I have been working with Ron Toreki, a division member who posts to DCHAS-L frequently, to automate the process of collecting hazmat headlines and improving the layout of the daily DCHAS-L postings. Today's listings has a new format, which is based on improvements that take place mostly behind the scenes. These improvements have focused on automating the process of identifying the event's tags by computer scanning text before I check the computer's nominations. Anyway, we are very interested in hearing comments people have on the format of the information below or other suggestions for improving the value of this process for the DCHAS membership. Thanks for your interest in DCHAS! - Ralph Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Monday, May 9, 2011 8:15:01 AM Table of Contents (16 articles) ODOR PROMPTS PARTIAL HOTEL EVACUATION IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON | ABC13.COM Tags: us_TX, other, release, injury, chlorine WHDH-TV - MENDON POLICE INVESTIGATE EXPLODING BOTTLES Tags: us_MA, other, explosion, response, bomb UNCLEAR WHERE SUSPICIOUS JUGS CAME FROM | WWLP.COM Tags: us_MA, other, discovery, response, unknown_chemical POLICE: CHILDREN DISCOVER METH LAB IN TULSA PARK WHILE WALKING NEAR CREEK; HAZMAT UNIT CALLED :: THE REPUBLIC Tags: us_OK, other, discovery, environmental, meth_lab ALLEGED METH COOK BURNED IN EXPLOSION | SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER | NEWS-LEADER.COM Tags: us_KS, other, explosion, injury, meth_lab MAN DIES DURING HAZMAT SITUATION - REGIONAL NEWS - BUCKS, MONTGOMERY, CHESTER, PHILA. STORY - WFMZ ALLENTOWN Tags: us_PA, other, release, death, freon HAZMAT RESPONDS TO SEMI CRASH NEAR GREAT BEND - KSN TV, KANSAS NEWS AND WEATHER Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, injury, gasoline MAN BURNED IN POSSIBLE METH LAB EXPLOSION - WDAF Tags: us_KS, other, explosion, injury, meth_lab STRAFFORD SCHOOL EVACUATED FOR ODOR CAUSED BY RENOVATIONS - FOSTERS Tags: us_NH, education, release, response, adhesives A FIRE INCIDENT AT BINARY INDUSTRIES IMPARTED NO EFFECTS ON COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAYS STUDY | TOPNEWS UNITED STATES Tags: follow-up, australia CHEMICAL SPILL CLEANED UP ON BELTLINE RAMP; NO INJURIES REPORTED Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, environmental, ag_chems PORTSMOUTH MOTEL 6 EMPLOYEE OVERCOME BY CHEMICAL FUMES IN LAUNDRY - FOSTERS Tags: us_NH, other, release, injury, cleaners HOLYOKE YIELDS ANOTHER JUG ON THE STREET CONTAINING MYSTERY LIQUID AND PROMPTING HAZ-MAT RESPONSE | MASSLIVE.COM Tags: us_MA, other, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab SMOKING LITTER PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE - SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS Tags: us_CA, waste, release, response, hydrochloric_acid CHEMICALS FOUND DURING CONSTRUCTION Tags: us_CA, education, discovery, response, radiation ODOR IN PARADISE HILLS TRACED: STINKY SOIL - SIGNONSANDIEGO.COM Tags: us_CA, other, release, response, natural_gas --------------------------------------------- ODOR PROMPTS PARTIAL HOTEL EVACUATION IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON | ABC13.COM, http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8118067 Tags: us_TX, other, release, injury, chlorine HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Things were back to normal Saturday night at the Hilton Americas hotel downtown after two floors were evacuated due to a chemical spill. Related Content MORE: Got a story idea? Let us know! According to the Houston Fire Department, a strong odor was reported around 2pm Saturday at Hilton Americas on Lamar in downtown Houston. Firefighters say a worker was picking up empty chlorine drums this afternoon in the basement of the hotel. That's when they say the worker tried to pour some remaining chlorine into another drum and spilled it. Two employees had to go to the hospital with minor eye and lung irritation, officials said. Haz-Mat crews cleaned up the spill. The first and second floors were evacuated so they could be ventilated. --------------------------------------------- WHDH-TV - MENDON POLICE INVESTIGATE EXPLODING BOTTLES, http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12004258924570/mendon-police-inve stigate-exploding-bottles/ Tags: us_MA, other, explosion, response, bomb MENDON, Mass. -- Police in Mendon are investigating after two buildings were targeted by someone throwing bottles full of an explosive liquid. One of the bottle bombs was thrown out in front of a home on Park Street Friday evening. The family heard a loud explosion and then found remains of the bottle and chemicals on their driveway. =93They heard a large explosion outside in the front yard,=94 Detective David Kurzcy said. =93They didn=92t really think much of it for some reason -- ended up going to bed, didn=92t call us. The next morning they were out washing their car, went to the end of the driveway, noticed the device.