The program does not include petroleum products such as diesel fuel or propane, nor does the program include releases permitted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency . Chronic releases, such as a several-month leak from an acid holding tank, are also excluded from the program. Upon receipt of this initial report, the MDH calls the responsible party and obtains information to complete an extensive report. Data on long-term health effects from chemical exposures are not collected. The MDH follow-up procedure has the advantage of providing more complete and accurate information than may have been available at the time of original notification of the release.
Symptoms range from minor ailments, such as throat irritation, to death.
The program does not differentiate between injuries caused directly by exposure to hazardous materials and injuries caused indirectly by the release, such as burns from a fire caused by the hazardous materials. A region's agricultural and industrial activities determine the types of hazardous material releases which are likely to occur within that region. Thus, regional differences require different strategies for planning and training. Comparisons can be made between a rural county and rural counties in general, and between an urban county and urban counties in general. The table immediately below compares the mean number of events, injuries, evacuations, and chemicals released per event in the metro counties and Olmsted and St. Louis Counties with means from primarily agricultural counties.