Citation

Kales SN, Polyhronopoulos GN, Castro MJ, Goldman RH, Christiani DC. Environ. Health Perspect. 1997; 105(9): 998-1000.

Affiliation

The Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9300926

PMCID

PMC1470367

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate hazardous materials (hazmat) releases and determine the mechanisms of these accidents, and the industries/activities and chemicals involved. We analyzed responses by Massachusetts' six district hazmat teams from their inception through May 1996. Information from incident reports was extracted onto standard coding sheets. The majority of hazardous materials incidents were caused by spills, leaks, or escapes of hazardous materials (76%) and occurred at fixed facilities (80%). Transportation-related accidents accounted for 20% of incidents. Eleven percent of hazardous materials incidents were at schools or health care facilities. Petroleum-derived fuels were involved in over half of transportation-related accidents, and these accounted for the majority of petroleum fuel releases. Chlorine derivatives were involved in 18% of all accidents and were associated with a wide variety of facility types and activities. In conclusion, systematic study of hazardous materials incidents allows the identification of preventable causes of these incidents.

Language: en