Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance
(HSEES)
Report for 2006
Minnesota Department of Health
This report is supported by funds from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA) trust fund and the Office of Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), provided to Minnesota Department of Health under a cooperative agreement by the
Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Minnesota Department of Health ♦ Division of Environmental Health ♦ P.O. Box 64975, St. Paul, MN 55164
651-201-4899, TTY 651-201-5797
Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Executive Summary
Introduction
Methods
Results
Industries
Substances
Victims
Nearby populations
Evacuations
Decontamination
Response
Prevention Activities in Minnesota
Additional Use of MN HSEES data
Summary of Results, 1995-2006
References
Appendix
Page
iii
iv
1
2
3
3
5
5
5
7
7
7
8
8
8
9
10
ii
List of Tables
Table 1.
Number of events meeting the surveillance definition, by county and type
of event—Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events
Surveillance, 2006
Table 2.
Number of substances involved per event, by type of event—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 3.
Industries involved in hazardous substance events, by category—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 4.
Substances most frequently involved in events – Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 5.
Number of substances involved, by substance category and type of
event—Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance,
2006
Table 6.
Number of victims per event, by type of event—Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 7.
Frequency of substance categories in all events and events with victims—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 8.
Frequencies of injuries/symptoms, by type of event—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 9.
Distribution of personnel who responded to the event—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Table 10.
Cumulative data by year—Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency
Events Surveillance, 1995–2006
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1.
Areas of fixed facilities involved in events—Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 2.
Distribution of transportation events, by type of transport—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 3a.
Primary factors reported as contributing to events—Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 3b.
Secondary factors reported as contributing to events—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 4.
Number of victims, by population group and type of event—Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 5.
Distribution of injured responders, by type of responder— Minnesota
Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Figure 6.
Injury disposition—Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events
Surveillance, 2006
Figure 7.
Number of victims, by category and year—Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 1995-2006
iv
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system,
maintained by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), collects
information to describe the public health consequences of acute releases of hazardous
substances in participating states. This report summarizes events reported in Minnesota in
2006. Information collected about acute events involving hazardous substances includes
the substance(s) and quantity released; time, place, and cause of the event; number of
victims and injuries sustained; response; and public health protective actions taken.
A total of 546 events were reported. In 518 (94.9%) events, one substance was
released. The most commonly reported categories of substances were volatile organic
compounds, ammonia, inorganic substances, and acids. During this reporting period, 31
events (5.7%) resulted in 68 victims (one death). The most frequently reported injuries
were respiratory irritation, eye irritation, and trauma. Evacuations were ordered for 58
(10.6%) events.
Prevention outreach efforts for 2006 involved providing HSEES information to
emergency planners and the public through conferences, the Minnesota Department of
Health (MDH) web site, and written materials. Because anhydrous ammonia is the most
frequently released substance and often involves a public health impact, two activities
were related to this substance.
1
INTRODUCTION
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines surveillance as the
“ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data
essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health
practice, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those
who need to know. The final link of the surveillance chain is the application of
these data to prevention and control. A surveillance system includes a functional
capacity for data collection, analysis, and dissemination linked to public health
programs”[1].
Since 1990, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has
maintained an active, state-based Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance
(HSEES) system to describe the public health consequences of releases of hazardous
substances. The decision to initiate a surveillance system of this type was based on a
study published in 1989 about the reporting of hazardous substances releases to three
national databases: the National Response Center Database, the Hazardous Material
Information System (HMIS), and the Acute Hazardous Events Database [2]. A review of
these databases indicated limitations. Many events were missed because of specific
reporting requirements (for example, the HMIS did not record events involving intrastate
carriers or fixed facility events). Other important information was not recorded, such as
the demographic characteristics of victims, the types of injuries sustained, and the
number of persons evacuated. As a result of this review, ATSDR implemented the
HSEES system to more fully describe the public health consequences of releases of
hazardous substances.
HSEES has several goals:
● To describe the distribution and characteristics of acute hazardous substances
releases;
● To describe morbidity and mortality among employees, responders, and the
general public that resulted from hazardous substances releases; and
● To develop strategies that might reduce future morbidity and mortality resulting
from the release of hazardous substances.
For a surveillance system to be useful, it must not only be a repository for data, but the
data must also be used to protect public health.
In the past few years, the last goal of the HSEES system has been emphasized; i.e., to
develop strategies to reduce subsequent morbidity and mortality by having each
participating state analyze its data and develop appropriate prevention outreach activities.
These activities are intended to provide industry, responders, and the general public with
information that can help prevent hazardous substances releases and reduce morbidity
and mortality if a release occurs.
2
This report summarizes acute hazardous substance release events and associated public
health consequences for 2006 in Minnesota and describes prevention activities to protect
public health.
