Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:14:48 -0500
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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>

ONE LANE OF REDBUD TRAIL REOPENS AFTER 18-WHEELER WRECK | THE BLOTTER, http://www.st atesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2010/12/ 16/collision_shuts_down_west_aust.html

Crews said the move will allow some traffic flow to ease congestion in the busy West Austin area until the scene can be cleared later tonight, a spokesman said.
It will be another two hours until special equipment arrives that will allow crews to safely remove the 18-wheeler=92s haul of 3,800 gallons of sodium hexametaphosphate, a non-hazardous product used in the water treatment process, said Austin Water Utility spokesman Jason Hill. The contents must be removed before the 18-wheeler can be turned up from its side, Hill said.

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ICE CAUSES VOLATILE CHEMICAL LEAK AT LOCAL PRINTING COMPANY | TENNESSEAN.COM | THE TENNESSEAN, http://www. tennessean.com/article/20101216/DICKSON01/101216068/2141/Ice+causes+volati le+chemical+leak+at+local+printing+company

It=92s been an unusually cold December thus far, and the frigid conditions have caused problems countywide - including the spillage of up to 400 gallons of a volatile chemical.

Three Nashville-based emergency management agencies were called but no local officials were notified of the spill, which took place at Quad/Graphics in Dickson and involved the same chemical that severely burned and ultimately killed an employee in August.

The spill occurred early Dec. 10 at the Quad/Graphics plant in the county industrial park when an ice chunk fell and struck a handle, opening a valve on the facility=92s solvent recovery system and released 300-400 gallons of toluene, a chemical solvent.

Claire Ho, a Quad/Graphics corporate spokesperson, said the chemical drained across a concrete pad and into a grate, which led to a =93drainage ditch=94 where the spill collected.

The ditch and grate are not connected to the public sewer system, Ho said.

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CTV SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO - CHEMTURA REPORT OUT ON CHEMICAL RELEASE IN ELMIRA - CTV NEWS, http://swo.ctv.ca/servl et/an/local/CTVNews/20101216/chemtura-chemical-release-report-101216/20101 216/?hub=SWOHome

A report looking into the accidental release of BLE25 and acetone from a chemical plant around 3:00 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2010 has found equipment and alarm issues were to blame.

According to Chemtura, an estimated 4,200 kilograms of BLE and 112 kilograms of acetone were released from an emergency relief vent after a buildup of pressure in a storage vessel at the Elmira facility.

While alerts were activated, none were seen or heard due to the type of alert and the fact that no one was around to react to them.

Most of the material was originally believed to have landed on the plant's site, but some was found to have been carried off site, which is when the Ministry of the Environment and Waterloo Region were notified.

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BEAUMONT HAZMAT CREW CLEANING CHEMICAL LEAK, http://www.theexaminer.com/main.asp?Se ctionID=1&amp;SubSectionID=61&amp;ArticleID=4230< /div>

The Beaumont Fire Department's hazmat crew is cleaning a chemical waste leak inside of an 18-wheel tractor trailer after the rig was stopped for a routine department of transportation safety inspection.

Beaumont police officer Troy Wagner said he and another officer noticed a substance leaking from the back of the trailer during the inspection. The hazmat crew is still trying to determine where the leak is coming from as there were several blue 50-gallon drums of chemical waste that were secured inside the trailer. Hazmat crews were still trying to figure out what kind of chemical waste was leaking; however they were taking extreme precaution because of the "flammable" and "corrosive" placards on the side of the trailer to indicate the danger of the chemical waste.

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PA. COUPLE BLOCKS FIREFIGHTERS FROM HAZMAT RESPONSE, http://www.firerescue1.c om/disaster-management/articles/921928-Pa-couple-blocks-firefighters-from- hazmat-response/

HANOVER, Pa. =97 West Manheim Township Police charged an elderly couple with obstructing police and emergency services after they refused to let firefighters through the right of way to fight a dangerous gas leak at a neighbor's house.

West Manheim Police Chief Tim Hippensteel said the couple Nevin and Miriam Barnhart, both 79, have a 23-year history of ongoing harassment of others using the driveway at 2888 Baltimore Pike, which leads to other properties as well.

But the Barnharts say they never argued with officials, and that the issue was that the truck couldn't make the turn off Baltimore Pike into the drive without causing damage.

Police and emergency personnel were sent to 2904 Baltimore Pike on Dec. 2 for a reported natural-gas leak. The driveway between the Barnharts' property and the one next door also serves three residences, including the one with the leak, police said.

