Overview

On January 13, 1947, the US War Assets Administration, disposed of drums of sodium into Lake Lenore, an alkaline lake in the Grand Coulee area of eastern Washington State (near Spokane, WA). See a January 13, 1947 newsreel, watch and environmental disaster.

Toxicological Perspective

Sodium quickly oxidizes in air and is violently reactive with water, so it must be stored in an inert medium, such as kerosene. Sodium is present in great quantities in the earth's oceans as sodium chloride.