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Incident Report - Chemical Exposures to Refuse Truck Personnel, August 4, 1997On August 4, 1997, at approximately 5:50a.m., Joseph Miller was contacted by Public Safety to respond to an incident at Old College involving chemicals in the dumpster and the subsequent exposures of the refuse truck attendants. Mr. Miller advised Public Safety that medical evaluations were needed. Mr. Miller arrived at the site shortly after 6:00a.m., at which time one refuse truck attendant was in the ambulance being evaluated and the other truck attendant was in the vicinity. Both truck attendants were transported independently to Christiana Emergency Room for evaluation and after being advised to consult their personal physicians, released. Grounds Division personnel relocated the truck to the landfill just north of Christiana Towers. The truck driver noticed a sensation in his throat and two Grounds Supervisors noticed a "prickly" sensation on their skin after being in close contact with the truck. Environmental Health & Safety and Grounds Personnel, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), unloaded the rear segment of the refuse that would have been generated from the dumpster at Old College. This material was examined for any evidence of hazardous chemicals that might be linked to the episode. One very small bottle was found with a trace of liquid; however, the bottle and cap were intact. Analysis of this material is pending. On August 5, 1997, Environmental Health & Safety along with Grounds Personnel, again wearing PPE, emptied the entire contents of the truck (approximately 10,000 lbs) and examined the material for evidence of chemical disposal. One crushed 5 gallon container of lab origin was identified. Samples of the volatile contents are pending. The vast majority of the truck contents consisted of "household" trash, empty containers of cleaners and construction materials. One batch of waste from the Ceramics Studio, mainly wetted clay, was also found. The two refuse truck attendants, who received the initial exposure, were evaluated by their personal physicians and by the University's Occupational Health provider. All three physicians independently provided a diagnosis of chemical pneumonitis for both employees. One employee returned to work on August 14, 1997 at which time, he continued to have some difficulties. He sent home sick on August 15, 1997. As of August 19, 1997, both refuse truck attendants were released by their physicians and returned to work. Information provided by the refuse truck attendants and the custodial staff working in the areas of the incident indicated that the Art Conservation Department was cleaning out a laboratory in Old College. Faculty responsible for those areas stated that no chemicals were disposed of in the dumpster. The Ceramics faculty were also interviewed and again stated that no hazardous materials were disposed of in their dumpster. At this point, the chemicals and their source remain unknown and will probably never be identified. Several ideas are being considered to reduce the chance of a recurrence such as: warning signs on the dumpsters, locking certain dumpsters and strengthening the educational programs for University faculty, staff and students. Questions regarding this incident should be addressed to Joseph Miller at jamiller@udel.edu or call 831-6566. Click here to review Proper Disposal of Chemicals and Empty Chemical Containers. 
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