Minot, South Dakota Train Derailment

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Minot, South DakotaTrain Derailment

• Alysia, Ashley, Julie Thien

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The Story

• At about 139 am on January 18, 2002 a train,
  carrying at least one tank car full of anhydrous
  ammonia, derailed 2 miles west of the town of
  Minot, SD.
• The anhydrous ammonia was leaking, covering the
  valley city of Minot with a cloud of anhydrous
  ammonia, which vaporized in the sub-zero air, and
  held close to the ground.

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(No Transcript)
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Train Derailment

• This Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed with
  7 out of 15 tank cars rupturing that carried
  anhydrous ammonia. This released more than
  750,000 liters (200,000 US gallons).
• 1 man dies, 120 sought medical attention, 15
  others were hospitalized for chemical exposure,
  and 5 required intensive care.

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Newspaper Article
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Anhydrous Ammonia

• Anhydrous ammonia has a density of 0.62, which is
  lighter than air, however at cold temperatures it
  is heavier and therefore stays close to the
  ground.
• Its specific gravity is averaged to be 0.97.
• The highest known vapor pressure is 2.3 kPa at 20
  degrees Celsius.
• Anhydrous ammonia is easily soluble in cold water
  and hot water.
• In this case, the Anhydrous Ammonia was to be
  used as fertilizer, one of its many uses.

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STRUCTURE

• -

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Problem!!!

• At 139 a.m. only 1 radio station is on air, and
  most of the population are asleep. The vaporized
  ammonia anhydrous was able to leak into homes
  through cracks under doors and windows. Although
  it has an ammonia-like smell, after exposure it
  is hard to smell, therefore posing as a large
  threat to the families in the area.

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Warning!!

• The mayor advised the town to stay indoors, turn
  off their heaters and place towels at the bottom
  of their doors. He also advised them to breath
  through a moist towel to prevent inhalation.
• Most of the town was evacuated.
• The one fatality was due to a man evacuating his
  home and being overcome with fumes.

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Health Risks

• There are several health risks of being exposed
  to anhydrous ammonia.
• When inhaled, it causes dehydration of the air
  passageways, causing internal burns.
• Externally, it causes chemical burns.
• Respiratory burns are more serious in children
  and infants due to their increased breathing
  patterns.

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Treatment

• Large amounts of water can be applied to
  anhydrous ammonia burns on the skin for 15
  minutes.
• To treat inhalation of ammonia anhydrous move to
  an area with fresh air, and administer oxygen if
  needed.
• If in eyes, rinse with water or saline solution
  for 15 minutes.

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Internal Chemical Burns

• Burns of the mouth
• http//www.emedicine.com/ped/images/2390oral_burns
  _caustic2_jpeg.JPG
• http//www.emedicine.com/ped/images/2388oral_burns
  _caustic_jpeg.JPG

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External Chemical Burns

• http//webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/Images/hypo
  pyon_08232004.jpg
• http//webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/Images/alka
  liburn_08232004.jpg

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Ecological Effects

• Ammonia combines with sulfuric and nitric acids
  in the atmosphere
• They form ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate
  droplets considered to be fine particulate matter

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Clean-up of Anhydrous Ammonia

• Water was sprayed on the leaking tanks to prevent
  vaporization of anhydrous ammonia, which would
  make it easier to inhale.
• About 100,000 to 150,000 gallons leaked into the
  soil.
• 200,000 to 300,000 gallons leaked into the air.
• Over 30 residents of Minot, SD were evacuated
  from their homes temporarily.

