LAW URGES HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL REPORTING

Huge quantities of hazardous materials travel through Southeast Missouri every day.

They move by truck or train, or they sit stored in warehouses, factories and tanks. Nobody thinks much about them.

Then something goes wrong.

The most recent problem was in January after a Burlington Northern train derailed near Highway 61 just south of Ste. Genevieve. About 20,000 gallons of a motor oil-acetone mix was dumped along the track, and officials closed the highway for several miles.

There weren't any injuries reported -- most people just dealt with the acrid odor of acetone, the same chemical used in nail polish remover.

But the next spill or leak might not be so simple, and there certainly will be another, environmental planner Tim Morgan predicted.

Morgan works for the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission, an organization overseeing various aspects of life in seven Southeast Missouri counties. He receives a weekly spill report from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and there's almost always something on the list from this area.

The incidents usually aren't large enough to merit much attention, but each has the potential for disaster. Counties east of Interstate 55, for instance, have karst geology, which means chemicals can travel into groundwater very quickly.

Because the danger is there, employers storing more than 10,000 pounds of hazardous materials must file a report with their local emergency planning committee, fire department and Missouri Division of Fire Safety. The requirement was passed in 1986 under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Then, even though emergency responders won't know when chemicals travel through their area, at least they will know about the ones already present.

Members of the area coal emergency planning committee are cracking down on employers who don't report storage of hazardous chemicals. The emergency planners are more serious than ever about finding these employers, because now the funding is there to pursue them. Also, Morgan is in the process of making final revisions to the area's chemical emergency preparedness plan.

"I have about 300 reports, and we know that's not everybody who should be reporting," he said. "With the program being in its infancy, there was no good way to police it. Now we have to go out and beat the bushes."

While 10,000 pounds of chemicals may sound like a lot, it isn't for a filling station or large manufacturer.

And while it may be a little trouble and expense to file the chemical report, it's a task that can save lives.

Ruth Hathaway, environmental chemist and chairwoman of the local emergency planning committee, said even smaller companies need to file reports. If they have a spill, no matter how minor, the law says it must be reported to the local sheriff's department.

Keeping people informed is the key.

"That way, emergency responders know what they're facing," Hathaway said. "We won't have people showing up at an accident saying, `Hey, I needed to have a respirator on, and now I'm dropping like a fly because I don't.'"

Another benefit is responders will have some idea of what area and how many people to evacuate.

She said that, with most chemical accidents, people are going to the hospital with symptoms by the time officials realize there is a problem.

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL REPORTING

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

Who is affected?

Any facility, business or individual that has an extremely hazardous substance in a certain amount stored somewhere.

How do I know what substances are covered?

Obtain a list of these substances and determine what amount of them the business in question has stored.

Who provides the list?

Any information about hazardous materials may be obtained by writing the Missouri Emergency Response Commission, P.O. Box 3133, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102; or by calling the Division of Fire Safety, (314) 526-3901.

Is there local help available? Try the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission in Perryville at (314) 547-8357.

Source: Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission