Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:34:41 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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FOUL ODOR IN CANDY BAG PROMPTS HAZMAT CALL - WMC-TV 5 - MEMPHIS, TN, http://www.wmc tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13386238

GERMANTOWN, TN (WMC-TV) - Germantown police issued a formal warning Monday after a bag of candy left on a resident's porch produced a potentially hazardous chemical reaction.

Investigators said the resident, who has not been named, found a gift bag on his or her front porch Sunday. Inside the bag were two packages of candy and a jar that appeared to contain expensive chocolates.

When the jar was opened, an apparent chemical reaction caused a foul odor.

The Germantown Fire Department's Hazmat team was called to the scene.  The results of tests conducted on the bag and it's contents have not been released, but were alarming enough for police to issue their warning.

"I'm pleased that they would take time to make sure the community's safe," Germantown resident Julie Duncan said.

Investigators also consulted nearby agencies for information and advice about the substance.

At the very least, police say, this is a case of serious vandalism, and it is fortunate that no one was seriously injured.

Call Germantown police at 901-757-7339 if you receive a suspicious package.

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PATERSON WORKER OVERCOME BY FUMES AT DYE PLANT - NORTHJERSEY.COM, http://www.northjersey.com/news/102510_Paterson_ worker_overcome_by_fumes_at_dye_plant.html

PATERSON =97 An employee at a dye plant was overcome by fumes that forced the evacuation of two dozen employees at the plant on First Avenue on Monday, a fire official said.

City firefighters and a Passaic County Hazmat Unit were called to the Cardinal Color, Inc. plant at 50 First Ave., shortly after 11 a.m. after the fumes forced workers to evacuate, Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Hirz said.

The employee had used mineral spirits to clean up a spill, and fumes spread through the building, Hirz said.

The worker was =93decontaminated=94 at the scene and treated at St. Joseph=92s Regional Medical Center, Hirz said. His condition was not immediately available.

Employees were allowed back into the building after county health officials tested the air quality and deemed it safe, Hirz said.

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NOXIOUS ODOR DETECTED AT STATE PRISON - HONOLULU NEWS STORY - KITV HONOLULU, http://www.kitv.com /news/25510891/detail.html

HONOLULU -- Emergency crews responded to a state prison Monday after a staff member complained of a noxious odor.
City ambulances arrived at Oahu Community Correctional Center at noon.
A spokesperson for OCCC said maintenance crews used a chemical to clean a clogged storm drain.
A staff member complained of the smell.
The Honolulu Fire Department's hazmat team responded to inspect the situation.
The prison was evacuated while crews determined it was OK to return.
An EMS spokesperson said a man was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

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VAPOR CLOUD LEADS TO EVACUATION AT ARSENAL, http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_7fbb2bea-e06f-11df-ad 49-001cc4c002e0.html

Rock Island Arsenal=92s fire department, along with several area fire departments, responded to the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center on Arsenal Island on Monday after two employees opening a container were exposed to a small vapor cloud.
The employees who opened the container reported feeling nauseous about 12:30 p.m., prompting the response from fire departments that included Moline, Rock Island, East Moline and Bettendorf. Fifteen employees were evacuated from the building that houses the technology center=92s heat treating operation.
The two affected employees were not hospitalized, and the building=92s employees returned to work about 2:30 p.m.
The employees were working with a container that was to be melted down, according to an Rock Island Arsenal spokesman. The contents of the container are under investigation.
The HazMat team that responded determined there were no hazardous materials present and there was no risk to employees at the site. 

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PITT BUILDING DEEMED SAFE AFTER LEAK ALARM, http://www.p ost-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097973-100.stm

The Chevron Science Center on the University of Pittsburgh's campus has been deemed safe after fears of a chemical leak prompted an evacuation this morning.

Hazmat crews were called after someone inside the building believed there was a hydrogen sulfate leak. A university spokesman said someone smelled sulfur on the ninth floor and pulled the fire alarm, prompting the evacuation.

No one was hurt, and environmental safety workers from the university gave the building an all-clear, finding no chemical leak.

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CHEMICAL LEAK IN OWATONNA | STARTRIBUNE.COM, http://www.startribune.com/loc al/105772228.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUvckD8E QDUZ

A chemical leak in Owatonna, Minn., sent three workers to the hospital Monday night and halted activity at a window and door hardware production facility for many hours, authorities said Tuesday.

The leak occurred about 5:20 p.m. Monday at the Truth Hardware site in the 200 block of 24th Avenue SW., when a valve broke as a worker was discharging sulfuric acid, said Fire Chief Mike Johnson.

About 300 gallons of the chemical were lost, Johnson said. The worker was decontaminated at the scene, taken to a hospital in Owatonna and then moved by air ambulance to a second hospital. The employee's condition was not immediately known. Two other workers were also taken to a hospital for evaluation.

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TRAIN CARRYING CHEMICAL DERAILS NEAR TRONOX PLANT - THE DISPATCH, http://www.c dispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=8508

A train carrying hydrogen peroxide derailed in Hamilton at about 9 a.m. Monday morning.

Monroe County Sheriff Andy Hood said his department had a report of the train derailment, off of Stovall Bottom Road, in a rural area.

