Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:58:20 -0400
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From: Ralph Stuart <rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**ME.COM>
Subject: Chemical Safety headlines from Google
Links to details available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Fireworks storage called wrong place to start disposal - Hawaii News - 
Staradvertiser.com 
Workers killed by an explosion of fireworks at an underground storage 
facility in Waikele on April 8 should not have been working on them in 
that bunker, according to a mainland-based fireworks expert who often 
serves as a consultant for fireworks firms. 

Five employees of Donaldson Enterprises were killed and another worker 
injured when aerial fireworks stored in the concrete-lined, tunnel-like 
structure exploded as they were either in or just outside the bunker, 
police and fire officials said. 

Don Holmstrom, lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board on 
the Waikele incident, told the Star-Advertiser on Wednesday that the 
tunnel was being used not just for storage, but for preparation for 
demolition at another, unidentified location. 

Holmstrom told The on Thursday that the workers "were in the process of 
dismantling some of the pyrotechnic devices that were in the storage 
area."us_hi industrial explosion death fireworks  
=E2=9C=AD 
Chemical spill at kids' playground | Courier Mail 
A CHEMICAL spill caused panic this morning at a popular child's water 
playground on Cairns Esplanade. 

The spill occurred at Muddy's Playground at 9.30am, forcing an emergency 
response from fire crews, council and an external contractor. 

Initial reports are of no injuries after an un-named person, thought to 
be a worker, mixed 4l of bleach with hydrochloric acid. 

The toxic mix can decay the skin and eyes. 

Cairns mayor Val Schier said "accidents happen" and no one was harmed. 

She reassured people the spill had been cleaned up and the playground, 
dominated by a water fountain that sprays children, will reopen this 
afternoon. 

"A mistake had been made mixing chemicals with the water," Cr 
Schier.australia other release response cleaning_chemicals 
2 hours ago 
Crews respond to spill at Marathon Oil 
Louisville, KY (WDRB) -- Hazmat and fire crews remain on the scene of a 
spill at the Marathon Oil facility on Kramers Lane. 

The 300 gallon spill of gasoline and ethanol happened just after 3:30 
a.m. 

An EAS or Emergency Alert System message went to nearby residents about 
4:30 a.m. Residents were warned to "shelter in place," stay indoors with 
the air conditioners off and windows closed. That warning has now been 
lifted and residents were given the "all-clear" to leave their homes. 

Many roads near the Marathon facility remain blocked by emergency 
vehicles. Kramers Lane is blocked between Beech and Campground 
Roads.us_ky industrial release response petroleum 
2 hours ago 
=E2=9C=AD 
Hazmat crews, evacuations disrupt St. Pete Florida Palm Sunday church 
service - Tampa Bay Headlines | Examiner.com 
On Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, a St. Petersburg, Florida church was 
evacuated after people became sick during service. Approximately 2,000 
people were evacuated from the St. John Vianney Catholic Church located 
in St. Pete Beach at approximately 10:30 am. Eight people were 
transferred from the service to a local hospital where they were treated 
for symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and dizziness. 

Hazmat crews arrived on the scene to investigate the cause of the 
mysterious illness. By late afternoon, it was suspected that a sewer 
line had backed up causing low levels of methane gas to permeate through 
the building, though tests are still inconclusive. 

The church service, led by Father John Blum, was continued in the 
church=E2=80=99s Parish Hall. By Sunday evening, all had been released 
from the hospital. No serious injuries were reported and testing is 
still underway to determine the exact cause of the illness.us_fl other 
release response sewer_gas 
=E2=9C=AD 
Man's suicide spurs hazmat scare - The Denver Post 
The Denver Fire Department hazmat team along with department personnel 
set up outside of the 1600 Glenarm Place Apartments on Sunday. 
Authorities said a man on the 12th floor killed himself with a chemical. 
(Eric Lutzens, The Denver Post ) 
A man who committed suicide in a downtown luxury high-rise Sunday night 
also caused a hazardous-material scare with the chemical he used to kill 
himself, authorities said. 

The 12th-floor resident in the 1600 Glenarm Place Apartments used 
hydrogen cyanide, said Denver Fire spokesman Phil Champagne. 

The residents in the apartment below him saw a liquid dripping through 
their vents about 7 p.m., he said. 

The 11th and 12th floors were evacuated immediately, and police were 
monitoring other floors. No one outside the building was ever at risk, 
Champagne said. Glenarm Place is a 33-story building with 330 units. 

Two residents were taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not 
immediately known. 

