Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:22:07 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google

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ANN ARBOR: POLICE BRIEFS -- STABBING SUSPECT SOUGHT; CHEMICAL SPILL AT U OF M; WOMAN FENDS OFF ATTACKER NEAR CAMPUS - ANN ARBOR JOURNAL - HERITAGE NEWSPAPERS, http://www.heritage.com /articles/2011/04/12/ann_arbor_journal/news/doc4da50fbe3881c584070917.txt? viewmode=default

Chemical spill forces evacuation of U of M facility

A building on the University of Michigan=92s North Campus was evacuated Friday evening after a potentially dangerous chemical spilled on a laboratory floor.

A student working at the Herbert H. Dow Building, located at 2300 Hayward St., reportedly spilled a half gallon jug of Benzene on the floor at about 7:40 p.m., according to reports from the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety. 

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ALARMS FORCE NEWARK GAS PRODUCT COMPANY EMPLOYEES TO EVACUATE - SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17835679?nclick_check=1

NEWARK -- About 15 employees evacuated an industrial gas product company and five workers were taken to the hospital as a precaution Tuesday night after the building's alarms were set off, a company spokesman said.
Nearly 20 firefighters, including the Alameda County Fire Hazardous Materials Team, responded to an 8:35 p.m. call from Matheson Tri-Gas Inc., at 6775 Central Ave., fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.
Meanwhile, five employees were taken to an East Bay hospital as a precautionary measure and later released, Matheson spokesman Stephen Stroud said.
Stroud did not say what possible health threat prompted the employees to visit the hospital.
"We're still investigating that," Stroud said. "All I can say is there were no specific injuries at the site."
The county Hazmat team worked with Matheson personnel to identify the problem, a malfunctioning piece of equipment called a "scrubber," which cleans the air inside the facility, Alameda County fire Battalion Chief Terence Carey said.

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FLAMING PICKUP TRUCK CARRYING BATTERIES PROMPTS HAZMAT CLEANUP ON HWY 101 - NEWS STORY - KTVU SAN FRANCISCO, http://www.ktvu.com /news/27538838/detail.html

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Traffic on southbound U.S. Highway 101 has been moving slowly through San Rafael Wednesday evening, hours after a pickup truck loaded with car batteries caught fire on the roadway, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
A blue Ford F-150 was "fully engulfed" in flames in the right lanes near the Lincoln Avenue exit, a caller reporting the fire at about 3:20 p.m. told the CHP, Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said.
A Bay Area Freeway Service Patrol vehicle was first to arrive at the scene. The patrol provides free assistance to disabled vehicles, Van Eckhardt said.
Unable to cope with the burning pickup truck, the patrol vehicle driver stood by until firefighters arrived at about 3:30 p.m., he said.
Firefighters began dousing the burning truck with water, but Van Eckhardt said they had to change tack after discovering the Ford's bed was full of car batteries.
To neutralize the acid-spewing batteries, a base substance was used.
"They described it as being something like baking soda," he said.

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WEST U: CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT SPILL AT COLONIAL PARK POOL, http://www.khou.com/ne ws/neighborhood-news/West-U-Crews-respond-to-hazmat-spill-at-Colonial-Park -pool-119851054.html

HOUSTON - Residents of a one-block area around Colonial Park in West University had to evacuate Thursday after a hazmat spill.

City officials said muriatic acid, a chemical used to clean pools, was spilled at the park, which is located in the 4100 block of Byron.

The acid is corrosive, but officials said it was contained and posed no threat to water or sewer systems.

As a precaution, residents within a block of the park were asked to either evacuate or shelter in place.

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CHEMICAL LEAKS INTO BERKELEY CREEK | KSDK.COM, http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/254751/3/Chemical-leaks-into- Berkeley-creek

Berkeley, Mo (KSDK) -- Hazmat crews are testing the water of a creek in Berkeley after a chemical from a nearby business leaked into it.

The North Central Fire chief said 5,400 gallons of ammonium hydroxide leaked into the creek in the 8900 block of Seegar Industrial Drive around 4:00 a.m. during a transfer process.

The chemical was used by Univar USA, which is an industrial chemical distributor that supplies products and distributes services to all major industrial market segments.

Fire officials believe the chemical has dissipated into the water, but crews will test the water. A backhoe is also being brought in to dig in the soil to make sure none of the chemical got into it.

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TOXIC FARMING CHEMICAL FORCES HOTEL EVACUATIONS, http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/156332/toxic-f arming-chemical-forces-hotel-evacuations

About 40 people were evacuated from hotels near Auckland Airport last night after fumes from a pesticide, which has historically been used in chemical warfare, wafted through their windows from a neighbouring farm.

International guests at Kiwi International Hotel and the Airport Skyway Lodge on Kirkbride Rd, Mangere, started getting itchy eyes due to strong fumes in the air, Fire Service incident controller Grant Thompson said.

One neighbour told NZPA the sensation was similar to when you cut onions.

The Fire Service was called around 10pm and it was established the fumes were caused by a neighbouring strawberry farmer who had poured the soil fumigant chloropicrin on his paddock.

Mr Thompson said the chemical was treated with respect because it has been used in chemical warfare.

