Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Friday, June 17, 2011 8:15:02 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 (11 articles) WBAY-TV GREEN BAY-FOX CITIES-NORTHEAST WISCONSIN NEWS Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, response, ammonia FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SPILL Tags: public, release, response, ammonium_hydroxide, chlorine, Canada NINE SICKENED BY FUMES Tags: us_MI, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION AND FIRE DESTROY BUILDING IN MASON Tags: us_MI, transportation, explosion, injury, solvent, follow-up DOCTORS, CHEMISTS RAISE HEALTH CONCERNS OVER EXPLOSION Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, methanol, toluene, xylene, follow-up HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY POOL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine CHLORINE GAS LEAK EVACUATES BATTELLE BUILDINGS Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, chlorine AMMONIA LEAK NEAR DAIRY PROMPTS 'SHELTER-IN-PLACE' =B7 OPB NEWS Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, response, ammonia LA. PLANT FIRE WILL BE ALLOWED TO BURN ITSELF OUT: NATIONAL Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, environmental, methanol, toluene, xylene, follow-up RESIDENTS EVACUATED AFTER ASBESTOS FOUND AT BLAZE Tags: United, Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, acetylene LAKE DREAMLAND FD, COAST GUARD INVESTIGATE UNKNOWN CHEMICAL IN OHIO RIVER Tags: us_KY, other, release, environmental, unknown_chemical --------------------------------------------- WBAY-TV GREEN BAY-FOX CITIES-NORTHEAST WISCONSIN NEWS http://www.wbay.com/story/14921707/2011/06/16/ammonia-leak-from-rail-car-c ontained-in Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, response, ammonia A Hazmat crew contains an ammonia leak from a rail car south of New London. Crews were called to the scene near Readfield in Waupaca County just before nine o'clock Thursday morning. The leak was located on a rail line near the Larsen Co-op. Officials say a valve on a rail car was leaking. Three homes were evacuated as a precaution. Traffic in that area was closed but has since reopened. Hazmat had the situation under control in an hour. --------------------------------------------- FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SPILL http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/Local/2011-06-16/article-2591380/Fi re-Department-Responds-to-Chemical-Spill/1 Tags: public, release, response, ammonium_hydroxide, chlorine, Canada At 8:36 am, on Thursday June 16th, a call was received by the 911 operator advising of a chlorine smell at the toll booth on Brookdale. The Fire Services Department responded with four vehicles from both stations, including the HazMat vehicle. A total of 11 fire personnel were at the scene. A spill of 50 gallons of Ammonium Hydroxide happened on Brentags site. All traffic across Brookdale (Second to Ninth) and the bridge was stopped, and the pay toll and the customs office were evacuated as a precaution. Air monitoring was put in place with minimal readings. The spill was contained to the site itself. The incident was concluded at 10:15 am. --------------------------------------------- NINE SICKENED BY FUMES http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/lansing/article_d05ef3c7-ae54- 50bf-9d58-4f4802e6310c.html Tags: us_MI, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical LANSING | Fire Department investigators are trying to determine what caused an odor in a house that sent its four residents and five firefighters to an area hospital for treatment. Firefighters responded about 9 a.m. Thursday to a call of an odor coming from a house in the 3300 block of Ann Street. When firefighters arrived, the four residents had evacuated, and crews entered the house to see if the scene was contained. Although they could not find any problem, or additional residents, Fire Chief Dan Gregorovic said five of the firefighters began complaining of nausea after leaving the house. Those five firefighters, along with the four residents, were taken to The Community Hospital in Munster. As of Thursday afternoon, four of the firefighters had been treated and released. One other firefighter was continuing to be treated, as were the four residents. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION AND FIRE DESTROY BUILDING IN MASON http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100807/NEWS01/101200002/Chemi cal-plant-explosion-fire-destroy-building-Mason?odyssey=nav%7Chead Tags: us_MI, transportation, explosion, injury, solvent, follow-up MASON - An explosion and fire that destroyed a building at Americhem Sales Corp. on Friday remains under investigation. No one was seriously hurt in the afternoon incident that involved a truck containing mineral spirits, a chemical used in paint thinners. At about 3 p.m., a tanker containing up to 7,000 gallons of mineral spirits entered a weighing facility and either blew up or sparked a fire, said Bruce Whetter, Americhem's president. --------------------------------------------- DOCTORS, CHEMISTS RAISE HEALTH CONCERNS OVER EXPLOSION http://www.katc.com/news/doctors-chemists-raise-health-concerns-over-explo sion/ Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, methanol, toluene, xylene, follow-up Tuesday's explosion in New Iberia is raising concerns from doctors and chemists. Some of those chemicals involved in the explosion could cause side effects for people nearby. A few of the chemicals used at the plant include xylene, toluene and methanol. All, highly explosive chemicals. Now, residents are voicing some health complaints in the aftermath. "It's unusual," one resident said. "I wasn't feeling the same after I left." He complained of being light-headed and experienced some headaches. It's statements like that are common in New Iberia now, after a chemical explosion rocked some nearby homes. Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality says air measurements in the area are at safe levels but experts say there are some risks. "If you around this fire and breathed in some of the smoke and fumes, you'll probably have some symptoms," Dr. Gary Guidry said. Dr. Guidry is a pulmonologist at Lafayette General. In short, he studies lungs. Guidry says if chemicals like xylene and methanol are airborne, it won't take much to start seeing side effects. "Headache, nausea, vomiting, CNS (central nervous system) depression," he listed. "For toluene, they can go into pulmonary edema which is fluid building up in the lungs." The list of possible problems doesn't just stop with people. Chemist Wilma Subra says the affected area also includes local farms and food supplies. