OTTAWA (CP) - A U.S. booster rocket that splashed down off Canada's East Coast in April was carrying up to 2.25 tonnes of highly toxic chemicals, says a newly released report.
The leftover liquid fuel - Aerozine-50 - was inside the first stage of a Titan IV B-30 rocket that was launched from Florida on April 29.
The 26-metre object fell in the vicinity of the Hibernia oil platform, on Newfoundland's Grand Banks, but caused no damage to the facility as had been feared by Premier Danny Williams and others.
Thank God! The precious, precious oil was safe!!! Wait...
The two chemicals in the leftover fuel - dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen dioxide - are poisonous and corrosive. Merely breathing the vapours can cause death, say documents included with the plan.
Even heavy firefighting suits cannot protect against the toxic effects. Both chemicals dissolve in water, with the latter forming toxic nitric acid. Dimethylhydrazine initially floats on the water and produces toxic vapours on contact with air.
Boy, what's next, Agent Orange over Windsor?
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