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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (16 articles)
Date: July 11, 2012 7:12:45 AM EDT
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <A2D2E47B-4D89-4F64-A5DD-5358ED5BE335**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 7:12:22 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 (16 articles)
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS REVEAL AFFECTS OF DUMPED METH LABS
Tags: us_AL, public, release, environmental, meth_lab
HUTCHINSON RESIDENTS RETURN HOME AFTER BOMB SCARE
Tags: us_KS, public, release, injury, bleach, hydrochloric_acid
UPDATE: SITUATION AT MONSANTO PLANT SETTLES DOWN; WORKER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
TRAIN DERAILMENT IN COLUMBUS CAUSES EXPLOSION, TRIGGERS EVACUATIONS
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, flammables
ARMY TEAM MAKES SAFE UNSTABLE CHEMICALS AT DUNDALK IT • THEJOURNAL.IE
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, other_chemical, time-sensitive
FOUR INJURED IN EXPLOSION AFTER THEY
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
WQAD.COM Ñ QUAD CITIES NEWS & WEATHER FROM WQAD TELEVISION, CHANNEL 8
Tags: us_IA, industrial, explosion, injury, asphalt
FIRE HEAVILY DAMAGES BERLIN RECYCLING PLANT
Tags: us_CT, industrial, fire, response, waste
1340 AM, BEDFORD, INDIANA
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, waste
VT. POLICE EVACUATE APARTMENTS AFTER CHEMICAL CALL
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
I-TEAM TAKES YOU INSIDE TOLEDO HAZMAT SEARCH
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, follow-up, response
HAZMAT CALL PROMPTS EVACUATION AT UBC PSYCH BUILDING
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT MISHAWAKA OIL AND FRAGRANCE PLANT
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, oils
NO DETAILS ON PLANT FIRE
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
COMPANY WANTS NO FINE FOR MARCH FIRE AT LA. PLANT
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT NEW ENGLAND REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, cleaners
---------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS REVEAL AFFECTS OF DUMPED METH LABS
http://www.waff.com/story/18995124/environmental-experts-reveal-affects-of-dumped-meth-labs
Tags: us_AL, public, release, environmental, meth_lab
MORGAN COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
Morgan County Investigators found several one-pot meth labs near the Valhermosa Springs bridge, which is a popular fishing spot.
Environmental experts said, for the most part, these meth labs pose no more danger to the environment than typical trash.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management helps guide law enforcement on safe disposal of meth labs.
Decatur branch director Ed Poolos said that the one-pot, so called "shake-and-bake" meth labs that are being used now require far less chemicals that the older meth-making method - the more volatile red-phosphorus labs.
Most of the one-pot labs are discovered after they've already been used, so they don't have the amount of chemicals left in them that could contaminate waterways or have an effect on fish.
"It's basically the waste from the process. With this waste, the chemical reaction has already occurred, so the hazardous substances and the hazardous properties are basically gone from that," said Poolos.
These labs can still be harmful to people who touch them, and more and more hunters and hikers are spotting these meth lab dumpsites in the woods.
If you think you see one, get away from it, and call local law enforcement.
---------------------------------------------
HUTCHINSON RESIDENTS RETURN HOME AFTER BOMB SCARE
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/Hutchinson_Homes_Evacuated_After_Hazmat_Concerns_161950625.html
Tags: us_KS, public, release, injury, bleach, hydrochloric_acid
Nine homes in east Hutchinson were evacuated as authorities investigated a chemical threat inside another home.
Crews were called to the scene in the 1400 block of E. 3rd Ave. around 8 a.m. Tuesday. The Hutch Post reports a man with a mental problem may have mixed several chemicals together inside the home.
Police decided to search his home after the man was arrested for stolen property out of Wichita. The man told authorities about the chemical mixture, as well as a possible explosive device, inside his home.
A bomb squad that included robots went inside the residence to search for a possible bomb. After four hours of searching the home and an outside shed, they determined there were no explosive devices.
Investigators said the man mixed muriatic acid and bleach together creating a cloud of chlorine gas. The Hutchinson Fire department's hazardous materials unit neutralized the chemicals inside the house.
The man was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for observation.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: SITUATION AT MONSANTO PLANT SETTLES DOWN; WORKER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120710/NEWS/120710018/1029/BUSINESS/?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
A bottle under pressure exploded at the Monsanto plant in Ankeny on Tuesday around 12:30 p.m., according to Ankeny Fire Chief Rex Mundt.