METHODS
In 2006, fourteen state health departments participated in HSEES: Colorado, Florida,
Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon,
Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Minnesota has participated in the HSEES program since 1995. While a few datacollection questions have been adjusted by ATSDR over time, information collected has
consistently included substance(s) released, quantity released, event type, location, event
cause, number of victims, injuries (adverse health effects and symptoms), evacuations,
and other key data.
Principal sources used to obtain information about these events included the Minnesota
Duty Officer, the National Response Center, and the U.S. Department of Transportation
Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting System. U.S. census data were used to estimate
the number of residents in the vicinity of most of the events. Data were stored using a
Web-based data entry system provided by ATSDR.
HSEES defines hazardous substances emergency events as acute uncontrolled or illegal
releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances. Events involving releases of
petroleum only are excluded. Events are included if (a) the substance released could
cause adverse human health effects or (b) the release of a substance was threatened, but
the threat led to an action (for example, evacuation) to protect public health. All
hazardous substances are included in quantities of a least one gallon or 10 pounds, unless
the substance has been designated for inclusion at any amount. HSEES defines victims as
persons who experience at least one documented adverse health effect within 24 hours
after the event or who die as a consequence of the event. Victims who receive more than
one type of injury or symptom are counted once in each applicable injury type or
symptom. Events are categorized as transportation if they occur (a) during surface, air,
pipeline, or water transport or (b) before being unloaded from a vehicle or vessel. All
other events are considered fixed-facility events.
For data analyses, the substances released were categorized into 16 groups. The category
“Mixture” comprises substances from different categories that were mixed or formed
from a reaction before the event; the category “Other inorganic substances” comprises all
inorganic substances except acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine; and the category
“Other” comprises substances that could not be included in one of the other existing
categories. A complete list of substance categories is available in the Appendix.
RESULTS
For 2006, 546 events were documented by Minnesota HSEES (MN HSEES): Three
(0.5%) of these events were threatened releases and two (0.4%) were events in which
3
substances were both threatened to be released and actually released. The counties with
the most events were Dakota (80 [14.7%]) and Hennepin (80 [14.7%]) (Table 1).
A total of 342 (62.6%) events were in fixed facilities. For fixed facilities involving
mining, utilities, or manufacturing, one or two types of area or equipment involved in the
event could be selected. Among the 138 (40.4%) events with one type of area reported,
the main areas were classified as follows: 39 (28.3%) ancillary process equipment, 22
(15.9%) process vessel, 18 (13.0%) material handling area, and 17 (12.3%) above ground
storage. Seventeen fixed-facility (5.0%) events involved two locations. Many of these
events involved ancillary process equipment (8 events) and/or piping (8 events) in
combination with material handling areas, dump/waste areas, process vessels, storage
areas, or transport within fixed facility. Percentages of area type for all reported locations
(172) are shown in Figure 1.
Of the 204 (37.4%) transportation events, 185 (90.7%) occurred during ground transport
(e.g., truck, van, or tractor) and 12 (5.9%) involved rail transport. Five events involved
pipeline transport and two involved air transportation (Figure 2). Most ground
transportation events involved trucks (171, [92.4%]). The largest proportions of
transportation events occurred en route and were discovered later at a fixed facility (82,
[40.2%]) or during unloading of a stationary vehicle or vessel (66 [32.4%]).
Primary factors contributing to events were reported for all 546 events (Figure 3a). Of the
reported primary factors, equipment failure was the most frequently reported primary
factor in (176 [51.5%]) fixed-facility events, and human error was most frequently
reported in (148 ([72.5%]) transportation events. Secondary factors were reported for 389
(71.2%) events (Figure 3b). Of the reported secondary factors, equipment failure was
most frequently reported for fixed-facility events (48 [22.4%]) and improper filling,
loading or packing (108 [61.7%]) was most frequently reported for transportation events.
More than 90% of all events involved release of only one substance. Two substances
were released in approximately 4% of the events, and approximately 1% involved the
release of more than two substances (Table 2). Fixed-facility events were more likely
than transportation events to have two or more substances released in an event (7.0% vs.
2.0%).
By month, number of events ranged from 32 (5.9%) in January to 71 (13.0%) in April,
with over one third of all events occurring from April through June (196 [35.9%]). By
day of week, proportion of weekday events ranged from 15.0% (Thursday) to 20.5%
(Wednesday). For weekend days, 6.8% occurred on Saturdays and 6.2% on Sundays. The
time of day or time category of event occurrence was reported for all 546 events. A
majority of events, 332 (60.8%), occurred between 6:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., while 108
(19.8%) occurred from 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. and 106 (19.4%) events occurred from
12:00 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.
4
Industries
The largest proportions of HSEES events were associated with transportation and
warehousing (187 [34.2%]) and manufacturing (131 [24.0%]) industries (Table 3). The
largest number of victim events occurred in the manufacturing industry (6 [19.4%]).