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CLEAN UP OF MINOT, SD
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Nitrogen Cycle

• Any change in the amount of Nitrogen in the
  environment causes an imbalance in the Nitrogen
  Cycle

• Atmosphere contains 78 Nitrogen

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Ammonia in Air

• Ammonia is explosive when mixed with air in
  certain proportions (12 ammonia to air)
• Vapors dissipate and react with moisture in air
  to form ammonium ions
• Fire department suppresses ammonia vapor clouds
  with water (may contaminate soil)
• These ions will eventually return to earth in
  rainfall
• Ammonium binds to negatively charged soil organic
  matter
• Bacteria rapidly convert ammonium not taken up by
  plant roots into nitrates (nitrification)

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Ammonia in Soil

• Taken up directly by plants (through roots)
• Nitrifying bacteria
• Bacteria of genus Nitrosomonas oxidize NH3 to
  nitrites (NO2-).
• Bacteria of genus Nitrobacter oxidize the
  nitrites to nitrates (NO3-).

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Ammonia in Water

• Ammonia Toxic to aquatic organisms but ammonium
  is not.
• Equilibrium exists in water between toxic ammonia
  and non-toxic ammonium.
• Spills cause equilibrium to shift
• Nitrogen increases plant growth (algae)
• Eutrophication
• Reduces dissolved oxygen

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Ammonia and Plants

• Plants mostly made up of water
• Ammonia vapor - burn leaves
• Ammonia pulls water from leaves (recovery likely)
• Nitrogen major component in fertilizers

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Interesting Fact

• Anhydrous Ammonia can be used illicitly for the
  production of the highly addictive drug
  methamphetamine (METH), a powerful central
  nervous system stimulant.
• Ammonia is used with lithium or sodium to
  synthesize methamphetamine (Nazi method).

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Clean-up of Contaminated Soil

• The soil around the derailment site was moved, by
  Earthmovers, Inc. of Minot, to a landfill near
  Sawyer.
• Approximately 2,000 tons of contaminated soil
  were moved daily.
• Workers of the landfill worked overtime.
• The replaced rails are permanent and the traffic
  has increased, with reduced speeds to prevent a
  derailment of occurring again.

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Contamination in Air and Water

• Air quality problems were predicted to arise
  while digging up the contaminated soil, however
  was thought to disperse easily.
• Jim Semerad, of the State Health Department, came
  up with a plan to monitor air and groundwater
  contamination through real-time monitoring.

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What is Real-Time Monitoring?

• Real-time Monitoring is the monitoring and
  measuring of environmental developments with
  technology and communications systems that
  provide time-relevant information to the public
  in an easily understood format that people can
  use in day-to-day decision making about their
  health and their environment.

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FRA Federal Railroad Association

• The FRA claims that 34 percent of derailments are
  due to track defects.
• The FRA has been researching the derailment in
  Minot, SD as a way to assess the consequences of
  tank cars involved in derailment.
• They came up with a three-phase approach.

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Three-Phase Approach

• 1st Phase the development of a physics-based
  model to analyze the kinematics of rail cars
  involved in a derailment.
• 2nd Phase the development of dynamic structural
  analysis models.
• 3rd Phase an assessment of the damage created by
  puncture and entails the application of fracture
  mechanics testing and analysis methods.

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Websites

• http//www.betaparticle.com/blog/template_permalin
  k.asp?id253
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia
• http//www.rmtech.net/Anhydrous20Ammonia.htm
• http//www.cdc.gov/nasd/menu/topic/chem_anhydrous.
  html
• http//www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp126-c4.pdf
• http//groups.msn.com/CellNEWS/chemweapons.msnw
• http//www.nukewatch.com/wrecks/20020118minot.html
  
• http//www.oehha.ca.gov/public_info/pdf/Ammonia20
  Fact20Sheet20Meth20Labs2010'03'.pdf
• http//www.emedicine.com/ped/images/2388oral_burns
  _caustic_jpeg.JPG
• http//www.emedicine.com/ped/images/2390oral_burns
  _caustic2_jpeg.JPG
• http//www.eou.edu/mmustoe/Minotderailment.pdf
• http//nue.okstate.edu/N_Fertilizers/Anhydrous_amm
  onia.htm
• http//www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1647
• http//webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/Images/hypo
  pyon_08232004.jpg