| Incident Date | City, State (County) | Suspected Responsible Company | Incident Type | Medium | Gallons/LBS | Notes |
|---|
| 2/4/2005 | Phoenix, AZ | L.A. Chemical Co. | Mobile | Downtown Urban | 110 gal | A truck traveling through Phoenix leaked hydrofluorosilic acid for at least 4 city blocks in the downtown area. Reverse 9-1-1 service was initiated to inform residents to stay home. 16 individuals, including 11 police officers, were exposed and subsequently hospitalized. |
| 1/31/2005 | East Deer, PA (Pittsburgh area) | Norfolk Southern Rail | Railroad | River | 15,000-20,000 gal | A train car filled with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride derailed into the Allegheny River and released its contents. If released into the air, anhydrous fluoride can cause serious or fatal respiratory damage. Released in water, the aquatic plant and animal life, as well as human users downstream are in danger.[F] |
| 11/15/2004 | Torrance, CA (L.A. area) | Exxon-Mobil Refinery | Unknown cause | Air | Unknown | Hydrogen fluoride released from process piping. |
| 7/19/2004 | Hardeville, SC | BJWSA Water Treatment | Improperly-sealed conduit | Soil | 700 gal | Fluosilicic acid released from a containment area due to a poor sealant on an electrical conduit |
| 6/4/2004 | Muskogee, OK | Dal-Tile Corp | Pollution control malfunction | Air | 534 lbs | A wet caustic pollution control scrubber faulted and released hydrogen fluoride for two days. |
| 5/28/2004 | Pembroke Pines, FL | Pembroke Pines Water Treatment Facility | Unknown | Water | Unknown | Sewage treatment plant released fluorosilicic acid unknowingly into water system. |
| 1/02/2004 | Memphis, TN | Memphis Light Gas and Water | Severed Line | Storm Drain | 1000 gal | A third party contractor accidentally cut a product line, leaking 1000 galons of fluorosilicic acid into a storm drain |
| 11/26/2003 | Idaho Falls, ID | Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab (U.S. Gov) | Maintenance error | Land | 800 gal | While performing "environmental activities" on a hazardous waste tank, the secondary containment failed and 800 gallons spilled to the ground.[F] |
| 10/24/2003 | Marlboro, MA (Essex) | Millham Treatment Plant | Valve Malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | A valve malfunction caused excess fluoride to enter into the water system, bringing the fluoride level to 24 ppm (6 times the legal maximum)[F] |
| 10/24/2003 | Exeter, NH | Osram Sylvania | Unknown Cause / Gas Leak | Land / Concrete | Unknown | Hydrofluoric acid leakage was detected at 3:40am by Osram Sylvania workers. Workers were evacuated and no one was injured.[F] |
| 11 & 12/20/2003 | 1,2 Alcoa, TN | Alcoa Inc. | Planned maintenance release | Air | 3781 lbs | Callers reported that the releases of the following chemicals were part of planned maintenance: 3781 lbs hydrogen fluoride, 9 lbs benzo a pyrene, 40 lbs benzo b fluoranethen, 7447 lbs sulfur dioxide |
| 7/28/2003 | Alcoa, TN | Alcoa Inc. | Power Failure | Air | 1530 lbs | A power failure caused aluminum production potlines to release hydrogen fluoride gas. |
| 2/4/2003 | Calvert City, KY | Atofina Chemicals Inc | Ruptured Hose | Land | Unknown | A flexible hose containing hydrogen fluoride ruptured, releasing material into a containment room |
| 12/17/2002 | Lithia, FL (Hillsborough) | Hillsborough Water Dept | Storage Tank | Secondary Containment | 3060 lbs | Valve broken during maintenance activity. |
| 10/23/2002 | Gaffney, SC (Cherokee) | Gaffney Board of Public Works | Storage Tank | Water Sewer | 3000 gal | ruptured seam in storage tank |
| 7/28/2002 | Harrison Twp, MI (Macomb) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Land / Soil | 3000 gal | Pump seal failed at the Mt. Clemens Water Filtration Plant. [F] |
| 7/2/2002 | Claymont, DE | General Chemical | Railroad | Air | Unknown | Fluosulfonic acid released into the atmosphere from an open rail car near a facility loading platform |
