Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:40:10 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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NO ONE INJURED BY FUMES AT NORTHSIDE COLLEGE PREP - CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM, http ://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-fumes-at-northsid e-college-prep-spur-hazmat-call-20110322,0,2476504.story
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No injuries were reported this afternoon when fumes from a chemical mixture inside a classroom at Northside College Prep prompted a hazardous material response, authorities said.

Fire crews were called to the school at 5501 N. Kedzie Ave. at about 3:15 p.m. after chemicals mixed inside a classroom gave off fumes, according to fire department Chief Joseph Roccasalva.

Fire officials found that the compound wasn't toxic and that none of the students present suffered any injuries, he said.

Chicago Public Schools officials weren't available for comment.

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GATES FIREFIGHTERS CONTROL HAZMAT SITUATION AT CRYOVAC - WAYNE COUNTY, NY - WAYNE POST, http://www.waynepost.com/latestnews/x 698066693/Gates-firefighters-control-hazmat-condition-at-Cryovac

The Gates Fire District responded early Tuesday to a hazmat condition at Cryovac on Brooks Avenue.

The company has a 55 gallon drum of plastic resin that was overheating. The resin is kept at 110 degrees and when employees arrived to Cryovac Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., they noticed that smoke was coming out of the drum and pulled the fire alarm.

Gates fire chief Jim Harrington said the drum had brought the temperature to over 200 degrees. When the material inside overheats, a chemical reaction causes the material to increase in heat, Harrington said. Firefighters were worried the drum was going to over-pressurize and explode so they evacuated nearby employees and cooled the drum off with a fire hose.

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COUNTY BUILDING EVACUATED OVER FUMES - SACRAMENTO NEWS STORY - KCRA SACRAMENTO, http://www.kcra.com /news/27282964/detail.html

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- One hundred people were evacuated from the Sacramento County Human Assistance building at 10013 Folsom Boulevard at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday because of chemical fumes.
County employees returned to work about an hour later, after Sacramento Metro Fire was called to investigate complaints of a chemical odor.
Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum said a hazmat team determined the odor was coming from a spray texture material being used on a remodeling project and was not harmful. He said nobody required treatment.

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HAZMAT CREWS WERE CALLED TO CONTROL A SULFURIC ACID LEAK AT AN ETHANOL PLANT IN STOCKTON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. JUST AFTER NOON, THE PACIFIC ETHANOL PLANT CALLED EMERGENCY CREWS ABOUT THE LEAK OF THE HIGHLY FLAMMABLE ACID. - KTXL, http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ ktxl-hazmat-crews-called-to-ethanol-plant-20110322,0,2841003.story

STOCKTON=97 Hazmat crews were called to control a sulfuric acid leak at an ethanol plant in Stockton Tuesday afternoon.

Just after Noon, the Pacific Ethanol plant called emergency crews about the leak of the highly flammable acid.

The leak was from a joint on a 5,000-gallon tank at the Stockton plant along Navy Drive.

Pacific Ethanol was not evacuated, but workers are being kept away from the area of the leak. A police training facility is nearby, they stopped their exercises for safety reasons.

The crews were able to slow the leak, not completely stop it. But the leaking acid is being contained, and is not a risk at this time.

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HAZMAT SCENE PUTS OKLA. FIREFIGHTER IN HOSPITAL | FIREHOUSE.COM, http://www.firehouse.com/topic/firefighter-sa fety/hazmat-scene-puts-okla-firefighter-hospital

March 22--CHOUTEAU -- A Chouteau firefighter remained hospitalized Monday following a semi truck crash on Highway 69.
Chouteau Police Sgt. Rod Howell said two firefighters were transported to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa after the two-semi collision Wednesday. One firefighter collapsed on the scene, said Howell, and another was taken to the hospital two days later. A hazardous materials crew, Sooner Management, worked into the night to clean up after the crash.
Chouteau emergency personnel received the call at 3:39 p.m. Howell said the first semi, driven by Eugene Henderson of Newark, Ohio, was exiting Highway 412 onto Highway 69. Henderson began making a u-turn around the highway barrier with the intention of going south.
Howell said the driver was obstructing the northbound lanes near Fiesta Mart. The second semi, belonging to Transport America, was northbound. Howell said driver Jessie Hill, of Balch Springs, Texas, attempted to avoid the crash. Hill swerved left and skidded 85 feet, striking the other semi in the southbound lane.

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CHEMICAL SCARE CLOSES POOL, http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Chemical+scare+closes+p ool/4487787/story.html

The Saskatoon fire department briefly closed a hotel pool Tuesday after a hazardous chemical scare.

Just after noon, the department's hazardous materials team responded to a report of a chemical spill at the Travelodge Hotel on Circle Drive East, says a fire department news release.

An employee was preparing water treatment for the pool when two of the substances -sodium hypo-chloride and an acid base -used in the treatment were spilled on the floor of the pool's mechanical room. The employee called 911 after noticing the spill resulted in a chemical reaction.

The hazmat team locked down the pool area but did not evacuate the hotel because the spill was determined to be minor. The employee did not require medical treatment.

