Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:01:09 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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9&AMP;10 NEWS - HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SMELL ON TC BUS, http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=246447&amp;cID=1

A Traverse City hazmat team when on a smelly scavenger hunt Thursday morning, trying to track down a stench making people sick on a public bus.

The odor was described as a strong chemical smell. Two passengers reported that it was irritating their eyes and making them feel dizzy.

When the bus driver smelled the odor, she pulled over and immediately got everyone off the bus.

It happened around 9:30 Thursday morning at the BATA Transit Center in Traverse City.

The hazmat team arrived a few minutes later to try and track down the source of the smell. The team evacuated the area as a precaution and then concentrated their search on two backpacks.

The only thing they discovered was a small amount of marijuana in one of the bags.

"We do not know at this time what odor caused that eye irritation, if it was the marijuana smell in the bag or if it was a combination of marijuana and perfume, we=E2=80=99re not clear," says Captain Brian Heffner with the Traverse City Police Department. "But we do know there was no hazardous materials on that bus."

The two passengers that felt dizzy were checked out at the scene and released.

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LEXINGTON APARTMENTS EVACUATED AFTER TWO CAUGHT COOKING METH - WIS NEWS 10 - COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA |, http://www.wis tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12972095

LEXINGTON, SC (WIS) =E2=80=93 An apartment building in Lexington was evacuated early Thursday morning after the discovery of a meth lab.

Lexington police responded to the Churchwood Apartments on Old Chapin Road just after 6am to reports of a strange odor. Police found suspects in the process of "cooking" the meth in one of the apartments.

The apartment building was evacuated after officials confirmed it was a meth lab. Residents were displaced for about four hours.

Police have arrested two people in connection with the meth lab.

Lexington Sheriff's Department, HAZMAT and Lexington Emergency Management Services also responded.

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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED FOR CHLORINE LEAK AT ASSATEAGUE STATE PARK - WGMD.COM, http://www.wgmd.com/?p=8387

Berlin firefighters responded to a chlorine leak at Assateague State Park Tuesday morning.  The Special Hazards Response Team was also on the scene after a 150 pound chlorine cylinder, which is used for water treatment, was found to be leaking at the valve.  The Hazmat crew was able to stop the leak and no injuries were reported. 

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DAILY HERALD | HAZMAT ACCIDENT CLOSES RANDALL ROAD FOR FIVE HOURS, htt p://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=400489&amp;src=5

Southbound Randall Road was closed for five hours early Friday following a traffic accident that resulted in hazardous material spilling onto the street, Elgin police said.

A Carpentersville truck driver was cited for his part in the single-vehicle accident that resulted in no injuries, authorities said.

At 12:30 a.m., a truck from R+L Carriers was turning onto Randall Road at South Street when one of its two semitrailers flipped over, police said.

At least two gallons of a corrosive liquid known as UN1760 leaked onto the street from the rear semitrailer, authorities said.

Police closed Randall Road while hazardous material teams from the Elgin and South Elgin fire departments secured the scene and kept the substance from flowing into the water system, authorities said.

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BBC NEWS - MOD BLAST MIXTURE 'NOT AUTHORISED', JUPP INQUEST HEARS, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/u k-10971734

US officials did not authorise use of a chemical mixture that killed a British government scientist in an explosives accident, an inquest has heard.

Terry Jupp, 46, suffered massive burns on a testing range at Shoeburyness, Essex, in August 2002.

He was part of a British-American team investigating homemade bombs that could be used in terrorism.

The inquest was also told of American concern that the British were not sticking to planned experiments.

The inquest heard that the American official who commissioned the research had not given permission for Mr Jupp's experiment.

Mr Jupp died after a 10kg mixture of three undisclosed substances caught alight. He died from his injuries six days later.

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KATC.COM - ACADIANA NEWS, ACADIANA WEATHER, ACADIANA SPORTS | LAFAYETTE WEATHER, LAFAYETTE NEWS, LAFAYETTE SPORTS | I-49 SHUT DOWN DUE TO OVERTURNED TANKER, http://www.katc.com/news/i-49-shut-down-due-to-overturned-tanker1/

I-49 Northbound has been shut down from Pont de Mouton to Gloria Switch Road.

A truck carrying a mixture of flammable liquids flipped at around 11-AM Wednesday morning, leaking its cargo onto Frontage road.

