Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 08:37:44 -0400
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From: Secretary ACS CHAS <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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Three killed in Hyderabad chemical factory fire - Hyderabad - City - The Times of India
HYDERABAD: At least three people were killed and five injured Sunday in a massive fire at a chemical factory on the outskirts of Hyderabad, officials said. 

The fire broke out in Durga Enterprises, a factory in Jedimetla industrial area, following a blast in one of the chemical reactors. Police and witnesses said 16 workers were in the plant when the accident took place. 

Three workers were burnt to death and the condition of three of the injured was critical...

Fire-fighting personnel with seven fire engines fought for two hours to control the fire. A series of blasts in reactors and the presence of chemicals like sodium sulphate and potassium sulphate made their task difficult. 

Officials from the industries department, after a visit to the site, said the chemical factory had no licence. 

A police officer told reporters that two officials of the company were taken into custody. The owner of the company is not in town, the official said.

us_fl: Overturned Oil Tanker Affects S.R. 826 Drivers
MIAMI An overturned oil tanker shut down parts of S.R. 826.

An overturned oil tanker caused traffic headaches for Sunday drivers and put hazmat crews to work as they tried to clean up the damage on westbound State Road 826 at the I-95 off ramp. 

The I-95 flyover at the Golden Glades Interchange remains blocked as well as the southbound lanes of U.S. 441 and the eastbound lanes of SR 826, according to FHP Spokesperson Mark Wysocky. 

The oil tanker had impacted Tri-Rail passengers who use the service at Opa-Locka and Hollywood stations. 

Tri-Rail closed that stretch of railway Sunday. But by 11:53 p.m. Sunday, the tracks had been cleared, according to Jennifer Paul, marketing manager for Tri-Rail.


us_mo: Springfield firefighters treated for chemical exposure
Six firefighters were treated at the scene for exposure to a hazardous chemical after they went to fight an intentionally set fire at a former Springfield elementary school.
...
During the firefighting effort, Pennington worked with firefighters inside the building to force a rear door open so they had another exit.

Once the fire was out, several firefighters were working inside the building and began to feel their eyes and throats burning, said Battalion Chief Andy Woody.

The hazardous materials team was called in, along with hazmat specialists from Logan-Rogersville. The team determined that hydrazene, a chemical used in the boiler room, had caused the burning.

The Springfield School District sold the building in 2006.

The school was closed after the school board decided to consolidate Fairbanks with nearby Weaver Elementary School.

us_de: None injured in explosion at DuPont Experimental Station
The cause of a chemical explosion Friday morning at the DuPont Experimental Station in Alapocas is being investigated by the state Fire Marshal's Office.

Firefighters put out a flash fire in a temporary cold storage unit in a shipping and receiving area

DuPont spokesman Richard Straitman said the chemical reaction occurred in a container of peroxide.

He said there were no injuries and no damage other than to the freezer where the chemical was stored.

Hazardous materials workers remained on the scene to clean up a residual spill, Brown said.

There were no environmental issues as a result of the incident, Straitman said.

Eight people were exposed to the peroxide fumes, which can irritate the nose, throat and lungs, Straitman said. The employees were evaluated by DuPont medical personnel and were decontaminated with water.

us_tx: Overnight Explosion at Chemical Plant
Beaumont Fire Investigators say no one was injured when a building exploded at a chemical refinery near Lamar University.

Chemtrade Refinery Services called Beaumont Fire Firefighters around 3 o'clock this morning to the plant at 1400 block of Olin road.

Investigators say flames as high as 60 feet were soaring from a sulpher dioxide unit.

It took firefighters about an hour and a half to contain, but much longer to clean up.

Chemtrade is located just behind Lamar University's Montagne Center.

The Associated Press: Explosion at NH gun factory kills 2, injures 1
COLEBROOK, N.H. =97 The New Hampshire Fire Marshal says two people were killed and another received minor injuries in an explosion at a gun and ammunition plant in the far northern town of Colebrook, near the Canadian border.
Multiple explosions at the MDM Muzzleloader building Friday afternoon shook buildings blocks away and forced the evacuation of dozens of homes. Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said the three were the only people in the building at the time.
A spokeswoman for the town says thick, black smoke filled the sky soon after 1 p.m., with a series of explosions that could be heard up to a mile and a half away.
She said about 40 nearby homes have been evacuated so officials can analyze debris that shot out of the building. Displaced residents were offered shelter at a nearby hotel.

us_la: 18 Wheeler involved in accident on I-10 in Sulphur
CALCASIEU PARISH, LA (KPLC) - An 18-wheeler was involved in an accident today in Sulphur when a pick up truck cut it off on Interstate 10.

