It happened again!
Tanker Trap
Officials are ordering Tucson-area residents to shelter in place following a truck crash that resulted in the spillage of toxic chemicals on one of its highways.
In a press release, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said that people who live within three miles of the tanker crash that killed its driver on Interstate 10 and spilled an unreported amount of nitric acid should stay inside their homes.
The update builds on the state DPS’ previous order that people who live within half a mile of the spill should evacuate, and those within one mile should shelter in place.
Used in everything from fertilizer to explosives, nitric acid is, per official warnings and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a highly corrosive compound that can cause some super gnarly health problems.
“Exposure to nitric acid can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membrane; it can also cause delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis, and dental erosion,” a CDC explainer on the chemical notes. In short: nitric acid poisoning does not sound like a good time, and it’s terrifying that people may have been exposed to it.
Comes In Threes
To make the situation all the freakier, this Arizona tanker crash comes roughly a week after a similarly horrifying accident and spill in East Palestine, Ohio. There, a derailed train carrying different — but still mega-toxic — chemicals forced an evacuation order, which has since been lifted in spite of residents’ concerns about long- and short-term damage from the chemicals the Norfolk Southern train was carrying.
Add the tragic earthquake last week in Turkey and Syria that’s so far had a death toll of more than 40,000 people, and you’ve got the kind of apocalyptic trifecta most of us hoped we wouldn’t see again since 2020.
Hate this for us, but especially for the people living near these disasters.
More on doomsday: There’s a Super Bizarre Coincidence Surrounding the Ohio Train Disaster