Deputy Chief Jamie Allen of the Springfield Twp. Fire Department said the refrigerant was R124a, and not Freon as was originally reported.
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Superior Carriers workers were on top of the car, getting ready to transfer the refrigerant from the rail tanker to a road trailer, Allen said.
“They were pulling the cap off the fuel port. The valve was cracked open, which allowed it to escape,” he said.
The tanker contained about 177,000 pounds of the refrigerant, and the pressure on the valve as it escaped is what led to the report of an explosion, Allen said.
The product is an asphyxiant as well as cold, and it iced over the valves. However, it dissipates in the air.
Allen described the 33-year-old worker’s frostbite injury as minor, and he was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
The reason it took more than two hours to contain the leak, Allen said, was because hazmat crews had to gather information on how best to mitigate it and learn how the valves were assembled.
“There was no real concern for the general public. It’s pretty well isolated,” Allen said.
The Springfield Fire Division also responded to the incident.
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