| 6/4/2002 | Dublin, CA (Alameda) | Public Water | Unknown | Drinking Water | Unknown | 23 employees of Humphrey Systems Inc. feel ill after using water fountains. Tests at Humphrey Systems on Tuesday showed concentrations of up to 200 milligrams per liter. [F] |
| 2/20/2002 | Kansas City, MO (Clay) | Public Water | Storage Tank | Sewer System | Unknown | Released from two storage tanks due to a leak. |
| 1/4/2002 | Springfield, MO (Greene) | City Utility/Springfield | Storage Tank | Land (Soil) | Unknown | A leaky storage tank released material into secondary containment. A valve was opened to drain the secondary containment releasing the material onto the soil. |
| 7/18/2001 | Baltimore, MD | | Railroad | Rail Tunnel | Unknown | Derailment, Fire. Also involved in the accident were: Hydrochloric Acid, Acetic Acid, Propylene Glycol and Ethyl Hexyl Phthalate |
| 6/29/2001 | Gary, IN (Lake) | Indiana American Water Company | Storage Tank | Land / Pavement | 95 gal | storage tank (capacity: 6000 with 3400 in tank at time of accident) failed due to an external leak |
| 4/7/2001 | Gaffney, SC (Cherokee) | Overnite Transportation | Mobile | Other | 6 ounces | some dry bags of Sodium Florosilicate on a truck were punctured by a plastic safety stand; 2 people hospitalized |
| 2/25/2001 | Amargosa, NV (Nye) | | Fixed | Inside Containers | Unknown | abandoned chemicals: the caller stated that the suspected responsible party has been storing hazardous materials in a building; 45 other chemicals involved |
| 2/20/2001 | Fort Wayne, IN (COUNTY) | Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant | Equipment malfunction | Sewer | 6000 gal | Tank overflow spills acid into sewer, 4 employees treated after exposure to fumes. [F] |
| 1/8/2001 | West Memphis, AR (Crittenden) | West Memphis Utility Commission | Storage Tank | Land / Soil | 2300 gal | the material was released from a storage tank (capacity: 2500) due to a leak in the bottom of the tank |
| 11/28/2000 | Newport, ME (Penobscot) | Newport Water District | Fixed | Water Inside Building Basement | Unknown | the basement inside the building flooded due to a malfunction, the plastic chemical tank received water inside due to the flooding; spill included sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and 25% hydroxide |
| 9/28/2000 | Coos Bay, OR | Coos Bay-North Bend Water Treatment Plant | Human error | Water | 400 gal | Storage tank overflowed. Fluoride killed the treatment bioorganisms, semi-treated sewage (and fluoride water) was released into Coos Bay. [F] |
| 9/21/2000 | Shreveport, LA (Bossier) | Pencco | Mobile | Unknown | Unknown | 5000 gallon tanker trailer truck has a wheel that caught on fire after blow out / all 4 tires in back of truck were burned; closed I-49 Loop 3132 |
| 8/3/2000 | Hanahan, SC (Berkeley) | Charleston Commissioners of Public Works | Storage Tank / Human error | Land | 2200 gal | while unloading a tanker truck (capacity: 12,500, had 2200 at time of accident) connected to the the wrong tank and two chemicals reacted caused an explosion. 45 employees evacuated. [F] |
| 8/2/2000 | Yonker, NY (Westchester) | NY City Bureau of Water Supply | Storage Tank | Land / Pavement | 1500 gal | caller states release from a primary tank to secondary containment area due to tank rupture (capacity: 3000; had 1500 at time of accident) |
| 7/28/2000 | Wakefield, MA (Middlesex) | Wakefield Public Works | Equipment malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Water system overdosed with fluoride - people were exposed to 23 ppm (maximum contaminant level is 4ppm). [F] |
| 6/16/2000 | Masa, AZ (Maricopa) | City of Masa | Fixed | Land | 560 gal | secondary containment lines were damaged causing the release |
| 6/2000 | Sanford, FL (Seminole) | Ctl Distribution | Storage Tank | Land / Concrete | 150 gal | the material spilled from a containment tank due to a faulty valve |
