Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:22:24 -0500
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Subject: 4 Chemical Safety news reports from Google

Illinois

Eight Quincy fire trucks on scene at Quincy University's North Campus in
response to substance spill; one person taken to hospital

http://www.whig.com/story/news/spill-at-quincy-university-011510 

Quincy firefighters responded to Quincy University's North Campus at
18th and Seminary Road Friday morning after a report of some kind of
substance being spilled, and at least one person has been taken to
Blessing Hospital after reportedly having breathing difficulties.

Officials from Quincy University and the Quincy Fire Department have
been unavailable for comment.

Eight trucks from three engine houses are on the scene. The call was
made at approximately 9:30 a.m. Several firefighters are on the east
side of 18th Street across from the front of the North Campus building.
A hazardous material response unit arrived on the scene at 10:30 a.m.

Traffic is blocked off on 18th Street at Seminary Road on the south
side and at Quintron Way on the north side.

http: //www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=402311

Chemical spill at QU's north campus  

Not considered dangerous

Friday, January 15, 2010 at 10:20 a.m. 

Read more: Local, Breaking, Alexis Hunt, On the Scene, Chemical Spill, Quincy University's North Campus, Near 18Th and Seminary Road, Emergency Crews on the Scene, Quincy Fire Department, Quincy Police Department

QUINCY, ILL. -- The Quincy Fire Department was called to a chemical spill at Quincy University's North Campus shortly after 9:30 AM January, 15th.

A member of a cleaning crew had accidentally knocked over a chemical bottle inside a laboratory.

That crew member swept the chemical and glass into a bag and it was taken outside and placed on Circle Drive.

The chemical was Glutaric Dialdehyde, which is a low grade acid that can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation.

Soda ash was placed on the chemical to neutralize it.

Quincy Fire Department assistant chief James Pioch told KHQA two people were sent to Blessing Hospital.

They were complaining of respiratory issues.

Both of them have been released from the hospital in good condition

Quincy University hasn't started classes after the winter break yet, so less than ten people were inside the building at the time of the spill.

===
Iowa

http://www.kimt.com/con tent/breaking/story/Man-Dies-at-Scene-of-Hospital-Chemical-Spill/TQdgY7dYq 0C40nlgAEqJRQ.cspx

Man Dies at Scene of Hospital Chemical Spill

Mason City, IA- The cause of a Mason City man's death is still unknown after emergency crews respond to a chemical spill.

Mason City Fire Chief Bob Platts says his department got a call of a person not breathing at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa's West Campus at about 7:00pm Thursday.

It happened in the center's laundry facility known as the Textile Service Department.  A press release from Mercy says David Weaver died.

Mason City=92s Fire Chief says the call seemed routine, but once first responders arrived the emergency changed.

"When they got there, they started to work on the victim there they realized that there had probably been some type of spill in the building," Chief Bob Platts.

Mercy says sodium hydroxide started leaking.  It=92s a chemical used as an additive to the laundry cleaning process.

Employees contained the spill to one room.  Platts says calling in a hazardous material crew wasn't necessary.

"In this case at the operations level it was already contained, so we just basically kept people out of that area until a cleanup company was able to come in and clean up that spill," said Platts.

Mercy says efforts to revive David Weaver, a Mercy employee of 15 years, proved unsuccessful.  Doctors evaluated four other employees and several firefighters.

"Because of the potential exposure to this product we wanted to make sure that had been in there we actually had 5 people in, four of them were checked out one of them didn't display any symptoms of anything, it was just kind of a precautionary thing," said Platts.

The employees and firefighters all checked out okay.  Platts says it's still unclear how the sodium hydroxide started leaking from its holding tank, and if the chemical spill had anything to do with Weaver's death.

"I don't know the association between his medical emergency and the chemical spill we had, really can't tell at this time without the medical examiner doing his autopsy to find out exactly what might have happened," he said.

We talked with the Medical Examiner of Cerro Gordo County.   They performed an autopsy Friday.  They say the cause of Weaver's death is still pending, and it could take several weeks to make a determination.

Platts says the room where the chemicals leaked and the room where they found Weaver is separated by a much larger area about the size of a high school gymnasium.

Platts says maintenance workers helped to control the airflow through the building.

The occupational safety and health administration is also working on the case.  A spokesman for the agency says they could launch an investigation if any of its regulations are connected to Weaver's death.

===

Australia

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-n ews-national/sydney-chemical-spill-prompts-evacuation-20100115-mc5w.html

Sydney chemical spill prompts evacuation
January 15, 2010
AAP

More than 100 people have been evacuated from a western Sydney factory and neighbouring buildings after a chemical spill, firefighters say.

Six people at the Jalco factory in Smithfield inhaled the unidentified chemical fumes following the spill at 2.15pm (AEDT) Friday, a NSW Fire Brigades spokesman said.

They were treated at the scene, while 104 other people evacuated from the factory and adjacent buildings were assessed and given the all-clear.

Three Hazmat trucks and a pumper were called to the factory but a fire brigades spokesman said the slight fumes that remained in the air posed no danger.

"We have isolated the valves that caused it. It's under control," the spokesman said.





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