Although manufacturing had a large number of events with victims, only 4.6% of 131
events resulted in victims. Some industries had a high percentage of events with victims,
such as real estate (50.0%) and arts, entertainment, and recreation (28.6%), but overall
number of events in these categories was small (2 and 7, respectively). The category with
the most victims was the “Not an Industry” category (26, [38.2]), which often involved
illegal acts or mishaps not related to an industry, such as inappropriate disposal of pepper
spray. Wholesale trade, which includes farm cooperatives, had the next highest number
of victims (10 [14.7%]).
Substances
A total of 584 substances were involved in all events, of which five (0.9%) substances
were threatened to be released. The individual substances most frequently released were
anhydrous ammonia; paints, coatings, inks, and dyes; and mercury (Table 4). Substances
were grouped into 16 categories. The substance categories most commonly released in
fixed-facility events were other inorganic substances (70 [18.7%]), ammonia (62
[16.5%]), and acids (46 [12.3%]). In transportation events, the most common substance
categories released were paints and dyes (45 [21.5%]), volatile organic compounds (43
[20.6%]), acids (28 [13.4%]) and pesticides and fertilizers (28 [13.4%]) (Table 5).
Two types of releases for each of the 584 substances released could be reported (e.g.,
spill and air release). Only one type of release was associated with the following: spills
(422 [72.3%]), air releases (103 [17.6%]), fire (6 [1.0%]), threatened release (5 [0.9 %]),
and explosion (3 [0.5%]). Of events with two types of releases, the following
combinations were reported: spill and air release (25 [4.3%]), air release and fire, (7,
[1.2%)], spill and fire (6 [1.0%]), spill and explosion (5 [0.9%]), and air release and
explosion (2 [0.3%]). All substances had release types reported.
Victims
A total of 68 victims were involved in 31 (5.7%) events (Table 6). Of these, 22 (71.0%)
events involved only one victim, and four (12.9%) involved two victims. Of all victims,
53 (77.9%) were injured in fixed-facility events. In events with victims, fixed-facility
events were more likely to have three or more victims per event (18.2%) than were
transportation events (11.1%). Additionally, seven persons in four events (0.7%) were
observed at a hospital but did not have symptoms. They did not sustain injuries and were
not counted as victims.
To determine if type of substance(s) released in an event was related to number of
victims in the event, substances released and victim totals were compared. In events that
involved substances from the same substance category, substances were counted once in
that category. In events that involved substances from different categories, substances
were counted once in the multiple substance category.
5
The comparison showed that substances released most often were not necessarily the
most likely to result in victims (Table 7). For example, events categorized as volatile
organic compounds constituted 13.0% of all events but none of the victim events.
Conversely, events in the multiple substances category were 4.0% of all events, but
accounted for 22.6% of the victim events.
Employees constituted the largest proportion of the population groups injured (36
[52.9%]), followed by general public (14 [20.6%]), responders (5 [7.4%]), student (1
[1.5%]), and unknown classification (12 [17.6%]) (Figure 4). All responder, student, and
11 of the unknown category victims were in fixed-facility events. Responder victims
included 4 (80.0%) firefighters, and one (20.0%) police officer (Figure 5).
Victims sustained a total of 78 injuries or symptoms (Table 8). Some victims had more
than one injury or symptom. The most common injuries/symptoms in fixed-facility
events were respiratory irritation (27 [43.5%]) and eye irritation (9 [14.5%]). In
transportation events, trauma (6 [37.5%]) and eye irritation (6 [37.5%]) were reported
most frequently. The trauma injuries in transportation events were not substance-related;
these injuries resulted from a chain of events, such as a motor vehicle accident that
involved release of a hazardous substance, and not from exposure to the substance itself.
The median age of the 43 (63.2%) victims for whom exact age was reported was 39 years
(range: 2─77 years). For the 14 (20.6%) injured persons for whom an age category was
reported, 10 (71.4%) were 20-44 years of age, and two (14.3%) were 45-64 years of age,
one (7.1%) was 15-19 years of age and one (7.1%) was less than 12 months. For the 11
injured persons for whom age was not reported, five (45.5%) were members of the
general public and six (54.5%) were an unknown victim category.
Sex was known for 58 (85.3%) victims: 38 (65.5%) were males. Of the 41 employees and
responders, 30 (73.2%) were males.
Severity was known for 66 (97.1%) of victims. The severity ranged from minor injury to
death (Figure 6). One (1.5%) was observed at a hospital but did not require treatment.
Eleven (16.2%) victims required only on scene first aid. Nine (13.2%) experienced
adverse health effects that were reported by an official. Five (7.4%) victims were seen by
a private physician and 37 (54.4%) were treated at a hospital but not admitted. Two
(2.9%) victims required admission to hospital and one death (1.5%) related to trauma was
reported.