| 4/3/2000 | Birmingham, AL (Jefferson) | Birmingham Water Works | Fixed | Water | 4000 gal | Drained into Shades Creek after tornado damaged 2 above ground tanks (capacity unknown). |
| 3/27/2000 | Franklin, IN (Johnson) | Indiana American Water Company | Storage Tank | Land / Soil Around Tank | 600 gal | criminal intent: storage tank (capacity: 900) / tank was vandalized / possibly shot |
| 12/25/1999 | Portage, IN (Porter) | Northwest Indiana Water Company | Storage Tank | Water / Unnamed Retention Pond | 5200 gal | a day tank (capacity: 8000) was overfilled causing a spill - all drained to unnamed water body |
| 12/21/1999 | Chicago, IL (Cook) | Chicago City Dept Water | Mobile | Land / Asphalt | 20 gal | tank truck / a coupling failed on the truck; as a result, 20 gallons of hydrofluosilicic acid were released; 1 person hospitalized |
| 8/9/1999 | Norfield, MN (Rice) | City of Northfield | Fixed | Land / Soil | 98 gal | pump house / pump malfunctioned |
| 8/27/1999 | Norfolk, VA (Norfolk) | Norchem Inc | Mobile | Enclosed Wooden Bed Trailer | 1000 gal | 20-50lb bags of Sodium Flurosilicate in trailer of tractor trailer truck was discovered to have come open during transit |
| 11/24/1998 | Saginaw, TX (Tarrant) | Montgomery Tank Lines | Mobile | Land / Soil | 40 gal | cargo tank on tractor trailer / bottom plate of trailer was not secured properly / tank capacity: 5000 gallons / truck is a hazmat carrier |
| 6/19/1998 | Albertville, AL (Marshall) | Albertville Water Treat | Fixed | Water | 1500 gal | Storm Drain To Short Creek. storage tank / flange bolt failed due to corrosion / storage tank was not DOT regulated |
| 3/31/1998 | Mesa / Phoenix, AZ (Maricopa) | City of Phoenix Water | Fixed | Concrete Containment Area | 2130 gal | containment tank / leak in valve in the day tank |
| 3/27/1998 | Fingel, ND (Barnes) | CP Rail | Railroad | Land / Ditch / Field | 15 gal | 1 Gal reached water. tank car /derailment/semi truck struck side of moving train at 51st car from engine/derailing 13 cars/train has 35 loads/32 empties & 2 locomotives |
| 10/3/1997 | Corpus Christi, TX (Nueces) | City of Corpus Christi | Fixed | Land Secondary Containment | 3500 gal | 1 inch PVC line off storage tank / caused by contractor tripping online |
| 9/10/1997 | Willoughby, OH (Lake) | General Elect Quarts Inc | Fixed | Water / Storm Water Ditch | 100 gal | acid waste pipe/leak (unknown) |
| 8/15/1997 | Greenville, SC (Greenville) | Greenville Water System | Fixed | Land Cement Secondary Containment | 200 gal | day tank overflowed/ operator forgot to turn off a valve |
| 8/1997 | Kissimmee, FL (Osceola) | City of Kissimmee | Fixed | Land / Soil / Sewer | 1000 gal | day tank / overflowed due to failure of the auto shut off |
| 8/1997 | Louisville, KY (Jefferson) | DuPont Chemical | Unknown Fault | d Air | 11,500 gal | Windel Drury, of DuPont Chemical, was implicated in the release of 11,500 pounds of hydrogen fluoride. After 6 years, DuPont paid $1.1 million to settle the Federal Clean Air Act infraction.[F] |
| 5/8/1997 | Indianapolis, IN (Marion) | Ulrich Chemical Inc | Fixed | Land / Drainage Ditch Into Buck Creek | 5049 gal | 15 Gal reached Buck Creek. bulk tank system failed due to unknown causes |
| 4/2/1997 | Brookpark, OH (Cuyahoga) | Kuhnle Brothers Trucking | Mobile | Land / Asphalt | 30 gal | tanker truck / the valve appears to have malfunctioned and opened causing the release of the material from the tank |
| 9/14/1996 | Pittsburgh, PA (Allegheny) | City Water Treatment Plan | Fixed | Water | 5000-7000 gal | All spilled into Allegheny River. storage tank (capacity: 10,500 gal) / crack alongside of plexiglass tank |
| 7/29/1996 | Fayetteville, NC (Cumberland) | Public Works | Fixed | Land / Concrete | 300 gal | storage tank / a valve was left open by operator |
| 2/9/1996 | Potomac, MD (Montgomery) | American Tank Transport | Fixed | Land / Soil And Asphalt | 400 gal | above ground storage tank (capacity: unknown) / tank was overfilled |