State Police, Lafayette Sheriffs Depuites and Lafayette Police have I-49 blocked-off as Lafayette firefighters inspect and clean-up the spill.

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AMARILLO.COM | LOCAL NEWS: CHEMICAL LEAK SCRAMBLES HAZMAT CREW 08/12/10, http://www .amarillo.com/stories/081210/new_news3.shtml

Three people were hospitalized after they were exposed to a potentially dangerous gas Wednesday morning at a scrap yard on Amarillo Boulevard.
Amarillo Fire Department Chief Steve Ross saidm that at about 11:15 a.m., workers at W. Silver Recycling Inc., 3320 E. Amarillo Blvd., ruptured a tank, releasing a gas that "caused some people some discomfort."

Investigators said an employee was operating a machine that cuts scrap metal into smaller pieces. The worker cut into a cylinder and a vapor cloud was released, investigators said. The cloud spread across the metal-strewn work yard.

Three workers in the yard suffered difficulty breathing and were treated at the scene, Ross said. The vapor had dissipated when emergency crews arrived.

"It released and is gone," Ross said shortly before noon.

The unidentified workers were hosed down by firefighters and transported to a hospital for observation.

Ross said victims told firefighters they believed anhydrous ammonia was released.

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BBC NEWS - FIRE CREWS CLEAN CHEMICAL SPILL IN RETFORD, htt p://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-10941914

One person has been taken to hospital after a chemical spillage at a care home in Nottinghamshire.

Firefighters were called to the Clumber Court care home on Bolham Lane, Retford, after five litres (one gallon) of hydrogen peroxide was spilt.

The injured person suffered burned hands in the incident, which took place at about 1130 BST. Firefighters have now cleared up the spillage.

Residents were moved to another part of the home during the clean up.

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THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM - LORAIN COUNTY'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE, http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com /2010/08/11/fire-breaks-out-at-old-aztec-plant-after-chemicals-ignite/

ELYRIA =E2=80=94 Heat and humid ity are believed to have con tributed to a large chemical fire Tuesday afternoon in an outdoor skimming pond at United Initiators, 555 Garden St., the same site where a massive explosion occurred in 1993, when the facility was operated by Aztec Cata lysts.

The blaze Tuesday, involving organic per oxides, ignited in the pond with a "big boom=" at 1:50 p.m., startling Mark Yeaples, who was working on a garbage truck at the Elyria Central Maintenance facility nearby.

"I looked over, and flames were shooting 100 feet in the air,=" Yeaples said. " You could smell the burning toxins.="

No one was injured, said United Initiators general manager Paul Caldwell. About 30 of the company=E2=80=99s nearly 60 employees were working when the fire started.

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GENERAL CHEMICAL FACILITY PARTIALLY CLOSED BY FIRE - CBS4DENVER.COM, http://cbs4denver.com/wireapnewswy/Fire.at.mining.2.1854528.html

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) =E2=80=95 A fire at the General Chemical Corp. mining facility in southwest Wyoming has interrupted part of its operations.

The fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Plant manager Randy Pitts says the Green River Fire Department, with help from two other soda ash companies, extinguished the fire after about 90 minutes with no injuries reported.

Pitts said a portion of the facility's mining operations had been shut down until repairs can be completed.

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UPDATED: CHEMICAL EXPLOSION AT TOCKWITH AFFECTS TRAFFIC NEAR LEEDS | LEEDS | GUARDIAN.CO.UK, http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2010/aug/11/tockwith-blast-traffic

Firefighters are tackling an explosion at BCB Environmental Waste Services on Marston Moor Business Park in Tockwith.

Police are advising motorists to keep their windows up as they drive between J46 at Wetherby and J47 on the A1.

Traffic is believed to be 'coping well'. There are also reports of smoke blowing across the road on A64 between the A659 and Colton Lane.

According to the York Press, villagers have been evacuated and nearby residents have been told to keep their windows closed.

It's believed a plume of black smoke is headed towards York.