=94 Around the same time, another bottle filled with chemicals was thrown in front of Alicante Mediterranean Grille where employees were wrapping things up for the night. One of their servers had a very close call. =93It was real warm chemical, little pellets inside of it, so I...curiosity trying to figure out what it was, until Joe said you probably should get rid of that,=94 Darren Johnson said. =93We threw it into the trash receptacle over here, I took probably two steps away from there, and it blew up, so it was pretty close to being in my hand at the time that it had blown up.=94 --------------------------------------------- UNCLEAR WHERE SUSPICIOUS JUGS CAME FROM | WWLP.COM, http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampden/Unclear-where-suspicious-jugs-c ame-from Tags: us_MA, other, discovery, response, unknown_chemical HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Residents of Holyoke aren=92t breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Police have arrested a man suspected in connection with the suspicious containers being left around the city, but it's not clear still where they are originating. The city of Holyoke is trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle. There have been 18 suspicious containers left around Holyoke. The locations extend from each end of the city. =46rom Whiting Farms road up to Canal Street it's over 3 miles apart. This all started around two weeks ago when the first suspicious container showed up. Holyoke Fire, Police, and state hazardous materials teams came in and tested the liquid inside the one gallon milk jugs. Results came back that the majority of the containers had residual from a chemical combination that is very dangerous. --------------------------------------------- POLICE: CHILDREN DISCOVER METH LAB IN TULSA PARK WHILE WALKING NEAR CREEK; HAZMAT UNIT CALLED :: THE REPUBLIC,http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/c20c62d3d0c54635b7a0413b771 5866e/OK--Tulsa-Park-Meth-Lab/ Tags: us_OK, other, discovery, environmental, meth_lab TULSA, Okla. =97 Police in Tulsa say children uncovered a methamphetamine lab while exploring a creek at a park in west Tulsa. Tulsa television station KJRH reports the children came upon the meth lab at about 10 p.m. Saturday at Reed Park. Police say one of the children looked through the chemical containers and told his father about what he saw. Police arrived to find the meth lab and drug paraphernalia. A hazardous materials unit was summoned to clean up the site. --------------------------------------------- ALLEGED METH COOK BURNED IN EXPLOSION | SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER | NEWS-LEADER.COM, http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110509/NEWS11/105090350/Alleged-meth- cook-burned-explosion?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs Tags: us_KS, other, explosion, injury, meth_lab KANSAS CITY -- Kansas City police say a man who was cooking methamphetamine inside a closed hospital suffered third-degree burns when the lab exploded. The injured man was taken to a different hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after police received a call around 9 a.m. Saturday. WDAF-TV reports officers found the man running from the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital near Liberty Memorial. Police say he told emergency responders he and another man had been cooking meth inside the building. --------------------------------------------- MAN DIES DURING HAZMAT SITUATION - REGIONAL NEWS - BUCKS, MONTGOMERY, CHESTER, PHILA. STORY - WFMZ ALLENTOWN,http://www.wfmz.com/bucksnews/27818459/detail.html Tags: us_PA, other, release, death, freon CHARLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- State Police in Embreeville are investigating after a hazmat situation turned fatal on Saturday. It happened at an unoccupied office/warehouse facility and communications tower in the 1000 block of Valley Hill Road in Charlestown Township. Police said the victim and three co-workers were contracted to remove mechanical equipment and scrap metal from the building, and had been working at the building for the past week. They said when the group arrived to work on Saturday, two people were exposed to fumes believed to have come from a mechanical room housing air conditioning cooling units. Police said the victim collapsed, and the other worker was able to call for help. The three workers tried rescuing the victim, but were overcome by the fumes. All four were transported to Paoli Hospital for treatment, and the victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. Several emergency crews arrived on scene to secure the building and area surrounding it. It was determined to be safe after being ventilated. Police said a preliminary investigation showed the victim's company was in the early stages of removing the cooling units. An inspection of the units showed they were still pressurized and several of the valves were opened, allowing freon gases to escape. