Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Friday, July 15, 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 (7 articles) HAZMAT INCIDENT CAUSED BY SULFUR-LIKE SMELL; NO CONTAMINATES FOUND / LJWORLD.COM Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical WELLINGTON HIGH TECHNICIAN INHALES CHEMICAL Tags: New, Zealand, laboratory, release, injury, bromine AMERICOLD PLANT RE-OPENS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK Tags: us_AL, transportation, release, injury, ammonia NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER FIRE AT AKZO NOBEL CHEMICAL PLANT Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, solvent UPDATE: AT LEAST NINE TREATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, chlorine ALCOHOL-MAKING GEAR FOUND AT BOSTON BLAST SITE Tags: United, Kingdom, public, explosion, death, ethanol CHEMICAL RELEASE, FIRE INSIDE CONTAINER AT BAYPORT TERMINAL Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, injury, unknown_chemical --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT INCIDENT CAUSED BY SULFUR-LIKE SMELL; NO CONTAMINATES FOUND / LJWORLD.COM http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/14/fire-and-medical-crews-en-route-l earned-hall-ku-ca/ Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical Lawrence Douglas County Fire and Medical crews did not locate any hazardous material after a student reported a sulfur-like smell in a lab at Learned Hall Thursday morning. Kansas University officials evacuated and closed the engineering buildings of Learned and Eaton halls for nearly two hours as crews searched the building. =93Standard operating procedure when there=92s a hazardous material incident is to ensure that the air is safe in all buildings that are affected,=94 KU spokeswoman Jill Jess said. =93Those are both big buildings so it took awhile just to make sure that everything was OK.=94 Jess said air monitoring in both buildings detected zero airborne contaminants in either building, and the odor=92s source was undetermined. The student at 10:30 a.m. in the first-floor lab made the report and also felt ill. The student was treated at the scene, Jess said. Kevin Morgan, a graduate student at KU starting in the fall, said he was in the Formula SAE lab when he and others began smelling a =93rotten egg odor.=94 He said one person became ill from the smell, which caused their supervisor to call 911. --------------------------------------------- WELLINGTON HIGH TECHNICIAN INHALES CHEMICAL http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5289733/Wellington-High-teacher- inhales-chemicals Tags: New, Zealand, laboratory, release, injury, bromine A Wellington High School staff member has been taken to hospital after inhaling a chemical in a science lab. An ambulance spokesman said police, ambulance and fire engines all attended the callout this morning about 9.30am. A female lab technician was taken to hospital in a moderate condition. Principal Prue Kelly said the accident happened when the technician was preparing a lab for classes before school. "She broke a container of bromine, and would have inhaled a couple of mouthfuls before she was able to step away. She got a bit of a shock I think." No pupils were in the lab at the time of the accident. Breathing in bromine can cause respiratory problems, irritation, dizziness and headaches. It can also cause skin irritation and burns. --------------------------------------------- AMERICOLD PLANT RE-OPENS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/news/local/article_3c45c418-ae48-11e0- 8e50-001cc4c002e0.html Tags: us_AL, transportation, release, injury, ammonia Americold Logistics employees were evacuated from the Albertville business Thursday morning following an ammonia leak. The refrigeration and blast freezing industry, located at Railroad Avenue and George Wallace Drive, summoned Albertville Fire and Rescue personnel at 10:23 a.m. when an ammonia leak was detected in the engine room. Albertville Fire Chief Robert Terrell said the entire facility was evacuated until the leak was verified and firemen dressed in protective hazardous material suits were able to isolate the leak. A few workers were checked out in the city's ambulance but no one was injured and no one required transport to local hospitals. --------------------------------------------- NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER FIRE AT AKZO NOBEL CHEMICAL PLANT http://channahon-minooka.patch.com/articles/chemical-plant-on-fire Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, solvent No injuries have been reported at the Akzo Nobel Chemical Plant after the structure caught fire Thursday night, Morris Fire Department spokeswoman Nancy Thorson said. Multiple fire districts have responded, according to Thorson. A substantial portion of the structure is on fire, according to fire personnel. Responders are reportedly setting up tower ladders for Elwood's foam unit. Located on Route 6 east of Morris, the manufacturing facility occupies 26 acres of a 323-acre site, according to Akzo Nobel's web site. The site says the plant produces chemicals that change the feel of other materials when mixed with water or other solvents, such as fabric softener. --------------------------------------------- UPDATE: AT LEAST NINE TREATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL http://register-news.com/x967734136/Chlorine-spill-closes-Mt-Vernon-Wal-Ma rt Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, chlorine MT. VERNON =97 A chlorine spill at Wal-Mart resulted in five employees going to the hospital and the business being closed for a short time. According to Mt. Vernon Fire Department Lt. Dan Plumb, the call came in shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday of an unknown chemical spill. =93They said it smelled like chlorine,=94 Plumb said. =93It turned out to be a two-pound bottle of granulated chlorine used for swimming pools. It had been smelled by the people at the service desk, and a manager found it and carried it out.=94 Plumb said when the Hazardous Materials Unit arrived, everyone had been evacuated from the store. =93We didn=92t find any other problems,=94 Plumb said. =93Four associates reported the need for possible medical attention, we performed triage, but they initially refused treatment. We initially transported one, the person who was in close contact with the initial spill.=94 --------------------------------------------- ALCOHOL-MAKING GEAR FOUND AT BOSTON BLAST SITE http://www.channel4.com/news/police-find-alcohol-distilliation-gear-at-bos ton-blast-site Tags: United, Kingdom, public, explosion, death, ethanol As Lincolnshire police find equipment used for distilling alcohol at the site of an explosion in Boston in which five people were killed, Channel 4 News asks how widespread such practices are. Reports had been circulating that Wednesday's explosion in the Broadfield Lane industrial estate unit was caused by an illegal vodka distillery. Lincolnshire Police Supt Keith Owen said initial searches revealed evidence that supports the rumours. "What I can confirm is that we have found chemicals on the premises which tend to indicate either the manufacture or production of alcohol," he said. The explosion caused a fireball that left five people dead and another hospitalised. Fire officials described it as "so intense" that people could hear it five miles away. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL RELEASE, FIRE INSIDE CONTAINER AT BAYPORT TERMINAL http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8247999 Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, injury, unknown_chemical BAYPORT, TX (KTRK) -- Clean up is underway after a chemical release and fire at the Bayport Terminal along the Houston Ship Channel. Eyewitness News has learned the fire broke out around 4am inside a shipping container. Somehow bottles containing two chemicals mixed and ignited. Crews had to let the fire burn out without opening the container. HAZ-MAT crews spent most of the morning on the scene. Around a dozen people were taken to the hospital to be checked out, most by private vehicles. The fire marshal's office tells us they believe all of the workers were treated and released. The cause of the incident is under investigation. ---------------------------------------------
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