SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A freight train with a leaky car left a trail of hazardous material between the rails from Dayton to Columbus on Sunday, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
“It was a very minor incident with a very minor release of material,” Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband said Monday. “We are in the process of vacuuming it up.”
The material, barium carbonate, is only mildly toxic, and no evacuations were needed, said Mike Doan, Clark County’s Haz-Mat coordinator. Doan said the substance looked like soap powder.
Barium carbonate is used in industrial and manufacturing applications and found in television picture tubes, paint, rubber and other industrial materials, Doan said. If inhaled or ingested, it can cause nausea, vomiting and muscle weakness. It also can slow the pulse and irritate the eyes, he said.
“Fortunately, it’s not extremely toxic. It’s more of an environmental issue to clean it up,” he said.