Could take "couple days" to remove tanker responsible for foul odor in Gloucester County, police chief says
EAST GREENWICH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- East Greenwich Township's police chief said it could "take a couple days" before the tanker responsible for releasing a foul odor across the region can be removed from a truck stop.
The tanker began releasing the odor Wednesday afternoon at a truck stop off I-295 and Bentley Road.
The foul odor, a gas being released from the tanker's pressure valve, has led to people, some as far as 50 miles away, reporting symptoms of headaches, sore throats and nausea.
Environmental experts said people are not inhaling the hazardous chemical in the tanker, known as Lubrizol-1389; rather, he said people are inhaling an additive that's akin to natural gas' rotten eggs odor.
"The damage is already done," Darlene Litton, a Gloucester Township resident, said. "I think that what had happened should be a lesson [for all], and there should've been parameters already set up."
TransChem USA, the company that owns the tanker, said they don't yet know what led to the tanker venting the foul odor.
"Our number one concern is the immediate situation and getting that handled," Dave Edmondson, TransChem USA's vice president of safety and compliance, said. "We're going to be doing a root cause analysis, but right now, our focus is getting this taken care of, making sure the community is protected."
He said the tanker's driver was on a federally mandated break and across the street getting lunch when the tanker began releasing the odor.
Barry Adams, a tanker driver, said he was parked next to the tanker when it began releasing the foul odor.
"I've seen the driver briefly," Adams said. "Why he come out and left again, I don't know. He shouldn't have never done that, but he did."
Edmondson said he wasn't made aware if the driver left the tanker, knowing it was venting an odor.
He said they know people are alarmed by their symptoms from the foul odor, so the company is flying in a toxicologist Friday night to examine the incident.
"The public health concern or the hazard to public health is very, very minimal, at best," Edmondson said. "This is more of an irritant."
But a representative of the Gloucester County Health Department said the long-term health effects of inhaling the irritant remain unclear, which alarmed Litton.
"They need to give us the facts," Litton said. "They need to provide us the information. They need to answer our questions."
East Greenwich Township's Mayor Dale Archer promised accountability in the incident.
"I would give you my word, we promise that all parties that are responsible, that have any responsibility in this occurrence, will be held responsible," Archer said.
Despite the ongoing investigation, Edmondson believed a chemical reaction within the tanker involving Lubrizol-1389 led to the tanker releasing the foul odor.
Lubrizol representatives haven't yet responded to Eyewitness News' interview requests.
TransChem USA has established two new hotlines: one to address people's health concerns, and the second for people who plan to file claims for monetary costs related to this odor release.
The health hotline is 856-807-5388, and the claims hotline is 855-476-7817.