The status of personal protective equipment (PPE) use was reported for 34 (94.4%)
employee-victims and for three (60.0%) responder-victims. Of these, most of the
employee-victims (29 [85.3%]) and one (33.3%) of the responder-victims had not worn
any form of PPE. Among the five employee-victims who wore PPE, two wore “level D”
protection, three wore eye protection and one used gloves. The two injured emergency
responders known to have worn PPE wore fire fighter turnout gear with respiratory
protection.
6
There were two events that involved more than five people: one involving a large acid
spill and one involving a pepper spray release.
The first event involved a train tank car that spilled about 5000 gallons of hydrochloric
acid in a rail yard. Vapor was emitted, resulting in respiratory irritation or eye irritation
for at least seven persons. An evacuation was ordered for nearby areas and a shelter-inplace order was given for other surrounding areas. Most, if not all, victims were treated
and released.
The second event involved an unidentified chemical, thought to be pepper spray, release
in an airport terminal. The cause of the release was not determined, but believed to have
been unintentional. An area of the terminal was evacuated. Twenty-two persons were
reported to have experienced eye irritation and/or respiratory irritation. Seventeen were
transported for treatment at a hospital, while five others self-reported to the hospital or
refused treatment.
Nearby populations
The proximity of the event location in relation to selected populations was determined
using geographic information systems (GIS). There were 471 (86.3%) events with
persons living within one fourth mile of the event; 537 (98.4%) events with persons
living within one half mile; and 544 (99.6%) events with persons living within one mile.
Additionally, there were industries or other businesses within ¼ mile of 464 (85.0%)
events; recreational areas within ¼ mile of 133 (24.4%) events; licensed daycares within
¼ mile of 125 (22.9%) events; schools within ¼ mile of 108 (19.8%) events; nursing
homes within ¼ mile of 14 (2.6%) events; and hospitals within one fourth mile of 6
(1.1%) events.
Evacuations
Evacuations were ordered in 58 (10.6%) events. Of these evacuations, 79.3% occurred in
buildings or affected parts of buildings; 8.6% were of defined circular areas surrounding
the event locations, 6.9% were downwind or downstream of the event, and 5.2% were in
a circle and downwind/downstream from the event. The number of persons evacuated
was known for 40 (69.0%) events and an estimate range was known for an additional 17
(29.3%) events. The number evacuated ranged from two to 1500 persons, with a median
of 17.5. (Two events evacuated zero persons: the evacuation was ordered after no one
was in the area). The median length of evacuation was 4.0 hours (range: 0.2 to 240
hours). Evacuation length was available for 54 (93.1%) events. Of all 546 events, 273
(50.0%) had restricted access to the area. In-place sheltering ordered by an official was
reported for four events.
Decontamination
Of the 56 (82.4%) victims for whom decontamination status was known, 46 (82.1%)
were not decontaminated, six (10.7%) were decontaminated at the scene, one (1.8%) was
decontaminated at a medical facility, and three (5.4%) were decontaminated at both the
scene and a medical facility.
7
In the 17 (3.1%) events where uninjured persons were decontaminated, the median
number of uninjured decontaminated individuals was four persons per event (range: 1 –
110 persons). No decontaminations were done at a medical facility. Decontamination at
the scene was done for 119 uninjured employees, 70 uninjured responders, seven
uninjured members of the general public, and one uninjured student.
Response
Information on who responded to the event was available for all events. The category of
No Response was reported in 28 (5.1%) events. Two or more responder categories were
reported for 141 (25.8%) events, 73 (13.4%) reported three or more categories, and 49
(9.0%) reported four or more categories. Company response team (84.1%) responded
most frequently to events, followed by fire department (16.5%), law enforcement
(16.3%), and third party clean up contractor (11.4%) (Table 9).
PREVENTION ACTIVITIES IN MINNESOTA
During 2006, the MN HSEES program performed several prevention activities. These
activities included:
● Creating a clickable map of MN HSEES events by county and posting it on the
Internet.
● Evaluating the impact of the 2005 meth precursor laws on the number of meth
labs in the state. This was an evaluation of the 2005 “Meth Day at the Capitol”
activity.
● Providing a resource table, which included HSEES information about releases
by county, at a community health conference in Brainerd, MN.
● Compiling a 2005 HSEES data report and posting it on the Internet.
● Coordinating a workshop session about ammonia releases for an environmental
health conference. A presentation of meth-related ammonia releases was done at
the conference.
Of the above activities, one that seemed to capture the most interest was the
evaluation of meth precursor laws. Two separate reports were completed as part of this
project. The evaluations showed a drop in labs of about 66% after the meth precursor law
implementation. The first report is posted
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/meth/ordinance/mnmethlabs2005.pdf. The second
report was posted in late December 2006 at
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/meth/ordinance/mnmethlabs2006.pdf.
ADDITIONAL USE OF MN HSEES DATA
The MN HSEES program continues to receive requests for data for a variety of uses.