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT RESPONDS TO SEMI CRASH NEAR GREAT BEND - KSN TV, KANSAS NEWS AND WEATHER, http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/Hazmat-responds-to-semi-crash-near-Gre at-Bend/tDdzmn33dk-Sfx45ybshvw.cspx Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, injury, gasoline GREAT BEND, Kansas - Police have closed down part of Highway 281 due to a semi truck that has overturned four miles north of Great Bend. The truck came to rest in the east ditch and spilled gallons of gasoline, according to police. A hazmat response team is responding to the accident to clean up the area. The driver of the semi was taken by air ambulance to a Wichita hospital. His condition is not currently known. Police report that the road will remain closed until gasoline has been cleaned up. --------------------------------------------- MAN BURNED IN POSSIBLE METH LAB EXPLOSION - WDAF, http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-possible-meth-lab-explosion-under-investig ation-in-kansas-city-20110507,0,3342882.story Tags: us_KS, other, explosion, injury, meth_lab KANSAS CITY, Mo.=97 A man is recovering from third degree burns after being burned during a meth lab explosion. It happened on Saturday morning near 31st & Baltimore in Kansas City, Mo. The victim set up the lab in an abandoned building that is the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital near Liberty Memorial. --------------------------------------------- STRAFFORD SCHOOL EVACUATED FOR ODOR CAUSED BY RENOVATIONS - FOSTERS, http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110506/GJNEWS_01/705 069956/-1/FOSNEWS Tags: us_NH, education, release, response, adhesives STRAFFORD =97 The Strafford School was evacuated Thursday afternoon and classes were dismissed early because of an odor that emanated from a part of the school undergoing renovations. SAU 44 Superintendent Dr. Michael Ludwell said the odor became noticeable in the school around noon when most students were eating lunch. Ludwell said the odor came from a classroom in a part of the school that's been part of ongoing renovations. "We decided to err on the side of caution and call in the fire and police departments and evacuate the building at lunchtime," Ludwell said. Fire Chief Paul Stover said the odor was caused by a reaction between a chemical for removing floor adhesive and the adhesive in one of the classrooms undergoing renovation. "God only knows how old the adhesive on the floor was," Stover said. "It also didn't help they had all the doors open in the area and the wind was blowing in the school." --------------------------------------------- A FIRE INCIDENT AT BINARY INDUSTRIES IMPARTED NO EFFECTS ON COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAYS STUDY | TOPNEWS UNITED STATES,http://topnews.us/content/239667-fire-incident-binary-industries-im parted-no-effects-community-health-says-study Tags: follow-up, australia he Narangba Industrial Estate Health Impact Assessment (HIA), conducted by Queensland Health, has suggested more studies about the latent dangers of chromium on the human health inspite of the report that has claimed that a chemical fire at Narangba, north of Brisbane, did not lead to any serious health problem among the natives of local area. A fire incident at Binary Industries has covered the atmosphere with puffs of lethal smoke in 2005. After a long span of time, approximately 6 years, Queensland Health has released a report on the operations of the Narangba Industrial Estate. The report has revealed that the chronic heart disease and respiratory illnesses were marked higher than the average although the air quality was not blamed for it. Further, the cancer and mortality rates were also reported similar to other reigns of Queensland. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL SPILL CLEANED UP ON BELTLINE RAMP; NO INJURIES REPORTED, http://host.madison.com/news/local/article_2be0a508-77ec-11e0-8c04-001cc4c 03286.html Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, environmental, ag_chems A liquid fertilizer spill on the Beltline exit ramp to Park Street brought out the hazardous materials team Friday morning, but the spill was contained and the site cleared within 90 minutes. No one was injured. Madison Fire Department spokesman Eric Dahl said an estimated 30 gallons of liquid lawn fertilizer spilled from the tank on the lawn care truck. The spill was reported at about 8:45 a.m. Friday, with most of the liquid spilling onto the ramp and flowing down toward a sewer drain. "Units used buckets to capture the liquid fertilizer until the leak was stopped," Dahl said. "Absorbent material was also used to soak up the fertilizer from the exit ramp." --------------------------------------------- PORTSMOUTH MOTEL 6 EMPLOYEE OVERCOME BY CHEMICAL FUMES IN LAUNDRY - FOSTERS, http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110506/GJNEWS_01/705 069922/-1/FOSNEWS Tags: us_NH, other, release, injury, cleaners PORTSMOUTH =97 A Motel 6 employee was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after being overcome by fumes from a chemical