Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Monday, May 23, 2011 8:15:01 AM A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas Table of Contents (17 articles) 2 WORKERS DIE AT PLANT AFTER BEING OVERCOME BY CHEMICAL Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical FIRE IN PUNJAB CHEMICAL FACTORY, NO CASUALTIES Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, flammables UPDATE: POLICE SAY BURNED MAN HAD ITEMS IN HOME THAT MADE FLAMMABLE MIXTURES Tags: us_CA, public, fire, injury, dust OUR VIEW: ERIE NEEDS ANSWERS ABOUT BIOFUELS FIRE Tags: follow-up MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING BOTTLE BOMBS Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, response, bomb, illegal DYERSBURG STATE GAZETTE: LOCAL NEWS: COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED METH LAB EXPLOSION (05/22/11) Tags: us_TN, public, explosion, response, meth_lab TWO ARRESTED AFTER METH LAB EXPLOSION Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, response, meth_lab WORKERS HITTING AMMONIA LINE, CAUSE EVACUATION Tags: us_TN, public, release, injury, ammonia AMMONIA LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN OCEANO Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, ammonia FIREFIGHTERS AND ENVIRONMENT OFFICERS HAD TO ACT SWIFTLY TO PREVENT A CHEMICAL SPILL HARMING A NATURE RESERVE. Tags: United, Kingdom, transportation, release, environmental, unknown_chemical SMALL CHEMICAL SPILL IN LATIMER HALL LEAVES NO ONE INJURED Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical 25 SHOW UP AT HOSPITAL AFTER HAZMAT SPILL Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR DOWNTOWN Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, cyanide, sulfuric_acid CHAMPLIN HS STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER SMALL LUNCH ROOM EXPLOSION Tags: us_MN, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical LARGE FIRE REPORTED AT STONE CONTAINER Tags: us_AZ, industrial, explosion, response, metals EMISSION OF SHARP SMELL CAUSES PANIC AMONG STUDENTS Tags: Oman, laboratory, release, response, bromine UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NEWS - BEAKER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT INJURES STUDENT Tags: us_FL, laboratory, explosion, injury, hydrochloric_acid, titanium --------------------------------------------- 2 WORKERS DIE AT PLANT AFTER BEING OVERCOME BY CHEMICAL http://www.wafb.com/story/14694428/2-workers-chemical-plant-in-plaquemine- killed Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical PLAQUEMINE, LA (WAFB) - Two people died inside a chemical plant vessel south of Plaquemine on Sunday. The Louisiana State Police said its hazardous materials hotline received a call around 1 p.m. about two people unconscious at the Shintech Plant. Lt. Doug Cain with LSP said a contractor went inside the vessel to get tools he forgot and was overcome by an unknown chemical. When another Shintech employee went in behind him, that person was also overcome by the chemical and died. "We believe it was an oxygen-deficit environment," Cain explained. "They were overcome by some sort of chemical. There wasn't enough oxygen and both of them went unconscious and ultimately died." --------------------------------------------- FIRE IN PUNJAB CHEMICAL FACTORY, NO CASUALTIES http://www.hindustantimes.com/Fire-in-Punjab-chemical-factory-no-casualtie s/Article1-700512.aspx Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, flammables A major fire broke out in a chemical factory that was packed with inflammable material in Dera Bassi town of Punjab Sunday, officials said. No casualties have been reported. According to fire officials here, the blaze could have been caused by an electrical short-circuit. Dera Bassi in Mohali distri ct is around 15 km from the state capital Chandigarh. "Around 10 fire extinguisher vans were pressed into service. The fire broke out at 5.30 a.m. and it took over four hours to bring it under control. The presence of highly inflammable material in the factory's godown made our work difficult," Fire Officer Avatar Singh told IANS Sunday. --------------------------------------------- UPDATE: POLICE SAY BURNED MAN HAD ITEMS IN HOME THAT MADE FLAMMABLE MIXTURES http://murrieta.patch.com/articles/explosion-burns-man-in-murrieta-block-s ealed Tags: us_CA, public, fire, injury, dust A man badly burned Sunday when some powder ignited at his home had some items that when mixed could be hazardous, a Murrieta police sergeant said. The man, who has tentatively been identified as Miles Lowenthal, 56, came out of his rented home in his underwear