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY POOL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK http://www.wtae.com/r/28243898/detail.html Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine CRAFTON, Pa. -- Hazardous materials crews were called to an Allegheny County pool early Wednesday after reports of leaking chemicals. Crews were called to Crafton swimming pool on West Steuben Street around 1 a.m. Wednesday after reports that chlorine was leaking in a chemical room. Crews were concerned because the chlorine could have mixed with hydrochloric acid and caused dangerous fumes. --------------------------------------------- CHLORINE GAS LEAK EVACUATES BATTELLE BUILDINGS http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/jun/15/18/king-avenue-closed-due-hazmat-si tuation-battelle-ar-542000/ Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, chlorine COLUMBUS, Ohio --Around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday Columbus Division of Fire firefighters were dispatched to Battelle at 505 King Avenue on a report of a hazmat. ... On-scene officials said Battelle is changing the operation of the building's air conditioning to a greener solution. Crews were removing a container of chlorine, which was part of the original system, from the basement. The tank holds 125 gallons but was half full, officials said. As crews were removing the container, a fitting came loose, causing the leak. The tank is kept in a gas containment room and was sealed off. Shortly after 4 p.m., the leak was capped. --------------------------------------------- AMMONIA LEAK NEAR DAIRY PROMPTS 'SHELTER-IN-PLACE' =B7 OPB NEWS http://news.opb.org/article/portland-residents-urged-shelter-place-after-a mmonia-leak/ Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, response, ammonia People living near the Alpenrose Dairy in Southwest Portland were asked to stay indoors Wednesday, following the release of ammonia gas. Reverse 911 calls were sent out to local residents to tell them to shut their windows and doors and turn off air conditioners. The idea was to stop outside air from being drawn in. Paul Corah of the Portland Fire Bureau, said while there was a smell of ammonia when authorities first arrived, by the time hazardous materials teams sampled the air inside, it was only at 21 parts per million of ammonia. "Hazmat teams just got inside and did a sample of the air inside the plant. And it's reading about 21 parts per million of Ammonia. You can actually start smelling ammonia at about 17 parts per million. And any type of health risks start up at about 300 parts per million. So it's pretty low right now. It's a good sign," Corah said. --------------------------------------------- LA. PLANT FIRE WILL BE ALLOWED TO BURN ITSELF OUT: NATIONAL http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/national/article_4e58c880-9769-11e0-8 901-001cc4c002e0.html Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, environmental, methanol, toluene, xylene, follow-up NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) =97 A fire at a southern Louisiana plant where chemicals are blended and stored for oilfield operations was being allowed to burn itself out Wednesday before investigators enter the facility to search for a cause. Tuesday afternoon's explosion and fire at the Multi-Chem Corp. plant in New Iberia forced residents within a 1-mile radius of the area to evacuate. There were no injuries. The evacuation remained in effect Wednesday morning. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality staffers at the scene have identified xylene, toluene and methanol among chemicals at the site, department spokeswoman Jean Kelly said. All three can pose health risks. However, the corporation and the DEQ said air quality measurements in the evacuation area were at safe levels as of Wednesday morning and that air monitoring was continuing. --------------------------------------------- RESIDENTS EVACUATED AFTER ASBESTOS FOUND AT BLAZE http://news.scotsman.com/glasgow/Residents-evacuated-after-asbestos-found. 6785743.jp Tags: United, Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, acetylene A large fire has broken out at an industrial estate. Almost 50 firefighters worked throughout yesterday afternoon tackling the blaze in Biggar Road Industrial Estate in Cleland, North Lanarkshire. They had set up a precautionary 200 metre exclusion zone around the area when they came across cylinders of acetylene, a gas used as a fuel and a chemical building block. The safety zone was later removed. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said the fire was in a large industrial unit. No one was injured in the blaze. Incident commander Gary Wallace said: "This has been a major blaze in a large industrial unit. Additional worries for us has been the 3 acetylene cylinders on site, the roof, which has been confirmed as asbestos, and a 1,000 litre diesel tank. These additional issues required residents to be evacuated from nearby homes. That exclusion zone has now been lifted and residents have been escorted back to their homes." --------------------------------------------- LAKE DREAMLAND FD, COAST GUARD INVESTIGATE UNKNOWN CHEMICAL IN OHIO RIVER http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110615/NEWS01/306150123/Lake-Drea mland-FD-Coast-Guard-investigate-unknown-chemical-in-Ohio-River?odyssey= tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE Tags: us_KY, other, release, environmental, unknown_chemical An unknown chemical leaked into the Ohio River on Wednesday, killing some fish but creating =93absolutely=94 no danger to the public, the chief of the Lake Dreamland Fire Department said early Thursday. Just before 11 p.m., Lake Dreamland crews responded to the scene near the 4300 block of Campground Road. John Wilkinson, chief of the department, said shortly after 1 a.m. that employees of Rohm and Haas chemical company had reported a sheen on the river=92s surface. His department and the Coast Guard, along with members of the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department, were investigating the incident. The response was designated as a level one hazmat situation, the lowest level. According to a Coast Guard official in the Louisville office, there were dead fish at the scene. ---------------------------------------------
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post