Chemical Safety Headlines From Google Monday, January 9, 2012 7:40:50 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 (14 articles) 20 WORKERS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAKAGE Tags: Thailand, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLODES IN STROUD TOWNSHIP Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab PICRIC ACID FOUND IN SOUTH-END BARRIE Tags: Canada, industrial, discovery, response, picric_acid GAS SMELL EVACUATES MAUI COUNTY SERVICE CENTER Tags: us_HI, public, release, response, propane MAN WHOSE SUICIDE ATTEMPT CAUSED HAZMAT SCARE CHARGED WITH FELONY Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, illegal, pesticides HIGHWAYS REOPEN AFTER LEAK FROM OVERTURNED TANKER Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, gasoline EXPLOSION FROM POSSIBLE METH LAB EVACUATES DAYTONA BEACH HOTEL Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, meth_lab INDUSTRIAL FIRE EXTINGUISHED QUICKLY Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, metals LIGHTNING SPARKS FIRE AT ORICA PLANT Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, ammonia, hydrogen HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO CHECK ODOR AT HOTEL Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, chlorine THREE FREIGHT TRAINS COLLIDE IN INDIANA, 2 CREW MEMBERS HOSPITALIZED Tags: us_IN, transportation, fire, injury, ethanol FOUR JUVENILES ARRESTED FOR USING EXPLOSIVES ON NEW YEAR'S DAY Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, bomb, illegal TWO METH LAB SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN SIOUX FALLS Tags: us_SD, public, fire, response, meth_lab RAILROAD CAR MALFUNCTION LEADS TO AMMONIA LEAK IN NORTH PORTLAND Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, ammonia --------------------------------------------- 20 WORKERS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAKAGE http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/20-workers-rushed-to-hospital-following-chemical-l-30173392.html Tags: Thailand, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical Chachoengsao - A chemical container in a sprayed paint factory exploded Monday morning, causing some 20 workers to pass out after inhaling the gas. The explosion, which occurred at 9:10 am, also caused fire to the RJ London Factory on Suwinthanwong-Min Buri Road in Chachoengsao's Bang Nam Pliew district. The unconscious workers were rushed to the Chachoengsao Hospital and the other workers managed to control the blaze and put it out. --------------------------------------------- SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLODES IN STROUD TOWNSHIP http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120108/NEWS/201080335 Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab A suspected methamphetamine lab exploded in the basement of a house on Pine Avenue in Stroud Township on Saturday night and set part of the house on fire. Minutes after 7 p.m., at least seven fire trucks and several ambulances descended on the residential area, a few blocks east of North Fifth Street near the municipal building. Firefighters told neighbors to get away from the home because toxic chemicals were escaping from it. "They told us, 'Get back, it's about to get toxic,'" said neighbor Curtis Bair. Though police would not say if the house was a suspected meth lab, dispatchers over the police radio told first responders many times to take caution because methamphetamine was involved in the fire. Also, firefighters at the scene told neighbors they believed a meth lab was responsible for the fire. --------------------------------------------- PICRIC ACID FOUND IN SOUTH-END BARRIE http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3428039 Tags: Canada, industrial, discovery, response, picric_acid Hazardous material first located at a Churchill Drive business in south-end Barrie on Wednesday night did not pose a public health risk, city officials said Friday afternoon. The material, known as picric acid, commonly found in laboratories and in dyeing manufacturing, was located Wednesday night and reported to officials by workers cleaning a former waste management plant, 2R Services, which has had its problems in the past. An explosion there in 2002 resulted in four people being treated at the scene for minor injuries and 10 taken to Royal Victoria Hospital for evaluation. Picric acid, a pinkish-coloured liquid, was found in four five-gallon drums, but was stable, according to Barrie Fire Chief John Lynn. "There was no threat to public safety," Lynn said, during a news conference on Friday. The containers were being X-rayed on Friday to determine how much of the liquid is in each container. --------------------------------------------- GAS SMELL EVACUATES MAUI COUNTY SERVICE CENTER http://www.kitv.com/r/30153528/detail.html Tags: us_HI, public, release, response, propane WAILUKU, Hawaii -- Personnel and customers at the Maui County Service Center at the Maui Mall were evacuated Friday due to the smell of propane gas, according to county officials. The evacuation happened at around 8:45 a.m. A Maui Fire Department HAZMAT team responded and