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BOULDER COUNTY SHERIFF WARNS PUBLIC ABOUT HOMEMADE BOMBS - DENVER NEWS STORY - KMGH DENVER, http:// www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24596545/detail.html

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. -- Boulder County authorities issued a warning Wednesday about individuals throwing homemade chemical bombs from moving vehicles.
An exploded plastic bottle was found Wednesday morning in the 7800 block of Durham Way in the Heatherwood subdivision, Boulder County sheriff's officials said.
A resident reported hearing an explosion Monday at about 11:30 p.m., but did not see anyone or anything suspicious at that time, sheriff's officials said.
Wednesday morning, the resident found a plastic bottle that appeared to have been ruptured by an explosion, sheriff's officials said. Deputies searched the subdivision but did not find any other explosive devices.
On the night of July 1, two people reported that someone tossed a plastic bottle from the window of a black Chevrolet pickup traveling through a Niwot neighborhood, sheriff's officials said.
When one of the witnesses kicked the bottle, it exploded, sheriff's officials said. No one was injured.
Investigators found that bottle contained chemicals that when mixed, created "an explosion that can cause bodily injury if the person is nearby," sheriffs officials said.

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NEIGHBORS COMPLAIN OF SICKNESS AFTER ELYRIA CHEMICAL FIRE - MORNING JOURNAL NEWS: SERVING LORAIN, ERIE, HURON AND WESTERN CUYAHOGA COUNTIES, http://morningjournal.com/articles/2010/08/11/news/mj3142779.txt

ELYRIA =E2=80=94 Several Garden Street residents said they were feeling sick after the fire at United Initiators plant yesterday afternoon.

Daniel Oquendo, 20, said officials told him to stay inside his Garden Street apartment, which is less than a half mile from the plant, and to make sure all the windows and doors were shut. Despite the precautionary measures, Oquendo said his eyes were burning and his throat was sore. The pain lasted for about 30 minutes, he said.

Oquendo said he saw flames taller than many of the nearby trees =E2=80=94 at least 30 feet high =E2=80=94 and neighbor Joshua Rodriguez, 30, said the sky was pitch black from the smoke.

Nanette Bennington, 35, said she=E2=80=99s had to leave home before because of problems at the plant.

"We expected to be evacuated again, like we had to before, but we just heard it was organic peroxide and to stay inside,=" said Bennington, who was sitting in front of an apartment on the 1000 block of Garden Street.

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WOMEN HELPED MAN AFTER BLAST: STRICKLAND, GROOMS HELD ON $50K BOND IN METH EXPLOSION | JACKSONSUN.COM | THE JACKSON SUN, http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20100811/NEWS 01/8110310/1002/Women+helped+man+after+blast

The two Jackson women charged after a meth lab explosion left one man dead last month told investigators they tried to treat his burns with butter and gave him pain medication before calling EMS more than 12 hours later, according to statements given in court Tuesday.

Kimberly Strickland, 38, and Robin Grooms, 30, appeared in Madison County General Sessions Court Tuesday afternoon for a preliminary hearing. The women are each being held on a $50,000 bond.

They are charged with accessory after the fact to manufacturing methamphetamine and tampering with evidence in the July 18 incident in north Jackson that left 43-year-old Jeffrey Shane Stewart dead. Their cases were bound over to a grand jury after the hearing.

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FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENT NEAR SAN JOSE STATE | ABC7NEWS.COM, http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/ south_bay&amp;id=7602995

SAN JOSE, CA -- Firefighters responded to a possible hazardous materials incident near San Jose State University today, a fire department spokesman said.

The incident was reported at 10:38 a.m. at the Campus Village parking garage, located at 355 S. 10th St., near a 10-story student housing apartment complex, Capt. Chuck Rangel said.

An alarm went off in a room containing a chlorine pump on the first level of the garage, Rangel said. A pump that pushes chlorine to the fountain malfunctioned, causing a strong odor and activating the alarm, Rangel said.

The garage was evacuated and occupants of the apartment complex were ordered to shelter-in-place as a safety measure, Rangel said.

One person was treated at the scene for watery eyes.

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1,200 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL DELIBERATELY SPILLED INTO BLACK RIVER: RUTLAND HERALD ONLINE, http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100810/NEWS02/708109891/1 003/NEWS02

NORTH SPRINGFIELD =E2=80=94 Police say someone deliberately spilled more than 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel from the pumps at Black River Produce Sunday morning, letting the fuel reach the nearby Black River through a storm drain.

Springfield Police Officer Anthony Leonard said Monday that the incident was under investigation, but he declined to say whether police already has a suspect.

Leonard said the two hoses from the diesel pump were left in such a way as to immediately raise questions about the incident, and Leonard said it all but eliminated any thought the incident was an accident.