reaction. Portsmouth Fire Capt. Bernie Marvin said his department was called to 3 Gosling Road at 10:12 a.m. for a hazardous materials incident causing a medical emergency. Marvin described the employee as a man in his 60s. The man was working in the motel's laundry room on the first floor of the east wing of the building when the incident occurred. "It appears he was transferring chemicals from one container to the next," Marvin said. "There was a chain reaction where he was overcome." The motel did not need to be evacuated as a result of the incident. --------------------------------------------- HOLYOKE YIELDS ANOTHER JUG ON THE STREET CONTAINING MYSTERY LIQUID AND PROMPTING HAZ-MAT RESPONSE | MASSLIVE.COM,http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/holyoke_yields _another_jug_on.html Tags: us_MA, other, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab HOLYOKE - Another plastic milk container was found containing an unknown liquid prompting authorities to close part of Lyman Street for 90 minutes Friday. But Fire Department Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said tests so far are inconclusive as to whether the liquid is the same as the chemical that was found in more than a dozen containers around the city last week and prompted responses from hazardous-materials teams. Authorities believe the liquid in the plastic milk jugs last week could be a byproduct from the illegal production of methamphetamine, a stimulant drug that can lead to addiction and brain damage. --------------------------------------------- SMOKING LITTER PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE - SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18013548?nclick_check=1 Tags: us_CA, waste, release, response, hydrochloric_acid A smoking plastic carton brought a hazardous materials team to an East Palo Alto residence Friday afternoon, a fire official said. A woman at the home on the 900 block of Baines Street told investigators several containers had been thrown into her backyard and that it was not unusual for people to dump trash there, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ben Marra said. When the woman went to recycle the trash, however, she saw smoke rising from what looked like a plastic milk carton, according to Marra. Authorities, who arrived at the home at about 12:40 p.m., told neighbors to shelter in place while the hazmat team investigated. Police officers, the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services and county health officials also responded. They determined the chemical was muriatic acid, which is commonly used in cleaning supplies, Marra said. The chemical can burn skin and injure lungs if inhaled. The chemical-filled container appears to be a case of littering and was not part of a malicious act, Marra said. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICALS FOUND DURING CONSTRUCTION, http://www.therounduponline.net/mobile/news/hazmat-team-confirms-no-danger -to-campus-1.2560577 Tags: us_CA, education, discovery, response, radiation There is no danger or threat to the Pierce College campus, according to the hazardous materials team (Hazmat) following a chemical spill during construction Friday. Hazmat confirmed that the chemical vault construction located in the old Chemistry 800 Building workers broke into during renovation projects near Parking Lot 7 posed no dangerous threats to students, faculty and the workers involved. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded along with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) and LA County Health Department to the suspected Hazmat emergency. The Chemistry Building and old Child Development Center have been left unused since summer 2010, when the Center for Sciences and new Child Development Center opened. The underground vault held eight containers, four of which had low-level radioactive materials inside. Following further inspection, the Los Angeles Fire Department found none of the four to be broken or unsealed. --------------------------------------------- ODOR IN PARADISE HILLS TRACED: STINKY SOIL - SIGNONSANDIEGO.COM, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/06/odor-in-Paradise-Hills-trac ed-stinky-soil/ Tags: us_CA, other, release, response, natural_gas SAN DIEGO =97 Utility and hazardous materials crews, fire and police officials cordoned off a two-block area of Paradise Hills Friday evening while investigating a possible natural gas leak. Nearly five hours later, they determined the scent of methane was coming off soil that had surrounded old sewer pipes for years, until contractors recently started digging it up. Residents on Childs Avenue reported smelling some kind of odor, possibly gas, around 5:30 p.m. A construction crew had been in the area earlier, digging a trench, but there was no sign that they had broken a natural gas line, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials said. --------------------------------------------- All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post