NEWS RELEASE May 30, 2000 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH100030) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (334) 208-5806/Fax: (334) 208-5813 TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK LEAKS HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS ON INTERSTATE Firefighters and Hazardous Materials Technicians from Mobile Fire-Rescue Department were called to a tractor trailer truck leaking chemicals on West Bound Interstate 10 between Highway 90 and Theodore-Dawes Road just West of the Carol Plantation Roads overpass, Tuesday evening, May 30, 2000. A passing motorist noticed something leaking from the back of the truck and flagged down the driver. The called was received at approximately 6:04 p.m. John Eberherd, the driver, pulled his truck off on the side of the road and waited for Fire-Rescue personnel to arrive. Eberherd was treated on the scene and transported to USA Knollwood Hospital where he was evaluated and released. Mobile Police Department rerouted traffic to Highway 90 and kept the West Bound lanes of I-10 blocked from Highway 90 to Theodore-Dawes Road. The truck owned by Chemical Conversation Corporation in Orlando, Florida was carrying at least 11 known chemicals, ranging from flammables, corrosives to oxidizers, that were listed as "Hazardous Waste". Members of the Hazardous Materials team made two entries into the back of the truck to identify what chemical was leaking and what course of action was to be taken. The Team members discovered that approximately 25 gallons of Sodium Cyanide/Sodium Hydroxide had leaked from a container in the rear of the truck. U.S. Environmental Services was called to the scene to clean up the toxic chemicals. Po-Boys Wrecker Service was called to the scene to remove the truck from the Interstate. The Interstate was re-opened to traffic at approximately 1:30 a.m. No other injuries were reported. Engines 7, 15, 19, truck 10, Haz-Mat 15, rescue 7, 24, District 4 Chief John D. Young and District Chief Bill Hunter responded. ###