| 8/30/1995 | New Orleans, LA (Orleans) | Liquid Transport Corp | Fixed | Land | 10 gal | discharge valve / valve was loose, operator error |
| 8/29/1995 | Knoxville, TN (Knox) | Knoxville Utilities Board | Fixed | Land / Concrete | 300 gal | 300 gal storage tank/hose from drum pump on tank drained material out of tank |
| 5/3/1995 | Orlando, FL (Seminole) | Ctl Distribution | Mobile | Land / Asphalt | 100 gal | truck tanker valve disk ruptured/unknown |
| 5/14/1995 | Savannah, GA (Chatham) | Southern States Phosphate | Fixed | Land | 60 gal | fiberglass tank / ruptured |
| 12/21/1994 | Newark, NJ (Essex) | Conrail | Railroad | Land / Soil/ballast | 0 | tank car/leaking due to material eating through body of the tank |
| 10/14/1994 | Chesnee, SC (Spartanburg) | Fleet Transportation | Mobile | Land / Soil | 0 | tanker truck/spill occured during transfer operations |
| 9/6/1994 | Deltona, FL (Volusia) | Pencco Inc (of Bellville TX) | Transportation Accident | Land / Pavement | 4500 gal | A tanker truck from Fort Meade cracked open on I-4 - driver said the rear trailer wheels came out from under the truck. The back of the tanker slammed onto the road and spilled the chemical over an area 600 feet long and 60 feet wide that looked like dirty, mushy snow, 2 to 3 inches thick. Authorities were frustrated In attempts to neutralize the acid with lime and potash, which delayed I-4's reopening. 1250 residents evacuated due to fumes, 50 people treated (mostly emergency personnel). [F] |
| 5/11/1994 | Woodacre, CA (Marin) | Chemical Laymen Tank Line | Mobile | Land / Cement Blacktop Area | 75 gal | hazmat carrier rubber lined trailer blow down valve line fiting on top of truck / leaked due to being broken off by operator |
| 12/17/1993 | New Hyde Park, NY (Nassau) | Jamaica Water Supply | Mobile | Water Drainage Ditch | Unknown | Dumping Incident at Nassau Pump Station 15 C & E; caller states there was Sodium Fluoride being dumped onto the ground from tanktruck; Virchem also dumped |
| 11/1993 | Middletown, MD | Middletown Water Distribution | Fixed | Drinking Water | Unknown | Excess amounts of water fluoridation treatment entered the water supply, raising the level to 70 ppm. Citizens were informed by radio not to drink or cook with the water[F] |
| 10/20/1993 | East St. Louis, IL (St. Clair) | I M Z Fertizizer Inc | Railroad | Land / Soil | 400 gal | a railroad tank car is leaking from the sump |
| 8/31/1993 | Charlottesville, VA (Albemarle) | Rizanna Water & Sewer | Fixed | Land / Soil | 1839 gal | storage tank/line from the tank failed causing the release |
| 8/14/1993 | Marrero, LA (Jefferson) | | Fixed | Water Drain System | 950 gal | fire dept called and said that the material is in the drain system cause is unknown |
| 8/1993 | Galesburg, IL (Knox) | | Mobile | Pavement | 15-20 gal | Tank truck delivery leak. [C] |
| 8/1993 | Poplarville, MS (Pearl River) | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | 40 persons poisoned; 15 sought treatment at hospital. Pizza Inn manager was the first to notify city officials after several customers became ill. [C] |
| 7/16/1993 | Chicago, IL | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | Three dialysis patients died and five experienced toxic reactions to the fluoridated water used in the treatment process. [C] |
| 5/3/1993 | East St. Louis, IL (St. Clair) | Gateway Western Railroad | Railroad | Air | Unknown | rail car gasket/leaked due to unknown reasons |
| 5/13/1993 | Waycross, GA (Ware) | CSX Transportation | Railroad | Land | Unknown | a tankcar was discovered to be leaking from the bottom due to corrosion |
| 5/10/1993 | Baltimore, MD (Baltimore) | LCI Limited | Railroad | Land | 2 gal | rail car / unknown |
| 5/1993 | Kodiak, AK | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | Although equipment appeared to be functioning normally, 22-24 ppm of fluoride was found in a sample. [C] |
