Though nestled deep in the Coast Guard building, NRC is wired separately and even has its own generators. The center's phones ring day and night. In fiscal 1999, the center received 97,464 incoming calls that resulted in 30,175 official reports. Many calls to NRC, which is listed in all phone directories across the U.S., are unrelated to chemical spills. According to Qadir, callers often ask for the phone number of Chemtrec, a program affiliated with the Chemical Manufacturers Association that assists shippers and carriers of hazardous materials.
People sometimes call about accidental poisonings, and they are referred to poison control centers.
Once, a man on the verge of committing suicide called, Qadir says. NRC staffers kept him talking while they contacted local authorities to come to his assistance. The man lived. Qadir attributes the tens of thousands of incidents reported each year to two factors. The public is becoming more concerned about the environment and is learning that chemical spills must be reported to federal authorities.