Because the HSEES system has a comprehensive collection of unplanned hazardous
substance release events and the associated impact on public health, emergency planners,
response trainers, and health care facilities have requested the data for planning and
training exercises. The data are often requested to determine patterns of hazardous
substances releases within certain areas or to review trends in certain types of releases.
Data continue to be available upon request by contacting the program.
8
SUMMARY OF RESULTS: 1995–2006
From 1995-2006, the largest proportion of events occurred in fixed facilities (Table 10).
In recent years, however, transportation events have represented an increasing proportion
of the total events. During 1995-2001 and 2003, transportation events were about one
fourth or less of the total events. In 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, transportation events were
about one third or more of the total events. The cause for the increase is unknown, but
could be related to more complete reporting from transportation companies to the U.S.
Department of Transportation. It could also be related to a true increase in releases during
shipping.
The number of substances released per event has remained fairly constant, with an
average of about one substance released per event for all years except 1995 and 2004. In
1995 and 2004, there were fires at a chemical manufacturer and a laboratory,
respectively, which released many chemicals and increased the overall number of
chemicals per event in these years. Overall, the majority of events (93.6%) involve only
one substance.
The percentage of events with victims from 1995-2006 is about 6.2%. The highest
number of victims (172), as well as the highest percentage of events with victims (10%),
occurred in 1995. The lowest percentage of events resulting in victims occurred in 2002
(4.5%) with a total of 16 victims.
Respiratory irritation has consistently been the most frequently reported injury. The most
frequently reported category of victims continues to be employees. However, members of
the general public constitute a large proportion of the victims as well (Figure 7). The
number of injured responders has generally remained low, though in 2005 an unexpected
chemical reaction at a crash scene resulted in respiratory irritation and eye irritation for
several responders.
The number of deaths per year associated with acute hazardous substances events varied
between zero and three from 1995-2006. Many of these deaths were attributed to
circumstances surrounding the events that lead to chemical release (e.g., vehicle crash),
and were not directly related to the chemical release.
The MN HSEES program continues to strive toward conducting activities that will help
reduce hazardous substance releases and associated public health effects. The HSEES
program also works to provide quality data to agencies engaged in emergency planning
and training, and continues to seek new opportunities for outreach.
9
REFERENCES
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comprehensive plan for epidemiologic
surveillance. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services; 1986.
2. Binder S. Death, injuries, and evacuations from acute hazardous materials releases.
Am J Public Health 1989;70:1042–4.
Acknowledgements
The MN HSEES program would like thank the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry for support and technical review; the Minnesota Duty Officer program, the
National Response Center, and the U.S. Department of Transportation for hazardous
substances release data; and representatives of public and private entities for assistance
with HSEES data verification.
10
Appendix
Table 1.─Number of events meeting the surveillance definition, by county and type of event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
County
No. events
All events
Transportation
%*
No. events
%*
Total no. events (%)
Aitkin
0
0
0
0
Anoka
23
54.8
19
45.2
42 (7.7)
Becker
1
50.0
1
50.0
2 (0.4)
Beltrami
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Benton
3
75.0
1
25.0
4 (0.7)
Big Stone
0
0
0
0
Blue Earth
5
50.0
5
50.0
Brown
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Carlton
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Carver
3
50.0
3
50.0
6 (1.1)
Cass
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Chippewa
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Chisago
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Clay
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Clearwater
0
0
1
100.0
Cook
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Cottonwood
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Crow Wing
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Dakota
48
60.0
32
40.0
80 (14.7)
Dodge
6
85.7
1
14.3
7 (1.3)
Douglas
0
0
0
0
Faribault
5
50.0
5
50.0
Fillmore
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Freeborn
4
100.0
0
0
4 (0.7)
Goodhue
7
87.5
1
12.5
8 (1.5)
Grant
0
0
0
0
Hennepin
60
75.0
20
25.0
Houston
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Hubbard
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Isanti
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Itasca
5
83.3
1
16.7
6 (1.1)
Jackson
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Kanabec
0
0
0
0
Page 1 of 3
0 (0)
0 (0)
10 (1.8)
1 (0.2)
0 (0)
10 (1.8)
0 (0)
80 (14.7)
0 (0)
Table 1.─Number of events meeting the surveillance definition, by county and type of event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
County
No. events
All events
Transportation
%*
No. events
%*
Total no. events (%)
Kandiyohi
3
75.0
1
25.0
4 (0.7)
Kittson
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Koochiching
3
100.0
0
0
3 (0.5)
Lac Qui Parle
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Lake
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Lake of the
Woods
Le Sueur
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Lincoln
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Lyon
7
100.0
0
0
7 (1.3)
Mahnomen
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Marshall
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Martin
2
50.0
2
50.0
4 (0.7)
McLeod
13
92.9
1
7.1
14 (2.6)
Meeker
3
100.0
0
0
3 (0.5)
Mille Lacs
0
0
3
100.0
3 (0.5)
Morrison
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Mower
4
80.0
1
20.0
5 (0.9)
Murray
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Nicollet
3
60.0
2
40.0
5 (0.9)
Nobles
0
0
0
0
Norman
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Olmsted
9
90.0
1
10.0
10 (1.8)
Otter Tail
5
71.4
2
28.6
7 (1.3)
Pennington
3
100.0
0
0
3 (0.5)
Pine
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Pipestone
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Polk
3
75.0
1
25.0
4 (0.7)
Pope
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
19
39.6
29
60.4
48 (8.8)
Red Lake
0
0
0
0
0 (0.)
