MSDS for Thionyl Chloride, Case Study Example

As a trained EH&S professional, the first action I would take regarding the scenario of the placarded tanker truck turned on its side in a ditch about 20-25 feet from the shoulder of the two-lane road would be to make a cell phone call to the manager of the Hazardous Materials Team at the chemical plant to determine the nature of the liquid (red to yellow color) dripping from the valve on the tanker truck. I would also inform him that the placard on the tanker truck has a Class 4 label code and a UN 1836 on an orange panel with an NFPA diamond with a 0 at 12 o’clock, a 2 at 3 o’clock, a 4 at 9 o’clock, and a slashed W at 6 o’clock.

While waiting for the call from the HMT manager, I would act upon the following priorities:

1. Call the local police department to report the tanker truck accident and relate that the truck seems to be carrying a hazardous material.
2. Call the local city hall to report the accident and inform them that all persons (just out of precaution) within a mile of the accident scene should be moved downwind from the scene.
3. Get out my truck and approach with great caution the driver’s side window of the overturned tanker truck to see if the driver is inside the truck. If he is present inside the truck, I would help him out (if injured) and call for an ambulance.
4. I would then walk into the agricultural field directly next to the scene of the accident and inform the workers and their supervisor that the accident holds the potential to do great physical harm to them, especially if the spray they are using is water-based.

Once the manager of the Hazardous Materials Team at the chemical plants returns my cell phone call, he would tell me that the liquid dripping from the valve on the tanker truck is thionyl chloride, a “colorless to yellow fuming liquid with a suffocating pungent odor,” that it is highly corrosive and toxic, and that “long-term inhalation of low concentrations or short-term inhalation of high concentrations” can create adverse health effects (Thionyl Chloride, 2013).

According to the NFPA diamond, thionyl chloride, also referred to as sulfurous oxychloride and sulfur chloride oxide, the red field of 0 indicates that this substance is not a highly flammable material which means that there is a low chance of a fire developing from the spillage; the yellow field of 2 indicates that the substance poses some danger; the whiter field with the slashed W indicates that the substance “shows unusual reactivity with water” which accounts for the blue Dangerous When Wet placard on the tanker truck; and the blue field of 4 indicates extreme danger related to health hazards if a person is exposed to the substance (NFPA 704 Hazard Identification System, 2013). Therefore, if the agricultural workers are using a spray that is water-based, an explosion could occur if the water mixes with the thionyl chloride dripping from the tanker truck valve, especially if it collects within the ditch.

Also, if other drivers or individuals come across the scene of the spill, I would tell them to stay at a good distance from the spill site, due to the chance of an explosion and exposure to the thionyl chloride which can cause severe breathing problems because of its caustic nature. In addition, once the Hazardous Materials team arrives from the chemical plant, I would make certain that all team members are wearing self-contained breathing apparatuses and full protective clothing. I would also tell them to attempt to shut off the leaking valve and to neutralize the spill with either soda ash or lime (MSDS for Thionyl Chloride, 2013).

References

MSDS for thionyl chloride. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.fresnostate.edu/jcast/graduatelab/documents/msds/t/THIONYL%20CHLORIDE

NFPA 704 hazard identification system. (2013). Retrieved from http://chemlabs.uoregon.edu/Safety/NFPA.html

Thionyl chloride. (2013). Retrieved from http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/1600