Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2011 08:02:25 -0500
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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HUGE BLAZE DESTROYS 2 CLEARFIELD BUSINESSES | THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51364323-76/fire-clark -clearfield-blaze.html.csp

Clearfield =95 Two business owners and their employees wonder what they will do next after a two-alarm fire destroyed their building in Clearfield and injured one person Friday.

The fire began at Clear Sky Biofuels Inc., near 400 West and 200 South, at 11:37 a.m., and in about an hour the fire spread and consumed the whole building, which also housed an automotive-repair business. It also destroyed an adjacent building, fire officials said.

A woman was taken to the hospital with serious burns, according to Clearfield Police Chief Greg Krusi.

At least five fire agencies responded to the blaze. It took about two hours to put out the flames.

"All the sudden I heard a loud explosion and fire was coming past the door of my office," said Gary Clark, a chemical engineer and part owner of Clear Sky.

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CHEMICAL SPILL SCARE - LOCAL NEWS - NEWS - GENERAL - THE ADVERTISER, http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/loca l/news/general/chemical-spill-scare/2094380.aspx

BENDIGO Day Surgery staff were forced indoors yesterday after a chemical spill in the centre car park.
Pedestrian traffic was blocked from both sides of the building for more than two hours as CFA crews, including one officer in a Hazmat suit, identified and cleared the liquid.

Day surgery office manager Terri Billett said the chemical was believed to be a herbicide that leaked from the back of a patient=92s ute in the car park.

She said it was discovered by a staff member from Melbourne Pathology, who shares the building.

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WHDH-TV - BOMB SQUAD AND HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO SUDBURY HOME, http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12003688 460569/hazmat-crews-on-scene-in-sudbury/

SUDBURY, Mass. -- The bomb squad was called to a home in Sudbury for a possible explosive device on Thursday by a mom who was suspicious of her teenage son. Hazmat crews were also on hand.

State and local police continue to keep a close eye on the home at 28 Firecut Lane, where the bomb squad destroyed a device they called potentially hazardous and explosive on Thursday.

=93It=92s frightening. The family is a very nice family,=94 said Steve Saloman, neighbor. =93We=92ve actually hired the boy to help out with snow removal during the winter.=94

Neighbors say the family at the house includes two teenage boys and younger children.

Investigators say the mother came to the police station and explained that one of her sons was mixing chemicals.

The boy told them the chemicals were in a bottle in the house.

Using a remote control robot and an explosive charge of their own, police say the bomb squad rendered the mixture safe.

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CBS 7 - YOUR EYE ON WEST TEXAS, http://www.cb s7kosa.com/news/details.asp?ID=24143

Odessa, Texas - A West Odessa neighborhood was put on alert Thursday as Hazmat crews combed a home on the 700 block of West Moss Avenue, analyzing what they called suspicious chemicals that could be sued to build a bomb. 

Suspicious chemicals reported to be inside the West Odessa home drew the attention of several law enforcement agenciesThursday morning, even prompting hazmat crews to venture inside and investigate. 

Three substances initially discovered appeared to be precursor chemicals.

"A precursor chemical is if you combine certain chemicals in a certain order, you could have the potential for a bomb," says Ector County Sheriff=92s Office Spokesman, Sergeant Gary Duesler.

That's why authorities took the report and finding so seriously, but the threat turned out to be less than was originally assumed.

"Final testing of them showed that they weren't being used in a manner which would indicate that they were being used as an explosive,=94 says Midland FBI Agent Matt Espendshade.

He believes the effort was necessary, especially considering recent events in West Texas.

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FIREFIGHTERS UNDER OBSERVATION AFTER LINCOLN BLAST - KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CA-GRAND ISLAND, KEARNEY, HASTINGS, LINCOLN, http://www.n ebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=14183174

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Fire officials say 18 firefighters were taken to a hospital for a possible chemical exposure after an explosion inside a business that applies spray-on truck bed liners in Lincoln.

Acting Battalion Chief Guy Pinkman says it's a precautionary move, and the firefighters will be observed for several hours to make sure they OK..

Television station KOLN/KGIN says the blast at Line-X happened just before noon on Thursday. Officials say a vehicle was on fire inside the business. The fire was contained by a sprinkler system and extinguished.

