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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:51:02 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 (19 articles)
THE DAILY TAR HEEL :: UNC LABORATORIES ENCOURAGE SAFETY PROCEDURES
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, follow-up, response
FAMILY OF FOUR TREATED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
Tags: us_OK, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
HAZARDOUS DRUMS ON BEACHES
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
LIVE, LOCAL, LATE BREAKING NEWS, WEATHER, AND SPORTS
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical, wastes
C&EN: ÔSYSTEMIC FAILURES' CITED IN UCLA LAB FATALITY
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
EXPLOSION OUTSIDE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB IN FRESNO
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, bomb, waste
JACOBS FACTORY FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, death, various_chemicals
SCIENCE BLOG: CALIFORNIA STATE REPORT: "UCLA WHOLLY NEGLECTED ITS LEGAL OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT"" IN SANGJI CASE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
PROPANE TANKER TIPS CAUSING HOMES TO BE EVACUATED
Tags: us_PA, transportation, discovery, response, propane
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO DIESEL FUEL SPILL NEAR AIRPORT
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, environmental, diesel
COMPANY'S SAFETY CLOUD
Tags: Australia, public, follow-up, environmental, phosgene, waste
SCIENCE LAB CLOSED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT WINTHROP
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
PINELLAS PARK WAREHOUSE EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL FALSE ALARM AT HOSPITAL
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, carbon_dioxide, liquid_nitrogen
MESA DISTRICT NEARS END OF SCHOOL-CHEMICALS AUDIT
Tags: us_AZ, education, follow-up, response
BIOCHEMISTRY BUILDING EVACUATED, ONE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, injury, tetrahydrofuran
CHEMICAL FACTORY IN ST MARYS BURSTS INTO FLAMES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A WEEK
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids, flammables
NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
AP IMPACT: METH FILLS HOSPITALS WITH BURN PATIENTS
Tags: public, follow-up, injury, meth_lab
---------------------------------------------
THE DAILY TAR HEEL: UNC LABORATORIES ENCOURAGE SAFETY PROCEDURES
http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2012/01/unc_laboratories_encourage_safety_procedures
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, follow-up, response
Posters encouraging the use of personal protective equipment will soon be in all laboratories on UNC's campus, said Mary Beth Koza, director of the Department of Environment, Health and Safety.
Koza, who presented to the faculty executive committee on Monday about the importance of safety in laboratories, said the poster would focus on personal protective equipment because of recent accidents at university labs across the country.
(editor's note: notice the URL for this story) [Archive editorial note: the original URL listed here was derogatory and quickly retracted by the issuing web site. This is the corrected URL.]
---------------------------------------------
FAMILY OF FOUR TREATED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
http://www.ktul.com/story/16593925/family-of-four-treated-for-carbon-monoxide-poisoning
Tags: us_OK, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
Tulsa Firefighters say a family of four was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
It happened about 3:30 Tuesday morning in the 12000 block of E 18th St.
Hazmat crews detected a reading of 145 parts per million, and as high as 245 parts per million in one of the bedrooms. The Tulsa Fire Department considers anything above 35 parts per million dangerous.
Gas levels were also high, and could have caused an explosion.
Crews found the heater in the bathroom wall was leaking.
A 4-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, a 28-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were treated at the scene and were admitted to the hospital in fair condition.
---------------------------------------------
HAZARDOUS DRUMS ON BEACHES
http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2012/01/25/hazardous-drums-beaches/
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
LOCAL firefighters are begging residents to leave drums found along the beach well alone after a hazardous materials scare at Mullawarra Beach this week.
Woolgoolga firefighters, Hazmat crews from Coffs Harbour and paramedics were called to Arrawarra Beach R about 7.10pm Monday after reports of a suspicious drum in the car park at the beach.
"It turned out to be a drum that had gone overboard from a ship a very long time ago," station commander Ray Webb said.
The 25 litre drum, property of the Wilhelmsen Ship Service in the Netherlands, was filled with the chemical Rocor NB Liquid - a nitrate/borate based compound used as a cooling inhibitor on ships.