| 3/25/1993 | Travelers Rest, SC (Greenville) | Greenville Water System | Fixed | Land / Concrete Containment | 15 gal | storage tank/overfilled |
| 1/1993 | Sarnia, ON Canada | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | computer-controlled system had failed to shut down. [C] |
| 8/4/1992 | Houston, TX (Harris) | City of Houston | Fixed | Water | 5000 gal | Spilled into Huntington Bayou. storage tank / flange failed |
| 7/1992 | Mount Tamalpais, CA (Marin) | Bon Tempe treatment plant | Fixed | Water | | Pump malfunction. Two million gallons of fluoridated water were diverted to Phoenix Lake, elevating the lake surface by more than two inches and forcing some water over the spillway. [C] |
| 6/1992 | Danvers, IL (McLean) | Public Water | Fixed | Land / Pavement | | Fluoride pump malfunctioned. City flushed the contaminated water through fire hydrants. [C] |
| 5/1992 | Hooper Bay, AK (Wade Hampton) | Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation | Fixed | Drinking water | | poor equipment and lack of a qualified operator. One death, 260 poisoned; one airlifted to hospital in critical condition. [C] |
| 4/23/1992 | Cottage Grove, WI (Dane) | Hydrite Chemical | Railroad | Land | 500 gal | fitting on a rail car failed |
| 2/1992 | Rice Lake, WI (Barron) | | Fixed | Drinking water | | High winds caused volt lines to connect, causing conductors to burn to ground and a jumper to fail, resulting in failure of the anti-siphoning device, causing fluoride to pour through the pipes. Pump overfed fluoride for two days. Residents vomiting, levels thought to have reached 20 ppm. Wisconsin State Dental Director, stated, "To be harmful, exposure would have to have been about 225 ppm." [C] |
| 1/3/1992 | Sylacuga, AL (Talladega) | Sylacuga Filtration Plant | Fixed | Water | 4000 gal | Spilled into Sylacuga River. above ground storage tank ruptured |
| 12/1991 | Benton Harbor, MI (Berrien) | Public Water | Fixed | "leaked into a chemical storage building at the water plant where it ate through more than two inches of concrete" | 900 gal | Faulty pump - equipment was only two years old. [C] |
| 9/1991 | Burlington, NC (Alamance) | Public Water | Fixed | Contained to water treatment plant | 4000 gal | fiberglass fluoride tank ruptured. [C] |
| 9/1991 | Calgary, AB Canada | Public Water | Fixed | Unknown | 1.75 gal | Fluoride diffuser problems in six machines. Two water treatment personnel to the hospital for oxygen after breathing the fluoride fumes. Gary Lamb, engineer, stated that "This product is an acid so we can't put it through a steel pipe because it corrodes, but plastic isn't strong enough." [C] |
| 7/1991 | Portage, MI (Kalamazoo) | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | Fluoride injector pump failed. Fluoride levels reached 92 ppm and resulted in approximately 40 children developing abdominal pains, sickness, vomiting, and diarrhea. [C] |
| 11/28/1990 | Fort Worth, TX (Tarrant) | City of Fort Worth | Fixed | Land / Asphalt | 650 gal | chemical feed tank/ operator overfilled the tank |
| 11/1990 | St. Louis, MO | St. Louis County water works plant | Fixed | Land / Pavement | 500 gal | ruptured pipe. About 12 employees were evacuated. Fireman built sand dikes around the leak, added lime to the spilled fluoride to neutralize it, and plugged the pipe. [C] |
| 10/1990 | Westby, WI (Vernon) | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | equipment malfunctioned, fluoride surged to 150 ppm. The water utility supervisor said he had expected the fluoride to be ten times normal since it had burned his mouth. The fluoride corroded the copper off the pipes in area homes, 70 times higher than the EPA recommended limit. Westby Council stopped fluoridating. [C] |
| 8/13/1990 | Bloomington, IN (Monroe) | Lindsey Motor Express | Mobile | Land / Ground | 355 gal | tank truck / when driver put pressure on the tank to unload, the pop-off valve failed and the material spilled |
