Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Monday, May 30, 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 (18 articles) CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical NEW DETAILS IN DEADLY EXPLOSION Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical TOXIC SPILL AT TERALBA YARD Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, mercury FIRE AT FULLER BRUSH FACTORY CAUSES LITTLE DAMAGE Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane KERSHAW DEPUTIES RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL FOLLOWING A METH LAB BUST AND A DEAD BODY Tags: us_SC, public, release, death, meth_lab DEAD MAN FOUND IN CAR WITH POISON GAS IN WATERTOWN A SUICIDE Tags: us_MA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide HUDSON CHEMICAL EXPLOSION CLOSES U.S. 321, FORCES EVACUATION Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, response, paints EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN EASTERN CHINA KILLS 3 PEOPLE, INJURES 8 Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical THE CANADIAN PRESS: 3 ROYAL CANADIAN MINT WORKERS REPORTED OK AFTER BREATHING CHEMICAL FUMES Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, water_treatment 7 HURT IN 'GAS EXPLOSION' IN BUILDING Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, injury BIOTECH, PHARMACEUTICAL, FACULTY, POSTDOC JOBS ON SCIENCE CAREERS Tags: laboratory, explosion, death, editorial, follow-up HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO B Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, pool_chemicals HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION Tags: us_MO, public, release, environmental, hydrochloric_acid WORKERS OVERCOME WITH GAS AT WAREHOUSE ON LINDEN AVENUE Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical KFOX-14 INVESTIGATES POTENTIALLY DEADLY DANGERS OF NAPHTHA PRODUCTS Tags: us_TX, public, fire, death, naphtha TWO MEN SENTENCED IN EAST BETHEL METH LAB CASE Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab 5 HURT IN BLAST AT GALLATIN METAL POWDERS PLANT Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, dust, metals --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/5669578-418/chemical-plant-fire-forces -evacuations.html Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical GRUNDY COUNTY e_SEmD A fire at a chemical plant forced over 100 nearby residences to be evacuated Sunday. Streets, rivers and railroads were also shut down for nearly six hours. The blaze started around 1:30 p.m. at Lyondell Basell, 8805 Tabler Road, near Morris. =93A polyethane tank lost power (from the fire) and wasn=92t generating the steam needed to cool the tank,=94 Sheriff Terry Marketti said. =93The pressure kept rising which caused concern it might explode.=94 Sheriff=92s police made reverse-911 calls to residents of the Dresden Acres neighborhood and other houses in the area before deputies and firefighters went door to door advising residents to leave. Non-essential personnel from other plants in the area, such as Aux Sable Liquid Products, were also removed. The Morris Fire Department quickly classified the incident a =93box alarm=94 to request assistance from many mutual aid departments. An incident command center was set up in the parking lot of Jewel in Minooka. The Illinois River was closed to boating traffic, trains were stopped and state police assisted in shutting down Route 6. No injuries were reported during the incident. The roads and other means of transportation were reopened around 7:30 p.m., Marketti said. --------------------------------------------- NEW DETAILS IN DEADLY EXPLOSION http://www.ktbs.com/news/28066506/detail.html Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical The investigation continues in Red River Parish after one person was killed and another wounded when a gas well exploded Saturday night. It happened at TGGT Holding on Yearwood Road just off Highway one. 47-year-old Michael Tartt was killed and a second man wounded. Authorities say he's been released from the hospital. Louisiana hazmat was called in to secure the scene. OSHA now takes over the investigation into what caused the explosion. The plant is shut down until the investigation wraps up. --------------------------------------------- TOXIC SPILL AT TERALBA YARD http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/toxic-spill-at-teralba -yard/2179094.aspx Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, mercury HAZARDOUS materials experts have closed a Teralba scrap metal yard after a drum containing mercury was spilled this morning. No one is affected by the spill of the highly toxic substance. A small amount spilled onto the clothing and boots of a worker. It is understood the mercury may have been spread around the site by trucks soon after it was spilled, about 11.30am. The area has been isolated and specialist HAZMAT firefighters are working to clean up the contaminated area. --------------------------------------------- FIRE AT FULLER BRUSH FACTORY CAUSES LITTLE DAMAGE http://www.ksn.com/content/news/bureaus/story/Fire-at-Fuller-Brush-Factory -causes-little-damage/hLAu5bqGSUeQ1TgQE19MRQ.cspx Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical GREAT BEND, KS (KSN)--A fire at the Fuller Brush factory in Great Bend Friday evening caused $5,000 in