"It is toxic is swallowed and can cause severe irritations to the skin. It's also highly toxic to waterways," Mr Webb said.
---------------------------------------------
LIVE, LOCAL, LATE BREAKING NEWS, WEATHER, AND SPORTS
http://www.walb.com/story/16588726/haz-mat-searches-for-acid-smell
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical, wastes
Two Albany garbage truck workers, overcome by chemical fumes today, are out of the hospital now and recovering.
HAZMAT workers sifted through the commercial garbage on their truck after the men complained on strong fumes. Turns out a household chemical sickened the workers.
The two workers smelled an acid-like odor in the cab of the commercial garbage truck. When they started having chest pains, they knew something was wrong.
As soon as the fumes filled the truck, the two workers felt the effects.
"Complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath," said Assistant Albany Fire Chief Rubin Jordan.
---------------------------------------------
C&EN: ÔSYSTEMIC FAILURES' CITED IN UCLA LAB FATALITY
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/web/2012/01/Systemic-FailuresCited-UCLA-Lab-Fatality.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cen_latestnews+%28Chemical+%26+Engineering+News%3A+Latest+News%29
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
New details of the circumstances surrounding the 2009 death of University of California, Los Angeles chemistry researcher Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji are outlined in a report by the California Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA). The report says a "systematic breakdown of overall laboratory safety practices" contributed to the fatal accident. Cal/OSHA sent the report to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who filed felony charges in the case on Dec. 27, 2011 (C&EN, Jan.2, page 7).
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION OUTSIDE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB IN FRESNO
http://www.cbs47.tv/mostpopular/story/Explosion-Outside-Boys-Girls-Club-in-Fresno/Yvx7m3sAYEyPKF7iBRYRug.cspx
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, bomb, waste
Police are investigating a small explosion outside a Boys & Girls Club in Fresno Tuesday morning.
It happened around 8:30 a.m. on Fulton, near Fresno's Tower District.
Trash collectors were picking up dumpsters when they heard a loud explosion.
Police and fire crews responded and determined the explosion came from a homemade chemical bomb.
Sean Johnson with the Fresno Fire Department said, "These types of devices are sometimes thought of as a prank; they're very dangerous. You shouldn't mess around with any type of pressurized device; you can get yourself hurt.
---------------------------------------------
JACOBS FACTORY FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/jacobs-factory-fire-under-investigation-1.1219847
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, explosion, death, various_chemicals
Department of Labour officials are investigating the circumstances around a fire that claimed the lives of two workers at a factory in Jacobs, south Durban.
The fire started after an explosion just after midnight on Friday in the Chemical Technologies building on Brooklyn Road.
Firefighters spent about three hours trying to put out the blaze using foam as there were various chemicals in the building.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE BLOG: CALIFORNIA STATE REPORT: "UCLA WHOLLY NEGLECTED ITS LEGAL OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT"" IN SANGJI CASE
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/sciencecareers/2012/01/on-january-21-k.html
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
On 21 January, Kim Christensen of the Los Angeles Times broke the story detailing the investigative report issued on 23 December 2009 by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health into the circumstances leading to Sheri Sangji's death. Science Careers has also obtained the 95-document, which made for a harrowing weekend of reading.
Through page after page of detailed interviews with UCLA officials, present and former members of Patrick Harran's lab, Harran himself, Sangji's college chemistry adviser, and her former employer, the investigator -- Senior Special Investigator Brian Baudendistel -- presents a nightmarish picture in the dispassionate language of bureaucracy. Reading it, one senses fury straining against the limits set by his official capacity. In the report's detailed, 3-page conclusion, his anger flashes hot.
Issued 2 years before the Los Angeles County district attorney brought felony charges against Harran and the Regents of the University of California, the report presents evidence that contradicts the narrative that UCLA has been asserting since being charged.
---------------------------------------------
PROPANE TANKER TIPS CAUSING HOMES TO BE EVACUATED
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/breaking/Tanker-Truck-Tips-Causing-Homes-to-Be-Evacuated-137920628.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, discovery, response, propane
A tanker truck filled with propane tipped over in New Britain, Pa. Monday afternoon causing nearby homes to be evacuated for hours as Hazmat crews worked to clean the scene.