Sulphur Police responded to the accident around 6 a.m., when 32-year-old Jason McCleur of North Carolina cut off an 18-wheeler driving westbound near the highway 108 on-ramp.

Both trucks flipped off of the road, the 18 wheeler spilling it's cargo into a wooded area. A hazmat team was brought out to take care of the cargo, but Sulphur Police say they don't pose a threat to anyone in the area.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was transported to St. Pat's Hospital for minor injuries and McCleur was arrested for driving under the influence.

Traffic in that area is flowing now, but the highway 108 on and off ramps remain closed.

us_tx: Oil spill on I-10 shuts down three lanes
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Hazmat crews are trying to prevent an oil spill from reaching a Houston bayou after a big rig jackknifed on Interstate 10 Saturday.
Houston Fire Department officials said shortly after noon Saturday, an 18-wheeler jackknifed, causing the top compartment to come off of the trailer.
The accident shut down three left lanes of Interstate 10 near the Taylor exit for several hours.
The driver was extricated by emergency crews and transported to the hospital in good condition to treat minor injuries.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

us_ca: Ventura County Firefighters Extinguish Lake Piru Hazmat Fire
A 500-barrel tank of wastewater that contained some oil caught fire near the Lake Piru shooting range Friday afternoon but was quickly contained by firefighters.

The tank caught fire for unknown reasons about 3:30 p.m. off Holser Canyon Road, and Ventura County Fire Department firefighters worked to put out the blaze before it reached other nearby tanks, said department spokesman Ron Oatman. The firefighters put out the fire by 4:30 p.m.

There are many oil rigs in the area, and it was unclear if the tank was at an active pumping site or how the fire started, Oatman said.

canada: Winnipeg hazmat team cleaning up rat poison spill after semi-trucks collide near Kenora
A hazmat team from Winnipeg was called to clean up the site of a collision of two tractor trailers on the Kenora bypass, east of Highway 596, early Friday morning.

Before 2 a.m. two tractor trailers, travelling in opposite directions, sideswiped each other, said Ontario Provincial Police.

One of the trailers was carrying containers of strychnine in pellet form, commonly known as rat poison, and some of the containers spilled onto the highway, said OPP.

One of the drivers was taken to hospital with minor injuries, where he was treated and released.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and police were preparing a plan for handling of the hazardous material on Friday.

Officials said there is no danger to the public. However, police have asked people to avoid the area while the cleanup is underway.

The bypass was expected to remain closed between the west junction and Highway 658 for the duration of the cleanup.

us_ca: Los Feliz Illegal Fireworks: Bomb Squad Called over Illegal Fireworks
LOS FELIZ -- A hazardous materials team and the bomb squad were called to a home in Los Feliz where police say fireworks were being made illegally.

Authorities responded to the home in the 3400 block of Lambeth Street around 5:20 a.m. after receiving reports of an explosion, said Cecil Manresa of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The hazmat team and bomb squad technicians removed the fireworks-making materials from the buildings.

Two people who were exposed to nitrates were taken to an area hospital.

us_oh: Leaking Propane Tank Found During Hazmat Training Session
Officials are releasing details of a hazardous material leak, which happened during a hazmat training session at West Harrison weight station on Thursday. 
The Indiana State Police say yesterday around 2:45 p.m., troopers and motor carrier inspectors were conducting training on hazardous materials inspections when a truck was pulled off the scales for a routine inspection. During the "walk around" , a trooper noticed a very strong smell coming from within the trailer. 
State police notified the Harrison Fire Department and other hazardous materials response units. The investigation revealed the shipper, Clean Harbor Environmental Services out of Cincinnati, was hauling several tanks of various gases including acetylene, propane, Freon, mercury, and other poisonous gases to Chicago when sometime after being loaded or during shipment a 20 pound propane gas tank had an open valve, causing propane to leak.

us_il: Fuel spills as semi sinks into collapsed sewer
At about 2:55 p.m., police received a call that a sewer had collapsed under the truck on the 8700 block of South Stony Island Avenue, according to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Darryl Beaty.

As the truck began to sink into the hole, the truck's fuel tanks began to leak, he said. The e Chicago Fire Department called for a Level 1 Hazmat response.

The fuel was contained by about 3:30 p.m., Beaty said, but Stony Island was closed between 87th and 89th Street. No injuries were reported.



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