Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 07:37:15 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

Links to details available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas< /div>

DEVASTATING FIRE IN PAINT GODOWN - THE TIMES OF INDIA, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ city/kanpur/Devastating-fire-in-paint-godown/articleshow/6708949.cms

KANPUR: Property worth lakhs was destroyed in a fire which broke out at a paint godown at Vijaynagar in Fazalganj here on Thursday. 

According to eyewitnesses, a drum containing combustible chemical exploded after the fire broke out and the flames engulfed an auto-repairing shop in the vicinity and a private bus, causing panic among the residents of the area. 

They alerted the fire department and the local police station. The fire brigade personnel continued the operation for over two hours. Six fire tenders from various fire stations, including Fazalganj, were pressed into service to stop the flames from spreading further. There is no proper space in the area and the fire tenders faced difficulties in reaching the site of the mishap. 

Fire officer Kunwar Pal Singh, who was supervising the operation, said: "A drum containing of inflammable chemical exploded which aggravated the situation."

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FALLSNEWSPRESS.COM - CITY WORKER SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL ALARM, http://www.fal lsnewspress.com/news/article/4908374

A city water department employee was taken to a local hospital after an alarm sounded there Thursday morning, city officials said. The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department responded at 5:13 a.m. to a chlorine system alarm at the City of Cuyahoga Falls Water Treatment Plant at 2028 Munroe Falls Ave., according to a press release from the city.
All safety equipment at the facility functioned properly. The Summit County Hazardous Material Team was called to assess the situation, since a large amount of chemicals are used at the plant. HAZMAT reviewed and approved the facility for normal operations.  
The employee, who was taken to the hospital for evaluation as a precaution, was later released to return to work. The city water supply was reviewed, according to the release, and is safe to use. All fire units were cleared from the scene at 7:36 am.

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TWO INJURED IN PEPSICO CHEMICAL SPILL, http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_coun ty/2-have-minor-injuries-in-chemical-spill

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Hazmat crews were called to investigate a chemical spill at the PepsiCo/Gatorade plant on the city's southwest side Thursday afternoon.

Two people were injured, though none of their injuries are severe, Decatur Township Fire officials said. One person complained of a headache and another was checked out at an on-campus clinic.

Fire crews had been called to the scene to investigate a smell on the back side of the building. Fire officials said 10 gallons of chlorine got into a trash compactor and reacted with something, though they're unsure what.

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HAZMAT SITUATION CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN AMESBURY, MASS., http:/ /www.necn.com/10/07/10/Hazmat-situation-causes-evacuations-in-A/landing_ne wengland.html?blockID=326539&amp;feedID=4206

(NECN: Lauren Collins) - People in Amesbury, Massachusetts had to be evacuated from a building because of a Hazmat situation.

A one-story building was evacuated around 10 a.m. this morning. There are chemical powders inside that building, and when a sprinkler system inside malfunctioned, water fell onto some of that powder.

Officials say the powder is very violently volatile when mixed with water. It produces an explosive gas, so that building had to be evacuated. 

Hazmat teams from several local fire departments are working together to secure the area.

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I-464 S CLOSED DUE TO HAZMAT SITUATION | WAVY.COM | CHESAPEAKE, VA., http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/i-464-s-closed-due-t o-hazmat-situation

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - Traffic on Interstate 464 South is closed due to a hazmat situation just past the on ramp at Freeman Avenue in Chesapeake.

A witness noticed some liquid coming from a box truck on the side of the road. When crews arrived on the scene around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, there was no box truck, according to Chesapeake Fire Department spokesperson Captain Mike Thibeault.

There is no word yet on when I-464 will be re-opened.

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FLAMMABLE CHEMICAL SPILLS AT HUBBARD WEIGH STATION - WKBN - 27 FIRST NEWS - LOCAL NEWS - YOUNGSTOWN, WARREN, COLUMBIANA, OHIO - SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA, http://www.wkbn .com/content/news/local/story/Flammable-Chemical-Spills-At-Hubbard-Weigh-S tation/XFVSNpiM00qceKDQXRYD8w.cspx

A chemical leak late late Thursday afternoon closed the weigh station on Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township.

Hazmat crews were called to the scene just before 6 p.m. when an inspector noticed a leak inside a truck. There were three materials inside and Hazmat had to determine which one was actually leaking.  One of the materials was turpentine which is flammable. Traffic on Interstate 80 was not affected.

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HAZMAT RESPONDS TO SPILL IN CUYAHOGA FALLS, http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/traffic/traffic_new s/hazmat-responds-to-spill-in-cuyahoga-falls

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Cuyahoga Falls police have shut down a road and dispatched a HAZMAT unit for an emergency at a water treatment facility.

Munroe Falls Avenue has been shut down between Providence Boulevard and Issaquah Street, Cuyahoga Falls police confirmed.

Police would not provide specifics about the type of spill, or the extent of any damage, but only that HAZMAT was dispatched to the water facility. Several fire trucks were at the scene early Thursday morning, and crews were focusing most of their attention on a building where chlorine is stored.

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UPDATE: AUTHORITIES: METHAMPHETAMINE LAB MAY HAVE SPARKED EXPLOSION AT EAST BRUNSWICK MOTEL | MYCENTRALJERSEY.COM | MYCENTRALJERSEY.COM, http://www. mycentraljersey.com/article/20101006/NEWS/101006043/UPDATE-One-arrested-at -East-Brunswick-Motel-6-meth-lab-suspected

EAST BRUNSWICK =97 A mid-afternoon explosion Wednesday inside a room at the Motel 6 off Route 18 brought scores of police and firefighters into the busy Edgeboro Road neighborhood to find what they believe was a methamphetamine lab gone wrong and a suspect from Kansas.

