Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:36:31 -0400
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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety"

Subject: Chemical Safety Headlines From Google (12 articles)

Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Monday, August 15, 2011 8:25:13 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 (12 articles)

5-ALARM FIRE BURNS POOL SUPPLY WAREHOUSE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals

ACID SPILL SHUTS DOWN DIAGEO'S FIFE DISTILLERY
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid

HOLLY HILL FIREFIGHTER BECOMES ILL AFTER CHEMICAL SPLASHES ON HIM
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, injury, ammonia

SPILL TRIGGERS WINDY HILL EMERGENCY
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine

HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO COLONIAL HEIGHTS CALL
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, pepper_spray

ORICA DIDN'T TELL FIRE SERVICE OF LEAK
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, unknown_chemical

DEP FILES COURT ACTION AGAINST FIRE-DAMAGED HARBORCREEK BIODIESEL 
FACILITY
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, environmental, biodiesel, follow-up

TECHNICIAN DIES IN BLAST AT IDL
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

ISU CHEMICAL SPILL QUICKLY CONTAINED
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, response, waste

POLICE FIND P LAB IN FOUR STAR HOTEL ROOM
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, meth_lab

CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZARDOUS SITUATION, BLOCKED ROAD IN FORT LAUDERDALE
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate

10 TREATED AFTER EXPOSURE TO POWDER IN COVINGTON
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, batteries, dust

---------------------------------------------

5-ALARM FIRE BURNS POOL SUPPLY WAREHOUSE
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/127653638.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals

Dallas Fire-Rescue was on the scene of a five-alarm fire in Dallas where 
a swimming pool supply warehouse caught fire after 10 a.m.

The warehouse, occupied by Leslie's Swimming Pool Company sits on 4202 
Dan Morton Drive. The North Texas Food Bank also occupied part of the 
warehouse, although they had not started to move into the space yet.

Officials say the warehouse contains chemicals used in pool maintenance. 
Hazmat crews are on scene as part of the overall agency response to the 
fire, though the primary goal of fire crews was to simply contain the 
fire.

A fire spokesperson said the EPA may look into the toxicity of the smoke 
that blew through the area but firefighters found no harmful substances 
in the water run-off from the hoses.

---------------------------------------------

ACID SPILL SHUTS DOWN DIAGEO'S FIFE DISTILLERY

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/08/15/acid-spill-shut
s-down-diageo-s-fife-distillery-86908-23346348/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, nitric_acid

Workers have been evacuated from a distillery as firefighters deal with 
a nitric acid spill at the site.
They were called to Diageo's Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife after a 
leak from a 28,000-litre tank.
Diageo said the plant has been safely shut down while emergency services 
tackle the incident.
Nearby residents have been advised to keep their doors and windows 
closed as a precaution.
A chemical tanker from Glasgow has been sent to the site to pump out the 
affected area.
Fife Fire and Rescue Service said the alarm was raised at around 5.30am 
and three fire engines and a fire service decontamination unit were sent 
to the grain distillery, near Windygates.

---------------------------------------------

HOLLY HILL FIREFIGHTER BECOMES ILL AFTER CHEMICAL SPLASHES ON HIM

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2011/08/15/firef
ighter-becomes-ill-after-chemical-splashes-on-him.html
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, injury, ammonia

ORMOND BEACH -- A Holly Hill firefighter assisting Ormond Beach 
firefighters at a fire at a self-storage business Sunday got sick after 
some kind of chemical splashed on him, a fire official said.

The firefighter was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center by EVAC 
ambulance, said Battalion Chief David King of Ormond Beach.
...
Firefighters were called to Simply Self Storage at 610 S. Yonge St. at 
5:42 p.m. Sunday to reports of white smoke coming out of three or four 
storage units. Holly Hill firefighters also responded to assist, King 
said.

Firefighters opened the unit and located a 35-gallon drum smoking. When 
water was put on it, the chemical, which King said was some kind of 
ammonia product used to bleach hair, splashed on Kimmy's arm. Twenty 
minutes later, he started having respiratory difficulty and started 
vomiting, King said.

