Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:40:04 -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
Friday, September 23, 2011 8:37:32 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 
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Table of Contents (12 articles)

WHAT A DRAIN...HAZMAT PUMPS PAINT OUT FROM STREET SEWER
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, environmental, toxics

HAZMAT CALLED AFTER EIGHT INHALED TAR FUMES AT JULIAN H.S.
Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

NBC29 WVIR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT SITUATION CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN DIXMOOR
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, sulfur_dioxide

4 KILLED, 12 INJURED IN FIRE AT MIDC DYEING UNITS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, flammables

FIRE CREWS RESPOND TO REPORT OF CHEMICAL LEAK, FIND NOTHING
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

ONE DEAD, TEN INJURED AS SUSPECTED CYLINDER BLAST RIPS THROUGH A 
BUILDING
Tags: India, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

HAZMAT CREWS CONTAIN TRAIN CAR LEAK IN ARABI
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, flammables

SYDNEY EVACUATIONS FOLLOWING FIRES, CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, chlorine

CLEVELAND HIGH ON 'VOLUNTARY' LOCKDOWN AFTER POTENTIAL HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response, carbon_dioxide

PORTABLE METH LAB EXPLODES, MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED
Tags: us_MO, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

STUDENT LOSES EYE AFTER CHEMISTRY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, education, explosion, injury, carbon_dioxide

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

WHAT A DRAIN...HAZMAT PUMPS PAINT OUT FROM STREET SEWER
http://www.northjersey.com/news/130357183_What_a_drain___.html
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, environmental, toxics

The Ridgefield Park Fire Department, members of the Department of Public 
Works and Bergen County Hazmat drained stain-resistant paint from an 
open lot drain on Brinkerhoff Street, Sept. 12, to prevent the toxic 
chemicals from spilling into Overpeck Creek and the Hackensack River.

A Ridgefield Park resident poured five gallons of paint into this drain 
and said he did not have knowledge that this wasn't allowed, Ridgefield 
Park Fire Chief Richard LaTour said.

LaTour and several other firemen as well as the Village Police and 
members of Bergen County Hazmat arrived on Brinkerhoff Street to remove 
the paint with a vacuum sewer cleaner.

"We evaluated the scene and realized it was latex paint, which is why we 
called in Hazmat. They're the experts with that sort of thing," he said.

LaTour encourages all residents to call the DPW when they have to 
dispose of any fluids.

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

HAZMAT CALLED AFTER EIGHT INHALED TAR FUMES AT JULIAN H.S.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-hazmat-called-after-
three-student-inhaled-tar-fumes-at-julian-hs-20110922,0,7500169.story
Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical

Eight people were taken to the hospital this afternoon after they 
inhaled tar fumes at Percy Julian High School in the Washington Heights 
neighborhood, officials said.

Firefighters and paramedics were alerted to the high school located at 
10330 S. Elizabeth St. where a Level 1 Hazmat and an EMS Plan 1 were 
called shortly after 1:30 p.m., officials said. 

Earlier reports said three youths inhaled hot tar fumes outside of the 
school, according to Fire Media information. About six ambulances were 
sent to the scene. 

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

NBC29 WVIR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER
http://www.nbc29.com/story/15525118/palmyra-hazmat
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical

A package of floor sealer caused a big problem Thursday morning at the 
Palmyra post office.  Police and hazmat teams were called after a mail 
carrier heard popping sounds from a parcel and liquid started leaking 
out.

Traffic was rerouted around the post office and four workers were 
quarantined as the investigation started.

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

HAZMAT SITUATION CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN DIXMOOR

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-hazmat-situation-cau
ses-evacuations-in-dixmoor-20110922,0,531719.story
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, sulfur_dioxide

A chemical fire caused residential evacuations in south suburban Dixmoor 
tonight, officials said. 

A hazardous materials response was called to Rhodia's Dixmoor plant 
after sulfur in an outdoor storage tank caught fire, according to a 
release from the Dixmoor Fire Department.

The plant, in the 14000 block of Seeley Avenue, produces soap.

The fire occurred at 4:30 p.m. and nearby homes and people from nearby 
homes and a business were evacuated 90 minutes later, according to the 
fire department.

The fire produced sulfur dioxide vapor, a respiratory irritant, 
according to the department.

The cause of the fire isn't clear but the plant was shut down for 
scheduled maintenance when the fire broke out.