Pinkman says there's a concern that some of the chemical used in the spraying process may have been in the smoke from the fire, and that some firefighters may have been exposed to it.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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SUSPICIOUS CHEMICAL PROMPTS BOISE SCHOOL LOCKDOWN - KIVITV.COM | BOISE. NEWS, BREAKING NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS-, http://www.ki vitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14183375

Hawthorne Elementary School in Boise was placed on lockdown for about an hour Thursday afternoon, as Boise Fire and HAZMAT crews tried to identify a chemical found in a nearby house.

The school was placed on lockdown "simply as a precautionary measure," according to Boise Fire Dept. spokeswoman Lynn Hightower. "We didn't want the students going out into the playground."

The backyard of the house where the chemical was found backs up to the school yard.

Boise Police determined the chemicals in the home are not illegal.

Residents living next door to the house where the chemical was found were evacuated at one point.

A tip from a citizen prompted police to search the home for the chemicals.

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WKSU NEWS: SUPPLIER FIRE SUSPENDS LORDSTOWN PRODUCTION, http://www.wksu.org/news/sto ry/27740

A fire at a key supplier is temporarily shutting down production at General Motors=92 Lordstown complex.

Flames and small chemical explosions ripped through the Magna International plant in Howell, Michigan, late Wednesday afternoon, destroying much of the plant. The Canadian automotive supplier makes door-panel interiors and other parts for GM, Ford and Nissan.

The Lordstown shutdown begins at 7 a.m. tomorrow (Friday).

Lordstown has been running three full shifts since early last fall when it ratcheted up production of the Chevrolet Cruze. Sales of The Cruze approached 19,000 last month, making it GM=92s third highest-selling model.

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SCHOOL EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SCARE | TOOWOOMBA NEWS | LOCAL NEWS IN TOOWOOMBA | TOOWOOMBA CHRONICLE, http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2011/ 03/03/school-evacuated-after-chemical-scare-Toowoomba/

ABOUT 120 students were evacuated and two Year 5 girls hospitalised after coming into contact with an unknown substance in a building at Holy Name Primary School today.
Acting principal Ron Rosentreter said the girls had reacted to something in a music room about 10am.
=93They were panicking a bit because they were itchy,=94 Mr Rosentreter said.
The building was evacuated and fire fighters used gas monitoring equipment but returned a negative reading.
Queensland Ambulance Service regional operations supervisor Brad Setch said the girls were short of breath as well as itchy.
=93They have been taken to Toowoomba Hospital to get a doctor to look at them,=94 Mr Setch said.

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CANEXUS CHLORINE LEAK HOSPITALIZES FOUR WORKERS, http://www.langleyadvance.com/news/Ca nexus+chlorine+leak+hospitalizes+four+workers/4372836/story.html

A chlorine leak at North Vancouver=92s Canexus plant has sent four people to hospital.

Emergency crews were called to the Maplewood facility on Amherst Avenue at about 5:30 a.m. today after an unknown amount of the toxic chemical escaped from a scrubbing tank.

Four workers were apparently exposed, with two seriously affected. A woman who was in a vehicle nearby was initially thought to have been exposed as well, but was later deemed to be OK, according to firefighters.

Police, fire crews and paramedics arrived a few minutes after the incident to find the leak had been contained and that on-site medical and rescue personnel were already decontaminating the victims.

The four exposed workers were taken to Lions Gate Hospital by ambulance for treatment. Two were released later that morning and two were kept for observation, according to plant manager Rick Denton. None of the workers=92 injuries were life-threatening, he said.

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CYANIDE VICTIM LEFT NOTE WARNING OF DANGER, http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_ news/2011/03/woman_who_inges.html?rss_id=Top+Stories

An elderly woman from Brighton who died after ingesting cyanide on Tuesday left a note in Russian mentioning the cyanide and warning family members to be careful, according to Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

An investigation into the cause of death of the woman, who police identified this afternoon as Olga Tretyakov, 72, is ongoing -- including the question of how she obtained the cyanide. She was a research technician in a laboratory at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Bill Schaller, a spokesman for Dana-Farber, said police informed the hospital of Tretyakov's death Tuesday afternoon. 