---------------------------------------------

SPILL TRIGGERS WINDY HILL EMERGENCY

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/spill-triggers-windy-hill-emergency-2011081
5-1iu6f.html
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine

One person has been taken to hospital after being exposed to a chemical 
in the change rooms at the Essendon Football Club.

Firefighters and paramedics were called to Windy Hill about 12.15pm 
where about 250 millilitres of chlorine had been spilt in the change 
rooms.

Essendon Football Club spokeswoman Cara Pelchen said the spill occurred 
as an employee was filling up the hot and cold baths in the change 
rooms.

Advertisement: Story continues below
She said the property steward was taken to hospital as a precaution.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said firefighters cleaned up the 
spill in about 30 minutes.

---------------------------------------------

HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO COLONIAL HEIGHTS CALL

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/aug/14/hazmat-team-responds-to-col
onial-heights-call-ar-1238379/
Tags: us_VA, public, release, response, pepper_spray

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. --
A can of pepper spray accidentally went off in a Colonial Heights home 
Sunday morning, forcing the residents out of the building temporarily 
and prompting the regional hazmat team to be called in.

Residents in the first block of Brandywine Court reported burning 
sensations in their eyes and throats about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, said city 
Deputy Fire Marshal Joe Boisseau.

Colonial Heights fire officials received reports of a strong, unknown 
odor in the area of townhomes on Brandywine Road.

Crews isolated the substance to a single residence, and five people were 
evacuated from the scene.

Members of the Crater Regional Hazmat Team suited up and entered the 
residence to attempt to identify the chemical.

Shortly before 2 p.m., officials identified the source, found in a trash 
container, as pepper spray that had accidentally discharged.

---------------------------------------------

ORICA DIDN'T TELL FIRE SERVICE OF LEAK

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/orica-didnt-tell-fire-service-of-leak-20
110813-1irxu.html
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, environmental, unknown_chemical

HEMICAL giant Orica, responsible for the leak of cancer-causing fumes 
over Newcastle on Monday, failed to alert the Fire and Rescue Service, 
which should have been called immediately to assess the situation.

Instead, the fire service, which has the hazardous materials response 
team - Hazmat - was told by a member of the public about the leak the 
day after the incident.

''We then rang the company [Orica] ourselves and were told they did not 
require our assistance,'' a fire service spokesman said.

Advertisement: Story continues below
Asked about this yesterday, Orica declined to comment.

Environmental and emergency management experts said Hazmat should have 
been on site immediately, setting up a command post.

The failure to alert the emergency response teams has raised questions 
about the corporate governance at Orica Australia, whether it has an 
on-site emergency response plan at its Kooragang Island plant and 
whether that plan was followed.

Orica was told in June that a variation to its licence to run the 
chemical plant was contingent on its having an on-site emergency 
response plan.

---------------------------------------------

DEP FILES COURT ACTION AGAINST FIRE-DAMAGED HARBORCREEK BIODIESEL 
FACILITY

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110813/NEWS02/3081298
92/-1/newssitemap
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, environmental, biodiesel, follow-up

The state Department of Environmental Protection wants an Erie County 
judge to put a stop to demolition at a fire-damaged Harborcreek Township 
biodiesel facility until the chemicals on-site are removed and properly 
secured or removed.

American Biodiesel Energy Inc. owner Lee Akerly calls the action a "moot 
point" because, he said, he has already taken the required action to 
safeguard what's on-site.

The DEP filed a petition to enforce an administrative order on Thursday, 
seeking a judge's order that would require Akerly to remove all drums of 
chemicals from the building at 4680 Iroquois Ave.; to place all damaged 
and leaking drums in secure containers; to remove and properly dispose 
of visibly contaminated soil and water; and to provide written 
documentation of the "hazardous waste determinations" on the contents of 
the drums and the recovered waste material.

Portions of the building were heavily damaged in a fire May 14 that 
investigators believe started in a front office. The blaze wiped out a 
powder-coatings business that Akerly operated in the building and shut 
down his biodiesel operation.