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

4 KILLED, 12 INJURED IN FIRE AT MIDC DYEING UNITS

http://www.hindustantimes.com/4-killed-12-injured-in-fire-at-MIDC-dyeing-u
nits/Article1-749116.aspx
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, flammables

A massive fire broke out in two dyeing units in Maharashtra Industrial 
Development Corporation (MIDC) phase II here on Wednesday killing four 
people and injuring 12. The fire was sparked due to some mechanical 
fault in Pooja Dyeing, and spread to SV Fabrics, which is adjacent to 
it.
Four industrial workers, Kuldeep Mohilee, 35, Nandkumar Jha, 40, 
Mohiddin Garib Miya ,52, and Ramprakash Tiwari, 40, were killed in the 
fire.  Dilip Gund, the deputy chief fire officer of MIDC, Dombivli said: 
=93We got a phone call at 3.40am, informing us of the fire. When we 
reached the spot, the fire had begun to spread, so we had to control it 
and not let it spread to other units.=94

When the fire broke out, around 100 employees were in the factory. While 
some managed to rush out, a few were trapped in the building. =93It took 
four hours and 12 fire tenders to extinguish it. We rescued 18 employees 
from the first and second floors.=94 

Prima facie, it was found that a pipeline carrying some inflammable 
chemical burst and the chemical caught fire. =93It then assumed gigantic 
proportions as the store room contained clothes, paper and other 
material that fed the fire,=94 said Gund.

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

FIRE CREWS RESPOND TO REPORT OF CHEMICAL LEAK, FIND NOTHING

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110922/NEWS01/110922006/Fire-crews-
respond-report-chemical-leak-find-nothing
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical

One Iowa City railroad worker has been hospitalized after several Iowa 
emergency service entities responded to a possible chemical leak.

Railroad employees detected a chemical smell and contacted the Iowa City 
Fire Department, which responded at 8:21 a.m. Railroad employees 
suspected a leaking rail car, said Iowa City Fire Battalion Chief Dan 
Smith.

=93He was exhibiting symptoms of possibly being exposed,=94 Smith said. 
But we can=92t really confirm that is true.=94

Smith said officials searched for a possible leak of an industrial 
chemical called chlorosulfonic acid, but no leak was found.

=93There=92s actually two cars of it sitting there and they checked both 
cars and found nothing wrong with the valves or the seals,=94 Smith 
added. =93We can=92t really confirm that there was a leak.=94

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

ONE DEAD, TEN INJURED AS SUSPECTED CYLINDER BLAST RIPS THROUGH A 
BUILDING
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Bangalore/article2473138.ece
Tags: India, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

A twin blast, believed to have been triggered by cylinder burst, ripped 
through a three-storeyed building in Sumanahalli near Magadi Road here 
on Wednesday afternoon, killing a 17-year-old girl and injuring ten 
others, including five fire force personnel who went for a rescue 
operation.

The blast also triggered a fire that spread to a few residential 
buildings in the vicinity. The cause of the blasts, which had been 
initially thought to have been a cylinder burst, is yet to be 
ascertained as fingers are now being pointed out to a chemical unit 
operating in the first floor of the partially collapsed structure.

The victim has been identified as Kavitha (17), a resident of an 
adjacent house on whom a portion of the wall collapsed. The badly 
mangled body was found after more than four hours of rescue operation.

According to eye-witnesses, the ear shattering blast was reported around 
1.30 p.m. in the three storeyed structure attached to Lakashmi 
Venkateshwara Kalayana Mantapa at Narasimainapalya.

While the ground floor of the building houses a kitchen, the chemical 
unit was operating in the second floor. The third and fourth floors had 
family as well as bachelor accommodations.

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

HAZMAT CREWS CONTAIN TRAIN CAR LEAK IN ARABI

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/louisiana-news/343432-hazmat-crews-contain-train-
car-leak-in-arabi
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, flammables

ARABI, ST. BERNARD PARISH=97

State Police Hazmat crews worked to contain formic acid that was leaking 
from a rail car early Wednesday morning.  The east and westbound lanes 
of St. Claude Avenue near Center Street in Arabi were shut down for a 
few hours.

 An observant railroad worker spotted the leak and called authorities 
around 7 a.m.  Fire Chief Thomas Stone says the situation could have 
been a lot worse.

