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Hazardous chemical spill in F-16 crash in Michigan prompts evacuation
Explosion seen after plane crashes near Traverse City
An airplane has reportedly crashed near Traverse City
A hazardous chemical spill resulting from a military jet crash in Grand Traverse County has prompted an evacuation order after the training mishap left some first responders and community members exposed to a harzardous chemical.
Area health officials said some first responders and community members were being treated for exposure to hydrazine, acording to Munson Healthcare. Hydrazine is a highly volatile fuel used as an emergency power source. The Air Force describes the chemical as highly toxic, flammable and corrosive.
Exposure can harm the nervous and respiratory systems and, in severe cases, cause kidney damage or coma, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Texas Air National Guard F-16 crashed Thursday in Blair Township during a training exercise, military officials said. The pilot was hospitalized and listed in stable condition.
Following the crash, authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for an area along County Road 633. Residents were instructed to remain indoors and close windows and vents. The shelter-in-place order later was canceled.
More: F-16 crashes in Grand Traverse Co. in fiery wreck
About 30 minutes later, authorities ordered an evacuation within a 1-mile radius of the crash site due to a hazardous chemical spill.
Neither Michigan State Police or the Grand Traverse County Emergency Management responded to questions about what kind of chemicals were aboard the plane. The Texas military officials would not say what kind of chemicals the plane carried.
Residents and businesses in the affected area were told to leave and avoid the crash scene. A shelter was established at Kensington Church in Traverse City for those displaced by the evacuation.
The F-16, operated by the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, was in Michigan for a routine military training mission, according to Texas Military Department’s Public Affairs Office.
An F-16 can carry several hazardous substances in addition to hydrazine, including jet fuel, hydraulic fluid and ethylene glycol, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The health system said only people who were within a 1-mile radius of th cash and who are symptomatic should seek treatment.
Anyone who was within a mile of the crash site but asymptomatic was urged to watch for symptoms, which can include coughing, wheezing or trouble breathing, according to Munson Health.
There are several incidents of hydrazine poisoning in years past.
In 2011, a military F-16’s emergency power unit activated while the aircraft was inside an underground hangar in Israel, filling the area with hydrazine vapor. Four ground technicians were exposed for less than a minute.
One technician developed markedly abnormal blood tests, including reading that indicated possible muscle damage, along with elevated liver enzymes. He was hospitalized and treated with intravenous fluids. His tests eventually returned to normal and he returned to military service.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration documented a 2003 incident in which a roughly 5-gallon container of anhydrous hydrazine was released at a freight facility in Massachusetts.
Four employees were exposed to vapors and contaminated. They were taken to a hospital after decontamination. Two suffered respiratory inflammation from inhaling the vapors.
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