Washed-Up Container Sickens 2 Men

Two Kingston men became ill Monday morning after handling a 55-gallon drum they found on the banks of the Coeur d’Alene River.

The unidentified men apparently were walking along the Union Pacific Railroad line, about a quarter-mile from the Coeur d’Alene River Campground. They found the drum on its side and turned it upright, said Bill Schwartz of Kootenai County Disaster Services.

They became dizzy, but apparently recovered and were able to continue on their scavenger hunt.

Authorities said the incident illustrated the point that people should not get near containers they find lying around flood plains and stream banks.

“Please do not touch it, do not taste it, or smell it,” Schwartz said. “If it’s a hazardous chemical, it could be fatal,” he said. “Stay away from it.”

People should contact their local fire department or the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality, he said.

The barrel first was reported to Schwartz on Sunday night. The Division of Environmental Quality was planning to remove the barrel and other buckets and tanks apparently floated down the river during February flooding.

After the two men became sick, the Shoshone County Fire Department sent two firefighters to remove the blue plastic drum. The contents haven’t been identified and there are conflicting reports as to whether the barrel had any hazard markings or identification.

The Division of Environmental Quality will remove a barrel or other container for no charge as long as it was floated in by the flood, said John Sutherland, remediation supervisor.

“This kind of stuff is going to keep happening until we get these out of here,” he said.

Hunters and fishermen probably will continue to find the containers for some time, Sutherland said, and his agency is counting on people to call with the location.

There have been about 350 containers rounded up by the Division of Environmental Quality, and other agencies since the February flooding. Most of what was found in the Coeur d’Alene River basin has been petroleum products - “the stuff associated with logging,” Sutherland said.

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