Hydrogen cyanide is a poisonous, flammable liquid used in industrial 
processes and has a history in chemical warfare. 

No information about the man was released. He was found dead in his 
closet, Champagne said.us_co home release suicide relaunch 

Chemical spill in Surrey has several businesses still closed - News1130 
SURREY (NEWS1130) - Dozens of Surrey businesses closed by a fire and 
chemical spill Monday will have to wait to find out when they can 
reopen. The spill happened at Precision Plating on 84th Avenue near 
130th, in a large warehouse-like complex. 

Senior Environmental Emergency Response Officer Harold Riedler says the 
mess entered the storm drain and nearby creek, and includes chromic and 
sulphuric acids. 

He says the acids are very toxic to aquatic life, but no fish-kill has 
been reported. Riedler credits Surrey Fire for quickly responding to the 
call, blocking storm drains and preventing more chemicals from reaching 
the sensitive creek. 

Many shop owners are frustrated, saying they haven't been able to get 
answers about when they will be able to resume business. Roger Dayal 
owns an auto repair shop and says that's not the only problem they have 
because of the spill. "Bylaw officers are down here pointing fingers at 
everybody. You can't do this now, you can't do that now ... because of 
this environmental spill". 

Dayal says he is losing two or three thousand dollars each day his 
business is closed.uk industrial release response environmental acids 

=E2=9C=AD 
South Side business ablaze same day as 23 OSHA citations issued | The 
Columbus Dispatch 
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire at a South Side 
chemical-processing business on the same day the company was cited for 
23 safety violations. 

A mix of chemicals exploded in a duct and sparked the fire at Howard 
Industries Inc. at 1840 Progress Ave. about 8 p.m. Wednesday, according 
to the Columbus Division of Fire. 

Earlier that day, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
cited the company, saying that it failed to protect workers from 
electrical hazards and had other violations, according to an OSHA news 
release. 

The citations stemmed from a December inspection. The company faces more 
than $70,000 in fines, according to OSHA.us_oh industrial fire response 
unknown_chemical 

Ammonia leak shuts down Norfolk streets - WTKR 
NORFOLK=E2=80=94 
"The ammonia will turn into an acid when it gets to moisture, and that's 
what really causes the problem. And if you get exposed to it, you could 
get burned from it," said Harry Worley with Norfolk Fire and Rescue. 

Fire officials say a contractor was fixing ceiling tiles inside 
AmeriCold Logistics off of Princess Anne Road when he fell from his 
ladder and hit a valve, releasing ammonia gas into the air. 

That worker along with another were taken to the hospital but are 
expected to be ok.us_va industrial release response ammonia 

HazMat crews called to Charlotte airport for fuel spill - WBTV 3 News, 
Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC- 
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Charlotte Firefighters and HazMat crews were 
called to the Charlotte-Douglas International airport early Friday 
morning for a fuel spill. 

Firefighters said a flight was bound for Charleston, SC, was being 
refueled when a leak occurred a the gate. 

HazMat crews were called to the airport to clean up the spill. 

Charlotte firefighters told WBTV the spill was cleaned up. No one was 
injured during the incident.us_nc transportation release response 
petroleum 

=E2=9C=AD 
Hazmat crews called to League City park after body found in car | 
khou.com | khou.com Local News 
LEAGUE CITY, Texas =E2=80=93 Police and hazmat crews were called to 
Walter Hall Park Friday afternoon after a body was found in the 
passenger seat of a parked car. 

The vehicle was found around noon in a parking lot near the 800 block of 
Highway 3. 

Police said there were three notes taped to the outside of the windows. 

One of the notes said "Hydrogen sulfide gas. Do not attempt entry. One 
breath can kill, Call hazmat! DANGER." 

Another had a skull and crossbones graphic with the word "POISON" 
beneath it. 

Officers and fire personnel immediately evacuated and closed the park 
while they waited for a Houston hazmat team to arrive. 

The identity of the man was not released.us_tx other suicide deaths 

Palm Beach County teens used household cleaner to make bombs 
Three weeks ago, Tequesta Police Lt. Jason Turner heard in a class 
taught by a New York state fire marshal that young people are now far 
more likely to commit suicide by inhaling a mix of common household 
chemicals. 

On April 9, three teenagers used those same chemicals to create bombs 
that exploded in local neighborhoods, police say. 

After learning that the teens discovered how to create the bombs on 
YouTube, and knowing how easy it is to buy household chemicals, Turner 
is concerned that bomb-making could morph into an even more serious 
problem in Palm Beach County. 

