Poison cloud over Denver
NZPA-Reuter Denver About 6000 Denver residents were returning to their homes yesterday after an acid leak from a railway tanker created a cloud of poisonous fumes over the north of the city. The rust-coloured cloud formed when 76,000 litres of nitric acid spilled from the ruptured tanker. The evacuation was ordered when winds blew the cloud towards the centre of the city. About 2300 people took buses to evacuation centres. Thousands of others left by car. Officials said that nearly three dozen people were treated in hospital for skin irritations and ' eye and
chest pains. There were no reports of serious poisoning.
The cloud was brought under control when workers mixed a neutralising agent with pools of spilled acid.
Three firemen suffered minor injuries at the scene of the spill, including one who was burned on the foot by acid that had seeped through a rip in his rubberised suit. Fire officials said that they were unable to determine exactly what had caused the rupture. A fire service spokesman said that nitric acid was highly irritating to the lungs and mucous membranes and could be fatal if inhaled in sufficient quantities.
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Press, 5 April 1983, Page 6
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195Poison cloud over Denver Press, 5 April 1983, Page 6
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