The crash happened around 4:20 p.m.
Three homes near New Galena and Trewigtown Roads were evacuated as of 5 p.m. as propane leaked onto the roadway, Bucks County officials said.
The roads were shut down and some power lines were de-energized as crews work to contain the spill, cops said.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO DIESEL FUEL SPILL NEAR AIRPORT
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/firefighters-respond-to-diesel-fuel-spill-near-airport-e83tjlb-137903523.html
Tags: us_WI, industrial, release, environmental, diesel
Milwaukee firefighters are responding to a diesel fuel spill that's leaking into the creek near the Mitchell International Airport.
Hazmat teams and other units from the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the incident at S. 1st St. and W. Layton Ave. at 11:23 a.m. Monday after an off-duty firefighter called.
Sources said the fuel is believed to be leaking from the airport grounds. Fire chiefs are working with airport officials to determine exactly where the leak is coming from.
---------------------------------------------
COMPANY'S SAFETY CLOUD
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/companys-safety-cloud/2430148.aspx
Tags: Australia, public, follow-up, environmental, phosgene, waste
The ACT Fire Brigade and ACT Workcover both raised concerns about shoddy equipment and poor work safety practices by a Mitchell hazardous waste treatment company before last year's explosive chemical fire, according to documents released under Freedom of Information.
The documents also reveal the highly toxic nerve gas phosgene were detected in the fire's smoke plume, but emergency response crews had ''no capacity to test for larger exposure to chemicals''.
Last September, a massive chemical fire engulfed the Energy Services Invironmental waste treatment plant in Dacre Street, which was licensed by the ACT Environment Protection Agency to treat electrical transformer oil contaminated with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (known as PCBs). It hurled fireballs up to 200m above the burning building, and sent a dense plume of acrid black smoke billowing across Canberra's skyline.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE LAB CLOSED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT WINTHROP
http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/01/23/3684478/winthrop-science-lab-closed-after.html
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
Police and fire officials responded to Winthrop University Monday afternoon on calls of a chemical spill.
A student accidentally spilled about a third of a gallon beaker of hydrochloric acid just after 1 p.m. in a Dalton Hall laboratory, said Winthrop spokeswoman Judy Longshaw.
He immediately alerted university officials, she said. The room was sealed off, and the second floor was evacuated for safety reasons. No one was injured.
Campus Police, two Rock Hill Fire Department trucks, York County EMS and York County Emergency Management all responded to help clean up the acid with the proper materials.
---------------------------------------------
PINELLAS PARK WAREHOUSE EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL REACTION
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/pinellas_park/pinellas-park-warehouse-evacuated-due-to-chemical-reaction
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - A Pinellas Park warehouse was evacuated after a hazardous material spilled.
Rescue workers at the scene said someone inside the building mixed two chemicals which caused a reaction.
At least one person was treated at the facility, Envirofacts Warehouse at 5440 70th Avenue N., in Pinellas Park.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FALSE ALARM AT HOSPITAL
http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/chemical_false_alarm_at_hospital_1_2073737
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, carbon_dioxide, liquid_nitrogen
A HOSPITAL building resumed normal operation last night after a chemical false alarm caused an evacuation.
A building at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh was emptied after a leaking container of dry ice was found.
The alarm was raised when the milk bottle-sized container was found in a fridge. It appears the lid was not securely fastened, allowing the smoke-like gas to escape from the bottle. The building was cleared for around an hour while firefighters investigated.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to a report of a chemical incident. When we arrived, we found a bottle of liquid nitrogen which a member of staff had put in a fridge.
"The bottle was inspected and appeared to be in a safe condition, so it was handed back to hospital staff."
---------------------------------------------
MESA DISTRICT NEARS END OF SCHOOL-CHEMICALS AUDIT
http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/01/23/mesa-district-nears-end-of-school-chemicals-audit/
Tags: us_AZ, education, follow-up, response
After the Arizona Fire Marshal's Office wrote up Mesa High School during the first week of school for improper storage and identification of chemicals on campus, the district is nearing completion of a comprehensive effort to identify and log thousands of chemicals in Mesa's 84 schools.