Redwood
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Renville
1
50.0
1
50.0
2 (0.4)
Rice
3
60.0
2
40.0
5 (0.9)
Ramsey
Page 2 of 3
0 (0)
Table 1.─Number of events meeting the surveillance definition, by county and type of event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
County
No. events
All events
Transportation
%*
No. events
%*
Total no. events (%)
Rock
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Roseau
4
80.0
1
20.0
5 (0.9)
St. Louis
13
100.0
0
0
13 (2.4)
Scott
3
75.0
1
25.0
4 (0.7)
Sherburne
6
75.0
2
25.0
8 (1.5)
Sibley
0
0
1
100.0
1 (0.2)
Stearns
4
80.0
1
20.0
5 (0.9)
Steele
8
53.3
7
46.7
15 (2.7)
Stevens
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Swift
2
100.0
0
0
2 (0.4)
Todd
1
33.3
2
66.7
3 (0.5)
Traverse
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Wabasha
1
100.0
0
0
1 (0.2)
Wadena
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Waseca
2 (0.4)
2
100.0
0
0
Washington
20
30.8
45
69.2
65 (11.9)
Watonwan
2
50.0
2
50.0
4 (0.7)
Wilkin
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Winona
3
100.0
0
0
3 (0.5)
Wright
3
100.0
0
0
3 (0.5)
Yellow
Medicine
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
342
62.6
204
37.4
546
Total†
* Percentage = (number of events by type of event per county ÷ total number of events in that county) x 100
Total may not equal 100% as a result of rounding.
†
Page 3 of 3
Table 2.─Number of substances involved per event, by type of event, Minnesota Hazardous Substances
Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
No.
substances
No.
events
%
All events
Transportation
Total
substances
No.
events
Total
No.
substances events
%
%
Total
substances
1
318
93.0
318
200
98.0
200
518
94.9
518
2
19
5.6
38
3
1.5
6
22
4.0
44
3
2
0.6
6
1
0.5
3
3
0.5
9
4
2
0.6
8
0
0
0
2
0.4
8
1
0.3
5
0
0
0
1
0.2
5
342
100.1
375
204
100.0
209
546 100.0
584
≥5
Total*
*Percentages may not total 100% as a result of rounding.
Table 3.─Industries involved in hazardous substance events, by category—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Industry category
Accommodation and Food
Services
Total events
Events with
victims
No.
No.
%
Percentage of
events with
victims
%
Total no.
victims
Number
(maximum)*
2
0.4
0
0
0
0 (0)
Administration and Support
and Waste Management and
Remediation Services
15
2.7
1
3.2
6.7
1 (1)
Agriculture, Forestry,
Fishing and Hunting
34
6.2
4
12.9
11.8
6 (3)
Arts, Entertainment, and
Recreation
7
1.3
2
6.5
28.6
3 (2)
Construction
4
0.7
0
0
0
0 (0)
16
2.9
3
9.7
18.8
5 (3)
Finance and Insurance
0
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Health Care and Social
Assistance
8
1.5
0
0
0
0 (0)
Information
0
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
131
24.0
6
19.4
4.6
8 (2)
Mining
11
2.0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Other (includes residences)
19
3.5
0
0
0
0 (0)
Professional services,
Scientific and Technical
Services
0
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Public administration
4
0.7
1
3.2
25.0
3 (3)
Real Estate, Rental and
Leasing
2
0.4
1
3.2
50.0
2 (2)
Retail trade
0
0
0
0
0
0 (0)
187
34.2
3
9.7
1.6
3 (1)
Utilities
22
4.0
0
0
0
0 (0)
Wholesale trade
54
9.9
4
12.9
7.4
10 (7)
Not an industry
20
3.7
5
16.1
25.0
26 (22)
Not identified
10
1.8
1
3.2
10.0
1 (1)
546
99.9
31
100.0
5.7
68 (22)
Education Services
Manufacturing
Transportation and
Warehousing
Total
*
†
Minimum number of victims per event = 1.
Percentages may not total 100% as a result of rounding.
