HazMat Fact Sheet

When dealing with the media at a hazmat incident, certain types of questions should be anticipated.  Many of these questions can be addressed prior to an incident and assembled into a HazMat Fact Sheet.

I. The Incident

a. What is the nature of the emergency?

b. How many injuries? Fatalities? What is the nature of the injuries and fatalities?

c. How many people were evacuated from the facility?  Within the community?

d. How is the surrounding environment affected?

e. Have similar incidents occurred in the past?

II. The Hazardous Material(s) Involved

a. What hamat(s) are involved in the emergency?

b. Is it a solid, liquid, or gas?

c. What are the public health implications?

d. What quantity was released?

e. Are there other extremely hazardous substances (EHS’s?) stored, manufactured, or used within the facility?

III. The Facility

a. Does the facility have an Emergency Response Plan?

b. Has the facility participated in the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the development of the community Emergency Response Plan?

c. Has the facility and/or community conducted a risk assessment of the potential threat posed by the facility to the community?

IV. Meteorological Conditions and Factors

a. What are the current temperature, wind velocity, and humidity conditions?

b. Are they considered favorable or unfavorable as they affect the spread of the hazmat?

c. What are the immediate and short-term weather forecasts?  

d. Will the changes affect the dispersion of the hazmat?

V. Physical Surroundings

a. Will terrain and ground contour around the incident site affect the hazmat dispersion in anymanner?

b. Are there nearby population centers that might be a particular risk, such as the schools, hospitals, shopping centers,etc.?

c. Will nearby residents be evacuated or sheltered in place?  What are the criteria for making this decision?

VI. Health Risks

a. By what routes are humans exposed to the chemical (inhalation, ingestion, absorption, contact)?

b. What are the potential health effects?  Are these effects acute or chronic?

c. Are particular population groups particularly susceptible?

d. Can the hazmat(s) involved react with other hazardous materials in the facility or in the area?

VII. Post-Incident Follow-up Questions

a. What types of safeguards were in place?

b. What did the facility have to report under any of the sections of SARA Title III?  Did it submit reports?

i. Section 302-Presence of Extremely Hazardous Substance

ii. Section 304-Accidental Releases and Emergency Notifications

iii. Section 311-Hazardous Chemicals MSDS? Or Lists?

iv. Section 312-Tier II Emergency & Hazardous Chemical Inventory

v. Section 313-Toxi Chemical Release Form

c. Does the facility and/or community have equipment or instruments to detect and track a release?

d. What types of emergency response equipment does the facility and/or community have?

e. Does the facility know of any possible substitute which could be used for the hazardous materials released?  What environmental and health issues are posed by these substitutes?  What are the economic issues involved in using substitutes?

*This information came from the textbook, Chemicals, The Press & The Public.  The media already have these questions, we should have them and the answers too before we face them. Hope this is of use to you and your staff.*