The district is entering the names, amounts and expiration dates of the substances into a database that can be accessed by school officials and outside emergency workers. Officials also are creating a comprehensive safety training program for everyone who handles chemicals in the district Ñ from custodians to chemistry teachers.
"If there is an emergency Ñ say someone ingests or is exposed to chemicals Ñ the first responder is going to want to know exactly what they were exposed to," said district operations director Rick Michalek. In the event of a fire at a school, firefighters also need to know what kinds of explosive substances might be inside of a school.
Michalek said the district had already hired John Amenson, a safety consultant with the firm Risknomics LLC., when it realized at the start of the school year that it needed to speed up plans for a new training program and the database of all chemicals being used in the school system.
---------------------------------------------
BIOCHEMISTRY BUILDING EVACUATED, ONE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
http://host.madison.com/daily-cardinal/news/biochemistry-building-evacuated-one-injured-after-chemical-spill/article_3d5668d6-45a0-11e1-9a54-001871e3ce6c.html
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, injury, tetrahydrofuran
A hazardous materials crew, police officers, ambulances and fire trucks responded to a chemical spill in a UW-Madison biochemistry laboratory after a graduate student spilled a highly flammable solvent, injuring one person.
According to a graduate student in the Biochemistry building, the student spilled about 40 liters of tetrahydrofuran (THF), a chemical that can dissolve a wide range of materials including latex gloves, flooring and other plastics, in the Ronald Raines laboratory between 10:15 and 10:45 a.m.
The graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, said they received e-mails detailing the accident. According to the e-mails, a student was "reaching for a single, large bottle of THF when the shelf of multiple glass bottles crashed down."
The person injured in the laboratory suffered a minor cut.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FACTORY IN ST MARYS BURSTS INTO FLAMES FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A WEEK
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/chemical-factory-in-st-marys-bursts-into-flames-for-the-second-time-in-a-week/story-e6freuzi-1226250877482
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, acids, flammables
A FACTORY stocked with hazardous chemicals burst into flames last night in what was the second fire on the premises in a week.
The inferno reached about 30 metres into the air and destroyed the entire 3,500 square metre building on Christie Street, St. Marys after starting about 12.30am.
The factory worked reconditioning drums filled with flammable chemicals and acids.
NSW Fire Department is investigating the incident after last night's blaze was the second fire at the business in a week.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/01/23/2201382/no-injuries-after-chemical-reaction.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
A chemical reaction at an industrial packaging plant was contained Friday morning and no injuries were reported, according to officials.
The incident occurred about noon at Greif Inc., 2400 Cooper Ave. The company manufactures industrial packaging systems for carrying products such as steel containers, fiber drums, plastic drums and more, according to its website.
Some mixed products created the chemical reaction, according to Merced Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin, who said the reaction was contained in a 55-gallon drum.
Two fire companies responded and set up a perimeter around the area. The county fire department's hazardous materials team also was called in, McLaughlin said.
"They took some samples of the product and helped define the hazards," McLaughlin said. "It just self-stabilized."
---------------------------------------------
AP IMPACT: METH FILLS HOSPITALS WITH BURN PATIENTS
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/01/23/ap_impact_meth_fills_hospitals_with_burn_patients/
Tags: public, follow-up, injury, meth_lab
ST. LOUISÑA crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment -- a burden so costly that it's contributing to the closure of some burn units.
So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining raw, unstable ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle. But if the person mixing the noxious brew makes the slightest error, such as removing the cap too soon or accidentally perforating the plastic, the concoction can explode, searing flesh and causing permanent disfigurement, blindness or even death.
An Associated Press survey of key hospitals in the nation's most active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured. The average treatment costs $6,000 per day. And the average meth patient's hospital stay costs $130,000 -- 60 percent more than other burn patients, according to a study by doctors at a burn center in Kalamazoo, Mich.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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