MARION, Ohio — Local, state, federal, and railroad officials were continuing clean-up and investigation this evening (Tuesday, May 2) after a freight car on a CSX Transportation train was discovered to be leaking a hazardous material earlier today.
The Marion Star reports a leak of phosphoric acid was reported at 3:21 a.m. The leak from a tank car was discovered by a CSX employee while the train was stopped. A Marion Fire Department spokesman said fire department crews found a “moderate-sized leak from the plumbing” of the car, quarantined the area and evacuated two nearby residences. Two hazardous material technicians from the fire department and one from the railroad successfully capped the leak. A CSX worker suffered “minor skin irritation” because of a failure of his hazmat suit and was treated and released at a local hospital; no other injuries were reported.
A vacuum truck was used to remove the spilled acid, Capt. Ryan Redmon of the Marion Fire Dapartment told the newspaper, but contaminated soil at the scene must now be excavated and removed.
Phosphoric acid is used in fertilizers, detergents, cleaning products, and as a food additive. It can cause irritation or burns to the skin and eyes, as well as irritation of the upper respiratory system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Along with the fire department, officials and crews from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Railroad Administration, CSX, and a third-party contractor were involved in the cleaning up and investigating at the scene.
Marion is about 50 miles north of Columbus, Ohio. It is at the junction of CSX’s east-west Mt. Victory Subdivision, on the route between Cleveland and Indianapolis, and the north-south Columbus Subdivision, on route between Toledo, Ohio, and Columbus.
Neutralize with baking soda or lime. I would assume that a spill on a limestone based ballast would do a great job neutralizing the acid spill.