Wayward Cylinder Causes Tie-Up on I-5
A small cylinder containing poisonous phosphine gas fell off a truck on Interstate 5 on Tuesday and tied up traffic for three hours near Las Pulgas Road, the California Highway Patrol said.
The 2-by-12-inch, red cylinder, containing 85% hydrogen gas and 15% phosphine, was found by a California Department of Transportation worker half a mile south of Las Pulgas in Oceanside, said John Marinez, a CHP spokesman.
The San Diego Fire Department hazardous materials unit and county environmental workers determined that none of the material had leaked, Marinez said.
The driver of the truck was heading to San Marcos from Santa Ana Tuesday morning, Marinez said. When he discovered the canister was missing, he called his employer, who called the CHP.
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