†
Table 4.─Substances most frequently involved in events—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Rank
Substance
Number of releases and release threats
1
Anhydrous ammonia
73
2
Paints, Coatings, Inks and Dyes
54
3
Mercury
35
4
Sodium Hydroxide
28
5
Hydrochloric Acid
24
6
Sulfuric Acid
21
7
Nitrogen Fertilizer
15
8
Chlorine
14
9
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
12
10
Ethylene Glycol
11
10
Isopropyl Alcohol
11
Table 5.─Number of substances involved, by substance category and type of event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
Substance category
No.
substances
Transportation
%
No.
substances
All events
No.
substances
%
%
Acids
46
12.3
28
13.4
74
12.7
Ammonia
62
16.5
13
6.2
75
12.8
Bases
19
5.1
23
11.0
42
7.2
Chlorine*
15
4.0
0
0
15
2.6
Formulations
1
0.3
0
0
1
0.2
Hetero-organics
2
0.5
0
0
2
0.3
Hydrocarbons
2
0.5
3
1.4
5
0.9
Mixture
17
4.5
2
1.0
19
3.3
Other‡
Other inorganic substances¶
27
7.2
8
3.8
35
6.0
70
18.7
5
2.4
75
12.8
Oxy-organics
30
8.0
4
1.9
34
5.8
9
2.4
45
21.5
54
9.2
Pesticides and fertilizers
19
5.1
28
13.4
47
8.0
Polychlorinated biphenyls
11
2.9
1
0.5
12
2.1
8
2.1
6
2.9
14
2.4
37
9.9
43
20.6
80
13.7
375 100.0
209
100.0
584
100.0
†
Paints and dyes
Polymers
Volatile organic compounds
Total
* Includes one release of sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
† Substances from different categories that were mixed or formed from a reaction before the event.
‡ Not belonging to one of the existing categories.
¶ All inorganic substances except for acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine
Table 6.─Number of victims per event, by type of event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Type of event
Fixed facility
No. victims
No.
events
Total
victims
%
All events
Transportation
No.
events
Total
victims
%
No.
events
Total
victims
%
1
14
63.6
14
8
88.9
8
22
71.0
22
2
4
18.2
8
0
0
0
4
12.9
8
3
3
13.6
9
0
0
0
3
9.7
9
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
≥6
1
4.5
22
1
11.1
7
2
6.5
29
22
99.9
53
9
100
15
31 100.1
68
Total*
* Percentages do not total 100% as a result of rounding.
Table 7.─Frequency of substance categories in all events and events with victims—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System, 2006*
All events
Substance category
No.
Events with victims
%
Percentage
Percentage of events
of all
with
releases
victims in
with
substance
victims
category
No.
Acids
70
12.8
4
12.9
5.7
Ammonia
70
12.8
6
19.4
8.6
Bases
40
7.3
2
6.5
5.0
Chlorine
15
2.7
2
6.5
13.3
Formulations
1
0.2
0
0
0
Hetero-organics
1
0.2
0
0
0
Hydrocarbons
1
0.2
0
0
0
Mixture
18
3.3
2
6.5
11.1
Multiple substance category
22
4.0
7
22.6
31.8
25
4.6
2
6.5
8.0
Other inorganic substances
62
11.4
2
6.5
3.2
Oxy-organics
31
5.7
1
3.2
3.2
Paints and dyes
53
9.7
0
0
0
Pesticides and fertilizers
45
8.2
3
9.7
6.7
Polychlorinated biphenyls
12
2.2
0
0
0
9
1.6
0
0
0
71
13.0
0
0
0
546
99.9
31
100.3
N/A
†
Other
‡
§
Polymers
Volatile organic compounds
Total¶
* Substances in events that involved multiple substances were counted only once in a substance category
when all the substances were associated with the same category. If events involved multiple substances
from different substance categories, they were counted only once in the multiple substance category.
†
Substances from different categories that were mixed or formed from a reaction before the event.
‡
Not classified.
§
All inorganic substances except for acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine.
¶
Percentages do not total 100% because of rounding.
Table 8.─Frequencies of injuries/symptoms, by type of event*—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Fixed facility
Injury/symptom
No.
injuries
Transportation
No.
injuries
%
All events
Total
no.
%
%
Chemical burns
4
6.5
0
0
4
5.1
Dizziness/central nervous system
symptoms
6
9.7
0
0
6
7.7
Eye irritation
9
14.5
6
37.5
15
19.2
Gastrointestinal system problems
2
3.2
0
0
2
2.6
Headache
1
1.6
0
0
1
1.3
Heart problems
0
0
0
0
0
0
Heat stress
0
0
0
0
0
0
Other
0
0
0
0
0
0
27
43.5
4
25.0
31
39.7
Shortness of breath
2
3.2
0
0
2
2.6
Skin irritation
3
4.8
0
0
3
3.8
Thermal burns
3
4.8
0
0
3
3.8
Trauma
5
8.1
6
37.5
11
14.1
Total‡
62
99.9
16
100.0
78
99.9
Respiratory irritation
†
* The number of injuries is greater than the number of victims (68) because a victim could have had
more than one injury.