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ROAD WORKERS EXPOSED TO TOXIC PESTICIDE - ABC SUNSHINE &AMP; COOLOOLA COASTS QLD - AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, http://www.abc.net.a u/news/stories/2011/04/14/3191404.htm?site=sunshine&amp;section=ne ws&amp;date=(none)

Seven road workers have been taken to hospital after being exposed to a dangerous chemical on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
The Main Roads Department maintenance crew came into contact with a drum containing toxic pesticide on the Bruce Highway near Nambour this morning.
Fire crews hosed down the workers, who suffered facial swelling and watery eyes.
Six men were taken to the Nambour Hospital for treatment and one woman was taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

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HOTEL EVACUATED FOR CHLORINE SPILL | IOWA CITY PRESS CITIZEN | PRESS-CITIZEN.COM, http://www.press-citizen.com/arti cle/20110414/NEWS01/104140325/1079/news01/Hotel-evacuated-chlorine-spill

The Sleep Inn at 485 Madison Ave. in North Liberty was evacuated Wednesday morning after a chlorine spill was reported to the North Liberty Fire Department.

One person was treated on scene for exposure to the chemical, Capt. Craig Voparil of the North Liberty Fire Department said. According to Voparil, firefighters were dispatched to the hotel at 7:10 a.m. Wednesday.

The Johnson County Haz-Mat Team, North Liberty Police Department and Johnson County Ambulance responded to the incident. Voparil said it took crews about seven hours to dilute and clean up the spill.

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FUMES CAUSE RANCHO BERNARDO HIGH EVACUATION - SIGNONSANDIEGO.COM, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/ apr/14/science-building-fumes-cause-rancho-bernardo-high-/

RANCHO BERNARDO =97 More than 200 students at Rancho Bernardo High School were evacuated for about 90 minutes Thursday, and one student was taken to a hospital, after teachers noticed a strong odor in the science building.

The odor most likely came from a gas-powered leaf blower that had been used by a gardener along the sidewalk in front of the science rooms, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

One 15-year-old girl who reported trouble breathing was taken to a hospital by ambulance, Luque said. A second ambulance crew was brought in to evaluate other students claiming to have headaches and other symptoms of the fumes.

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CHEMICAL SMELL EVACUATION ALTAMONTE SPRINGS: CHEMICAL SMELL FORCED ALTAMONTE SPRINGS EVACUATION - ORLANDOSENTINEL.COM, http://www.orlandosentinel.c om/news/local/seminole/os-chemical-odor-altamonte-springs-20110414,0,17890 12.story

The smell that forced the evacuation of a couple of Altamonte Springs buildings on Orange Drive was spilled fuel.

Altamonte Springs Senior Officer Robert Pelton said a man had taken his motorized scooter inside of his Royal Arms Condominiums unit overnight and it leaked fuel inside the apartment.

The man was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation.

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HOMES DESTROYED IN BLAZE | HUNTERSVILLE HERALD, http://www.huntersvilleherald.com /news/2011/04/14/=91spontaneous-combustion=92-blamed-for-cornelius-fire/

CORNELIUS - Investigators now believe that spontaneous combustion of papers and chemical cleaners in a recycling bin started a fire that destroyed two houses and damaged two others Friday, April 8, in the Glenridge community.

Investigators have sent evidence to a lab to determine the chemicals involved, Capt. Andrew Bridges, of Cornelius-Lemley Fire &amp; Rescue, said.

No one was injured in the conflagration.

The bin was sitting next to the side of the house at 10246 Meadow Crossing Lane, and the fire quickly moved to the home=92s vinyl siding, which is petroleum-based, Bridges said Tuesday, April 12. The flames raced up the side and spread quickly through the attic, which did not have interior firewalls.

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BLAST AT CHEMICAL PLANT KILLS AT LEAST 9 IN CHINA | HOME &GT;&GT; OTHER SECTIONS &GT;&GT; BREAKING NEWS, http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?article Id=676293&amp;publicationSubCategoryId=200

DAQING, Heilongjiang (Xinhua) - At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a chemical plant in Lamadian Town of Daqing City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Wednesday night, local officials said Thursday morning.

The explosion and fire occurred at about 10:10 p.m. Wednesday at a three-storey building at Fuxin Chemical Plant located in Lamadian Town of Ranghulu District in Daqing.

Fourteen people were inside the building when the accident happened, local government said.

Nine people died on the scene while the other five fled the building.

The fire had been extinguished by firefighters, according to Xinhua's on-the-spot reporter.

Local environmental protection authority said air surrounding the plant had not gone beyond the criteria for industrial waste gas emissions and would not affect residents and the environment nearby.

According to a preliminary investigation, the fire was caused by the volatilization of a great amount of methanol gas to a level that might lead to the blast.

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INDUSTRIAL BUILDING GOES UP IN SMOKE, http://www.abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/top_sto ries/videos/wsyx_vid_10349.shtml

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Fire investigators are still trying to figure out what caused an explosion at a chemical company with a history of safety problems in Southeast Columbus.

The fire at Howard Industries broke out before 8pm.


Battalion Chief Doug Smith says the company stores sodium chlorite which is a chemical used to manufacture paper.  

He says when that mixed with the water firefighters used, it created sodium chlorine.  

He says that chemical can be hazardous to your health.

Hazmat crews were called in to deal with the chemical.

No evacuations had to be made.


OSHA, the agency that enforces worker safety rules recently found 23 violations at Howard Industries, including electrical hazards to workers.

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