CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. — A chlorine gas leak created a toxic cloud that sickened more than 50 chemical plant workers and neighbors and closed two highways Wednesday, reported a wire service.
The leak began about 9:30 a.m. as DPC Enterprises workers unloaded chlorine from a freight car tank. About 80,000 pounds of chlorine were in the tank when a hose ruptured, officials said. The leak was stopped about noon.
Two mobile home parks near the plant were evacuated. Officials said 300 to 500 people lived in one of the parks. Light wind and a steady rain helped keep fumes from spreading far.
About 53 people complained of breathing problems, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Chris Pigg said. Two men remained hospitalized in fair condition Wednesday night.
The accident closed parts of Interstate 55 and shut down U.S. 61 until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“When the firefighters come to your door with gas masks on, it’s like World War III,” trailer park resident Rosemary Benson said.
Federal investigators and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources were investigating.
Chlorine is a chemical with a variety of manufacturing uses. It is also used to help sterilize drinking water and pool water. It can irritate the eyes and skin and cause breathing problems or death in larger exposures, health officials said.
Plant officials said they didn’t immediately know what caused the hose to break. The capacity of the tank was 180,000 pounds, but much of the gas had been removed.