Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Friday, April 20, 2012 8:21:53 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at
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http://pinboard.in/u:dchasTable of Contents (19 articles)
INJURED MAN CITED AFTER BUTCHERTOWN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_KY, public, explosion, injury, drugs
ENQUIRER/USA TODAY INVESTIGATION: MANY LIVE WITH LEAD'S REMNANTS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental, lead_dust
POLICE FIND METHAMPHETAMINE LAB IN EWU STUDENT'S CHENEY APARTMENT
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
SOME NEIGHBORHOODS DANGEROUSLY CONTAMINATED BY LEAD FALLOUT =96
USATODAY.COMTags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, lead_dust
CLARK COUNTY FUEL STORAGE FACILITY BURNS
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
IDAHO FALLS PARKING LOT EVACUATED
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, gas_cylinders
NORTON GAS LINE LEAK CLOSES PART OF NORTH WORCESTER STREET
Tags: us_MA, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
CSB REPORT ON 2010 EXPLOSION
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
TWO COEDS PASS OUT IN BAYLOR CHEMISTRY LAB
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, injury, dye, ethanol
STORED WASTE AT PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY IGNITES BLAZE
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, wastes
NO INJURIES IN CHEMICAL SPILL AT BMC
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, formaldehyde, irritant
LA SALLE FIREFIGHTERS RUSH TO CARUS CHEMICAL
Tags: us_IL, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TANKER CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS HWY. 20E FOR 60 MILES
Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, cleaners
ST. BONIFACE CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, formaldehyde
FIREFIGHTERS CHECK OUT CHEMICALS IN CONTAINERS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, cyanide
FIRE AND HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO ACID SPILL
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
HAZMAT TEAM TREATS POLICE AFTER BURGLARY INVESTIGATION
Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS BLAZE INJURES FIREFIGHTER, RESIDENT
Tags: us_IL, public, explosion, injury, flammables
3 PLANT WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CO LEAK
Tags: us_AR, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
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INJURED MAN CITED AFTER BUTCHERTOWN EXPLOSION
http://www..wlky.com/news/local-news/louisville-news/Injured-man-cited-after-Butchertown-explosion/-/9718340/11176384/-/vlg6b2/-/Tags: us_KY, public, explosion, injury, drugs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A 25-year-old man suffered burns after a house explosion in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.
According to the Louisville Fire Department, the injured man was responsible for the explosion.
Louisville firefighters found fire and haze on the upper floor and outside they discovered structural damage to the back of the building. Because of the volatile chemicals involved in meth production, firefighters initially backed out of the building, which houses four apartment units.
"We started treating it as a meth lab situation," said Louisville Fire Department Capt. Salvador Melendez.
After further investigating, they discovered it wasn't a meth lab, but was instead a marijuana-drying operation. Officials said more than a pound of marijuana was discovered.
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ENQUIRER/USA TODAY INVESTIGATION: MANY LIVE WITH LEAD'S REMNANTS
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120419/NEWS/304190176
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental, lead_dust
NEWPORT =97 A blockish two-story brick building next to a row of homes along West 12th Street does little to call attention to itself. Nearly all of the windows are covered with plywood, painted gray to match the brick.
A sign is tacked above a boarded-up doorway: L&H Tool & Die Co.
In 1910, however, it was the Newport Foundry Co., historical fire insurance maps show. =46rom at least 1949 to 1954, industry directories show the site was home to Certified Metals Manufacturing Co., which made babbitt (or bearings) and solder, mixed metals that often contained lead.
Soil tests in nearby residential yards showed lead levels that could be hazardous to children, with some reading over six times the action level for residential areas.
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POLICE FIND METHAMPHETAMINE LAB IN EWU STUDENT'S CHENEY APARTMENT
http://cheneyfreepress.com/police-find-methamphetamine-lab-in-ewu-students-cheney-apartment-p10531-1.htm
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
A meth lab found in a Cheney apartment last week has led to an Eastern Washington University student's arrest and a multi-agency investigation.
Patrick M. Janicke, 22, was arrested April 11 for malicious mischief, manufacturing meth and using a building for drug purposes. Janicke was reported to police by his roommate for slashing tires in their apartment complex's parking lot; the roommate claimed he was not aware that Janicke, an EWU science major, was cooking meth, instead assuming he was doing chemistry homework.
Police discovered the meth lab in Janicke's apartment on the 2700 block of Al Ogdon Way after arresting him for slashing tires.
