Texas truck cargo spill lawyers note a 1980 truck cargo accident in Australia that has become the subject of recent controversy. In December 1980, a truck carrying hazardous materials wrecked and apparently spilled some of its cargo. Among the hazardous materials in its cargo were DDT and other toxic agri-industry chemicals, and the radioactive isotopes Americum 241 and Cesium 137 (also found after the Fukushima disaster).
Reportedly, the wreck was cleared and hazardous materials were buried and capped under red clay in the area. The whole thing was pretty much forgotten until about 10 ago when workers constructing the Pacific Highway upgrade in New South Wales breached some red clay that began oxidizing and emitting fumes. Some of the workers began vomiting and several were hospitalized. Doctors who treated them said that poisons might have been involved and that an exclusion zone should be expanded around the site where the workers became sick. A radiation scare has resulted, but government. Environmental, and highway officials are unwilling to respond to queries for statements on the incident.
Reportedly, the environmental impact statement written for the upgrade project vaguely mentions a “former burial area” but doesn’t mention the truck crash, the hazardous materials burial, or any such hazardous materials in its contamination assessment. And the state environmental authority says that it wasn’t aware until the workers’ illness that the 1980 accident involved radioactive materials.
Our Texas truck cargo spill lawyers note that concerned parties are calling for better communication between government agencies to avoid further such hazardous oversights in reporting potential dangers. And people are now raising questions about the safety of the proposed Pacific Highway upgrade for both workers and the traveling public.
Dangers from spilled chemicals and radioactive materials, even if those materials are buried and capped, can lurk in the ground for decades or in the case of certain radioactive materials for thousands of years. Breaching a burial cap can release the very hazards meant to be locked away from public exposure.
The Texas truck cargo spill lawyers at Denena & Points emphasized that it is vitally important that government agencies and other involved parties accurately assess and report the dangers before beginning a construction or upgrade project anywhere. Innocent lives are at risk.
Learn more about truck cargo spills and what you could do to protect yourself from their dangers in our Texas truck cargo spill lawyers’ article on the topic.