Drums of Cyanide Fall From Truck Onto Interstate; Motorists Warned

About 100 pounds of toxic sodium cyanide spilled from a truck onto a busy interstate highway Friday morning, and authorities warned motorists who may have driven through the chemical to check their cars.

Eight drums containing the chemical in pellet form fell off the truck. The driver, apparently unaware of the accident, continued to East Providence where he was stopped and the truck impounded, police said.

The driver of the Kraus Chemical Co. truck, Wayne A. Rupert, 34, of East Providence, was charged with failure to secure the truck’s cargo and driving without an inspection sticker.

Rupert said the drums apparently fell from his truck when he swerved to avoid an accident, police Capt. Edward Collins said.

Cleanup Crew Treated

About 20 state troopers, police officers and firefighters who helped with the cleanup were taken to two area hospitals as a precaution, but all were released without treatment, officials said.

The eastbound lanes of the interstate were closed for about two hours.

The state Environmental Management Department warned motorists who may have driven through the spill to check the undercarriage of their cars and contact Kraus in East Providence to arrange a cleanup if large amounts of the white chemical were visible.

Cars showing widespread contamination should not be put in garages, but should be kept dry, officials said.

“In the rain, sodium cyanide can cause a cyanide reaction and cyanide kills people,” said Tom Getz, chief of the department’s Division of Air and Hazardous Materials.