Cheney Police Cmdr. Rick Campbell said the incident began late on the evening of April 10, when Janicke left something in the apartment's kitchen that caught fire. Janicke's roommate put out the fire and threw out the substance, which angered Janicke and spurred an argument. He then went outside and began slashing tires.
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SOME NEIGHBORHOODS DANGEROUSLY CONTAMINATED BY LEAD FALLOUT =96 USATODAY.COM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-04-20/smelting-lead-contamination-soil-testing/54420418/1
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, lead_dust
Kathleen Marshall used to think the fenced backyard of her Philadelphia home was a safe place for her five children to play. Not anymore.
Marshall was horrified to learn that a long-forgotten factory once melted lead just across the street and that soil tests by USA TODAY indicate her yard is contaminated with hazardous levels of the toxic metal.
"You're living here and you have no idea of what's really in your ground, what's in your backyard," Marshall says now. "It's just kind of scary to think that you're sending your kids out to play in an area that's hazardous."
Hundreds of soil tests by USA TODAY in neighborhoods near former lead factories show numerous areas where the dirt is so contaminated that children should not be playing in it.
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CLARK COUNTY FUEL STORAGE FACILITY BURNS
http://www.abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wsyx_vid_17068.shtml
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CLARK COUNTY -- HAZMAT crews are cleaning up after a major fire at a fuel storage facility in Pike Township.
Investigators say the fire started with an explosion during a fuel transfer from a truck. The cause of that explosion is not yet known.
Some nearby houses were evacuated while fire fighters battled the flames, and other residents were advised to remain in their homes because of heavy smoke. All restrictions were lifted by Thursday evening.
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IDAHO FALLS PARKING LOT EVACUATED
http://www.localnews8.com/news/30924875/detail.html
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, gas_cylinders
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Hazmat, police and fire crews have evacuated the parking lot of the old Fred Meyer where INL buses park on North Yellowstone in Idaho Falls.
Idaho Falls Fire/EMS Division Chief Dave Coffey said that a cylinder full of boron trifluoride broke, causing the gas to leak.
The gas is hazardous, but does not pose a danger to the public.
Crews took advantage of the windy weather, which allowed them to let the gas leak out and dissipate in a controlled manner.
"There's no danger to the public," Coffey said. "We want to make sure that everyone's aware of that. And this was non-radiological, just a hazardous material -- a hazardous gas, actually -- that has been mitigated at this time."
Two West One Logistics employees, who contract with the INL and manage the evacuated property, were exposed to the boron trifluoride. They were both evaluated at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and have since been released.
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NORTON GAS LINE LEAK CLOSES PART OF NORTH WORCESTER STREET
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2012/04/19/news_update/11364680.txt
Tags: us_MA, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
NORTON - A portion of North Worcester Street was closed for about 3 1/2 hours today after water department employees discovered an old abandoned gas line leaking fluid containing a low-level of PCBs, officials said.
Water department workers tried to contained the fluid in a pail and contacted fire officials immediately after the incident around 11:30 a.m.
Less than five gallons of fluid leaked from the line, Joe Ferson, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
"We're talking about low levels and subsurface, at this point," Ferson said when asked about the potential dangers.
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CSB REPORT ON 2010 EXPLOSION
http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Dupont-Pkg-Jaclyn-Noon-148103695.html
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
Buffalo, N.Y. (WKBW) - It was an explosion that could be heard for miles. An empty tank was being repaired at the DuPont facility in November of 2010 when it blew up, killing Rich Folaron, 57, of South Whales.
Now, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has answers as to why this tragedy happened.
"The accident occurred while a contract worker was welding a tank that unknown to him contained flammable gas," Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said.
The explosion occurred because there was a hole in the pipes leading from one tank to another. CSB explained how this happened in a computerized video they prepared. WKBW did not use some of the video because of its graphic nature.
"A whole around the agitators shaft was a path for ignition. Sparks could have fallen into the tank even as flammable gas drifted toward the sparks," explains the CSB video.
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TWO COEDS PASS OUT IN BAYLOR CHEMISTRY LAB
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Two_Coeds_Overcome_By_Fumes_In_Baylor_Lab_147991375.html
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, injury, dye, ethanol
WACO (April 18, 2012)=97Two coeds who were working with chemicals including a mixture of ethanol and food dye passed out Wednesday afternoon in a Baylor University chemistry lab, but it's not clear why.
Initial reports indicated that the two students might have been overcome by fumes, but a university spokeswoman said Wednesday evening there was no evidence of any chemical spill or of any dangerous, toxic or hazardous gasses or fumes in the lab.
The two coeds both regained consciousness and walked away from the room as the students were evacuated from the lab, the university said.