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CHEMICAL LEAK AT APPLETON REQUIRES HAZMAT - NEWS STORY - WHIO DAYTON, http://www.whiotv .com/news/27260185/detail.html

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio -- There were big problems at the Appleton paper plant in West Carrollton early Monday morning when a chemical used in the paper-making process began leaking from a parked rail car.
Between 200 and 500 gallons of sodium hydroxide spilled onto the ground.
West Carrollton firefighters responded to the plant about 3 a.m. on Alex Bell Road and found the rail car parked under a protective awning spewing clouds of chemical vapor and leaking.
=93They were transferring product into the building. They=92re not sure if a hose broke or a valve broke, but it developed a leak on top of the tank car,=94 said West Carrollton Fire Chief Jack Kiester.
Hundreds of gallons of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda, escaped to the parking lot area.
A couple of crews from the regional hazardous materials team came to help firefighters assess the problem and the next steps they should take.
Sodium hydroxide is used to help break down wood into pulp as paper is made. It=92s used in a mixture of 50 percent water, 50 percent chemical, but it can cause burns, scarring and permanent injury to tissue that it comes into contact with.
Firefighters called in paramedics, just in case. But, the precaution proved unnecessary.
Firefighters discovered all the Appleton workers who stopped the leak wisely put on protective gear and breathing apparatus working close to the leaking rail car.
=93The employees, once they were done, went in and showered and decontaminated, made sure there was no problem. We came in and did evaluations. Everybody=92s fine,=94 Kiester said.
Firefighters say they closed up and put barriers in front of a couple of storm sewers in the area to keep the chemical out. Appleton also called in an EPA-approved environmental company to help with liquid recovery.
=93It=92s not going to go anywhere,=94 Kiester said. =93They have to vac it all up and test the area around it. Then dilute it to get it all up.=94
Firefighters said they had a couple of things working in their favor in this case. First, there wasn=92t enough liquid that spilled to make an airborne threat, therefore no evacuations were necessary. Secondly, all of the leaking happened in the parking lot, not inside the building, where it would have caused much greater concern.
Copyright 2011 by WHIOTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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MAJOR FIRE ENGULFS CHEMICAL FACTORY IN KANPUR - INDIA - DNA, http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_major-fire- engulfs-chemical-factory-in-kanpur_1522511

A major fire today broke out at a chemical factory on Kanpur destroying property worth several lakh rupees, officials said.

The blaze engulfed the ink and colour factory at the Dadanagar Industrial area at Panki at around 4.00am, superintendent of police (city) Kushhar Saurabh said, adding some chemical drums kept at the factory also exploded due to the fire.

As the blaze started to spread to other parts of the industrial area, atleast 16 fire tenders were pressed and after several hours the blaze was bought under control, Saurabh said.

Nobody was injured in the incident but chemical worth several lakh rupees was destroyed in the blaze, he said.

Due to the explosions the firemen faced problems in bringing the blaze under their control, chief fire officer, KP Singh said, adding the cause of the fire is being ascertained.

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HAZMAT RESPONDS TO SCARE AT HOMELESS CENTER - JACKSONVILLE NEWS STORY - WJXT JACKSONVILLE, http://www.news 4jax.com/news/27261398/detail.html

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Streets around the Sulzbacher Center were closed for about an hour Monday morning when a bag of medical waste out of place created a scare.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department's hazardous materials team responded to the center on East Adams Street about 7:30 a.m. Initial reports said a container usually used to dispose of syringes from the homeless center's clinic was found outside.
JFRD's on-scene commander said the box did contain used syringes. It was disposed of property and the scene was cleared before 9 a.m.

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HAZMAT INCIDENT PROMPTS SCHOOL CLOSURE | BAKERSFIELD NOW - NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS | HEALTH NEWS, http://w ww.bakersfieldnow.com/news/health/118412384.html

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Bill Williams Elementary School will be closed Tuesday following an incident Monday in which 30 students were exposed to Mercury.

According to a city fire spokesman, one class was quarantined after a student dropped a vial of Mercury. Bakersfield Fire responded with its Hazardous Materials Team and later brought out a decontamination trailer to treat the affected students. Environmental Health also responded and the students were released to their parents after being checked out.

"They had to get us out of the classroom and then wash our feet and hands and put on booties," said Williams student Trisha Uziah. "Then they had to use a monitor to see if there was any mercury left on us."

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid in its natural state. It is highly toxic, especially if ingested. The element is commonly used in thermometers, barometers and other scientific apparatus. 

District assistant superintendent Gerrie Kincaide said the school will be closed Tuesday on the advise of Environmental Health. That will allow investigators time to assess other classrooms to make sure exposure levels are as they should be. If it turns out they're not, it will allow enough time for proper treatment.

No illnesses were reported. It's not believed that students will suffer any ill effects from the exposure.

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6 INJURED IN HIGHWAY CHEMICAL EXPLOSION - COLOMBIA NEWS | COLOMBIA REPORTS, http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/n ews/15025-6-injured-in-highway-chemical-explosion.html

Six people were injured and 11 cars incinerated after an explosion on the La Linea highway Monday morning, reports Caracol Radio.

The La Linea roadway, which runs between Cajamarca and Ibague in the western department of Tolima, is closed due a chemical spill, according to the Director of Transit and Transport Rodolfo Palomino.

"There was a tank-type vehicle which carries carbonic gas, it suffered mechanical problems, rolled over, and dumped its product, which generated some explosions," said Palomino.

The accident occurred at the seven kilometer marker, where three separate explosions were generated by the chemical spill. The injured were taken to hospitals in Cajamarc and Ibague, reported a member of the Relief Corps Carlos Torres.

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EXPLOSION AT KENTUCKY CHEMICAL PLANT, http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpps/new s/explosion-at-kentucky-chemical-plant-dpgonc-20110321-gc_12425034

(NewsCore) - Authorities gave an all-clear Monday to residents of a neighborhood in Louisville, Ky., after they were instructed earlier to remain indoors following an explosion and fire at a chemical plant, WHAS-TV reported.

The blast at Carbide Industries was reported at approximately 5:40 pm local time. Three people were transported to the hospital.

It was not immediately clear what chemicals were involved in the explosion, which prompted authorities to advise residents within a one-mile (1.6 kilometer) radius of the plant to close all doors and windows, turn off air conditioners and bring pets inside.

Carbide Industries is North America's largest producer of calcium carbide products, according to the company's website.


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