"She had been a valued member of our research community for more than 20 years, and we are deeply saddened by this loss," Schaller said. "We are working closely with the Boston police to learn more about the circumstances of her death."

Cyanide compounds are often used in biomedical research laboratories. Schaller said it was not known whether Tretyakov would have had access to the chemical in the laboratory where she worked.

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HAZMAT SITUATION REPORTED AT HOSPITAL - CONNECTICUT NEWS STORY - WFSB HARTFORD, http://www.wfsb.com /news/27051195/detail.html

WATERBURY, Conn. -- A hazmat situation was reported at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury on Wednesday morning.
Officials from the Waterbury Fire Department said crews were at the hospital to help staff members contain a spill of dye that was being used in one of the labs.
The leak was small, according to hospital officials, and was contained quickly.
Hospital officials said a "limited number" of patients were forced to move because of the leak.
The hospital was working to clean up and dilute the spill.

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TWELVE SERIOUSLY INJURED IN MATCH UNIT FIRE -  NATIONAL NEWS - NEWS - MSN INDIA, http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4986370

Virudhunagar (TN), Mar 2 (PTI) Twelve workers, including seven women, were seriously injured in a blaze at a matchstick manufacturing unit at nearby Sattur this afternoon, officials said.

They said the fire broke out in the unit''s chemical dipping unit due to alleged carelessness and spread instantly, fanned by strong winds. The fire was doused at 6.00 PM after a four-hour battle, they said.

The women, who were packing boxes, were trapped and seriously injured.

All the injured have been hospitalised, they said, adding that the condition of three workers was stated to be critical.

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BUSINESSES EVACUATED AFTER SPILL IN WINWICK QUAY, WARRINGTON (FROM WARRINGTON GUARDIAN), http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/wher eilive/8883860.Businesses_evacuated_after_spill/

BUSINESSES on Winwick Quay industrial estate were evacuated after a chemical spill at Cameron Court on Tuesday at 1.55pm.

Twenty litres of nitric acid spilled into a contained drainage system and reacted with steel.

All fluid was contained on site and there were no casualties or injuries reported.

A Cheshire Fire spokesman said: =93The premises were ventilated and the quality of air was sampled by an on-site chemist.

=93Adjoining properties were evacuated as a precaution.

=93The buildings were declared clear and staff were allowed to re-enter the buildings.=94

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THREE OMNIA EMPLOYEES DEAD IN PLANT EXPLOSION - BUSINESS LIVE, http://www.businesslive.co. za/southafrica/sa_companies/2011/03/02/three-omnia-employees-dead-in-plant -explosion

Chemical services business Omnia Holdings has announced the death of three employees following an explosion at its  BME Losberg cartridge production plant in the North West Province.
In addition, a further six employees were injured. All people who were at the scene of the incident have now been accounted for, the group said.

"Omnia is making available counsellors to its employees and the injured, as well as the families of the deceased and injured. Omnia expresses its sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and injured employees," the group said.

Omnia said it had notified the relevant authorities and launched a full investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

The plant involved in the incident supplies Megamite to the underground mining market. The other plants at Losberg were not affected, the group concluded.

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CHLORINE EXPLOSION IN VANCOUVER | THE VANCOUVER OBSERVER, http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics /news/2011/03/02/hazardous-chlorine-leak-north-vancouver
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A leak early this morning at Canexus Chemical Plant in North Vancouver left  four workers injured.  The workers have been hospitalized; one of the injured is reported to be in serious condition.  Throughout the day, the Vancouver Observer attempted unsuccessfully to contact the plant's officials, the North Vancouver Fire Department, and other officials who might comment on  the chlorine leak.  VO received an anonymous report from someone who said they lived in the vicinity of the plant and that there were no warning blasts given from the plant's warning system, when the leak occurred.  The anonymous caller reported having a sore throat and respiratory difficulties, but these claims could not be confirmed. 

The plant has long been a concern to North Vancouver residents. Chlorine catastrophes have resulted in the evacuation of large populations in the United States, China and Latin America, as exposure to the gas can be lethal. 

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