The instructor followed established procedures, opening up a vent hood and shutting off natural gas before leaving the lab, the university said.
No other classrooms were evacuated.
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STORED WASTE AT PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY IGNITES BLAZE
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Stored-waste-at-Physical-Research-Laboratory-ignites-blaze/articleshow/12725781.cms
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, wastes
AHMEDABAD: Wastes stored in an open area inside Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) campus sparked off fire on Wednesday afternoon. However, no casualty or injury was reported in the incident.
The laboratory wastes of the high security establishment under the Department of Space includes various types of chemicals including inflammable chemicals, chemical containers, boxes and other substances. As a fire suddenly broke out around 12pm, the officials of the laboratory immediately alerted the fire department.
It took the fire tenders more than an hour to douse the fire and bring the situation under control at PRL. "We had a fire fighter vehicle and two water tankers at the place. We had to empty the water from both the tankers in controlling the fire," said additional chief fire officer Rajesh Bhatt.
As the fire officials were busy tackling the situation, staffs and officials of PRL gathered into a crowd to watch the situation. "The wastes have been lying there since a long time and should have been disposed of earlier," said one of the officials who did not wish to disclose his identity.
"We are unable to ascertain the cause of the fire as of now. There was no electrical wiring around the place which eliminated the possibility of short-circuit being the cause of fire. We noticed lots of scraps, wooden furniture and containers at the place," said Bhatt.
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NO INJURIES IN CHEMICAL SPILL AT BMC
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_20429817/no-injuries-chemical-spill-at-bmc
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, formaldehyde, irritant
ITTSFIELD -- A Berkshire Med ical Center laboratory was evacuated for several hours Wed nesday afternoon following a chemical spill.
A hazardous materials team from the Pittsfield Fire Department responded to the hospital after a lab worker accidentally dropped a container that held the chemical formalin, which is used to preserve laboratory specimens, according to BMC spokesman Michael Leary.
"Due to the caustic nature of the material, it may cause severe eye irritation, skin irritation and it's harmful if swallowed," said Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Kilmer. "So we knew we had a definite hazmat incident, and that we were going to have to make an entry into the lab to clean it up and make air levels safe."
No injuries were reported, but the two BMC employees who were closest to the spill of less than half a gallon of formalin were taken to the hospital's occupational health center as a precaution.
Formalin, a formaldehyde solution, is considered a skin, eye and upper respiratory irritant and a probable human carcinogen after prolonged exposure.
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LA SALLE FIREFIGHTERS RUSH TO CARUS CHEMICAL
http://newstrib.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=28&ArticleID=18766
Tags: us_IL, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
La Salle Fire Department was called to the Carus Chemical plant inLa Salle at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.
"They were unloading a product and there was an issue with a hose," said fire chief Andy Bacidore. "Some of it fell on some combustibles and started smoldering."
The chief estimated a small section of roof, about one square foot, was smoldering when firefighters arrived.
"We just needed to make sure there wasn't any fire in the hose they were using to fill, and that there wasn't anything burning in the truck," Bacidore said.
Firefighters doused the small area and peeled back part of the roof to make sure nothing was burning underneath.
Peru firefighters also responded, through the departments' auto aid agreement. Firefighters cleared the scene at about 3:20 p.m.
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TANKER CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS HWY. 20E FOR 60 MILES
http://www.ktvz.com/news/30917651/detail.html
Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, cleaners
BROTHERS, Ore. -- A more than 60-mile stretch of Highway 20E east of Brothers was shut for hours and expected to stay closed or restricted to one lane for hours more Wednesday night after a semi tanker truck flipped onto its side and began to spill a possibly hazardous chemical.
Initial reports indicated the truck driver was banged up and had some shoulder and chest pain but was generally unhurt after the crash, reported around 7:50 p.m. in the area of milepost 50, about eight miles east of Brothers, near the intersection with Fredrick Butte Road, or more than 50 miles east of Bend.
Deschutes County dispatchers contacted Sherman Brothers, the Harrisburg, Ore. trucking company, as well as Chemtrec and the Idaho firm expecting the shipment. They at first were told a blue fluid seen coming from the 40-foot-long tanker could be an alkaline-based industrial cleaner or "surfactant," which can in some circumstances cause upper respiratory burns or superficial skin burns..
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ST. BONIFACE CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/04/18/mb-stboniface-hospital-fire.html
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, formaldehyde
A Winnipeg hazardous materials team spent much of Wednesday afternoon cleaning up a small formaldehyde spill at St. Boniface General Hospital.