Officers arrested Christopher Markley, 23 or 24 years old, of Columbus, Kan., after he fled in a vehicle down lower Edgeboro Road, alongside where Middlesex County operates offices and a landfill, said the incident commander, Sgt. Paul Natalicchio, at the scene, and Lt. Edward Janzekovich at police headquarters.

"We think he was trying to produce methamphetamine,'' Natalicchio said as firefighters and hazardous-material responders packed up their gear after cautiously entering the room while wearing astronaut-like sealed suits.

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BBC NEWS - CHEMICAL SCARE OVER CONTAINER SPILL AT ESSEX PORT, http://www.bb c.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-11484275

A chemical spill that closed a port in Essex has been cleared up and traffic is back to normal.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service were called by Port of Tilbury Police when a container of paraquat dichloride fell from a trailer and was damaged.

The material is a marine pollutant and spilled in a high risk area so fire control operators sent seven fire engines to deal with the spill.

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FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS CHEMICAL SPILL IS CONTAINED | SCTIMES.COM | ST CLOUD TIMES, http://www.sctimes.com/artic le/20101006/NEWS01/110060053/1009/Fire-department-says-chemical-spill-is-c ontained

A chemical used to line sewer systems spilled this morning but crews have contained it and say it=92s not hazardous.

St. Cloud Fire Department=92s Hazardous Materials Team was called at 4:08 a.m. to Montrose Road and Lancewood Drive.

A trailer of styrene monomer spilled, Battalion Chief Jerry Raymond said. Crews put sand around the chemical to contain it.

Raymond said the chemical does smell bad, but it=92s not hazardous to the public=92s health. Firefighters are on scene waiting for a cleanup crew to arrive and remove the chemical.

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CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE FIRE KILLS SEVEN AT JATRABARI, http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?ne ws_id=113989&amp;date=2010-10-07

A devastating fire in a chemical warehouse once again claimed seven valuable lives and injured several others at Jatrabari in the capital Wednesday, the police and firefighters said.

Firefighters said the blaze originated at the chemical warehouse which was used in making shoe named Baby Solution Traders at 319 South Jatrabari at about 5:00pm and soon engulfed the whole warehouse.

"We've recovered seven bodies from inside the burnt chemical warehouse and rescued several people injured in the fire," Fire Service Deputy Director Abdur Rashid told the FE, adding most of the deceased were employees of the inflammable chemical warehouse.

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FIRE OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL ODOR IN AREAS OF BELLINGHAM - NEWS UPDATE - BELLINGHAMHERALD.COM, http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/06/1655708/bel lingham-investigates-odor.html

BELLINGHAM =97 A chemical odor was wafting over downtown Bellingham Wednesday, Oct. 6, and fire officials were investigating to figure out what it is.
Bellingham Fire Department hadn't found the source of the odor that people have been reporting as of 1 p.m., but it's believed to be nontoxic, according to a city press release.
It seemed to be dissipating as it moved from downtown south into Fairhaven.
People who are irritated by the odor are advised to move inside a building, but if physical symptoms develop, call 911.

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CREWS CLEANING UP CHEMICAL SPILL AT TESORO REFINERY IN WILMINGTON - PRESS-TELEGRAM, http://www.presstel egram.com/news/ci_16260743

Crews are cleaning up a small liquid chemical spill at the Tesoro Refinery in Wilmington apparently caused by an underground pipeline break.

Workers reported the break about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in a line carrying the refining chemical naphtha, a flammable liquid used in petroleum distillation.

Firefighters reported between 20-30 barrels leaked into a containment drain before the pipe was sealed. There were no injuries or reports of environmental damage, said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Matt Levesque.

The refinery, located in the 2100 block of Pacific Coast Highway, produces about 97,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products each day.

The spill cleanup is being monitored by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Health Haz-Mat division and the California Emergency Management Agency.

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SNYDER MAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION - BIG COUNTRY NEWS STORY - KTXS ABILENE, http:// www.ktxs.com/big_country_news/25306677/detail.html

SNYDER, Texas -- A Snyder man injured in a chemical explosion is in critical condition at a Lubbock hospital.
According to the Scurry Co. Fire Marshal, 50-year-old Curtis Langham was burned in a chemical explosion at the Chemplex building on the old Lubbock Highway Monday night.
Police say when emergency crews arrived on the scene they found Langham with burns to his arms and hands.
Langham was transported to University Medical Center in Lubbock and was admitted to the burn unit with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

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TOXIC SPILL IN HUNGARY KILLS FOUR | LATEST NEWS | CHEMICAL &AMP; ENGINEERING NEWS, http://pubs.acs .org/cen/news/88/i41/8841news8.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_me dium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cen_latestnews+%28Chemical+%26+ Engineering+News%3A+Latest+News%29

An open reservoir used to store toxic aluminium refining tailings breached Oct. 4 near Ajka, Hungary, flooding the country with an estimated 700,000 cubic meters of highly alkaline sludge that has killed at least four people, and seriously harmed hundreds of residents and the environment.  The Hungarian government has declared a state of emergency as toxic mud travels rapidly in tributaries towards the Danube River, facilitated by heavy rains and flooding.

The Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt refinery, where the catastrophe occurred, is owned by MAL Magyar Aluminium, which sells  aluminium for use in zeolites, glasses, ceramics, and other products used in the chemical industry, according to the company's website.

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