(The following appeared on the News & Observer website on May 22, 2009.)
DURHAM, N.C. — A train car derailed this morning and is now leaking sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye. No injuries have been reported, but at least one home has been evacuated.
The car, operated by Norfolk Southern, is in the train yard located at Angier Avenue and Midway Avenue, according to Kathy Ellis, a Durham emergency dispatch supervisor.
Currently, the Durham fire department, EMS and police are on the scene, Ellis said. A hazardous materials group and Norfolk Southern police are on the way from Greensboro, she said.
Official are evacuating buildings within a 150 yards of the area, Ellis said, adding only one home is across from the yard. The emergency command center has also moved back from the area, she said.
Ellis said she did not know how many other cars had derailed off the track.
Sodium hydroxide is used in the manufacture of other chemicals and to produce rayon, paper, etching aluminum, soaps and detergents.
If inhaled, it can cause serious damage of the upper respiratory tract. It can be fatal if swallowed.