Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 08:04:22 -0400
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Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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FIRE RAGES IN CHEMICAL UNIT IN SHIVAJINAGAR - BANGALORE - CITY - THE TIMES OF INDIA, http://timesofindia.i ndiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Fire-rages-in-chemical-unit-in-Shivajinagar/a rticleshow/6277441.cms

BANGALORE: A chemical unit bang in the middle of a busy commercial area caught fire, sparking chaos and alarm in and around Commercial Street on Sunday evening. 

The fire broke out in a three-storey unit, called Bright The Economic Timess, manufacturers of melamine wood finish and thinners, on Veerapillai Street off OPH Road. Fire force personnel said they received a call around 4.16 pm and reached the spot at 4.40 pm. 

According to people on the street, the unit was closed as it was Sunday. At 3.45 pm, they saw fire billowing out of windows on the second floor. There was panic and locals tried to douse the fire from neighbouring buildings. 

Fire force personnel said there were barrels of thinners and chemicals stored inside, and the fire appeared to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit.

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BBC NEWS - FIRE CREWS CALLED TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT SHEFFIELD FACTORY, htt p://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-10907568

ozens of firefighters have dealt with a chemical incident at a factory in South Yorkshire.

Crews were called to Betafence, a wire manufacturer on Shepcoate Lane, Sheffield, on Sunday morning to contain hydrochloric acid leaking from a tank.

A fire service spokesman said no-one had been injured and workers were evacuated from the premises.

A cordon was put up around the factory and about 30 firefighters were called to the scene.

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RESPONSE TO FIRE AND CHEMICAL SPILL FELL SHORT, MOST AGREE || ONLINEATHENS.COM, http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/080810/new_692234254.shtml

State and local officials admit they would've done some things differently in the response to a fire and chemical spill at a Clarke County plant, and already are looking at last month's disaster to see if they should change any procedures.

A massive fire at J&amp;J Chemical Co. off Olympic Drive unleashed a flood of toxic water July 28 into Trail Creek, a tributary of the North Oconee River, after Athens-Clarke firefighters poured an estimated 740,000 gallons of water on the fire. At first, they thought they could save the building, then were trying to keep the fire from spreading to nearby woods or businesses.

The runoff carried a load of toxic formaldehyde and paradichlorobenzene, along with a bright dye that colored the water blue at least as far downstream as the Oconee River at Whitehall Road.

The chemicals killed an estimated 15,000 fish in Trail Creek and some of its tributaries, but posed little threat to human health, drinking water or wildlife downstream in the North Oconee or Oconee rivers, said state officials, who nevertheless warned people to avoid contact with the contaminated water.

But warnings from the local government and the state Environmental Protection Division were too little and too late, complained many, including elected Clarke County officials, some of whom didn't learn of the chemical contamination until days after the fire, nor the spill until constituents began asking about the blue water.

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HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP ACID SPILL - LOCAL NEWS STORY - KHBS NW ARKANSAS, http://www.4029tv .com/news/24555941/detail.html

FORT SMITH, Ark. -- 

The Fort Smith Fire Department and Hazmat crew were called Saturday morning to clean up a hydrochloric acid spill.
A Schlumberger semitrailor leaked the acid onto the Zero Street exit of Interstate 540 in Fort Smith.
The street was closed from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. while the crews used neutralizing powder on the spill and swept it up.

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PLANT EMERGENCY IN DEXTER CAUSED BY HUMAN ERROR - DEXTER LEADER - HERITAGE, http://www.heritage.com/articles/2010/08/08/de xter_leader/news/doc4c5ef7968dce8081314168.txt

Village staff said an accident that caused employees to evacuate the wastewater treatment plant in Dexter on Wednesday was caused by a miscommunication from a private company delivering chemicals to the facility.

=93The driver told a village staff member that he would fill the chlorine first,=94 Nicholls said.

Instead, the driver connected a hose that fed bisulfate (an acid) into the plant=92s chlorine storage container, which caused the release of chlorine gas, which is extremely harmful to mucus membranes such as the eyes, nasal passage and lungs.

=93As soon as the chemical went into the tank a reaction occurred that was witnessed by the village employee,=94 Nicholls said. =93A village utility employee monitors all chemical deliveries.=94

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CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE EXTINGUISHED - DETROIT LOCAL NEWS STORY - WDIV DETROIT, http://ww w.clickondetroit.com/news/24540904/detail.html

MASON, Mich. -- Fire crews have contained a fire at the Americhem Plant in Mason, Mich.
The fire started just before 3 p.m. inside of the scale house, which is where trucks go to load chemicals.
Nobody was injured in the fire and no evacuations were ordered.
Americhem Sales Corporation makes paint and varnishes.
According to the company's website there is a 500,000 gallon oil tank inside of the plant.
However, the fire did not spread to nearby silos containing chemicals.