and told his fiancee to get him to a urgent care center. Police were directed to the home about 2:30 p.m. by the fiancee, who flagged down an officer as she drove the man to an emergency room. Officers cordoned off the block, evacuated the homes on either side of 29638 Big Dipper Way, and called for an air ambulance to take the man to a burn unit. Murrieta police Officer Jim Gruwell told Patch that investigators searching the home found the items that could prove to be hazardous if mixed. Lowenthal's fiancee, Sandra Collette, said her man told her he was trying to "get rid of some ammo." --------------------------------------------- OUR VIEW: ERIE NEEDS ANSWERS ABOUT BIOFUELS FIRE http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110522/OPINION01/3052 29990/-1/OPINION06 Tags: follow-up How much do we know about how biofuels are produced? Not enough, apparently. That's our conclusion after fire and explosions destroyed an industrial plant in Harborcreek Township a week ago Saturday. The fire at American Biodiesel Energy Inc. and North American Powder Coatings, 4680 Iroquois Ave., required heroic efforts by 12 volunteer firefighting companies, with Erie firefighters on standby. Volunteers returned twice when the fire rekindled. More than one-quarter of the estimated 100 responding firefighters have been treated for respiratory problems. These firefighters and their chiefs are right to be concerned about their exposure to harmful substances. The Erie community, in turn, is justified to ask about the plant's operations and the hazards it presented. --------------------------------------------- MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING BOTTLE BOMBS http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_BR_Bom bs_0521.33f18b6be.html Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, response, bomb, illegal Denton fire marshals arrested a man Friday afternoon on a charge of manufacturing a prohibited weapon. Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Weldon said John Stephens, 26, was arrested after neighbors complained Wednesday night that he was setting off explosives in his yard on Howard Court. The investigators found evidence of three bottle bombs, which are made with a combination of dry and liquid chemicals in a plastic two-liter bottle. They found no damage caused by the explosions, he said. --------------------------------------------- DYERSBURG STATE GAZETTE: LOCAL NEWS: COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED METH LAB EXPLOSION (05/22/11) http://www.stategazette.com/story/1729864.html Tags: us_TN, public, explosion, response, meth_lab Dyersburg Police arrested a couple this week after a meth lab allegedly exploded at a residence on Cherry Street. James Glissen, 25, 1016 Cherry St., and Tara Crews, 21, 1501 Schaffer St., are both charged with methamphetamine manufacture. The incident occurred on Tuesday around 4 a.m. when police responded to Glissen's residence after a 911 hang-up call came into Dyersburg Dispatch. Glissen allowed police inside the home and they discovered a bottle at the top of the stairs with a hose connected to it. There was also a substance reportedly coming out of it, which was allegedly associated with the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Crews had locked herself in a bathroom and police had to exit the house, due to a strong chemical odor. Glissen told police he had heard a loud boom come from the upstairs and went to investigate. He stated to police he entered the room where he heard the explosion and another suspect was inside there waving a bottle around. Glissen said he got sprayed in the eyes with whatever was in the bottle. --------------------------------------------- TWO ARRESTED AFTER METH LAB EXPLOSION http://www.ktul.com/story/14693505/two-arrested-after-meth-lab-explosion Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, response, meth_lab Tulsa Police arrest a man and woman after officers say a meth lab exploded. Officers arrested Samuel Hunter, 28, and Fawn Shuttler, 39, after responding to an apartment fire at the Conway Apartments, located near 4500 E 33rd St. When officers arrived on scene about 6 o'clock Sunday morning, they say they immediately smelled a strong chemical odor. The report states Hunter had burns consistent with a meth lab explosion. He signed a search warrant, and police found a meth lab in the apartment. --------------------------------------------- WORKERS HITTING AMMONIA LINE, CAUSE EVACUATION http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110521/NEWS/305210038/Workers-hitting- ammonia-line-cause-evacuation- Tags: us_TN, public, release, injury, ammonia There was a chemical scare Friday in downtown Nashville when construction workers hit an ammonia line, forcing an evacuation and closing roads in the area around the intersection of Charlotte Avenue and 11th Avenue North. The Nashville Fire Department contained the leak by midafternoon. One person who was in the immediate vicinity when the leak occurred was taken to the hospital with noncritical injuries, according to Fire Department spokeswoman Maggie Lawrence. The leak took place at a closed-down Polar Icehouse Storage facility, which developers are demolishing to make way for an apartment development dubbed Eleven North. --------------------------------------------- AMMONIA LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN OCEANO http://www.santamariatimes.com/news/local/article_8bc3d16c-82a9-11e0-8a43- 001cc4c03286.html Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, ammonia A strong chemical odor at a California State Parks Department maintenance yard in Oceano on Thursday led to an evacuation of the area, but the incident ended without injury. The odor eventually was traced to an abandoned pressurized cylinder containing ammonia. State Parks employees at the maintenance yard noticed the odor around 8 a.m., prompting a multi-jurisdiction team of emergency personnel from Oceano to Paso Robles to respond to the scene. =93We take (chemical releases) very seriously,=94 said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Phil Veneris. =93It=92s an inhalation danger.=94 --------------------------------------------- FIREFIGHTERS AND ENVIRONMENT OFFICERS HAD TO ACT SWIFTLY TO PREVENT A CHEMICAL SPILL HARMING A NATURE RESERVE. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Firefighters-environment-officers-a void-chemical-spill-damage/article-3577078-detail/article.html Tags: United, Kingdom, transportation, release, environmental, unknown_chemical FIREFIGHTERS and environment officers had to act swiftly to prevent a chemical spill harming a nature reserve. About 200 litres of plastisol spilled into Acton Avenue, on Long Eaton's Acton Lane industrial estate, after a drum on a lorry split. Fire crews from Long Eaton were called to the scene, at just after 12.30pm yesterday. They immediately requested Environment Agency officials to attend, fearing the chemical could spread to the nearby Forbes Hole nature reserve, which is designated as a site of special scientific interest. The Highways Agency were also called upon to dump a ton of sand on to the spillage to stop it spreading. The spillage forced the road to be closed for a number of hours. --------------------------------------------- SMALL CHEMICAL SPILL IN LATIMER HALL LEAVES NO ONE INJURED http://www.dailycal.org/article/113183/small_chemical_spill_in_latimer_hal l_leaves_no_one Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical A small chemical spill occurred in Latimer Hall on Wednesday night, though no one sustained any injuries. At about 8:53 p.m., UCPD received a call that there had been a small amount of chemicals spilled in 505 Latimer Hall, according to department spokesperson Lt. Alex Yao. He said UCPD, the Berkeley Fire Department and the campus's Office of Environmental Health and Safety responded to the call. According to Yao, the room was closed off and there were no reported injuries. He added that individuals from the EHS office returned Thursday morning to finish cleaning up the small amount of chemicals that were spilled Wednesday night. --------------------------------------------- 25 SHOW UP AT HOSPITAL AFTER HAZMAT SPILL http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=620441 Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical PUEBLO, COLO. -- Pueblo County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a hazardous material spill at the Pueblo Airport that resulted in 25 people showing up at Parkview Hospital complaining of illness Friday morning. All 25 people had symptoms consistent with an exposure. They all work at Integrated Document Solutions at the Pueblo Memorial Airport Industrial Park. As a precaution, all 25 are being decontaminated for possible exposure to an unknown chemical. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR DOWNTOWN http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/hazmat-crews-cleaning-up-chemical- spill-near-downtown- Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, cyanide, sulfuric_acid TULSA - Tulsa HAZMAT crews are cleaning up a chemical spill at a warehouse near downtown, officials say. A mixture of silver cyanide and sulfuric acid was spilled at a building near 12th and South Frankfort. An employee inhaled the mixture and was treated by EMSA. Officials say the mixture can also be absorbed though the skin. Silver cyanide is used in silver-plating. --------------------------------------------- CHAMPLIN HS STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER SMALL LUNCH ROOM EXPLOSION http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2121114.shtml Tags: us_MN, education, explosion, response, unknown_chemical Two Champlin High School students were arrested Thursday in connection to a small explosion in the cafeteria during lunch. According to the school district, a plastic bottle was filled with a chemical and left in the dish tray area of the lunch room. The bottle exploded, making a loud noise and splashing one nearby student with the chemical. The student was not injured, but was sent home. Lt. Eric Nelson with the Brooklyn Park Police Department says it caused a very small explosion and investigators are working to determine what chemical was put in the bottle. --------------------------------------------- LARGE FIRE REPORTED AT STONE CONTAINER http://www.newsherald.com/news/fire-93780-building-scene.html Tags: us_AZ, industrial, explosion, response, metals Firefighters put out a blaze at Arizona Chemical Friday afternoon. The incident began with an explosion at a metal corrugated tall oil upgrade facility at the plant at about 4:30 p.m., officials said. The fire was out by 5:15 p.m. No one was injured in the incident officials said. "It was pretty involved initially," said Charlie Snelling, the manager of human resources at the plant. The fire at the sent out large, thick black plumes of smoke into the afternoon air. "We don't know how the fire started," Snelling said. He also described the building as the place where workers refine the materials they use at the plant. --------------------------------------------- EMISSION OF SHARP SMELL CAUSES PANIC AMONG STUDENTS http://main.omanobserver.om/node/51829 Tags: Oman, laboratory, release, response, bromine By Maryam Khalfan - MUSCAT - In unfamiliar incident, an emission of a sharp smell resulting from a chemical reaction emitted smoke and a sharp smell in one of the chemistry laboratories on the main building of one of the schools in Seeb activated an emergency alert causing panic among students last week, it is learnt. The incident occurred when the laboratory technician was preparing Bromine water for an experimental exercise before the students could proceed for the lesson that is part of the Ministry of Education=92s (MoE) grade 11 syllabus in bilingual schools. The reaction of the solution changed from its liquid to gas state and emitted a smoke like fume, which was sensored by one of the smoke detectors equipped in the laboratory and other susceptible and select areas of the school. Automatically, the smoke detector activated the alarm bells in the corridors of the school for students to vacate to safety. Immediately, all the teachers confirmed that it was not a false call and instantly guided and instructed the students to safely proceed to the assembly point within moments of the incident. --------------------------------------------- UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NEWS - BEAKER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT INJURES STUDENT http://news.ufl.edu/2011/05/20/beaker/ Tags: us_FL, laboratory, explosion, injury, hydrochloric_acid, titanium GAINESVILLE, Fla. =97 At approximately 11 a.m. Thursday, the University of Florida Police Department and Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to a report of an injured person and a beaker explosion that occurred at the Materials Engineering Building. Upon arrival, units from both UFPD and GFR assisted the injured person, UF student Zhi Zhou, 27, and secured the lab where the incident occurred. Zhou was transported to Shands at UF medical center with non-life threatening injuries. After the GFR Hazmat Unit cleared the lab where the minor explosion occurred, it was determined that the materials involved were hydrochloric acid, tetrachloride, titanium and water, which were combined and heated in a 30-milliliter beaker. Given the small and contained nature of the explosion, the building was not evacuated. All units from UFPD and GFR cleared the scene by 11:43 am, with only staff from the University of Florida Environmental Health & Safety, and Physical Plant Division completing follow-on tasks. ---------------------------------------------
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