100 to 1. Moral? Instead of statistically gambling your life by cleaning the toilet, grab a Natty Light and sit in your lawn chair in the shade of a nice tanker truck.)

reply to post by opthetan


Rotflmao.

Point noted.

reply to post by OccamAssassin


Maybe its where I live.. but these people are idiots or covering up that its toxic.

The chemical is not poisonous, according to Lunsford, but it is an irritant and can cause respiratory difficulties.

Lunsford is the Fire Chief of the county where it happened.

cordeledispatch.com...

Took me not even 5 minutes to find out that the chemicals toxicity class was 2 out of 4, ""Harmful or fatal if inhaled". I don't live in that county thankfully. Sounds like some people over there are going to have some issues though.

Originally posted by 1/2 Nephilim
reply to post by loveguy

 

Looks like it!

Since the precautionary principle is not a statutory requirement though noone will get in trouble for this and the general public won't find out..

The asst. plant manager told the police the chemical wasn't dangerous so the cops just took his word and told the local news people that. There are different reports on the number of barrels that exploded. When the cops first showed up the asst. plant manager actually played dumb about it! All over my facebook wall local people have been talking about it because they smelled it.

These things should possibly be brought to the attention of some authority who can hold people accountable. I mean, those cops have google in they're patrol cars! They could have looked it up just like I did and saw it was harmful, they are to blame too.

Wonder what agency you would file a complaint with for something like this?

edit on 9-1-2013 by 1/2 Nephilim because: (no reason given)

Is it a matter of principles or a matter of principle?

For some reason I can't seem to find a decent principal link worth clicking;

The most common use of the term "deferred interest" is in the mortgage market. In a deferred interest mortgage, the borrower is allowed to make minimum payments smaller than the amount of interest owed, with the remaining interest added to the amount of the original loan. As a
result, the borrower's interest will accrue, and the borrower will eventually owe more than the original value of the loan. In essence, since the minimum payments are not large enough, a borrower who pays only the minimum indicated is only paying off a portion of the interest every month and will not make a dent in their loan principal.

Don't let the guy worried more about his (profit margin) than our safety; have any of our soup.

PhD in Chemistry and about a decade in Industry here

Ok

(a) It IS hazardous (en.wikipedia.org... yes that is a wiki but its easier than posting the MSDS and explaining it all)
(b) It is an Organophosphate insecticide. Other organophosphates are nerve agents like oh say VX.

So yeah its toxic, it is not AS toxic as some other ones, and you'd have to get a good dose to get an accute or chronic effect. None the less, its toxic (very) and you should stay either indoors with the windows shut or bug out for a bit. If you have pets....take them, don't be a wanker

Originally posted by 1/2 Nephilim
Any chemists around?

Today there was a chemical spill near where I live, the details are strange though.

An accidental chemical spill at a Cordele plant caused a strong odor that's spread around several counties Wednesday morning.

They say about 40 thirty-gallon drums of dimethoate were spilled after the chemical overheated.

Police said that the chemical is not hazardous, but that the smell may affect people with respiratory problems.

WALB in Albany reported that the odor could be smelled as far as Eufala, Alabama.

www.13wmaz.com...

So first off "Police said that the chemical is not hazardous, but that the smell may affect people with respiratory problems." did not set right with me, its a contradicting statement.

2nd, the distance between Cordele GA and Eufala AL is like 100 miles...

"The weather helped exacerbate the chemical smell this morning. The winds were blowing 5-10 mph out of the northeast. This sent the smell down wind from Cordele."

www.walb.com...

The winds must have been faster than that?

So a quick search about the chemical tells me:

Dimethoate is an insecticide used to kill mites and insects systemically and on contact.

Dimethoate is one of a class of insecticides referred to as organophosphates. These chemicals act by interfering with the activities of cholinesterase, an enzyme that is essential for the proper working of the nervous systems of both humans and insects.

Dimethoate is moderately toxic by ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption.

and the link this is from makes it out to be pretty dangerous, to lab rats anyway?

pmep.cce.cornell.edu...

Any info appreciated, I have some friends that are pretty worried. Thanks

Smells like a huge lawsuit might spring up soon.. I'd keep me eye on it and get updates. I'm sure this won't be going away anytime soon.

Originally posted by Manhater
Smells like a huge lawsuit might spring up soon.. I'd keep me eye on it and get updates. I'm sure this won't be going away anytime soon.

Yeah because litigation will fix this? Sorry but it will not. Rather strict enforcement of regulations will.

reply to post by Noinden


Thank you for the info!

Since you have the schooling and experience that you do, would you happen to know what agency might be the best to contact about the way this incident was handled?

Originally posted by Noinden

Originally posted by Manhater
Smells like a huge lawsuit might spring up soon.. I'd keep me eye on it and get updates. I'm sure this won't be going away anytime soon.

Yeah because litigation will fix this? Sorry but it will not. Rather strict enforcement of regulations will.

No but if a chronic illness resulted from this that cost hundreds of dollars per year in to treat you, shouldn't the negligent and dirty multi million dollar company that caused it pay?

reply to post by 1/2 Nephilim

Hi,
I'm hoping things there aren't as bad as I first concluded 'imom'? Your original link says two were treated...

I'll admit that my conjecture stems mostly from 'i'll call it a consensus of sorts'; gut-churning vibrations/opp other people's posts...nm

I thought my first post was as follows; asparagas soup

The residue of 9 pesticides has been found in asparagus, but in only 3.3 percent of samples. Methomyl, a neurotoxin, is the most frequent. Found in 3 percent of samples is chlorpyrifos, another neurotoxin. Asparagus is a nutritional powerhouse, with significant vitamin A, B vitamins, including folate, and many minerals. It's also antioxidant-rich, a protector of the nervous system, a promoter of heart health, and a player in blood sugar regulation…The USDA found residues of 12 chemicals on sweet peas.

Then the soup recipe...

Then there's this.

Have a good day.

reply to post by 1/2 Nephilim


DoT perhaps? I am not sure these days as I live back in New Zealand again.

Originally posted by WP4YT

Originally posted by Noinden

Originally posted by Manhater
Smells like a huge lawsuit might spring up soon.. I'd keep me eye on it and get updates. I'm sure this won't be going away anytime soon.

Yeah because litigation will fix this? Sorry but it will not. Rather strict enforcement of regulations will.

No but if a chronic illness resulted from this that cost hundreds of dollars per year in to treat you, shouldn't the negligent and dirty multi million dollar company that caused it pay?

This assumes that there will be chronic effects. Law suits solve little.