Occidental Chemical Corporation; Tonawanda, New York

Tonawanda, New York | 1986-Apr-16

Initial Notification: At 2l30 on April 15, 1986, a valve failed during a tank charging operation at the Occidental Chemical Corporation releasing 8,600 pounds of phenol within the confines of the plant. The high purity, molten phenol flowed onto the floor, partially solidified, and continued to flow under a door and onto a paved area outside the building. Although the flow was quickly dammed, an unknown quantity flowed into a sewer system which drains into the Tonawanda Creek, approximately two miles away. USCG district 9.