determined that the smell was not coming from the building but from a nearby gas company that had been purging their tanks. Fire officials suggested that the air conditioning be turned off and fans brought in to circulate the air. --------------------------------------------- MAN WHOSE SUICIDE ATTEMPT CAUSED HAZMAT SCARE CHARGED WITH FELONY http://southampton.patch.com/articles/man-who-abandoned-chemical-suicide-attempt-charged-with-felony Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, illegal, pesticides A 50-year-old Bridgehampton man who tried to kill himself on Nov. 16 with noxious fumes in his car ˜ then changed his mind and drove to the hospital, causing a hazmat team to respond ˜ has been charged with placing a false bomb or hazardous substance in the first degree, a class-D felony, according to police. Southampton Village police said Fabian C. Seyrig de Saussure was arrested Dec. 20. Immediately after the incident, in which he mixed a fungicide and an acid in a five-gallon plastic bucket in his Volkswagen, he had been placed under psychiatric care. The Southampton Fire Department, Southampton Town HazMat Team and village police had all responded to Southampton Hospital, where he parked the car outside the emergency room. --------------------------------------------- HIGHWAYS REOPEN AFTER LEAK FROM OVERTURNED TANKER http://www.wyff4.com/r/30151871/detail.html Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, gasoline SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A tanker truck overturned Friday afternoon, and leaking fuel closed down two major roadways in Spartanburg, causing a ripple effect on traffic all over the west side of Spartanburg. Spartanburg Public Safety Capt. Art Littlejohn said the gasoline tanker was on Southport Road (Highway 295) making a left turn onto John B. White Sr. Boulevard when it overturned. --------------------------------------------- EXPLOSION FROM POSSIBLE METH LAB EVACUATES DAYTONA BEACH HOTEL http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2012/january/366440/Police-investigate-possible-meth-lab-in-Daytona-Beach Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, meth_lab Two officers are being treated for chemical contamination after what police said was a small explosion caused by a meth lab in Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach police said the explosion happened in a room on the fourth floor at the Bermuda House Hotel on North Atlantic Avenue, just south of Plaza Boulevard, around 7:30 a.m. Officials said the force of the blast shattered glass sliding doors of the room, and the suspect broke them out to throw out the materials used for making meth. Police evacuated three rooms on the same floor, then later evacuated the entire hotel. --------------------------------------------- INDUSTRIAL FIRE EXTINGUISHED QUICKLY http://www.aledotimesrecord.com/news/x28915456/Industrial-fire-extinguished-quickly Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, metals Aledo, Ill. ˜ An early morning fire on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 at MMF2, the nickel plating plant owned by Bruce Meminger could have been a lot worse. "Luckily no one was hurt,' said Trent Kaufman, a chemist working for Meminger. He was the staff person on call that day. He arrived after receiving a call and noted that the fire department was already there. "It's already been a long day," he added at around 9 a.m. A 9,000 square foot building used for nickel plating was the building in question. The fire was called into 911 by a Meminger Metal Finishing employee who noticed heavy smoke billowing from the MMF2 building located in the industrial park complex. The two remain zinc plating operations in Aledo were not affected. The call came in to the Mercer County Sheriff dispatcher at 3:39 a.m. Thursday and brought out 22 of the 25 Aledo Protection District fire fighters. The Viola Fire Department and AMT ambulance were also called to the scene for mutual assistance. --------------------------------------------- LIGHTNING SPARKS FIRE AT ORICA PLANT http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-09/orica-lightning-fire/3763240 Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, ammonia, hydrogen A bolt of lightning has caused a fire at the problem-plagued Orica chemical plant in the New South Wales Hunter. Lightning struck a stack of the Kooragang Island ammonia plant that was venting hydrogen, shortly after 10:00pm on Sunday. Representatives from Orica and the Environmental Protection Authority are at the scene trying to extinguish the blaze. The plant was re-opened last week, after it was closed late last year when it leaked the carcinogen hexavalent chromium. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO CHECK ODOR AT HOTEL http://www.indystar.com/article/20120108/LOCAL/201080373/Hazmat-team-called-check-odor-Holiday-Inn-Express-Far-Southside?