| 6/7/1990 | Dayton, OH (Montgomery) | City of Dayton | Fixed | Land / Concrete Dyke | 100 gal | aboveground storage tank/leaking pipe |
| 6/18/1990 | Detroit, MI (Wayne) | TVS Chemical | Railroad | Unknown or Other | Unknown | 4 wheels of car off rail/track switch out of adjustment |
| 5/14/1988 | Williamsport, PA (Lycoming) | | Railroad | Land | 2 gal | at Newberry Yard: 10 cars derailed, 7 empty's 2 loaded with sand, and the one car leaking is leaning and leaking out of dome |
| 1/1988 | Schenectady, NY (Schenectady) | Public Water | Fixed | Unknown | 2000 gal | Spill completely destroyed the fluoridation facility. Over $48,000 spent to clean up the spill and dispose of fluoride in approved dump site. It was estimated that the cost to replace the facility would be $261,000. [C] |
| 3/1986 | New Haven / North Branford, CT (New Haven) | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | | The fluoride peaked at 51 ppm. 18% of customers had acute health effects. Connecticut State Dental Director chastised water department personnel for not recognizing immediately that public complaints were due to fluoride and not copper. [C] |
| 10/6/1981 | Jonesboro, ME (Washington) | Jonesboro Elem. School | Equipment malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Equipment had been shut down due to faulty valve controlling the quantity of fluoride going into the drinking water. A Technician from the Dept. of Human Services told the custodian and principal there was no need to test the fluoride content of the water, that he had turned the unit off. Tests showed 46 times the normal ratio of fluoride in the water. 57 students, teachers and principal taken to hospital. 38 were administered regurgitants to make them vomit the fluoride, and milk to counteract the poison. Two were admitted to the hospital for several hours for fast heartbeat. Other symptoms were nausea and abdominal pain, and vomiting. On December 1, 1981, Jonesboro citizens voted 43-2 not to reinstate fluoridation at the school, and to charge the Dept. of Human Services with the emergency room bill of $1,137.24. [B] |
| 8/10/1981 | Potsdam, NY (St Lawrence) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Drinking Water | 55 gal? | The diffuser, a plastic pipe that controls flow of fluoride into the water system broke off, allowing the entire contents of a drum of fluoride, ten times a normal "dose", into the water supply. The diffuser was found outside the water treatment plant where it had been flushed by backwash. Village residents were without potable water, and in a state of "water emergency" from 2:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. The village administrator said the biggest cost would be overtime pay for Public Works personnel. This would not include cost of investigation by State Health Dept. personnel. [B] |
| 6/2~8/1981 | Pendleton, OR (Umatilla) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Land | 4000 gal | Pipe leading from fluoride storage tank broke. 4,000 gallons of fluoride leaked into ground. Brett McKnight, DEQ environmental engineer stated "From the data gathered from the soil sampling and water samples, there exists a real need for continual monitoring in the areas." The Umatilla Indian Reservation water also comes from this source. [B] |
| 8/30/1980 | Vermont Elementary School | School Water Supply | Human error | Drinking Water | Unknown (1041 ppm) | A water fluoridator at a local elementary school was accidentally left running, elevating fluoride levels to 1041 ppm (250 times the legal amount), poisoning 22 individuals attending a farmers market hosted at the school.[F] |
| 11/1979 | Annapolis, MD (Anne Arundel) | Public Water | Fixed | Drinking water | 1000 gal | Valve at water plant had been left open all night. One patient died and eight became ill after renal dialysis treatment. The fluoride level was later found to be 35 ppm. [B,C,F] |