"I looked at the chemical compound they=E2=80=99re 
using,=" Turner said. "And it just so happened these acid 
bombs they were making were the same type of chemical that=E2=80=99s 
being used in a lot of these chemical suicides around the nation and 
internationally.=" 

The United States ranks second in the world in the number of chemical 
suicides, trailing only Japan.us_fl home explosion response bomb 

=E2=9C=AD 
Fire destroys 10 18-wheelers at natural gas drilling site | 
Shreveporttimes | shreveporttimes.com 
A line of trucks caught fire at a Chesapeake Energy Corporation drilling 
site in west Shreveport Friday, sending a dark plume of smoke skyward 
and calling response from multiple fire departments. 

The fire caused no injuries, no spills or environmental damage and 
didn't threaten the Greenwood neighborhoods surrounding the site, 
authorities said. All employees were accounted for by the time the blaze 
was brought under control. 
The fire started around 11:30 a.m. when a Cudd Energy Services truck 
caught fire while working on the Lee 21H-1 natural gas well site near 
the intersection of Greenwood Road and Rice Road, according to 
Chesapeake Energy Media Coordinator Katie McCullin. The cause of the 
fire is still under investigation. 
The fire spread quickly to the adjacent trucks, and by the end of the 
day, 10 18-wheelers were engulfed and destroyed. The trucks were 
carrying hydraulic fracturing fluid, a mixture used in the final stages 
of the drilling process, according to Shreveport Fire Department Chief 
Safety Officer Scott Wolverton.us_la industrial fire response petroleum 

=E2=9C=AD 
Neighbors Evacuated Because Of Fire At Battery Facility - News Story - 
WSB Atlanta 
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Firefighters have finally been able to make entry 
into a battery recycling facility in Cartersville that caught fire 
Saturday afternoon. 

Firefighters and witnesses at the scene said the batteries started 
exploding from the fire. 

Emergency crews told Channel 2's George Howell that they began 
evacuating neighbors in the area because they weren't sure what kind of 
chemicals were in the batteries. 

Hazmat crews were also at the scene helping with the situation. 

Channel 2's Erica Byfield learned from officials at the Cartersville 
Medical Center, that eight people from the surrounding neighborhood were 
taken the hospital because of possible exposure.us_ga industrial fire 
injuries batteries 
22 hours ago 

=E2=9C=AD 
First responders act quickly to assess West Elizabeth chemical spill 
The release of a hazardous chemical into the sewer system in West 
Elizabeth resulted in a sanitation plant worker being sent to a local 
hospital and the evacuation of a house near the plant.The Allegheny 
County Hazmat Team and Swiftwater Response Team and more than a dozen 
local first response agencies were called to the banks of the 
Monongahela River in and around the borough after the chemical was 
reported at approximately 1:47 p.m. on Friday after exposure to it 
sickened a plant worker at the West Elizabeth Sanitary Authority 
treatment plant.?The operator was experiencing eye irritation and 
nausea,? said Alvin Henderson Jr., acting chief of operations for the 
county Department of Emergency Services. The worker was transported to 
Jefferson Regional Medical Center by Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance 
where he was evaluated.The chemical entered the plant through the sewage 
system. Some of the chemical ? which was identified by Eastman Chemical 
in West Elizabeth as being a hydrocarbon ? was released into the 
Monongahela River and some of it remained in the plant?s holding tanks, 
Henderson said.The amount of the chemical released in the incident is 
unclear.us_nj waste release injury unknown_chemical 
22 hours ago 
=E2=9C=AD 
2 injured in ammonia leak in Norfolk | 13NEWS / WVEC.com | WVEC.com Home 
Page | Hampton Roads Local News | Hampton Roads Weather 
NORFOLK -- Two people were injured in an ammonia leak at a Norfolk 
business. 

Fire and Rescue personnel say they've secured the situation at Americold 
Logistics in the 3800 block of E. Princess Anne Road as a Level 2 
hazard. 

It was reported around 11:30 a.m. and around 2:39 p.m., a hazmat team 
had gone into the building and secured the leak. They started to release 
units from the scene around 6:12 p.m. 

Capt. Mike Marsala said employees reported a worker on a ladder fell and 
struck a pipe that leads to tank containing ammonia. 

It wasn't immediately clear what injuries the workers sustained, but two 
employees were taken to the hospital. One worker had been released by 
1:30 p.m. The other was hospitalized with non life-threatening 
injuries.us_va industrial release injuries ammonia 
22 hours ago

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