Swansea Ammonia Leak of July 15, 2009
On July 15, DHEC responded to an 1800-gallon ammonia leak at Tanner Industries in Lexington County that killed one woman and sent seven other people to the hospital.
DHEC emergency responders and air quality experts assisted the Lexington County Fire Service and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at the accident site on U.S. 321 near Swansea. The leak occurred just before 8 a.m.
Response teams immediately went door-to-door to alert nearby residents and search for pets. By 2 p.m., the gas had evaporated and DHEC confirmed that the surrounding air was safe.
Later in the day, DHEC air quality experts returned to 20 of the homes at the request of residents who were worried about indoor contamination. DHEC staff ran tests at each location and found that air quality was normal in all 20 homes.
The chemical leak occurred while a tanker truck unloaded anhydrous ammonia at Tanner, an ammonia distribution company. A transfer hose burst, releasing a cloud of ammonia gas so concentrated it left a swath of blackened vegetation in its wake as it drifted from the facility toward U.S. 321.
The woman who died — a resident of Wagener, S.C. — was killed after driving directly into the ammonia cloud.
Moments after the incident, DHEC employee Curtis Smith was driving to work and happened upon the accident scene. Emergency crews had not yet arrived. When Smith saw a Tanner employee trying to wave oncoming motorists away from the danger, he quickly positioned his car so that it blocked the roadway, possibly saving lives. A volunteer firefighter, Smith works in DHEC’s Office of Fire and Life Safety.
On July 16, the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is assisting the federal agency with the investigation.
If you have questions or concerns about this incident or if you live near Tanner Industries and are worried about air quality inside your home, please call us at 1-800-476-9677. This phone line is not staffed round-the-clock, but if you leave a voicemail we will return your call as soon as possible. Should you have an emergency, of course, dial 9-1-1.
Also, Tanner Industries has established a toll-free number should you want to discuss the incident with company representatives. Tanner’s number is 1-866-263-1685.