Chemicals Leaked From South Jersey Truck Pose No Risk To Water, People: Expert

EAST GREENWICH, NJ — Lubrizol 1389, the chemical that was leaked from a truck traveling through South Jersey on Aug. 10 and sent a foul smell in the area that affected thousands, poses no risk to the area's water sources and its residents, a toxicologist said.

Many residents of Gloucester, Camden and Burlington counties have said they could detect the foul smell, and one woman has filed a lawsuit against chemical maker Lubrizol and trucking company TransChem USA for experiencing "a range of debilitating respiratory effects and headaches" as a result of the leak.

A town hall meeting was held Tuesday in East Greenwich Township about the Aug. 10 incident to answer questions about the incident.

During that town hall meeting, Michael Reilly, a project toxicologist with the Center for Toxicology and Environment Health addressed an audience member's question about the presence of any risk the leak posed on the area's tap water, shower water, municipal water and other water sources.

"No, there is not [a risk]," he said.

Reilly continued, "there is nowhere in the scientific literature, where anyone points to ... long-term health effects associated with exposures to methyl mercaptan or hydrogen sulfide at levels that you can detect them with your nose, but you cannot detect them with your instruments. I can say that with 100 percent certainty."

He also noted that methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide are natural substances that dissolve and "are essentially nothing that is impacting your health."

Law enforcement ultimately traced the smell to a TransChem USA tanker truck at the TA TravelCenter truck stop on Berkeley Road in East Greenwich Township. At the time, the tanker truck was hauling a chemical identified as Lubrizol 1389 and began leaking methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide, which are two compounds that pose nasal irritability problems for residents, officials previously said.

The smell has dissipated in the air, but may remain for some time, officials also previously said.

The tanker truck that was linked to the foul-smelling odor remains in East Greenwich Township, said James R. Philbin, Jr., Deputy Mayor of East Greenwich Township, during the town meeting.

A strategy and a time frame for removing that tanker truck was still under development, he added.

"That's something we're working through and we appreciate everyone's patience," Philbin said. "I know everyone wants it out of their backyard [and] in the coming days we hope to have it [removed]."

This story also contains reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.

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