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CIndyStar.com Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, chlorine The Indianapolis Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Team was dispatched to a Far-Southside hotel to investigate a possible chemical spill Saturday after two hotel occupants complained of difficulty breathing. One person was transported to Community Hospital South, and a hotel worker was checked at the scene. Rescuers were called to the Holiday Inn Express, 5151 S. East Street, at 2:25 p.m. after a guest told hotel workers there was a smell similar to chlorine coming out of the faucet. Based on that information, the call was upgraded because a chemical spill was suspected. Air quality readings detected nothing unusual, and the Marion County Health Department and Citizens Water officials were called. "The water company technician told firefighters that he knew immediately that the water softener (which covers the entire building) was malfunctioning due to the high-pitch noise it was making," IFD spokeswoman Capt. Rita Burris said in a news release. "Further investigation revealed that the water softener was clogged, and instead of pushing its collections out as it's supposed to do, it was sending them back into the system, producing the odd smell," Burris said. Hotel officials called for repair service, and operations continued as usual, she said. --------------------------------------------- THREE FREIGHT TRAINS COLLIDE IN INDIANA, 2 CREW MEMBERS HOSPITALIZED http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-06/news/chi-fire-chemical-spill-after-trains-collide-in-nw-indiana-20120106_1_second-train-crew-members-three-engines Tags: us_IN, transportation, fire, injury, ethanol wo crew members were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after three freight trains collided northeast of Valparaiso, Ind., this afternoon, according to sheriff‚s authorities. About 1:15 p.m. multiple 911 calls were received reporting a train crash at County Road 500 E and County Road 600 North, in a rural area of Porter County northeast of Valparaiso, said Porter County Sheriff‚s Dept. Sgt. Larry LaFlower. On the scene, emergency responders found three freight trains with two crew members aboard each had collided and burst into flames. A westbound train comprised of two engines and 77 cars that was hauling empty ethanol tankers had been stopped but was rear-ended by another westbound train with two engines and 60 cars, LaFlower said. „Cars from the first train derailed and the engines and some cars of the second train also derailed,‚‚ the sergeant said. --------------------------------------------- FOUR JUVENILES ARRESTED FOR USING EXPLOSIVES ON NEW YEAR'S DAY http://www.theledger.com/article/20120106/NEWS/120109574?Title=Four-Juveniles-Arrested-For-Using-Explosives-on-New-Year-s-Day Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, bomb, illegal WINTER HAVEN | New Year's Day explosions have led to four juveniles being charged with possessing a destructive device. The four boys were arrested after exploding plastic bottles behind the apartment complex where they live, according to reports from the Winter Haven Police Department following a joint investigation with the Winter Haven Fire Department. ... The explosions took place Sunday and again Wednesday behind Palm Place Apartments at 2041 Second St. N.W. --------------------------------------------- TWO METH LAB SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN SIOUX FALLS http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=125798 Tags: us_SD, public, fire, response, meth_lab SIOUX FALLS, SD - Authorities have arrested both men suspected of running a meth lab that sparked a New Year's Day fire at a Sioux Falls apartment. It all started with a report of a fire in an apartment in the Pettigrew Heights neighborhood in central Sioux Falls. The home is between 10th and 11th Streets on South Duluth Avenue. When crews went inside they put out the fire and found chemicals that are likely to blame for starting the fire. On Thursday, less than an hour after authorities announced they'd issued warrants for the arrests of two men, they caught up with one of them. Ted Witte was driving a pickup, not far from the apartment. --------------------------------------------- RAILROAD CAR MALFUNCTION LEADS TO AMMONIA LEAK IN NORTH PORTLAND http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Railroad-car-malfunction-leads-to-ammonia-leak-in/ExdaC7H6QkGQJCN7YthXxw.cspx Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, ammonia An ammonia leak on a railroad car in the St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland prompted a hazmat response Wednesday morning. Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) crews responded to the anhydrous ammonia leak, near 10627 N. Swift Court, a little after 10 a.m. A hazmat team initially approached the rail car, but their monitoring equipment detected such high concentrations of ammonia that the levels on their equipment maxed out. They were forced to withdraw and get additional protective clothing and equipment. Eventually, hazmat technicians were able to re-approach the rail car and stop the leak, which had been caused by a malfunctioning pressure relief valve, PF&R reports. ---------------------------------------------
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