The bottle was under high pressure during a chemical process under a hood when the incident occurred.
"The bottle did rupture from being over pressurized," Mundt said.
One employee thought she was exposed to the vapors and was taken to the hospital for treatment. All other employees were safely evacuated without exposure, Mundt said.
Employees in the building followed proper safety protocol for the situation, which included immediately shutting down the ventilation system so the vapors would not escape the building, the chief said.
Mundt said he believed the bottle was less than one gallon in size; he could not immediately say what chemicals it contained.
The worker who was taken to an area hospital for observation has been released and sustained no injuries, said Kelly Clauss, the company's director of public affairs.
A crew cleaning up the lab where the explosion took place is expected to finish cleaning up today, she said. The plant will reopen for operations tomorrow.
Clauss said the procedure that was being performed when the bottle ruptured was a normal one for employees at the plant. The chemicals that were being used are also regularly used, she said.
Such an event is "rare" for Monsanto's plants, she said.
---------------------------------------------
TRAIN DERAILMENT IN COLUMBUS CAUSES EXPLOSION, TRIGGERS EVACUATIONS
http://www.onntv.com/content/stories/2012/07/11/story-columbus-train-derailment-causes-explosion-evacuations.html
Tags: us_OH, transportation, explosion, response, flammables
People miles away could see and feel an explosion caused by a derailed train in Columbus early Wednesday morning.
Fields Avenue, near 5th and 11th avenues, was shut down because of the derailment of four to five cars that were carrying chemicals such as denatured alcohol and Styrene, a chemical used to make plastic.
The derailment happened at about 2 a.m.
Nearly 100 cars were part of the train that derailed.
Fire officials called for air support to figure out what was burning before fire crews attacked from the ground. HAZMAT officials also were called to the scene but said that there was no risk for air contamination.
Law enforcement officials evacuated those within a 1-mile radius. Residents in the Weinland Park area were asked to evacuate. Law enforcement officials set up a safe area on the Ohio State Fairgrounds.
---------------------------------------------
ARMY TEAM MAKES SAFE UNSTABLE CHEMICALS AT DUNDALK IT • THEJOURNAL.IE
http://www.thejournal.ie/bomb-squad-dundalk-it-dkit-chemicals-516211-Jul2012/
Tags: Ireland, laboratory, discovery, response, other_chemical, time-sensitive
AN ARMY BOMB disposal team has this afternoon made safe a number of unstable chemicals at the Dundalk Institute of Technology.
The Defence Forces carried out a controlled explosion on the chemical, called celloidin wool, which was found to be unstable during a routine audit of chemicals at DKIT.
The bomb disposal team was called to the campus at around 4.10pm this afternoon after being alerted by Garda’. The area around the scene was evacuated as the team dealt with the unstable chemical.
The chemical was rendered safe at the scene and a controlled explosion was carried out to dispose of it. The scene was declared safe at 4.45pm.
Celloidin wool is a chemical used in laboratories which can become unstable as it dries out.
This is the 114th call out so far this year for a bomb disposal team.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR INJURED IN EXPLOSION AFTER THEY
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/four-injured-in-explosion-after-they/972763/
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Four persons, including three women, were injured when bottles with an unknown chemical exploded in Vasai on Tuesday morning. The police have sent samples of the odourless chemical for analysis at the forensic laboratory in Kalina.
According to the police, tribals use such bottles with glass splinters to fish in ponds. When the bottle explodes, the glass splinters kill fish which are then netted. But since the bottles were hidden beneath clothes, they also suspect that this could be a type of crude bomb used by dacoits to loot jewellery stores.
Police said the incident took place around 7.30am when a few tribal labourers, Dinesh Kopatkar (25), his wife, Sugandha (20), Shewanti Wagh (36) and Jaywanti Chowdhary (50), were walking to work. When the four reached a multiplex, Shewanti noticed a sky blue plastic bag lying near the bushes.
"Out of curiousity, I opened the bag to see what was inside it. The bag contained a shirt, vest and a handkerchief and at the bottom four small bottles," said Shewanti.
---------------------------------------------
WQAD.COM Ñ QUAD CITIES NEWS & WEATHER FROM WQAD TELEVISION, CHANNEL 8
http://wqad.com/2012/07/09/man-hurt-in-reported-asphalt-plant-explosion/
Tags: us_IA, industrial, explosion, injury, asphalt
A man was reportedly hurt when hot asphalt sprayed on him at a local asphalt plant in Muscatine County, Iowa.
It happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Wendling Asphalt plant near Highway 6 and Noble Avenue, between Moscow and Atalissa, Iowa.
Kyle Gottschalk, 41, of Lowden, Iowa, was reportedly sprayed with hot asphalt as a result of an explosion inside the asphalt building on the north side of the property.
Gottschalk is a long-time employee of the plant. He was described as a quality-control technician.
A helicopter ambulance airlifted Gottschalk to a hospital in Iowa City.
A plant spokesperson said they will investigate the incident after checking on the injured worker at the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE HEAVILY DAMAGES BERLIN RECYCLING PLANT
http://meriden.patch.com/articles/fire-heavily-damages-berlin-recycling-plant
Tags: us_CT, industrial, fire, response, waste
Firefighters from Berlin, Meriden and Rocky Hill, among others, were kept busy this morning with a blaze at a local recycling plant.
Fire personnel were called to the Connecticut Waste Processing Materials LLC, a waste removal and recycling plant on Christian Lane, at 9:45 a.m. when a fire started under a machine used in the everyday operation of the facility, according to Berlin Fire Marshal Steven Waznia.
Employees using the machine tried to extinguish the fire, but when it was apparent that method was not working they promptly called for help.
"By the time we got here... the entire back part of the building was already burning," Waznia said.
No one was injured in the blaze; "everyone is accounted for," Waznia said.
---------------------------------------------
1340 AM, BEDFORD, INDIANA
http://www.wbiw.com/state/archives/2012/07/chemical_fire_extinguished_nea.php
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, waste
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Firefighters from multiple agencies helped extinguish a fire at a west side chemical recycling facility.
Wayne Township firefighters were dispatched to a trash fire in the 1600 block of Research Way, just north of the Indianapolis International Airport around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Arriving firefighters determined a large metal container was burning. Inside the container, rags soaked in various types of chemicals apparently self-ignited.
The Indianapolis International Airport Fire Department was dispatched to the scene to provide one of their specialty fire trucks.
The truck, equipped with a nozzle specifically designed to puncture metal and insert water and foam to extinguish fire, was used to douse the fire.
Hazmat crews tested the surrounding air and water during the incident to ensure there was no danger to surrounding homes or businesses.
---------------------------------------------
VT. POLICE EVACUATE APARTMENTS AFTER CHEMICAL CALL
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vt-police-evacuate-apartments-after-chemical-call-3695761.php
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) Ñ Police in Vermont believe a man was setting up a meth lab in his apartment after they got a call about suspicious chemicals on the property and evacuated some neighbors.
Bennington police responded Monday night to the apartment. The Bennington Banner reports (http://bit.ly/McYWPj) they shut down the street. They said they saw volatile chemicals that could be used to make methamphetamine.
Lt. Lloyd Dean said the tenant, a man in his 20s, is cooperating with police.
The chemicals were secured. Dean said a state hazardous materials team will take possession of the chemicals.
Dean said charges are pending against the man.
---------------------------------------------
I-TEAM TAKES YOU INSIDE TOLEDO HAZMAT SEARCH
http://www.13abc.com/story/18983769/2012/07/09/13abc-i-team-takes-you-inside-south-toledo-lab
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, follow-up, response
TOLEDO, Ohio -
It's been nearly two months since a HAZMAT investigation at a run-down research lab on Broadway in South Toledo. The city of Toledo's inspection department has issued orders to fix code violations at the lab.
During the raid in May, investigators say they did not find anything that posed an immediate threat to the public. For the first time tonight, the 13abc I-team is getting a look inside that lab. It's a look at exactly what investigators found when they went inside.
Finding chemicals inside the lab were pretty easy. Some sound scary like this sodium nitroferricynanide which was found inside.
"We did the right thing by going in there with individuals who knew what they were doing," said Eric Zgodzinski, of the Toledo Lucas County Health Department.
Investigators found Petri dishes, serums that expired in 1989, even holes in the floor covered with grates.
"You see a ton of different chemicals, some of them aren't bad. Some of them are sugars. But some of them are bad. So again it's one of those things where it's a research lab, doing business as a research lab. And there are things that need to be taken care of with them chemicals," said Zgodzinski.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CALL PROMPTS EVACUATION AT UBC PSYCH BUILDING
http://ubyssey.ca/news/hazmat-call-685/
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
A reported chemical spill caused the evacuation of an entire floor of a UBC psychology building today, but an all-clear has been given and no one was seriously harmed.
The incident occurred at the Douglas T. Kenny building on West Mall.
