PUNTARENAS, Costa Rica, May 3 (UPI) -- The Costa Rican government issued a toxic spill warning after a ship carrying nearly 200 tons of ammonium nitrate capsized off the country's Pacific coast on Saturday.
Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared an emergency zone along about 62 miles of coast near the tourist town of Puntarenas, urging people to avoid fishing and swimming in waters surrounding the region.
Authorities were able to rescue two crew members from the ship, which had been transporting about 180 tons of the chemical to fertilizer company Fertilizantes de Centroamerica.
Ammonium nitrate is used in the production of fertilizers and explosives and causes harm to humans under direct exposure.
Reinaldo Carballo, spokeswoman for the CNE, was quoted by the BBC as saying the alert was issued "because of the potential impact ammonium nitrate could have on human health" and that testing would determine whether the chemical dissolved, was taken to sea by tides or remained in the region's waters.
Last month, ammonium nitrate spilled from a 39-car train derailment in South Carolina, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said in a tweet, but local hazardous material workers responding to the scene said they found no harmful spills.
Ammonium nitrate "is irritating to the eyes, the skin and the respiratory tract" and causes abdominal pain, blue skin and fingernails, convulsions, diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting and weakness when ingested orally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes the "substance may be hazardous to the environment" and that "special attention should be given to water quality."