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SIX TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER POTENTIAL DEADLY CHEMICAL ODOR IN EAGAN | KSTP TV - MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL, http://kstp.com/news/ stories/s1686410.shtml

The Eagan Fire Department tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that six people have been taken to Regions Hospital after a strong chemical odor was discovered at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

The fire department says a 20-year employee of the hotel accidently combined what she thought were two like chemicals. Instead the chemicals combined causing a violent reaction. The  reaction produced a gas called Phosgene which can cause severe respiratory distress and can be deadly.

The two chemicals combined were Destainer and Sour VII. The fire department reports as many as 75 emergency responders responded to the scene. The hotel had about 80 guests who were evacuated. Five of the six taken to Regions have been released, one will remain overnight Friday for observation

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NORTH SAN JOSE: GAS LEAK CONTAINED IN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING; EVACUATION OVER - SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15695459?nclick_check=1

Fire and hazardous material crews shut off the supply of noxious gas this morning, about three hours after the chemical was detected inside the building of an industrial part of northern San Jose.
"We discovered that nothing was flammable,'' said San Jose Fire Capt. Chuck Rangel, adding that workers at JDSU on 80 Rose Orchard were soon allowed to reenter the plant. The company makes optical products for the communications industry.
Employees discovered a leak of phosphine gas about 7:15 a.m., Rangel said, and early readings showed the concentration was 18 parts per billion, which means the gas wasn't in the explosive range, but could pose breathing problems. Workers were evacuated.
Rangel said it appeared as though one cylinder was leaking, and that device was moved to a special gas room to be taken care of. Haz-mat crews waited outside until they determined the gas would not ignite when they walked in, and then turned off the gas valve about 10:30 a.m., Rangel said.

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ACID SPILL HURTS 2 WORKERS AT RICHARDSON BUSINESS | NEWS FOR DALLAS, TEXAS | DALLAS MORNING NEWS | BREAKING NEWS FOR DALLAS-FORT WORTH | DALLAS MORNING NEWS, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedconte nt/dws/news/localnews/stories/080710dnmetacidspill.29a87efe.html

Two people were injured in a chemical spill about noon today at a Richardson business.

Acid spill at business
One employee was taken to Methodist Richardson Medical Center, and the other was treated at the scene, said Assistant Chief Steve Dossett of the Richardson Fire Department.

The accident occurred when a valve on a nitric acid tank broke, spilling about 90 gallons of the toxic, corrosive material at the business in the 600 block of International Parkway, near Alpha Drive.

Dossett said he was unsure what type of business the incident occurred at. He said firefighters have contained the spill and are waiting for a contractor to clean up the acid.

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CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION IN MASON UNDER INVESTIGATION | LANSINGSTATEJOURNAL.COM | LANSING STATE JOURNAL, http://www.lansi ngstatejournal.com/article/20100806/NEWS01/308060005/Chemical-plant-explos ion-in-Mason-under-investigation

MASON =97 An explosion and fire that destroyed a building at Americhem Sales Corp. this afternoon remains under investigation.

No one was seriously hurt in the incident that involved a truck containing mineral spirits, a chemical used in paint thinners.

At about 3 p.m., a tanker containing up to 7,000 gallons of mineral spirits entered a weighing facility and either blew up or sparked a fire, said Bruce Whetter, Americhem=92s president.

Employees were evacuated from Americhem, 340 North St. in Mason.

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WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS PRESS RELEASE, http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=11677

FAA Proposes Hazmat Civil Penalties Against 12 Companies

ATLANTA =97 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing civil penalties ranging from $54,000 to $97,500 against 12 companies for alleged violations of Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations. The cases filed by the FAA=92s Southern Region include:

$91,000 against Boston Scientific Corporation of Natick, Mass, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing medical-grade silicone fluid, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Alajuela, Costa Rica, to Boston Scientific headquarters, Oct. 23, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. DHL employees at its Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$65,000 against Flight Options, LLC of Cleveland, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing isopropyl alcohol, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Cleveland to Las Vegas, Sept. 9, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville, Ky., sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$58,000 against Kemet Electronics Corporation of Simpsonville, S.C. for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing silver paint, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Brownsville, Texas to Simpsonville, Aug. 20, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$56,000 against MSI Aircraft MTC SVS International, GMBH of Ruesselsheim, Germany, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a fuel control unit, to FedEx for transportation by air from Ruesselsheim to Miami, May 22, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. A fuel control unit containing jet fuel is considered a hazardous material. FedEx employees at Fort Lauderdale discovered the shipment was leaking.
$97,500 against UPS of Louisville for allegedly accepting a fiberboard box containing alcohol, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from San Antonio, Texas, to Reno, Nev., Jan. 14, 2010. The box was marked to indicate it contained hazardous materials. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$65,000 against Federal Express of Memphis, Tenn., for allegedly accepting a fiberboard box containing an unspecified toxic, corrosive liquid classified as a poison, for transportation by air from Oxford, Ala., to Chino Calif., April 1, 2010. An FAA hazardous materials special agent identified the mislabeled shipment before it could be loaded on an aircraft.
$78,000 against Westfield Coatings Corp., of Westfield, Mass., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing paint, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Westfield to Hudson, N.C., August 11, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the non-hazardous material leaking from the package.
$54,000 against Vitacost.com of Lexington, N.C., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid and non-hazardous material for transportation by air from Lexington to Boca Raton, Fla., Jan. 29, 2010. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$91,000 against Cardinal Health of Madison, Miss., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing skin care products containing alcohol, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Madison to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 11, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. DHL workers at the Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$54,000 against PSS Medical of Lubbock, Texas for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing ammonium nitrate, a corrosive material, to UPS for transportation by air from Lubbock to Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 31, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the package while sorting packages for shipment and delivery.
$54,000 against the Hammelman Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing methanol, a flammable liquid, for transportation by air from Pompano Beach, Fla., to Dayton, March 23, 2010. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.
$54,000 against Fragrance Resources, Inc., of Clifton, N.J., for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid for transportation by air from Clifton to Ft Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 23, 2009. The shipment was undeclared. UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the package.
In all instances, the companies allegedly offered the hazardous material for transportation (or, in the cases of UPS and Federal Express, accepted it) when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations.

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FALKVILLE BUSINESS OWNER HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT - DECATURDAILY.COM, http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/66025.html?content_source=& amp;category_id=&amp;search_filter=&amp;event_mode=&amp; event_ts_from=&amp;list_type=&amp;order_by=&amp;order_so rt=&amp;content_class=&amp;sub_type=stories&amp;town_id=

FALKVILLE =97 C.J. Juzwiak said she was in the office of RV Refrigerator here Friday when she heard an =93explosive=94 sound from the shop.

She said the business=92 owner, Eldred Sims, rushed to the sink at the front of the building at 4279 U.S. 31 South and began washing ammonia from his face.

=93I helped wash him and called 911,=94 said Juzwiak, who is visiting the Sims family, which lives next door to the company.

Sims=92 wife, Mary Ann Sims, said her husband was charging a cooling unit when a glass cylinder holding aqueous ammonia apparently leaked and exploded.

Authorities said an ambulance transported Eldred Sims, 68, first to Hartselle Medical Center for treatment. An ambulance later transported him to Huntsville Hospital.

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TANKER LEAKS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN MIDTOWN - WREG, http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-hazmat-tanker-midtown,0,2742319.story

FAST FACTS: 
Hazmat crews were called into Midtown Memphis this morning.
Someone discovered hydrochloric acid leaking from a railroad tanker.
Crews were able to get it cleaned up, but not before threatening an evacuation and shutting down traffic.

(Memphis 8/6/2010) More than a dozen fire trucks filled the area on Southern Avenue between Haynes and Semmes around 6 am. Andrea Bailey had no idea what was going on.

"I came in from work and I pulled up in the driveway and I saw all these fire trucks and all kind of police and stuff. I stopped a lady out there and she said it was some kind of hazardous [material] going in the air," said Bailey.

She lives at the corner of Haynes and Southern Avenue just blocks away from the leaking railroad tanker.

There were fumes rising from the top of the container which was filled with hydrochloric acid residue.

"I'm wondering what's going in my house, is my house blowing up? That's what I really though," added Bailey.

"Workers were working on the tanker truck, there were bolts on the top that rusted out and it was allowing vapor to be released from the tanker," said LT. Wayne Cooke from the Memphis Fire Department.

At the height of rush hour traffic, Southern Avenue had to be shut down for about a half a mile while hazmat crews worked to contain the leak.


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