Reports are that Halifax fire is dealing with a leaking container at Fairview cove. Atlantic Companion and London Express are both at the pier. Fire recived the call at 21:46
A witness has told me that the fire department is by the Atlantic Companion.
The container is reportedly damaged though May not be leaking.
Reportedly the commodity is Uranium Hexofloride, which wikipedia describes as is highly toxic, reacts violently with water and is corrosive to most metals
More to come when Known
More to come when Known
Update:
Halifax fire confirm the container had uranium tetrachloride inside. The container was dropped on the ship and not on the pier.
Fire Crews confirm container is breached, levels three times the acceptable amount have been detected.
A source on site indicates that the container dropped off the crane. Workers have been told to report back at midnight though federal nuclear authorities have been contacted
Longshoreman and ships crew near the dropped container are reportedly under quarantine. This is likely due to the potential toxic effects of the product.
Fire have requested a metro transit bus which will be used for evacuations. Nuclear safety teams are Apprently due around 0800 tommorow, now requiring longer term accommodations then the bus.
Workers are being scanned for radiation and released. Sounds like fire units are also returning to base. Halifax fire confirmed that there are no injuries an no persons are contaminated. no evacuations are required. They report that 4 cylinders fell from a container but did not rupture. This might suggest that the container failed rather then the container falling from the crane
About the material
From transport canada
- Radiation presents minimal risk to transport workers, emergency response personnel and the public during transportation accidents. Packaging durability increases as potential radiation and criticality hazards of the content increase.
- Chemical hazard greatly exceeds radiation hazard.
- Substance reacts with water and water vapor in air to form toxic and corrosive hydrogen fluoride gas and an extremely irritating and corrosive, white-colored, water-soluble residue.
- If inhaled, may be fatal.
- Direct contact causes burns to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.
- Low-level radioactive material; very low radiation hazard to people.
- Runoff from control of cargo fire may cause low-level pollution.
Small spills suggest 100m exclusion zone
