Hazardous Gas Leak Closes Stretch of I-40

A hazardous gas leak in a steel cylinder in a truck forced the closure Thursday of a 7 1/2-mile stretch of Interstate 40, one of the main arteries linking Southern California and Arizona, authorities said.

The highway was expected to remain closed through part of the night while cleanup continued, officials said.

The driver of the Consolidated Freight truck, who was admitted for observation at Needles Community Hospital, discovered the leak about 7:30 a.m., 40 miles west of Needles, after pulling off the road when his eyes became irritated. He then discovered that one of the 70-pound steel cylinders he was hauling in the enclosed truck was leaking phosphine hydrogen, Roden said. The gas, used in the manufacture of semiconductors, is poisonous and can be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin.

At 9:30 a.m., the CHP closed a 7 1/2-mile stretch of Interstate 40 in a desolate area near the community of Essex, rerouting traffic to old U.S. 66. A private cleanup crew arrived at noon to dispose of the chemical, but their work was delayed until later in the day when it was learned that the flash point of phosphine hydrogen is about 100 degrees--the approximate temperature in the area, Roden said.

The trucker, who was not immediately identified, was in stable condition, said Carol Lucas, the hospital’s director of nursing.