damage. Fire officials were called to the plant just before 10 p.m. where they found a fire in a chemical room. Several plastic buckets containing floor wax stripper were burning on. A sprinkler system above the assembly line did a good job in keeping the fire contained to the area. The plant was evacuated, but employees were able to return a few hours later after the smoke had been removed from the building. No injuries were reported. --------------------------------------------- NBC-2.COM WBBH NEWS FOR FORT MYERS, CAPE CORAL & NAPLES, FLORIDA http://www.nbc-2.com/story/14745133/2011/05/28/gas-leak-prompts-cape-hazma t-investigation Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane CAPE CORAL - A family in Cape Coral made a startling discovery while the prepared for a barbeque on Saturday afternoon. Shortly before 4:00 p.m. neighbors on SE 33rd Terrace in Cape Coral heard what they say sounded like a sprinkler system and saw gas vapors on their neighbor's property. They quickly called 9-1-1 and the HAZMAT team from the Cape Coral Fire Department isolated a 1,000 gallon undergound propane tank. Six homes were evacuated and the streets were sealed off for about an hour as the HAZMAT team, gas and electrical companies worked to shut off the leak and disperse the propane using water. "You'll still smell it a little bit lingering but it's jsut the residue from it hanging around. But the propane lays low and the quality's good right now," says CCFD Battalion Chief John Scimeca. Crews performed air quality checks before, during, and after the cleanup to ensure safety. No one was injured. --------------------------------------------- KERSHAW DEPUTIES RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL FOLLOWING A METH LAB BUST AND A DEAD BODY http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=623527 Tags: us_SC, public, release, death, meth_lab KERSHAW COUNTY (WACH) -- Kershaw County Investigators worked a series of incidents Saturday afternoon. According to Sheriff Jim Matthews dispatch received a call about a domestic situation shortly before 1pm. When deputies arrived at 1995 Highway 601 South in Lugoff they found a woman who they say was shot and killed. As authorities searched the mobile home they discovered it was an active meth lab and that one of the bedrooms was being used as a marijuana grow. At that time Sheriff Matthews says David Tyler was taken into custody for manufacturing methamphetamine and cultivation of marijuana. In the meantime based on information provided by a phone call to dispatch authorities, arrested Greg Smith who authorities say is believed to be the shooting suspect. Sheriff Matthews says shortly after the meth lab discovery one deputy started throwing up and was rushed to Kershaw Health. The Sheriff says at least six deputies were sent to Kershaw Health for treatment due to toxic fumes inhaled from the meth lab. Sheriff Matthews says while in jail Tyler went into cardiac arrest and died. --------------------------------------------- DEAD MAN FOUND IN CAR WITH POISON GAS IN WATERTOWN A SUICIDE http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/breaking/x556412128/Dead-man-found-in -car-with-poison-gas-in-Watertown#axzz1NjndlitV Tags: us_MA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide A dead man was found in a car containing poisonous gas on Arsenal Street in Watertown, according to police. No one else has been reported injured at the scene but police, fire and Hazmat officials are on scene for a Level 3 Hazmat situation. According to Watertown police, the death is a suicide. It "does not appear to be suspicious," according to a spokeswoman from the Middlesex District Attorney's office. According to police reports, a couple walking their dog along the bike path near 500 Arsenal St. at about 5:50 p.m. noticed a gray Honda Accord in a parking lot. The car reportedly had two notes on the window -- one saying "Poison H2S gas" and one saying "One breath kills, notify Hazmat." Police officers and firefighters responded to the scene and notified the state hazmat team, according to reports. They reportedly discovered a deceased man in the car. The man's identity has not been released. --------------------------------------------- HUDSON CHEMICAL EXPLOSION CLOSES U.S. 321, FORCES EVACUATION http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2011/may/28/5/hudson-chemical-explosion -closes-us-321-forces-eva-ar-1074394/ Tags: us_NC, industrial, explosion, response, paints It=92s not yet clear what caused the explosion and fire at Chemical Coatings at about 3 p.m. Saturday. =93As far as we know, the plant was closed,=94 said B.J. Fore of the Caldwell County Sheriff=92s Office. =93We don=92t have any reports of anyone injured and we haven=92t gotten any complaints from anyone about illnesses caused by the fumes.