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Deadly chlorine gas missing from city
By Karen Gleason
The News-Herald
Published July 24, 2004
Del Rio police are asking citizens to be on the lookout for two cylinders of deadly chlorine gas stolen from a storage building on the city’s south side. “This is an extremely hazardous material. If you find these cylinders, please do not get near them or touch them. Just call the police department immediately,” said Capt. Antonio Becerra Jr., who heads the Del Rio Police Department’s enforcement division.
Becerra said the two cylinders were discovered missing from the city storage building at 2:10 p.m. Friday by Rogelio Sanchez, a city employee. The chlorine gas cylinders are described as 4 feet tall and about 6 inches in diameter. They are silver with red caps, according to a report on the burglary written by DRPD Senior Officer Antonio Calderon.
Both cylinders are labeled as follows: “CHLORINE UN 1017 INHALATION HAZARD MAY 2004” is written in red, stenciled lettering on one side, with “DPC INDUSTRIES INC 601 W INDUSTRIAL BLVD. CLEBURNE TX 76031” written on the other. Near the top of the cylinders, handwritten in black marker, may be the numerical designations “071904” and “072004.”
Sanchez reported to Calderon that the cylinders were removed from the southeast room of the building where they were kept. The burglar or burglars entered the storage building by breaking the padlock and hasp on the door. Calderon wrote that several large pipes were found nearby.
Calderon also reported that the door knob on the building’s northeast room appeared to have been broken off by a metal pipe, and that the damage to the door caused it to jam against the door frame, but no entry was made at that point. “No drag marks were found, and a search of the area was unsuccessful,” Calderon reported.
Becerra said the cylinders are pressurized at 150 pounds per square inch and that the chlorine is used by the city at its new water treatment plant. “The chlorine is in gas form. That’s why we’re asking that no one get close to them,” Becerra said. He said the last time the storage building was checked was July 20, when all of the cylinders were accounted for.
Anyone with any information about the missing cylinders is asked to contact the Del Rio Police Department by calling 911 or 774-2711.
Source
Deadly chlorine gas missing in Texas
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southerngale
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my Cowboys I would say it is pretty easy to find this stuff. I would guess that placards would be placed on the outside of the building to tell rescue crews what is inside in an emergency. They would look like the ones you may see on tractor trailers going down the highway. At the very least it would have a basic picture and or decription. Without my book from the truck I can't be sure of the exact one but I would assume it is Inhalation Hazard.
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southerngale
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It would be hard for terrorists to use chlorine in that form. It takes special tools and training to get the stuff out of the cylinders without killing yourself in the process. The chlorine in the cylinder is actually compressed to the point that it is a liquid. As soon as the pressure is released it comes out in gas form. Once it starts coming out, it would be difficult to put it in another container such as a bomb in meaningful quantities. The most likely use would be to cut it loose and then run. These are probably 150 lb cylinders. One of these, if full, would easily make a cloud the size of a city block and it would do a number on any living thing that it contacts. Chlorine gas is heavier than air, so it stays low. Chlorine gas does not explode or burn. When it contacts any water or moisture it forms a strong acid. When inhaled, the moisture in your respiratory system reacts with it to form acid which kills you quickly. It can be neutralized with sulfur-bearing compounds if they are available. If a cloud is released, flee to an up-wind location and a higher elevation if possible. Many municipal facilities (water/wastewater treatment, as well as swimming pools) are getting away from gas chlorine and are using liquid chlorine (basically strong bleach) for disinfection. Chlorine and its compounds are still one of the most effective and economical disinfection agents.
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