Columbus Air Force Base's hazmat teams and the Columbus Fire Department responded to the scene and secured it for several hours before a contractor for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway took over.

"We had a trained get derailed and several cars come off the track. In those cars, we had three cars that were overturned and had hydrogen peroxide," said Martin Andrews, CFD battalion chief.

"Out of those three cars that were turned over, two were letting some of their contents out," Andrews said, noting this is a built-in mechanism, "so it wouldn't build up pressure and explode."

While household hydrogen peroxide is 2 to 3 percent, the chemical being transported was 50 and 70 percent, Andrews said.

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4 SUFFER SKIN IRRITATION AFTER SILVER CYANIDE SPILL, http://www.daytondailynews.com/4-suffer-skin -irritation-after-silver-cyanide-spill-986509.html

DAYTON =97Sharp-eyed road workers, a quick response and Tuesday afternoon=92s downpour combined to avert what could have been a major hazardous material spill on North Main Street.
=93We were very fortunate,=94 Dayton Fire Chief Herbert Redden said of the spill of about 150 gallons of waste silver cyanide on Main, between Hudson Avenue and Shadyside Drive, about 10 a.m.
A local waste recovery service was hauling the weak solution from a chemical company to a disposal site when workers for a contractor resurfacing Main spotted the truck=92s leaking tank.
Seeing the truck=92s hazardous material placard, the workers chased down and stopped the vehicle, Redden said. The driver and another employee came in contact with the solution and were treated for skin irritation at a hospital. Two other people were taken to hospitals for decontamination.

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - SMALL EXPLOSION REPORTED AT PENN STATE RESEARCH LAB; NO ONE HURT, http://www.statecollege .com/news/local-news/small-explosion-reported-at-penn-state-research-lab-n o-one-hurt-558830/

The Materials Research Laboratory building at Penn State University Park was evacuated late this morning after a small chemical explosion inside, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers confirmed.

It happened about 11:30 a.m. in a laboratory room, Powers wrote in an e-mail message. She indicated that no one was in the lab at the time and that no one was hurt. The building is located on Hastings Road just east of University Drive.

No fire was reported, either, and clean-up has begun, Powers wrote. She added that damages inside the lab are considered minor.

A Hazmat team and other emergency responders arrived at the scene, and Hastings Road was closed off while the affected lab was evaluated, Powers reported. 

She noted that two bottles of chemicals were involved in the explosion: one a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids, the other a mixture of ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride.

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METHAMPHETAMINE LAB EXPLOSION IN NAZARETH INJURES ONE, CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE PENDING | LEHIGHVALLEYLIVE.COM, http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/ind ex.ssf/2010/10/methamphetamine_lab_explodes_i.html

A fire that injured a Nazareth man on Saturday was sparked by an explosion of chemicals he was mixing to make methamphetamine, Nazareth police said.
Chief Thomas Trachta said Clay Rutt, 54, of 121 S. Main St., was mixing chemicals in a bottle at the time of the explosion. Fire officials said Rutt was severely injured and hospitalized for treatment.

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EXPLOSION CAUSES CHEMICAL LEAK AT HINDALCO; 2 DEAD - THE TIMES OF INDIA, http://timesofin dia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Explosion-causes-chemical-leak-at-Hindalc o-2-dead/articleshow/6810990.cms

VARANASI: At least two labourers were killed, while four others sustained serious injuries, when the safety valve of an Alumina Digestion Plant exploded in Hindalco premises in Renukoot area under Pipari police station in Sonbhadra district on Monday. 

According to inspector, Pipari, Vijay Mal Singh Yadav, some contract-basis labourers were busy working near the Alumina Digestion Plant, when its valve exploded and the chemical spread around. The labourers working in the area came into contact with the chemical and were taken seriously ill. 

All the four ailing labourers were taken to Hindalco's hospital, where Mahendra Kumar Kanojia of Mahuli and Ashwini Yadav of Kone died during the course of treatment. Two other labourers, Lallu and A K Shrivastava, were struggling for life. On receiving information of the incident, SDM, Ghanshyam also reached the incident site.

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TANK STORAGE MAGAZINE - INDUSTRY NEWS, http://www.tankstoragemag.com/industry_news.php?item_id=2756

An explosion at a China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) oil storage terminal in Yunnan province, south west China, on 15 October was apparently caused by the ignition of residual oil in an oil tank while the workers were welding it.

The oil storage is owned by Sinopec but had been rent to a local private operator.

Four workers were wounded in the blaze and hospitalised. Twenty-four fire engines rushed to the scene.

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CITY HIT BY CHEMICAL LEAK | CITY A.M., http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/city-hit-chemical-leak

THE City was hit by traffic chaos in the rush hour after a chemical spill at the New Change shopping mall on Cheapside.
The London Fire Brigade in an alert said 30 people were evacuated as specialist teams combed the building to assess the cause of the spill.
Land Securities, which owns the shopping centre said: =93Some workers fitting out a retail unit have been taken ill while carrying out work overnight on site yesterday (24 October 2010). It is being investigated and we are working closely with the police and fire services. The Centre is currently closed as a precautionary measure.=94



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