| 5/1979 | Island Falls, ME (Aroostook) | Public Water | Equipment malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Fluoride machine let extra fluoride into water system while motor head was being changed. "The exact water fluoride level was not ascortained although a water sample at a manufacturing plant was greater than 10 ppm." 5 people suffered gastrointestinal illness. Dept. of Human Services advised announcement on radio for public not to drink water. [B] |
| 11/17/1978 | Los Lunas, NM (Cibola) | School Water | Equipment malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Faulty electric relay switch caused concentrated fluoride to be pumped into water system without being diluted with non-fluoridated water. 34 people had acute fluoride poisoning. Symptoms were abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, muscle twitching and excessive salivation. [B,F] |
| 11/25/1977 | Woodacre, CA (Marin) | Public Water | Equipment Malfunction | Drinking Water | | Unnoticed breakdown of Fluoride feeder valve caused five communities to receive fluoride above "accepted" level {up to 5.4 ppm} for several days without notice to the public. The Ind. Jrnl. reported the water district staff justified distribution of the overdosed water on the grounds it was a drought year [B] |
| 11/22/1977 | Harbor Springs, MI (Emmet) | Public Water | Accident | Drinking Water | 189 lbs | A tree cut down by contractor fell on power lines controlling city water system electrical signal lines. The disruption automatically triggered into simultaneous operation three of the city's four well-water pumps, and the fluoride feeder continued to operate. (it was first thought the problem was an "iron buildup"; iron levels were high due to interaction of the fluoride with the water mains.) Approximately 189 lbs. of fluoride was accidentally pumped into the city's water system. Tests at one discharge line showed 1,000 milligrams per liter of fluoride. Four people experienced nausea or vomiting and weakness. Had it not been an off-season for this resort town and the accident happening after lunch and before afternoon coffee breaks, more could have been poisoned. [B] |
| 3/29/1977 | Syracuse, NY (Onondaga) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Water | 1200 gal | Fluoride was accidentally pumped into Skaneateles Creek from a ruptured underground fluoride tank. Within hours of the spill, hundreds of dead fish lined the banks of the creek. 1,900 previously stocked trout assumed dead. [B] |
| 5/1976 | Seattle, WA (King) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Land | 5000 gal | Plastic fitting broke in rubber-lined steel tank spilling fluoride on the ground in Cedar River watershed. 5,000 gallons of fluoride spilled. An earth mound was built around tank to divert spillage from river. [B] |
| 8/20/1975 | Lebanon, PA (Lebanon) | Public Water | Equipment failure | Land / Soil | 1500 gal | Storage tank holding 6,000 gallons of hydrofluosilicic acid (fluoride) ruptured. Substantial damage to water plant. Approximately 1,500 gallons went into drains below plant threatening structure. DER (Dept. of Env. Resources) reported fluoride leaked into holding ponds and Swatara Creek killing fish. [B] |
| 4/16/1974 | Manly, NC (Moore) | Public Water | Equipment Malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Fluoride feeder pump malfunctioned, causing the fluoride solution to be fed into the water system continuously while water pump not operating. 213 individuals experienced nausea after drinking orange juice mixed with water. 201 students and 7 adults vomited. [B] |
| 6/6/1972 | Rome, PA (Bradford) | Northeast Bradford Elem. School | Equipment Malfunction | Drinking Water | Unknown | Blockage of BIF feeder by-pass occurred sending excess fluoride into water system as high as 67 mg./L. DER (Dept. of Env. Resources), Towanda, Pa. Records show fluoride at 48 ppm in water and 230 ppm in coffee. 150 students attending a school picnic vomited after drinking orange juice made with the water. [B] |
