What we know about the leak that closed the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Jessica BiesA toxic gas leak on Sunday shut down the Delaware Memorial Bridge for more than six hours, leaving motorists stranded on their way home from Thanksgiving.
There are still a lot of questions about how and why an extremely flammable gas got into the air, wreaking havoc on traffic.
Here's what we do, and don't, know about the situation so far.
When did the bridge reopen?
The leak, which was at a local chemical plant, was contained and the bridge was re-opened at 11:20 p.m. Sunday. Things were back to normal Monday morning, though Jim Salmon with the Delaware River and Bay Authority said staff members were still recovering from the long and hectic night.
They were also looking for answers.
On Twitter, DRBA agreed with one driver who pointed out how ridiculous it was to build a chemical plant next to one of the most traveled bridges in the country.
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DRBA said it was the plant's operators who asked that the bridge be closed. Salmon and other DRBA officials had received little information about the incident or what caused it.
"This is a circumstance that we don't want repeated ever," Salmon said, adding that he felt as helpless as many drivers did Sunday night.
"They keep asking questions, and you have no answers," he said.
What caused the leak?
That remains a mystery.
All we know so far is that the leak was at a bio-ethanol plant located almost directly beneath the Delaware Memorial Bridge and owned by Croda Inc.
Croda bought the site from Uniqema in 2006 and uses it to convert corn-based ethanol, or alcohol, into ethylene oxide.
The chemical is then used to make Croda products, such as emulsifying agents that bind oil and water to make face creams, toothpastes, paints and laundry detergents.
The process of turning ethanol into ethylene oxide is new — something Croda began doing less than six months ago at the so-called "Atlas Point" location, according to George Greenley, a spokesman for the Holloway Terrace Fire Company.
The new plant helped eliminate the need for long-distance rail shipments of hazardous ethylene oxide from Texas.
But there's been manufacturing operations at the site for more than 75 years. In 2014, Delaware committed about $2.45 million to build the plant, including $1.5 million in construction-related assistance and $950,000 for job retention and job growth – funds tied to the addition of new jobs at the facility.
Since acquiring the Atlas Point facility in 2006, Croda has spent more than $150 million on upgrades at the facility, according to company officials.
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What is ethylene oxide?
Ethylene oxide ranks 26th in volume among the major industrial chemicals produced in the United States.
About 65 percent of ethylene oxide is used for the synthesis of ethylene glycol, an antifreeze product, while a mixture of 88 percent Freon and 12 percent ethylene oxide is used as a cold sterilizing agent for foods and medical equipment and supplies.
Ethylene oxide is also used as a fumigant and fungicide in the manufacture of medical products and spices, and as a chemical intermediate.
According to the Centers for Disease Control:
- Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas at room temperature and a colorless liquid below 51°F (10.7°C). It is shipped as a liquefied, compressed gas.
- Both the gas and liquid are potential fire and explosion hazards.
- Ethylene oxide has a sweet, ether-like odor at air concentrations above 500 parts per million.
- The gas is heavier than air and can cause asphyxiation in enclosed, poorly ventilated, or low-lying areas.
- Skin contact with concentrated solutions of ethylene oxide, liquid ethylene oxide, or high vapor concentrations may cause chemical burns.
- Contact with liquefied ethylene oxide may result in frostbite. Exposure to high levels of the gas may cause corneal burns and cataracts.
- Prolonged skin contact with dilute solutions of ethylene oxide (e.g., from contaminated clothing) can cause irritation and dermatitis.
- Studies suggest ethylene oxide can also be dangerous to pregnant woman and lead to miscarriages.
What if it had ignited?
As stated above ethylene oxide is highly flammable.
“If that flume would have had an ignition source it could have been catastrophic with the bridge traffic,” Greenley said.
As a precaution, traffic on both sides was diverted to other crossings, including the Commodore Barry Bridge to the north, causing what the Delaware River and Bay Authority called a “parking lot” situation to disperse to other clogged roadways.
The bridge carries Interstate 295 on eight lanes over the wide southern reaches of the Delaware River between northern Delaware and southern New Jersey. Southbound traffic from the New Jersey Turnpike also flows across it. More than 80,000 vehicles make the crossing daily, according to the authority.
Has the bridge been closed before?
Jim Salmon, a spokesman for the Delaware River and Bay Authority said in the 27 years he's worked for DRBA the bridge has never been shut down for so long.
Only one incident even comes close. In February 1996, DRBA patrol officer Vincent Julia was assisting a disabled tractor-trailer when a dump truck ignored the lane closure signs and struck his car.
Julia was killed and his police car was destroyed in a resulting fire. The northbound span of the bridge was closed for about five hours, Salmon said.
Today, Julia is honored by a plaque at DRBA's Veteran's Memorial Park.
On driver remembered an ice storm that temporarily closed the bridge in March 1993, though a New Jersey ambulance carrying his baby niece to Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children for emergency meningitis treatment was allowed over.
Slamon said that closure was an hour at most, however.
What was the impact?
The Croda plant is located in an industrial area, though there are homes located less than a half mile away.
Residents there were told to shelter in place Sunday night, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says ethylene oxide can be carried for some distance on prevailing winds, but is most harmul to those in the "hot zone" next to the leak.
Drivers were either stuck in traffic during the incident or had to find an altnernative route of travel. Some drove several hours out of their way.
Here's what people said about the experience online:
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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.