"I think this was an intentional and malicious act by someone,=" said Stephen Birge, co-owner of the firm. " It wasn=E2=80=99t an accident. Someone turned on the pumps and let them run.="

Birge said he had no idea of anyone who had a grudge against the company, saying it had been "months and months=" since someone had lost their job there.

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CHLORINE EXPLOSION INJURES AT LEAST TWO, http://ww w.yourdailyjournal.com/view/full_story/9060517/article-Chlorine-explosion- injures-at-least-two?instance=home_news_lead

A morning pool maintenance project turned into an explosion in a residential Rockingham neighborhood Tuesday.

Two were injured in a blast ignited by a mixture of chlorine at a home in the 1000 block of Morningside Drive. He son, Rodney Godwin, said his father was mixing chlorine with water. 

Neighbors said the initial, powerful blast was followed by two smaller explosions. Two helicopters were dispatched for the injured and landed at FirstHealth Richmond Memorial=E2=80=99s landing pad.

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PORT EVACUATED AFTER FUEL TANK FIRE | FIRE, PORT, CONTAINED - VALLEY AND STATE - BROWNSVILLE HERALD, http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/fire-115268-port-contained.html

The the north side of the Port of Brownsville was evacuated Monday as fire crews spent more than a hour battling a large fire in two 19-foot fuel storage tanks that contained fatty acid, Brownsville Fire Chief Lenny Perez said.

Tankers and cargo trucks lined the side of Highway 48 as they waited for fire crews to finish their investigation. No injuries were reported.

Port spokesman Manuel Ortiz, said the fire began at approximately 11 a.m. at the RTW Terminal, located off Chemical Road. RTW Terminals is a liquid bulk storage facility.

More than 100 employees from various companies were evacuated as a safety precaution while port police, firefighters and U.S. Coast Guard responded to the fire. Authorities also implemented a one-mile safety zone, keeping all incoming vessels out in the water until the fire was contained.

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FIRE BREAKS OUT AT OLD AZTEC SITE, http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/08/10/breaking-news-fire -at-aztec/

ELYRIA =E2=80=94 Firefighters appear to have under control a fire that broke out today at 555 Garden St., the same location that was the site of a massive explosion in 1993. The company listed at that address is United Initiators LLC.

The blaze involves organic peroxides, according to scanner traffic from firefighters on the scene.

A heavy black cloud hung over that portion of Elyria for about half an hour, but the cloud =E2=80=94 which witnesses reported seeing as far away as North Olmsted =E2=80=94 is dissipating, according to those on the scene. A fire truck continues to spray the building with water.

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UI STAFF MEMBER INJURED IN HYDROGEN-BALLOON EXPLOSION | PRESS-CITIZEN.COM | IOWA CITY PRESS CITIZEN, http://www.press-citiz en.com/article/20100810/NEWS01/100810003/UI-staff-member-injured-in-hydrog en-balloon-explosion

A University of Iowa staff member who loaded balloons filled with hydrogen and a hydrogen-oxygen mix into a vehicle was injured Tuesday when the balloons apparently exploded.

According to the University of Iowa Police Department, Dale Stille filled eight balloons =E2=80=93 four with hydrogen and four with a hydrogen/oxygen mix =E2=80=93 and placed them into a Ford Explorer owned by the university. The vehicle was parked near the loading dock of Van Allen Hall.

Police said when Stille opened a side door, there was an explosion. He was originally taken to Mercy Hospital via private vehicle for injuries, which police said could be first- and second-degree burns. He was later transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics=E2=80=99 burn unit.

The cause of the explosion, believed to have occurred about 7:30 a.m., was not immediately explained.

The blast was not immediately reported to police, who responded to the scene at 8:21 a.m. after a passerby saw the vehicle and damaged caused by the explosion =E2=80=93 which included a shattered windshield =E2=80=93 and suspected a break-in occurred.

Police said witnesses told them Stille had intended to take the balloons to an off-campus location for an educational activity.

Stille is a coordinator for Hawk-Eyes on Science, an outreach program affiliated with the department of physics and astronomy. Stille puts on programs for school children doing scientific demonstrations, including exploding balloons filled with hydrogen and oxygen.

Bruce McAvoy, the university=E2=80=99s Fire Safety Coordinator, the Iowa City Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal=E2=80=99s office assisted in investigating the explosion.

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