=93It could have been a danger to people=92s heath. It=92s flammable and 
is also a health hazard. It=92s 95% formic acid in that rail car but 
would have had to have had a larger leak and a vapor cloud to cause 
harm. And none of that occurred, thank goodness,=94 said St. Bernard 
Fire Chief, Thomas Stone.

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

SYDNEY EVACUATIONS FOLLOWING FIRES, CHEMICAL LEAK

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fires-chemical-leak-force-evacuations-20110922-1
km08.html
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, chlorine

More than 100 Sydneysiders were evacuated from their homes for hours 
last night, with fire crews kept busy battling two separate apartment 
block blazes and a chemical leak.

Fire crews were called to a freight company on Byrnes Street, Botany, 
about 10pm yesterday and found 40 boxes of chlorine-based laundry powder 
giving off strong vapours.

A 200-metre exclusion zone was put in place and 60 residents were 
evacuated for three hours.

Advertisement: Story continues below
"It appears the cartons had become contaminated by water and a reaction 
was occurring, giving off chlorine vapours," Fire and Rescue NSW 
Superintendent Ian Krimmer said.

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

CLEVELAND HIGH ON 'VOLUNTARY' LOCKDOWN AFTER POTENTIAL HAZMAT INCIDENT
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18945287?source=most_emailed
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response, carbon_dioxide

Cleveland High School in Reseda was placed on voluntary lockdown about 
noon Wednesday and the LAPD bomb squad was enroute to campus after a 
water bottle thrown by a student exploded, school officials said.
Students were ordered stay in classrooms following the incident near the 
campus media center, officials said. A district spokeswoman said the 
bomb squad was called because of concern that a bottle tossed by a 
student contained dry ice, which may have caused the container to 
explode. The extremely cold temperature of dry ice makes it hazardous to 
the touch.

Although Los Angeles Fire and Police departments initially said they had 
not been asked to respond, the district spokeswoman said the bomb squad 
had been summoned.

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

PORTABLE METH LAB EXPLODES, MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED

http://www.linncountyleader.com/news/x1746174973/Portable-Meth-Lab-Explode
s-Man-Seriously-Injured
Tags: us_MO, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab

Brookfield, Mo. =97
 A new method of manufacturing methamphetamine apparently backfired on a 
Brookfield man Monday afternoon, seriously burning one side of his face 
and saturating his clothing.
At 3:31 p.m. Monday, Brookfield Police were dispatched to 206 West Dake 
Street in Brookfield to investigate a complaint of a firearm being 
discharged there. They would discover that there had been an explosion, 
but it wasn=92t caused by a firearm. Upon their arrival at 206 West 
Dake, the officers were unable to get anyone to respond to their knocks 
at the door; they finally forced a door open and located a white male 
inside with severe lacerations, abrasions, and burns to the left side of 
his face. Linn County Ambulance was summoned, and the man was taken 
initially to Pershing Memorial Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, 
Brookfield Firefighters responded as there was smoke and possible 
chemical hazards throughout the residence.

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

STUDENT LOSES EYE AFTER CHEMISTRY EXPLOSION

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44583200/ns/local_news-chicago_il/t/student-lo
ses-eye-after-chemistry-explosion/#.Tnn7P6N5mK0
Tags: us_IL, education, explosion, injury, carbon_dioxide

A 16-year-old-boy lost his left eye Tuesday after a plastic bottle 
containing dry ice and water exploded during a chemistry class at a 
southwest suburban high school, a suit filed Friday claims.
Dillon Mantia was taking part in a chemistry experiment at Harold L. 
Richards High School in Oak Lawn when the teacher combined dry ice and 
water in a plastic water bottle and sealed it tightly with a cap, 
according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The teacher then passed the bottle around the class so students could 
feel and observe pressure building, the suit said.
When Mantia took the bottle, it exploded, causing severe and permanent 
injuries to the boy's face and hands. The explosion caused "irreparable 
loss" of sight in his left eye and loss of hearing.
The suit, filed by the boy's mother Kimberly Mantia, said the students 
were not given safety goggles even though the demonstration was 
"inherently dangerous" and "involved a highly volatile compound which 
threatened the safety and well-being of ... all the students present in 
chemistry class."
In a statement released Monday, the high school said it is reviewing the 
accident and the teacher has been put on administrative leave, but could 
not comment further because of the lawsuit.

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

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