A chemical spill containing sodium cyanide has polluted a canal in Walsall in the West Midlands of the UK. The local council warns that the spill poses a ‘serious risk to health’.
The government’s Environment Agency says that the source of the spill is thought to be a local company called Anochrome, which deals with the treatment and coating of metals. The company is now under investigation by the Environment Agency to establish the cause of the spill.
Walsall Council, who are treating the spillage as a major incident, were notified on 12 August by the Environment Agency and warned that it had gone directly into the canal. As a precautionary measure the council is advising the public to avoid a 12-mile stretch of the canal and its towpaths.
‘Our priority is the safety of our residents,’ said council leader Garry Perry in a statement on the incident. ‘I share their concerns and hope to see this incident resolved as soon as possible. We are working closely with our partners to manage this situation which has been declared a major incident. For your own safety please avoid this area of the canal and its towpaths.’
On 13 August, the council said that the Environment Agency was testing the water for sodium cyanide and other chemicals. The next day it was confirmed that the spillage did involve sodium cyanide, which dissolves in water and can have serious adverse health effects for those who come into direct contact with it.
‘We are working closely with Walsall Council and the UK Health Security Agency to respond to the serious chemical spill incident in Walsall and to assess the impact on the environment,’ said a spokesperson for the Environment Agency. ‘We are now investigating the company that is believed to have caused this incident. Pollution of this kind is unacceptable and the impact on wildlife and the environment can be severe. We will take robust enforcement action if non-compliance is uncovered.’
In a statement reported by Birmingham Live, a spokesperson for Anochrome said a chemical incident occurred on site in the early hours of 12 August and, as a result, some of the released chemicals entered the canal.
‘Our immediate response was to notify the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water. Our senior management team has been – and remain – on-site working collaboratively with all relevant authorities and agencies to minimise and contain the spill,’ they said.
Crispin Halsall, an expert in environmental chemistry at Lancaster University tells Chemistry World that, in the short term and depending on the quantities released, the sodium cyanide is likely to kill fish and damage the ‘canal’s biota’.
‘There is also a low risk of hydrogen cyanide gas being created – depending on the size of the spill and the water chemistry – and hence it’s not surprising the authorities have prevented access to the affected area.’
However, in the long term Halsall notes that while sodium cyanide can be acutely toxic at low doses, it does not persist and so the spillage was unlikely to cause a ‘long-term problem’.
Update: On 16 August, Walsall Council announced that following testing some sections of the canal have reopened. The restricted stretch of canal has now been reduced from around 12 miles to 1 kilometre. In the area that remains closed, chemicals including sodium cyanide and zinc cyanide were found at elevated levels.
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