---------------------------------------------

TECHNICIAN DIES IN BLAST AT IDL

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/technician-dies-in-blast-at-idl/175388-60-121.h
tml
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

HYDERABAD: One person died of severe burns in a chemical blast that 
occurred in one of the units of IDL factory located in the Kukatpally 
industrial area.
B Janardhan (57) was a technician in the IDL unit that manufactures 
detonators.
"The blast took place at 1.30 p.m where no one except Janardhan is 
allowed to enter," Kukatpally SI S Pradeep told Express.
Janardhan worked on a specialised machine used for making detonators, 
police said. During the explosion, a chemical got sprinkled on 
Janardhan, causing severe burns. However, there was no fire mishap, the 
police said. "We are yet to ascertain the reasons for the explosion," 
Pradeep said.
Police have registered a case and are investigating.

---------------------------------------------

ISU CHEMICAL SPILL QUICKLY CONTAINED

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/article_f398c01a-c50a-11e0-84f0-001cc
4c002e0.html
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, response, waste

NORMAL -- A small chemical spill Friday morning at an Illinois State 
University storage lab was quickly contained, but the Bloomington 
Hazardous Materials response team arrived to address it, as is protocol.
Apparently, the situation stemmed from a broken bottle which contained 
chlorinated waste - collected from ISU science laboratories and kept in 
a storage locker off Gregory Street, said Eric Jome, an ISU spokesman.
"It's contained in the building, there is no real danger at this point," 
Jome said about 11:30 a.m.
The spill, reported about 10:30 a.m., didn't require any road closures 
or evacuations, said Matt Swaney, Normal Fire Department spokesman.

---------------------------------------------

POLICE FIND P LAB IN FOUR STAR HOTEL ROOM

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1074
4841
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, meth_lab

One of Auckland's newest hotels faces a hefty bill to decontaminate a 
room which police say was secretly turned into a methamphetamine lab.

With just weeks until the Rugby World Cup begins, the four-star Quadrant 
Hotel must now be cleared by Auckland Council inspectors of possible 
dangerous toxins before visitors can stay in the room.

Near the High Court building and with views of the Waitemata Harbour and 
Albert Park, the Quadrant has 150 rooms at up to $430 a night.

But a police raid on the hotel on July 28 found equipment and materials 
used to manufacture the Class A drug and a couple living

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZARDOUS SITUATION, BLOCKED ROAD IN FORT LAUDERDALE

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/fl-fort-lauderdale-hazmat-201108
12,0,5126828.story
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, discovery, response, ammonium_nitrate

FORT LAUDERDALE=97
Traffic flow on South Federal Highway was briefly blocked in both 
directions Friday morning between Davie Boulevard and Southeast Seventh 
Street while Fort Lauderdale's bomb squad, HazMat team, fire rescue and 
police worked to dispose of potentially volatile chemicals found at a 
private school.

The roadblock was removed at 11:30 a.m.

Administrators at Bethany Christian School, 615 SE Ninth St., were 
preparing for the coming school year when a teacher discovered a 
quantity of ammonium nitrate from a science lab and said it appeared to 
be crystallized.

"It being crystallized would make it dangerous and means it was 
contaminated with another chemical that could make it explosive," Fort 
Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Matt Little said. "It could have a 
blast radius of 150 feet."

School Principal Jean Boer said, "We were getting rid of something we 
didn't know we had, a science kit."

---------------------------------------------

10 TREATED AFTER EXPOSURE TO POWDER IN COVINGTON
http://www.ajc.com/news/10-treated-after-exposure-1100149.html
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, batteries, dust

Police have determined that an incident that sent 10 people to the 
hospital Friday morning from a plant in Covington resulted from the 
accidental release of a battery chemical.

"We're getting good news, that this is not a contaminant, a foreign 
agent placed inside the battery," Covington Police Capt. Ken Malcom told 
Channel 2 Action News. "It was just an accident, an explosion within the 
contents of the battery."

The incident happened at Pure Talk, a phone manufacturing company on 
Lochridge Boulevard. Malcom said around 2:30 a.m. Friday, an employee 
opened a package containing batteries. Two of the batteries were fused 
together, and when an employee separated them, a white powder was 
released.

"This employee immediately started feeling a burning sensation on the 
hands, a numbing sensation" on the eyes and skin, Malcom said. 
"Immediately the other employees in the business began feeling similar 
effects of exposure to this powder."

---------------------------------------------

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