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FEMA HAZMAT QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
Who do you think should be invited to this initial meeting? ✔✔Company representatives of the meat packaging plant, local government officials including safety and hazardous waste specialist and locals who have stories and notes to compare about what might be happening.
What information could you gather before the meeting that may be helpful? ✔✔Prior to the meeting, you would want to request information on plant emissions from your State Emergency Response Commission and Local Emergency Planning Committee, and request other general information on plant conditions from the local fire department and the plant safety officer. In addition, you might want to research applicable standards for ammonia emissions. (The Title III "hotline" could be of some assistance.
What laws could the plant potentially be violating? ✔✔Laws that could be violated include the Clean Air Act, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and State environmental statutes.
Assuming those you invited attended, what are some of the immediate follow-up actions that can be taken by members of the group to resolve the situation? ✔✔The county air quality office is asked to take measurements of air pollutants in the area and determine if there are violations of
the Clean Air Act. The Local Emergency Planning Committee is asked to provide copies of the information collected under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, and to determine if the facility is in full compliance with SARA. State natural resource officials, along with representatives of the Coast Guard and EPA, are asked to investigate the fish kills in the river and determine if there are any violations of the Clean Water Act, RCRA, and State environmental statutes. Union officials agree to ask OSHA to inspect the plant for compliance with health and safety standards. And the fire inspector agrees to check the plant for fire code violations.
- This Federal act addresses the problem of inactive hazardous waste sites: ✔✔Superfund
- This act requires chemical companies to research the effects of new chemicals and notify the EPA before they are manufactured: ✔✔Toxic Substances Control Act
- Under Title III, the primary responsibility for developing a local plan for handling accidental releases of acutely toxic substances is the responsibility of: ✔✔The Local Emergency Planning Committee
- EPCRA requires industries that store or use certain quantities of acutely hazardous substances to report them under what conditions? ✔✔Only accidental releases of a certain quantity
- Where would you logically look for a Commodity Flow Survey of your area to identify what materials are being shipped through Central City via all transportation arteries? ✔✔The Local Emergency Planning Committee in your city or jurisdiction.
- What are the dangers of TIC? Why are they so hazardous to "first responders?" ✔✔TICs have low TLVs and PELs which means they are very toxic if "first responders" are exposed to their liquid or vapor hazards.
- What are some signs that a chemical or biological agent may have been released in the Central City area? ✔✔Numerous complaints of people presenting to hospital and health care facilities with the same illnesses. Dead birds and other animals within the area. Unexplained odors or vapors in the area. Suspicious devices placed in highly traveled areas (i.e., malls and shopping centers).
- What steps can the average citizen take to limit his/her exposure to CWA agents as well as a release of a TIC? ✔✔Know the location of these facilities and what materials are onsite. During a chemical release, get uphill and upwind from the materials if you are outdoors. If you are in the path of the plume at home, and unable to evacuate, close your windows and doors. Turn off your air conditioning. Do not allow air in from the outside. Remain calm, and listen to the news for any public broadcasts. These plumes will pass rather quickly. The public announcements will tell
you what to do and where to go if you experience any signs and symptoms for the chemical released.
- The best source for information on where hazardous materials are stored or released from fixed sites in your community is usually: ✔✔LEPC
- On which of the following might you find an NFPA 704 label? ✔✔storage tank
- You find on an NFPA label that the left side of the quadrant, which is blue, has a rating of 4. This means that: ✔✔A very short exposure to the substance could cause serious injury or death
- The symbol W on an NFPA label means that: ✔✔You should not add water to the substance
- DOT requires highway cargo tanks and railroad tank cars with regulated hazardous contents to bear a four-digit number identifying the load if they are: ✔✔Moving in interstate commerce
- The CWA that interferes with the body's ability to transfer oxygen to the cells is: ✔✔AC
- To inform workers of hazards a chemical may pose, OSHA requires employers to develop a: ✔✔Hazard Communication Program
- Health hazards of a given chemical would be found in what section of the SDS? ✔✔Section VI
- Personal protective clothing and equipment for safe handling of the chemical would be discussed in what section of the SDS? ✔✔Section VIII
- Permissible exposure limits are levels of exposures mandated by: ✔✔OSHA
- OSHA's PEL for hydrogen fluoride (HF) is? ✔✔3.0 ppm
- National Priorities List (NPL) are dangerous sites targeted for cleanup under: ✔✔Superfund Act
How would you assess the risk from this incident? What are some of the things to take into account when making your risk assessment? ✔✔The risk from this incident would have to be rated as high. Factors to be considered in your risk evaluation are: the presence of a school and a
nursing home nearby, and the service station's location in a residential area. The material involved is highly flammable, and a significant quantity of it has spilled onto the ground. In addition, gasoline can produce toxic effects even in relatively small quantities.
What routes of exposure might affect the people downwind of the spill? What routes of exposure might affect the driver of the tanker? ✔✔The primary route of entry of immediate concern for people downwind of the spill would be inhalation. For the driver of the tanker, the routes of concern would be inhalation (from the vapors produced by the material on the ground and on his clothes) and direct skin absorption.
Does the potential of a long-term exposure threat exist? If so, what type of exposure would this be? ✔✔Yes, the spill may soak into the groundwater which is a long-term exposure threat. This could result in digested contaminated groundwater.
What transport media (air, surface water, groundwater, soil) are involved in this incident? How are they involved? ✔✔All transport media are involved in this case. The air is involved due to the volatilization of the gasoline that spilled. Soil became involved as the gasoline flowed into the roadside ditch. The groundwater has become involved due to the gasoline soaking into the ground. Finally, surface water has become involved due to the gasoline reaching the small stream that flows through the area.
When you are about to have a serious operation, the anesthetist is likely to use a substance which is: ✔✔A CNS (central nervous system) depressant
- Which of these groups would be likely to have the most extreme reaction to most types of toxic exposure? ✔✔Children
- Groundwater is least likely to be contaminated under what circumstances? ✔✔The groundwater is protected by a relatively impermeable protective layer, such as clay
1.Would good planning have prevented some of the problems that occurred in the above incident? If so, how? ✔✔Yes, good planning would have prevented many of the problems that occurred in the incident. A good emergency plan would have outlined who had the authority to order an evacuation, and who was to be in charge at the incident scene. Also, the plan should have identified the hazards associated with the hardware store's stocking of pesticides and fireworks.
- Should emergency planning include and be coordinated with other communities and jurisdictions? If so, why? ✔✔Yes, good emergency planning must be coordinated with other communities and jurisdictions. Incidents can occur on political boundaries and involve more than one jurisdiction. Coordination between the two jurisdictions must be undertaken to provide
protection to the residents in each community. Also, mutual aid (the sharing of services and equipment between communities) can be of great value in times of major emergencies.
- Should planning be limited to governmental agencies? If not, what other people, groups, or agencies mentioned in the above incidents should be part of the planning process? ✔✔Emergency planning should not be limited to governmental agencies. Other potential participants, such as private disaster relief organizations, schools, and churches, can be key players in a total community emergency plan. In the incident mentioned above, the Red Cross and Salvation Army, as well as the owner of the hardware store, should have been involved with the community planning process.
- What is the minimum number of persons needed to manage a hazardous materials incident safely? ✔✔ 8
- The most critical element in avoiding confusion and conflict among responders at a hazardous materials incident is: ✔✔A good plan which all responders know and use
- The person in charge of managing responding forces at a hazardous materials incident is: ✔✔The Incident Commander (usually from the local fire service)
