On Wednesday, August 17, while responding to a residential fire, the Atlanta Fire Department (AFD) discovered a drum laying on its side on a residential road in southwest Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. A bung was missing, and material had spilled from the drum into residential soil and the street. A heavy solvent odor was present. Residents reported the drum was abandoned one night about a month earlier. Additionally, there was another drum on the next block (Frank Street) that appeared at about the same time.
AFD contacted the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, which contacted the EPA Region 4 Telephone Duty Officer. The Duty Officer dispatched OSC Berry to gather information to determine if a response was appropriate.
AFD uprighted the drums and took air monitoring measurements. High volatile concentrations and an explosive vapor level of 2% were noted over the open drum. This was relayed to OSC Berry upon arrival. There was a heavy solvent odor within 20 feet of the drum. One drum was already missing a bung, and the other drum was severely dented and damaged. The material released onto the street appeared visually to be automotive paint stripping waste (evidenced by metallic flake in the released material), but the exact process that generated the material is unknown. AFD stated they had no capacity to dispose of the drums if they took possession. Based on this information, OSC Berry determined a removal action was appropriate.