"A student walked into a room where there were chemicals, and he reported that his eyes were burning."
"Around 9:30 a student walked into a room where there were chemicals, and he reported that his eyes were burning," said Lawron Leung, executive director of the UBC psychology department. "We immediately called the ambulance and the fire department É They evacuated the fourth floor [and] started ventilating the fourth floor."
According to Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesperson Carol Messenger, the incident prompted a Level 3 hazmat response, and two firetrucks were dispatched. She said that by the time the hazmat team entered the building at 11:30 a.m., no dangerous chemical vapours could be detected. There were no injuries from the incident, she added.
By approximately 1:30 p.m., Leung reported that some individuals had begun to return to the fourth floor. According to Leung, the student who reported the vapours remained near the building and did not require medical attention.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT MISHAWAKA OIL AND FRAGRANCE PLANT
http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-fire-breaks-out-at-mishawaka-oil-and-fragrance-plant-20120709,0,6614210.story
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, oils
Some scary moments for workers at a Mishawaka company Monday afternoon when fire broke out inside the plant near McKinley and Capital Avenue.
South Bend hazmat team members spent the afternoon cleaning up after the fire at The Lebermuth Company, which deals in essential oils and fragrances.
According to general manager David Shebell, it was a tank of fragrance that overheated shortly after noon and burst into flames due to an apparent malfunction.
Shebell tried to contain the fire using an extinguisher but was unsuccessful. Clouds of black smoke billowed from one of four buildings in the complex.
Shebell made sure several other employees got out safely and closed the door on the area where the fire was in an attempt to contain it.
No one was injured.
---------------------------------------------
NO DETAILS ON PLANT FIRE
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/720045.shtml
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Police had not released any information regarding casualties or the cause of a fire at a chemical plant in Tianjin Monday.
Explosions were heard before the fire broke out in the Tianjin Talent Chemistry Company at a hi-tech industrial park in the city's Beichen district on Monday, witnesses were quoted by people.com.cn as saying.
The China Network Television reported that over 20 fire trucks were at site as firefighters tried to prevent further explosions by cooling down six chemical storage tanks.
An employee of a massage spa close to the plant surnamed Yang told the Global Times Monday that the fire broke out around lunchtime.
"I heard explosions, then saw large clouds of smoke and fire. There were police officers and firefighters everywhere. The officers evacuated us from the industrial zone," she said.
People.com.cn reported that people had been evacuated from companies and residential communities in the surrounding area.
A police officer from the industrial park told the Global Times that the fire was extinguished by the afternoon.
"Most staffers had returned to the spa by 3 pm," Yang said.
Calls to the plant and the industrial park management office went unanswered Monday
---------------------------------------------
COMPANY WANTS NO FINE FOR MARCH FIRE AT LA. PLANT
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120709/APN/1207090890
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
A Houston-based chemical company contends that it should not be penalized for a March plant fire at its vinyl chloride complex in Geismar because an unexpected and unprecedented chemical chain reaction touched off the blaze.
The Westlake Chemical Corp. recently released details about the March 22 incident in a 14-page letter to environmental regulators, according to the Advocate ( http://bit.ly/MdVDbw). In the letter, Andrew Kenner, vice president of Westlake's manufacturing division, says the reaction was not the result of operator error and could not have been anticipated.
The company is asking the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality not to penalize it.
Kenner's letter says the fire involved a far smaller chemical release than initially reported, primarily steam. A separate fire continued past 8:20 a.m. in an ethylene line.
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials said the fire remains under investigation. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is looking into the incident too.
The blaze shot a plume of smoke high into the air over Westlake's Geismar Vinyls Complex off La. 30 in Ascension Parish.
The fire forced residents to stay inside their homes for a few hours and temporarily closed the Mississippi River and highways. The facility was shut down for a month and a half.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT NEW ENGLAND REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/07/10/firefighters_respond_to_chemical_exposure_at_new_england_rehabilitation_hospital/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, cleaners
The Danvers Fire Department responded to the New England Rehabilitation Hospital at Danvers around 7 p.m. Monday after five employees complained of eye and throat irritation. Fire Captain Frank Sacco said a group of nurses and other staff appeared to be affected by the cleaning fluid, Maxima 256 Disinfectant Cleaner, which was used to clean a patient room around 4 p.m. The five workers were taken to the emergency room at Beverly Hospital for observation. Sacco said the cleaner was one commonly used at the facility with no complaints. A gas detector used by firefighters found no carbon monoxide or other harmful gases present.
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