At about 4:45am this morning an accident at the NC State Port in Morehead City resulted in a chemical spill. The chemical was PETN, a potentially highly explosive substance. Authorities claim the chemical is stable and not even explosive until mixed with other chemicals. The spill was caused by a forklift puncturing barrels of the chemical while they were being offloaded.
Officials closed the bridge from Morehead to Beaufort for most of the day, but have re-opened it.
Port representatives explained they were aware of the shipment, and had extra security in place. If you recall PETN was one of the substances used by the Nigerian terrorist on Christmas day in his attempt to blow up a flight to Detroit on Northwestern Airlines. According to Morehead City Mayor Jerry Jones, the spill appears to be an accident and not an act of terrorism.
From what I can read on this material, its pretty benign until mixed with other chemicals to then make it highly explosive. However if it is contaminated with sand, dirt, or grit it can become explosive. I also read that if the material is deemed as waste, it is potentially regulated as a HAZARDOUS WASTE!
I sure hope it is properly cleaned up and disposed of. Our fragile coastal estuarine waters that surround us in Carteret County are already stressed enough. We really can’t afford to allow any more contaminants find their way into our coastal environment. Our ecosystem is the main attraction for visitors to our area, and it’s also how many of our local residents make a living.
Surprisingly, the only thing I saw people complaining about was the traffic rerouting. Well I’m sure that is annoying, but let’s also remember to keep in our natural environment in mind when allowing businesses and government decide what is coming into or out of our port.
Chances are there far more toxic chemicals coming and leaving our port everyday. What will we do when there’s a larger spill of a more toxic chemical that decimates one of our beloved fisheries, or makes the water unsafe for recreation? Food for thought.
Do you know how much the economical cost was due to this chemcial spill?
Samantha,
I am not sure what the economic cost was. One would imagine it cost local businesses in Beaufort a pretty good amount seeing how people couldn’t get across the bridge to visit their shops, restaurants etc.