SCOTT GULLEDGE / Scroll

Physical Facilities Plant hit by phosphorous leak; two employees and two officers injured

Stephanie Long LON02008@BYUI.EDU Campus Editor

Early Thursday morning, a chemical spill on campus prompted a large-scale emergency response from both on-campus and off-campus officials.

Around 4 a.m., two BYU-Idaho custodians noticed a dense white smoke coming from the Physical Plant complex and decided to enter and investigate.

After encountering a large amount of peculiar-smelling smoke inside the building, the custodians called the BYU-I Division of the Rexburg Police Department.

Two officers, whose names are unknown, entered the building’s break room to discover a garlic-smell emulating from chemical containers. The officers exited the building to await the fire department.

A brief investigation revealed old containers filled with white phosphorus had rusted through, causing the leak, said Eric Harmston, the BYU-I safety manager. When white phosphorus comes in contact with air, it produces smoke.

Although the leak was contained to one small area, the plant was shut down until 8 a.m. and the area where the incident took place was shut down until 8:45 a.m., Harmston said.

The chemicals, which had once been with the Chemistry Department in the George S. Romney Building, had been awaiting disposal by Onyx Environmental Services, a facility located in Salt Lake City.

The custodians and both police officers were sent to Madison Memorial Hospital to receive treatment for minor respiratory irritation and were released a short time later.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, breathing white phosphorus for short periods of time can cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs. Breathing it in for a long period of time can cause “phossy jaw,” a condition that breaks down the jawbone.

White phosphorus is a common element used in war to create smoke screens, according to globalsecurity.org. Ironically, it is also used in soft drinks and toothpaste.

The Environment Protection Agency has put white phosphorus on its list of hazardous air pollutants, therefore requiring all spills of one pound or more to be reported, according to the ATSDR. It is unclear if the spill at the plant will need to be reported to the EPA.

Any chemical spill on campus should be handled with care and should be reported immediately to the campus Safety Office at Ext. 2457. It is paramount that all nonessential personal be evacuated from the area, according to BYU-I’s safety Web site.