Container with ‘toxic alcohol’ submerged in Ohio River after crash; Emergency services act

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Numerous barges carrying over 1,000 tons of a “toxic alcohol” collided on the Ohio River, breaking free from their tug and becoming pinned in the McAlpine Locks and Dam.

Emergency services worked to prevent the “toxic alcohol” from contaminating a river that supplied drinking water to more than five million people.

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A “navigation accident” occurred at around 2 a.m. Tuesday near the lock chambers at the McAlpine Locks and Dam in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated. There, a vessel tugging 11 barges with various products collided with a “stationary structure” at the Portland Canal entrance, which sits near the dam, Louisville Metro Emergency Services informed.

10 of the 11 barges broke loose from their tug with three ending up pinned against the lower part of the dam, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet informed. One of the barges that broke loose became lodged at the Louisville and Indiana bridge pier.

While some of the containers carried benign substances like soy and corn, one of the units carried 1,400 metric tons of methanol, a “toxic alcohol,” defined by the CDC. The barge carrying the “toxic” substance was “partially submerged,” Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet stated.

An average person only needs to consume 2.5 ounces, less than two shot glasses worth, to die from the substance, the Toxicology Education Foundation wrote.

Methanol is used in various industries to create compounds like pesticide and alternative fuels. When exposed to the air or leaked into runoff, it poses a hazard that can poison people or explode in a combustion, CDC said.

“There is currently zero evidence of a tank breach or any leaks,” Louisville’s emergency services said in an update. “Air and water monitoring resources are in place. There is currently no impact to Louisville Water’s water intake or water quality. The river waterway is open through the use of the local vessel traffic services.”

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