Officer Paul Heffner arrived shortly after Pleasant Hill Fire Co. led by Chief Ted Clousher and saw a person standing on the edge of the driveway, according to court documents. Heffner said he recognized the Barnharts from their "history of disorderly and harassing behavior related to this driveway," and overheard Clousher ordering them to move out of the fire engine's way.

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HAZMATS ABOUND, BUT HARD TO QUANTIFY | SAVANNAHNOW.COM, http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-12-17/hazmats-abound-hard-quantify

Emergency preparedness consultant Ben Johnson told the Savannah City Council that so far he's identified more than 600 hazardous chemicals being transported through the city.

And there's no major route in or out of the city where hazardous materials can't be found: I-16, I-516, I-95, Ga. 21, Bay Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, DeRenne Avenue, U.S. 80, U.S. 17.

But he hasn't completed a flow study that will give a more detailed picture of which materials are being transported on which roads. Savannah State University students will help him complete that study by actually tallying the identifying triangular hazmat placards they observe on trucks going by designated study spots.

Council requested the study in October after discussions of proposed LNG trucking revealed a lack of detailed data about the types and quantities of all hazardous materials flowing through the city.

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CHEMICAL FIRE NEAR UPTOWN SENDS FIVE TO HOSPITAL, http://www.firefightingnews.com/article-us.cfm?articleID=88088

United States (North Carolina) - Five workers at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry were taken to the hospital to be evaluated this morning after a chemical fire broke out at the plant on South Clarkson Street near uptown. At least 60 firefighters helped control the fire in about 90 minutes, Charlotte fire Capt. Rob Brisley said. No firefighters were injured, he said.
Fire officials said they took air quality samples and found no danger to residents from any fumes released by the fire.

The fire started at about 3:15 a.m. Fire officials haven't yet said what chemical may have been involved or what caused the fire.

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POSSIBLE HAZMAT SITUATION AT INTERNATIONAL PAPER SENDS 2 TO HOSP - WMBFNEWS.COM | MYRTLE BEACH/FLORENCE, SC | NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS, http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/1 3704879/possible-hazmat-situation-at-international-paper-sends-2-to-hospit al

GEORGETOWN, SC (WMBF) - The Georgetown County Fire Department believes two people might have come in contact with hazardous materials at Georgetown's International Paper plant Friday.

Chief Mack Reed with the Georgetown County Fire Department said they received a call from IP about a non-responsive patient around 10:30 a.m.

It is possible two people may have come in contact with a chemical, possibly hydrogen sulfide.

They were both taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital where they were decontaminated as a precaution.

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OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE CRASH BETWEEN BOX TRAILER AND DUMP TRUCK - WAFB CHANNEL 9, BATON ROUGE, LA |, http://www.wafb .com/Global/story.asp?S=13702691

PLAQUEMINE, LA (WAFB) - Authorities report a crash involving a box trailer and a dump truck has closed a section of LA 1 near Dow Chemical Plant.

According to the Louisiana State Police, one caught fire when the two vehicles collided, but the flames have since been put out.

"(It was) very emotional. I'm just devastated. I'm glad the driver's not dead. We can fix this but I'm glad no one was killed," said Wilbert Forrest Jr., owner of the dump truck.

The southbound lanes of LA 1 have been reopened, but the northbound lane is expected to be closed until 7 p.m.

Investigators have not indicated when the roadway will be completely reopened.

The box trailer, which was carrying plastic pellets, burst into flames when the wreck happened.

The dump truck was hauling hot asphalt. Troopers said no one was killed or even seriously injured.

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HAZMAT RESPONDS TO SPILL AT NILES PLANT - WKBN - 27 FIRST NEWS - LOCAL NEWS - YOUNGSTOWN, WARREN, COLUMBIANA, OHIO - SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA, http://www.wkbn.com/conten t/news/local/story/HAZMAT-Responds-to-Spill-at-Niles-Plant/ROR3eEY-p02gI2j zle5FNw.cspx

Workers at a nearby tow truck lot thought they saw oil leaking from BRT Extrusions on Main Street in Niles.

But the black, dirt-like substance was actually industrial waste, dumped there from the plant.

"Basically what it is, is the grit from a parking lot and some of the remnants of what was left in the mill. They wanted to unclog their drains, and that's basically what they were doing," said Trumbull County HAZMAT Chief Don Waldron.

"It's a dirty black water with gravel and sludge from the storm sewer line," said Niles fire Lt. Rodney Freel.

BRT Extrusions hired an outside company to clean their drains, and that subcontractor said they didn't know they had to contain the waste. Waldron said it's technically considered open dumping, but the workers were only given a warning, and the material isn't in danger of spreading or causing any harm.