†
Of the 11 trauma injuries, none were chemical-related.
‡
Percentages do not total 100% as a result of rounding.
Table 9─Distribution of personnel who responded to the event—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Responder category
No.
%*
Certified HazMat team
Department of works/ utilities/
transportation
Emergency medical services
33
6.0
11
2.0
40
7.3
Environmental agency/ EPA† response team
27
4.9
Fire department
90
16.5
Health department/health agency
5
0.9
Hospital personnel
0
0
Law enforcement agency
89
16.3
Other
3
0.5
459
84.1
4
6
0.7
1.1
62
11.4
Response team of company where release
occurred
Specialized multi-agency team
State, county, or local emergency
managers/coordinators/planning
Committees
Third party clean up contractors
*Percentages total greater than 100% because multiple responder categories could be reported per event.
†
Environmental Protection Agency.
Table 10.─ Cumulative data by year—
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 1995-2006*
Events with
victims
Type of event
Year
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Total
Fixed
facility
193
224
194
341
287
346
338
230
323
325
271
342
3414
Transportation
36
77
71
36
61
73
76
126
115
143
136
204
1154
Total
229
301
265
377
348
419
414
356
438
468
407
546
4568
No.
substances
released
386
340
283
440
370
459
472
376
499
740
456
584
5405
No.
victims
172
73
19
66
62
83
50
85
83
64
52
68
877
No.
deaths
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
3
1
0
1
8
No.
23
21
16
22
24
29
19
16
30
26
26
31
283
* Numbers in the table might differ from those reported in previous years because of adjustments in
HSEES qualification requirements for events.
† Percentage of events with victims.
%†
10.0
7.0
6.0
5.8
6.9
6.9
4.6
4.5
6.8
5.6
6.4
5.7
6.2
Figure 1. Areas of fixed facilities involved in events,
*
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Ancillary process equip.
27.3% (47 events)
Transformer/capacitor
5.2% (9 events)
Other
1.7% (3event)
Transport in facility
3.5% (6 events)
Dump/waste area
7.6% (13 events)
Process vessel
15.1% (26 events)
Storage area
12.8% (22 events)
Piping
13.4% (23 events)
*Seventeen of the 155 events with areas reported
involved two locations, for a total of 172 areas.
Material handling
13.4% (23 events)
Figure 2. Distribution of transportation events, by type of transport,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Rail
5.9%
(12 events)
Pipeline
Air
2.5%
1.0%
(2 events) (5 events)
Ground
90.7% (185 events)
Figure 3a. Primary factors reported as contributing to events,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Intentional
Fixed Facility
Transportation
Primary factor
Illegal
Weather/Natural Disaster
(includes temperature
fluctuation)
Equipment failure*
Human error
0
50
*Eighteen events classified as "equipment failure" involved small ammonia releases caused by
outdoor temperature fluctuation. They are included here in the "Weather/ Natural Disaster."
100
150
Number of events
200
250
300
Figure 3b. Secondary factor reported as contributing to events, Minnesota Hazardous
Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Power failure/electrical problems
Overspray/misapplication
Loadshift
Fixed Facility
Transportation
Vehicle or Vessel collision
Improper mixing
Human error
Secondary factor
Explosion
System startup/shutdown
System/process upset
Illicit drug production
Fire
Improper dumping
Other
Performing maintenance
Vehicle or Vessel derailment/rollover/capsizing
Forklift puncture
Equipment failure
Improper filling, loading, or packing
No secondary factor
0
20
40
60
80
100
Number of events
120
140
160
180
Figure 4. Number of victims, by population group and type of event,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
30
28
Fixed facility
Transportation
25
Number of victims
20
15
11
10
8
8
6
5
5
1
0
1
0
0
Employees
General Public
Responders
Population group
Student
Unknown
Figure 5. Distribution of responder injuries, by type of responder,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
Police Officer
1
Firefighters
4
Figure 6. Injury disposition,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 2006
40
37
35
Number of victims
30
25
20
15
11
9
10
5
5
2
2
1
1
Death
Hospital
observation (no
treatment)
0
Treated at hospital Treated on scene
(not admitted)
(first aid)
Injuries reported
by an official
Seen by private Treated at hospital
(admitted)
physician within
24 hours
Injury disposition
Unknown
Figure 7. Number of victims, by category and year,
Minnesota Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance, 1995-2006
90
85
81
Employees
80
General public
Responders
70
Students
65
63
Number of victims
60
52
50
44
42
40
36
35
33
31
30
30
26
21
19
20
10
27
15
19
15
14
9
10 11
9 9
7
6
0
25
1
2 2
1996
1997
3
0
0
0
0
1 0
4
3
0
3
0
5
1
1
0
0
1995
1998
1999
*Category could not be obtained for 12 victims in one 2006 event.
2000
2001
Year
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006*