=94 Emergency crews are working to control the fire and determine if it=92s safe for the estimated 750 people evacuated from a one-mile radius around the plant to return to their homes, Fore said. By 6 p.m., firefighters had the fire under control but were still on the scene battling hot spots at 8 p.m. =93An investigation has not started yet, because we have to make sure the scene is safe,=94 Fore said. --------------------------------------------- EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN EASTERN CHINA KILLS 3 PEOPLE, INJURES 8 http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/122788924.html Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical BEIJING, China - Authorities say a blast at a chemical plant in eastern China has killed three people and injured eight others. The government of Zibo city in Shandong province said in a statement Sunday that police were investigating the cause of the explosion at a chemical plant owned by Shandong Baoyuan Chemical Co. Ltd. The statement says the Saturday night blast killed two people at the site while a third person died later at a hospital. Eight other people who suffered slight injuries were being treated at a hospital. Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax regulations and safety controls. --------------------------------------------- THE CANADIAN PRESS: 3 ROYAL CANADIAN MINT WORKERS REPORTED OK AFTER BREATHING CHEMICAL FUMES http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hGgxoZZA6y0AT h6lceORPHUd3VZg?docId=6977939 Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, water_treatment 3 Royal Canadian Mint workers reported OK after breathing chemical fumes (The Canadian Press) - 22 hours ago OTTAWA =97 The Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa says three workers are OK after inhaling some chemical fumes at the facility this morning. The mint says it appears chemical vapours were released from the waste water treatment system at the refinery. Spokesman Alex Reeves says the three workers who were exposed to the fumes were taken to hospital to be checked out. He says all three men have since been released and the cause of the incident is under investigation. Meanwhile, normal production is continuing at the mint in all non-affected areas, including public tours. The workers =97 aged 51, 58 and 35 =97 were not identified. But Reeves confirmed reports that two of the men rescued their co-worker by pulling him away from the fumes. Along with producing Canada's coins, the mint also produces and markets bullion and related refinery products. Marc Messier of the Ottawa fire department said earlier there was no danger to the public because the fumes were contained. A hazardous materials team determined there was no need to evacuate the building, and the area where the fumes were released was isolated and ventilated. --------------------------------------------- 7 HURT IN 'GAS EXPLOSION' IN BUILDING http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=187596 Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, injury At least seven people were injured in an explosion at the city's Mirpur yesterday evening. Police suspect that the explosion occurred due to a gas leakage. Of the seven, three people-- Atiqullah, 38, his nephew Forkan Ahmed, 23, and Kaiser Uddin, 41-- suffered 30 percent burns. They were admitted to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Atiqullah said the explosion took place on the first floor of a four-storey building at Mirpur-2 when they switched on the lights of a room that has been closed for a while. On that small section of the floor was a beauty parlour which was closed three months ago. Two months ago Atiqullah rented the section to use it as an office of the Samannay Officers' Bahumukhi Samabai Samiti but the office did not open that time. Yesterday, when they switched on the lights, the explosion occurred and soon fire engulfed the area. The three managed to come out with burn injuries. The next flat that housed a small garment factory was heavily damaged by the explosion. Parts of bricks and window panes of the building injured four construction workers who were at an adjacent building. "The explosion caused an earthquake-like situation around the building," said neighbour Mamtaj Begum. The shaking lasted for around 10 seconds damaging windows and furniture of two floors of the building. --------------------------------------------- BIOTECH, PHARMACEUTICAL, FACULTY, POSTDOC JOBS ON SCIENCE CAREERS http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/artic les/2011_05_06/caredit.a1100041 Tags: laboratory, explosion, death, editorial, follow-up "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", the heartbreaking anthem of the 1960s antiwar movement, has a plaintive refrain that repeatedly asks, =93When will they ever learn?=94 Pete Seeger=92s dirge laments the needless waste of young lives in warfare. The question, however, applies to other needless young deaths that result from the blindness, carelessness, or arrogance of powerful elders -- including fatalities that take place at American academic research facilities. These thoughts arise in part because this week marks the second anniversary of the citations and fines levied by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health against the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) for =93serious=94 safety violations in the January 2009 death by fire of 23-year-old technician Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji. One year after the fire, in January 2010, graduate student Preston Brown, 29, was critically injured in an explosion in the lab of Louisa J. Hope-Weeks at Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO B http://www.fox19.com/story/14733574/hazmat-crews-on-scene-after-car-runs-i nto-pool-business Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, pool_chemicals ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, OH (FOX19) - HazMat crews have given the all-clear after a chemical spill in Arlington Heights. A car crashed into a pool and patio business on Elliot Drive around 1 p.m. Sun Spot Pool and Patio houses chemicals for swimming pools in a storage area. The driver of a black Chevy ran into that storage area. The business is near Interstate 75, but traffic on the interstate was not being affected. --------------------------------------------- HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION http://stjoechannel.