Hazmat units were called to the hospital at around 2:45 p.m. CT, after staff in the shipping and receiving area noticed a three-litre container of formaldehyde was leaking, according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
The receiving area was evacuated and nearby air vents were blocked due to fumes from the formaldehyde leak, but patients are not at risk, the health authority said in a release.
The hospital blocked all "non-essential foot and vehicle traffic" around the receiving area so the hazmat teams could clean up the spill.
As of 7 p.m., the hazmat teams have completed their work, but hospital staff are still cleaning up the area.
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FIREFIGHTERS CHECK OUT CHEMICALS IN CONTAINERS
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_20426060/hazmat-teams-investigating-bottles-labeled-poison-at-san
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, cyanide
SAN BERNARDINO -- Firefighters came to a San Bernardino business Wednesday after someone found two containers, including one with a cyanide label, in a cabinet.
Neither of the bottles spilled, but hazardous materials personnel conducted tests on the chemicals to determine how to handle them.
A man looking through items on the property in the 600 block of West 40th Street called the San Bernardino Fire Department at 10:02 a.m. after finding a bottle labeled cyanide and another with a skull-and-crossbones label, said fire Division Chief Eric Esquivel.
Esquivel said the chemicals were found in an auto repair business that is in the process of being sold
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FIRE AND HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO ACID SPILL
http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/62369/group/News/
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
People are back to work at Marque Dental Lab after Hazmat crews spent hours cleaning up an accidental acid spill. The good news is the chemical in the South Fargo spill wasn't as dangerous as they first thought.
The Fargo Fire Department says around 9 this morning at this dental lab, about a half-gallon of hydrochloric acid was spilled all over the floor.
Matt Nelson =96 Fargo Fire Department: "If you get it into your lungs or onto your skin it can cause a chemical burn or severe respiratory damage depending on the concentrations."
When the Fargo Fire Department arrived at Marque Dental Laboratory, just off of 13th Avenue South, and 23rd Street, they thought the spill could be hydrofluoric acid, forcing firefighters to wear full protection hazmat suits.
It turns out it was the more commonly known hydrochloric acid. Right after the spill workers quickly doused it with baking soda, and called 9-1-1 quickly after fumes erupted.
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HAZMAT TEAM TREATS POLICE AFTER BURGLARY INVESTIGATION
http://www.gazette.com/articles/burglary-137069-springs-police.html
Tags: us_CO, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Colorado Springs Police were treated for chemical exposure after they investigated a burglary in north Colorado Springs Tuesday night.
According to police, officers were called to 4502 Misty Drive to investigate a burglary about 11 p.m., but when they arrived they began to suffer from burning, itchy eyes.
When they stepped out of the home, they continued to have symptoms and had headaches and burning throats. The Colorado Springs hazardous materials team investigated, and discovered that the homeowner had been using chemicals to refine silver and the officers had been exposed. The officers were treated by paramedics and their symptoms quickly faded.
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS BLAZE INJURES FIREFIGHTER, RESIDENT
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120418/news/704199934/
Tags: us_IL, public, explosion, injury, flammables
An Arlington Heights man was burned and a firefighter was injured in a Wednesday night house fire that exploded in the man's basement, but officials said their injuries could have been much worse.
The man was able to escape the smoky basement after chemical fumes exploded in his face, and firefighters pulled out of the building just before the first floor collapsed.
"We got out just in time," said Arlington Heights fire Lt. Ray Loch.
Firefighters evacuated the house after a firefighter in a stairwell was thrown back during a flashover, injuring him.
The first floor collapsed shortly after firefighters went into a defensive position, Loch said.
The homeowner was working to plug a hole with a flammable material when, fire officials believe, the water heater kicked on and ignited fumes from the patching material about 5 p.m.
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3 PLANT WORKERS SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER CO LEAK
http://www.fox16.com/news/state/story/3-plant-workers-sent-to-hospital-after-CO-leak/qfcoQXluFk2Yf3P5Zp_ypA.cspx
Tags: us_AR, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) =97 Three people have been sent to a hospital for treatment and other employees were evacuated because of a carbon monoxide leak at a Fayetteville plant.
Fire Department Battalion Chief Mauro Campos says three people were transported from Elkhart Products Corp. Tuesday morning, and a fourth person was treated at the scene. They complained of disorientation and nausea.
Campos says all four people, whose names weren't released, are expected to make a full recovery.
He says one person complained Monday night about symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, and more people had similar complaints on Tuesday. Officials evacuated employees from around the area of the leak, but work continued in other parts of the plant.
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