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=BB PIPELINE EXPLOSION IN LAGOS - VANGUARD (NIGERIA), h ttp://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/pipeline-explosion-in-lagos/< /div>

What would have been a major disaster, few days to Christmas was averted  by the combined efforts of  fire service men,members of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, NDSC, the police and staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, when an explosion occured  along the NNPC pipelines around Isheri Olofin in the Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area.
The explosion, on Thursday, though didn=92t affect the pipelines of NNPC, occured about 150 meters away in a swampy area and  was caused by bush burning by  neighbouring farmers. According to eye witnesses, pipelines vandals had channeled their pipes from the NNPC pipeline into the swampy area and so  the bush burning only aided the explosion.
Calistus Ukachukwu, an official of Red Cross, corroborated the claim, saying that the explosion was caused by bush burning but added that if the vandals hadn=92t chenneled the pipe from the NNPC pipelines, the explosion would not have occured.

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MEXICO'S OIL PIPELINE EXPLOSION DEATH TOLL RISES TO 27, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/20/c_13655935.htm

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of an oil pipeline explosion in central Mexico rose to 27 with 52 injuries, state-run energy giant Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) said in a statement on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, an official from the Puebla state government told Xinhua by telephone that the explosion took place after criminals tapping two oil pipelines running through Puebla town San Martin Texmelucan lost control of oil flow.

The Puebla official said that 33 homes were completely destroyed by the explosion and 32 more were seriously damaged. Pemex said that a total of 115 houses had been affected. Regional authorities are now moving 5,000 residents of the town to the Angeles Blancos emergency shelter and cleanup work is under way. Pemex said that the incident began at 5.50 a.m. local time. The fire had been put out by 10 a.m. local time. Pemex investigators are at the scene seeking the cause of the explosion. The area is now being guarded by 125 soldiers, it added.

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FIRE CAUSES STORE EVACUATION, http://www.sheppnews.com.au/members/l ogin.aspx?noaccess=1&amp;from=/article.aspx?id=1193382

A deliberately lit fire caused an evacuation at the Shepparton Market Place yesterday.
Customers and staff of the shopping complex were asked to leave after a fire was reported in Big W about 2.30 pm.
Police said two men entered the store and grabbed a bottle of chlorine from the pool section before walking to the car care section and grabbing a bottle of brake fluid.
One of the males poured the brake fluid into the chlorine container, which caused a chemical reaction and set fire to the container. Smoke filled the area and a fellow shopper quickly extinguished the fire....

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U. OF WASH. LAB EVACUATED, FLOURINE GAS LEAKED | FIREHOUSE.COM, http://www.firehouse.com/topic/rescue-and-sp ecial-ops/u-wash-lab-evacuated-flourine-gas-leaked

Seattle Fire has finished with a hazmat incident at the University of Washington's Henderson Hall, the Applied Physics Lab.
Sue Stangl with the Seattle Fire Department said the building was evacuated.
The problem substance is flourine gas. The gas, which is toxic, was stopped from spreading.
Seattle Fire said 3 to 4 cubic centimeters of the gas was released on the first floor lab. A lab technician said he heard a hiss, turned off the valve and left to call 9-1-1.
Lt. Stangl said the hazmat team members suited up in what is called "level A" protection and entered the lab where the gas leaked to make sure the nozzle is closed.
When haz mat crews made it into the lab, they confirmed the nozzle was closed. The amount of flourine was very minimal, according to Stangl.
The incident began at about 4:30 p.m. Friday.

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STAFFSLIVE =BB BLOG ARCHIVE =BB FIRE CREWS TACKLE CHEMICAL SPILL AT BURTON FACTORY, http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/art_and_design/journalism/staffslive/wo rdpress/2010/12/14/fire-crews-tackle-chemical-spill-at-burton-factory/

By Anneka Masih: Firefighters tackled a toxic chemical spill in Burton-upon-Trent caused by a faulty machine.

The leak happened at Rumenco animal feed factory in Derby Road, Stretton.

The alarm was raised this morning (December 14) when machinery began smoking and toxic liquids spilled out.

Firefighters wore gas tight chemical suits and poured sand over the spill to absorb the chemical.

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HAWKER BEECHCRAFT EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL - TODAYSTHV.COM | KTHV | LITTLE ROCK, AR, http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid= 133579&amp;catid=119

A plane manufacturing company in Little Rock is letting employees back into the building after a chemical spill.

Hawker Beechcraft is letting employees back into the building after a 55-gallon drum ruptures, spilling some chemicals and releasing chemicals into the air.

It happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Little Rock Fire Department says a woman was in a room of the building where cabinets are installed into aircrafts when she heard a popping and crackling sound coming from a fire-proof cabinet. As she was trying to leave the room, one of the 55-gallon drums ruptured. She was taken by MEMS to a local hospital after feeling nausea and a burning sensation in her nose.

The cabinet was warped and chemicals spilled onto the floor with chemical vapors being released into the air. HAZ-MAT was called to the scene and they turned on vents in the room to help evacuate the vapor.

The room is now taped off and HAZ-MAT will continue testing until the room is safe to let employees back in.

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MINOR SPILL CONTAINED AT DOW CHEMICAL IN MARLBOROUGH - FRAMINGHAM, MA - THE METROWEST DAILY NEWS, http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/n ews/x1046514921/Minor-spill-contained-at-Dow-Chemical-in-Marlborough

A drum of furfuryl alcohol ruptured at Dow Chemical yesterday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of the main facility for about an hour, a company representative said.

The rupture was contained by Dow Chemical's emergency response team, said Kevin DeLine, site manufacturing leader.

The business moved employees from the main facility to a different building on the property until the area was secured and the air was deemed OK, DeLine said.

No one was exposed to any chemical, and there was no chemical release outside the area of the rupture, DeLine said. The business, at 455 Forest St., was cleaning up as of last night.

Dow Chemical is investigating the rupture and has not determined a cause.

Furfuryl alcohol is a raw material, one of the products that the company makes.

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LOVELY COUNTY CITIZEN: LOCAL NEWS: METH AFTERMATH -- WHO PAYS? (12/15/10), http://www.lovely citizen.com/story/1688215.html

CARROLL COUNTY -- Unless there's another find, Carroll County is going to end the year with a count of eight methamphetamine labs processed by city and county law enforcement.
According to Carroll County Sheriff Bob Grudek, two of the labs were in Berryville, four were in county jurisdiction, and two were in Green Forest. The busts have resulted in ten arrests, but that's just one aspect of cleaning up meth.

The latest lab was discovered December 10 in Green Forest when a caller reported a suspicious duffel bag in the crawl space of a house being cleaned for rental. After the Green Forest Police Department (GFPD) responded, Chief John Bailey saw the duffel was open and determined it contained hazardous materials common to meth labs.
...
Aside from the obvious human toll of lives that are ruined, and in some cases are lost, meth costs every taxpayer in the county each time a lab is processed and cleaned. Once a lab is discovered; whether it's a house, hotel room or an open field, local law enforcement must notify the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
...
Bailey told the Citizen, "Even a small, 'one pot' lab can cost upwards of $10,000. Get four of those and that's at least $40,000 that comes out of a city's budget. We don't have that kind of money to spend in Green Forest, so we're lucky we have a certified hazard processing team in Carroll County."

Once the DEA arrives, they call a Hazmat transport company to move the hazardous materials to a location where they are eventually destroyed under government protocol. Although the DEA picks up the tab for transport, the bottom line is still taxpayer money.

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TWO 18-WHEELERS RUN OFF I-12 IN DENHAM SPRINGS | NBC 33 TV - WVLA, http://www.nbc33tv.com/local/two-18-wheelers-run-off-i-12-in-de nham-springs

DENHAM SPRINGS, La (NBC33) Two crashes in less than three hours at the same spot on I-12 near the Amite River Bridge.

Authorities say the first truck, a fuel tanker, hit the railing and ran off the road. It was carrying thousands of gallons of gas.



Haz-mat crews cleared the scene and the rail was repaired just in time for another 18-wheeler to come barreling through.

The second big rig was also carrying some hazardous paint and gases when it ran off I-12 and crashed into a ditch.



The Denham Springs Police Department and State Police Hazmat crews were back on scene again to deal with the mess.

DOTD  had to close the right line of I-12 eastbound to repair the guard rail again.

Authorities tell us this is the seventh overturned truck in this area in just six weeks.

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WAREHAM FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO 4TH DISTRICT COURT FOR HAZMAT SPILL; THE FREEZE IS ON AT THE YARMOUTH FIRE STATION ICE RINK, http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs /index.php/2010/12/15/the-freeze-is-on-at-the-yarmouth-fire-st?blog=80

WAREHAM - Wareham firefighters responded to the 4th District Court in Wareham Wednesday, December 15, 2010, for a reported sulfuric acid spill around 10:30 a.m.

According to emergency broadcast reports, approximately one half quart of sulfuric acid was spilled in the basement of the courthouse complex. 

The courthouse was evacuated and will be closed for the remainder of the day according to the Wareham District County Clerk's Office.  There were no reported injuries.

Hazardous material crews also responded to the scene. 

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