Gas Leak That Stunk Up South Jersey and Part of Philly Contained, Officials Say

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The chemical leak that caused a rotten smell to stink up parts of South Jersey and Philly downwind from a truck stop off Interstate 295 has been contained, authorities said Thursday. But it is unclear how much longer you'll have to hold your nose.

Emergency officials said they received "hundreds" of calls Wednesday afternoon from residents in Gloucester and Camden counties reporting a strong chemical odor outside. People even reported overnight that the bad smell had wafted across the Delaware River into South Philadelphia.

It lingered into Thursday morning, but Camden County officials said shortly after 10 a.m. that the chemical leak from a tractor trailer was finally contained. HAZMAT crews had surrounded the truck since Wednesday afternoon and at least two controlled releases of a chemical identified as a fuel additive occurred, officials said.

The incident occurred at the TA Travel Center in Paulsboro off I-295. Officials said air quality testing showed, that while it may stink, the smell was not unsafe.

"The chemical, Lubrizol-1389 (Zinc alkyldithiophosphate), expels a nuisance odor that may linger for some time," officials in nearby Camden County said in a press release Thursday. "However, Haz-Mat Technicians have monitored and tested the air quality of the immediate incident scene as well as all surrounding areas that have experienced the odor. The results of the testing have confirmed that there is no risk to the public."

Emergency officials said the smell was coming from a trailer "venting off large amounts of gas."

Lubrizol-1389 can cause eye and skin irritation, officials said.

The chemical is manufactured by Lubrizol Corp., which is a Berkshire Hathaway company headquartered in Ohio. The company has a chemical plant in Pedrickstown, New Jersey.

"Lubrizol is aware of the incident in Paulsboro, New Jersey, involving Transchem USA, an independent trucking company, which was transporting product manufactured by Lubrizol. The trucking company is investigating the incident and leading the response with local authorities," a company spokesman said in an email. "Lubrizol specialists are on site offering expertise on the chemistry of our product to support our transportation supplier and to coordinate with first responders and local health officials. We continue to closely monitoring the situation."

Lubrizol-1389 is used as a lubricant in machine parts, according to the American Chemical Society.

"Zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates (ZDDPs) are very effective antiwear agents that are used as machine lubricants (e.g., greases, hydraulic oils, and motor oils), including applications in the automotive industry," the ACS said on its website.

Officials told NBC10 that the fumes release a strong "rotten egg" smell. The tanker truck was carrying 7,000 pounds of the chemical. A message was left for Transchem USA, the trucking company.

"Numerous resources are currently on location monitoring and attempting to mitigate the venting along with
the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection," Gloucester County officials said.

The county OEM described the smell as "nuisance" as they continued to monitor the air quality.

"The results of the testing have confirmed that there is no risk to the public," county OEM said on Facebook, while noting air monitoring would continue.

Authorities recommended "everyone remain inside their homes and limit outdoor activity," but lifted that shelter-in-place order as of 1:30 a.m. Thursday after a second release of the chemical shortly before midnight.

In the areas around the truck stop, the smell was still ever present Thursday morning, as far as 10 miles away. It was strongest closest to the truck stop.