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=203717 Tags: us_MO, public, release, environmental, hydrochloric_acid A hazardous material spill forced the evacuation of parts of southern Buchanan County Thursday night. Emergency management officials ordered residents living in a quarter-mile radius of Highway 45 and Highway 59 to evacuate. Hazmat crews out of Olathe and Burlington Northern worked to clean up a hydrochloric acid spill in the area. Officials say the acid was leaking out of a tank being carried by a northbound train. The spill was spotted by a crew on a passing southbound train. --------------------------------------------- WORKERS OVERCOME WITH GAS AT WAREHOUSE ON LINDEN AVENUE http://blog.nj.com/hudsonhssports/2011/05/workers_overcome_with_gas_at_w.h tml Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical Six or more workers were overcome with gas at a warehouse in the Simms Metal Management complex tonight on Linden Avenue according to Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman. It is unclear at this time how many workers came into contact with the gas. A hazmat team was dispatched to the site to determine the source of the gas. According to Jersey City Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson, ambulances and a paramedic unit were dispatched to the scene to assist with decontamination and medical triage. --------------------------------------------- KFOX-14 INVESTIGATES POTENTIALLY DEADLY DANGERS OF NAPHTHA PRODUCTS http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/28040517/detail.html Tags: us_TX, public, fire, death, naphtha EL PASO, Texas -- Just hours after 73-year-old Maria Villalobos died in a Central El Paso house fire, fire leaders told KFOX-14 this is not the first warning that firefighters and concerned family issued to the woman about using flammable products to clean and treat her floors. Wednesday morning, Villalobos was treating her wood floors with Naphtha, a highly-flammable, fast drying solvent. Somehow, the chemical caught fire, also igniting Villalobos' clothing. She died several hours later in a sedated coma at a Lubbock burn unit. Fire leaders said several years ago, they responded to a medical call involving Villalobos. While responding, fire leaders said family members urged firefighters to talk to Villalobos about the danger of using flammable products. However, fire leaders said Villalobos continued to use the products as part of a yearly cleaning routine. --------------------------------------------- TWO MEN SENTENCED IN EAST BETHEL METH LAB CASE http://abcnewspapers.com/2011/05/27/two-men-sentenced-in-east-bethel-meth- lab-case/ Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, response, illegal, meth_lab Two men were sentenced May 18 on felony drug possession pleas stemming from a meth lab case in East Bethel. ... According to the criminal complaint, an informant tipped a detective with the Anoka Hennepin Drug Task Force that Nordstrom was manufacturing meth in his East Bethel home. A search warrant was obtained and the Anoka County SWAT Team went to the home around 7:45 p.m. March 7. When the SWAT Team went into the home, they were overwhelmed by an odor that came from the production of meth, so they removed Brekke and Nordstrom and called the East Bethel Fire Department to ventilate the home. According to the complaint, Nordstrom told police that Brekke had been staying with him for four days and during that time, they attempted to cook meth using chicken food, toluene and lithium batteries. --------------------------------------------- 5 HURT IN BLAST AT GALLATIN METAL POWDERS PLANT http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/5-hurt-in-blast-at-Gallatin-meta l-powders-plant-1398782.php Tags: us_TN, industrial, explosion, injury, dust, metals GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) =97 Three workers have been critically burned in an explosion at a Middle Tennessee chemical plant, and federal investigators are on their way to the scene. The Friday morning accident that injured five total is the third this year at the Hoeganaes (HAY'-gan-eez) Corp. plant where a January flash fire killed a worker. The Gallatin facility makes metal powders and the two previous accidents occurred after flammable dust accumulated in the air and combusted. The plant already was under investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. An investigator criticized the company two weeks ago for not adequately addressing the danger posed by the dust. ---------------------------------------------
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