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Editor's note: There are a variety of comments on the legal aspects of the UC settlement included below. They don't add much technical detail, but they point to aspects of the case that are likely to have significant lab safety culture impact in the future, so I'm including them for the Division's information. Also, another article from the UK about the relationship between chemical education and chemical safety...
- Ralph
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 7:20:15 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 (22 articles)
MOBILE METH LAB EXPLOSION AT ARCADIA LAKE COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
BOISE BOMB SQUAD REMOVES HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL FROM BSU CAMPUS LABORATORY
Tags: us_ID, laboratory, discovery, response
UK ARTICLE ON WHATEVER HAPPENED TO KIDS' CHEMISTRY SETS?
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, follow-up, response
DRUG LAB BLAST INJURES BOY, DAD
Tags: Australia, laboratory, explosion, response, drugs
CREEK COUNTY MAN, WOMAN BURNED IN EDMOND METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
BOMB SQUAD RESPONDS TO MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, bomb
TEAM RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN FRANKLIN
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, mercury
WIRED BLOG ON UC SETTLEMENT: BAD CHEMISTRY
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BLOG: FACING FELONY CHARGES IN LAB DEATH OF SHERI SANGJI, UCLA SETTLES, HARRAN STRETCHES CREDULITY.
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
CHLORINE LEAK CLOSES TRICO CENTRE
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, chlorine
EQUATE PETROCHEMICAL EXTINGUISHES FIRE, OPERATIONS UNAFFECTED
Tags: Kuwait, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
NATURE NEWS BLOG: CRIMINAL CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OVER LAB DEATH
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
U. OF CALIFORNIA SETTLES FELONY CHARGES STEMMING FROM FATAL LAB FIRE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
HAZMAT CREW CALLED TO OREGON WATER SCIENCE CENTER AFTER SMALL SPILL
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
WWW.PHILLYBURBS.COM: PALISADES: FIREFIGHTER, CHEMICALS, HAZMAT, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, TOWNSHIP FIRE MARSHALL
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, response, ag_chems, pesticides
CHEMICAL FIRE, SPILL AT LAUREL UPS FACILITY
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, injury, flammables, nitric_acid
FITNESS CENTER EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
UC SYSTEM AGREEMENT
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
22 INJURED BY MALFUNCTIONING FOG MACHINE
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FITNESS CENTER IN CARY BACK TO NORMAL AFTER EVACUATION
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
PHILADELPHIA NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS FROM WTXF FOX 29
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, response, gasoline
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF FOOD MANUFACTURING BUILDING
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
---------------------------------------------
MOBILE METH LAB EXPLOSION AT ARCADIA LAKE COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE
http://www.news9.com/story/19163264/police-mobile-meth-lab-explosion-at-arcadia-lake-could-have-been-worse
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
EDMOND, Oklahoma - Police say a meth lab explosion Monday night in Edmond that burned two people severely could have been worse.
7/31/2012 Related Story: Edmond Police Identify Couple Injured In Mobile Meth Lab Explosion
Christina Martin and Owen Dandridge suffered second and third-degree burns when there was an explosion inside their RV.
The Winnebago was parked inside an Arcadia Lake camp area. Others rushed to Martin's and Dandridge's aid.
Police say Dandridge threw meth chemicals and bottles out the back of the RV after the explosion. Police say that made the area around the RV extremely dangerous to those who tried to help.
"The bottles still have the chemicals and everything inside of it that was reacting," explained Police Spokesperson Jenny Monroe.
---------------------------------------------
BOISE BOMB SQUAD REMOVES HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL FROM BSU CAMPUS LABORATORY
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/07/31/2210946/boise-bomb-squad-removes-hazardous.html
Tags: us_ID, laboratory, discovery, response
Boise State University officials worked with firefighters Tuesday afternoon to remove a potentially hazardous chemical from a laboratory chemical closet in the Science & Nursing building on campus. No information was available Tuesday night on what the chemical was.
University personnel doing an inventory of chemicals in a storage closet discovered a chemical that had crystallized and become dangerous. They notified Boise firefighters at about 1:30 p.m., said Boise Fire Battalion Chief Steve Rasulo.
After a discussion of how best to remove the chemical Ñ and potential hazards associated with that Ñ about 35 Boise police, firefighters, EMS and university officials put the plan into action at 4:30 p.m.
Rasulo said the Science & Nursing building was evacuated and West Cesar Chavez Lane was shut down.
At about 5:15 p.m., one member of the bomb squad was sent in to retrieve the glass bottle containing the chemical. He placed in a special protective container, then carried it outside to the "bomb pot," a giant steel vessel. Bomb squad members transported the chemical to a quarry, where it was detonated.
---------------------------------------------
UK ARTICLE ON WHATEVER HAPPENED TO KIDS' CHEMISTRY SETS?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19050342
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, follow-up, response
The first chemistry sets for children included dangerous substances like uranium dust and sodium cyanide, but all that has changed.
Talk to people of a certain age about chemistry sets and a nostalgic glaze comes over their eyes.
Stories of creating explosions in garden sheds and burning holes in tables are told and childhood is remembered as a mischievous adventure.
---------------------------------------------
DRUG LAB BLAST INJURES BOY, DAD
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/14423766/drug-lab-blast-inures-boy-dad/
Tags: Australia, laboratory, explosion, response, drugs
A four-year-old boy and his father were badly burnt in a possible drug laboratory explosion that destroyed a house south of Perth yesterday.
---------------------------------------------
CREEK COUNTY MAN, WOMAN BURNED IN EDMOND METH LAB EXPLOSION
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid 120731_12_0_EMNreo366033
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
EDMOND Ñ A Creek County man and woman are being treated for "severe burns" after a working meth lab exploded inside a recreational vehicle at Arcadia Lake, police said.
Christina Leigh Martin, 35, of Mounds has third-degree burns to more than 50 percent of her body, public information specialist Jennifer Monroe said Tuesday. Owen Lee Dandridge, 43, of Kellyville suffered burns to his face and hands, she said.
The Edmond Fire Department responded to an explosion in Scissortail Park at Arcadia Lake at 8:45 p.m. Monday. Crews investigated the fire and found a working meth lab inside the RV as well as meth lab materials in the woods behind the vehicle, Monroe said.
Detectives were on scene more than eight hours cleaning and disposing of the hazaradous chemicals, she said.
Dandridge pleaded guilty to raping and sodomizing a 14-year-old girl in 1999.
Dandridge, who was married to a relative of the girl, told a Pawnee County judge he injected meth before arriving at the girl's home to give her a ride to school. He was released from Department of Corrections custody in June 2011.
---------------------------------------------
BOMB SQUAD RESPONDS TO MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Bomb-squad-responds-to-Molotov-cocktail-3751649.php
Tags: us_CT, public, explosion, response, bomb
STAMFORD -- Stamford police, firefighters and the bomb squad were dispatched to Archer Lane on Tuesday evening to handle an incident involving an apparent Molotov cocktail being tossed into the Cedar Heights neighborhood by youths.
A Poland Spring bottle containing a green liquid was detonated by police around 7 p.m., according to neighbors.
Resident Kathy Socci said she called police after hearing a loud noise around 1:30 p.m.. She said she was told by a neighbor that two kids tossed a bottle out of the window of a red car.
When Socci later attempted to wash away the green liquid left on the street from the broken bottle, she noticed a second bottle in a wooded area nearby, she said.
---------------------------------------------
TEAM RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN FRANKLIN
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x866119046/Team-responds-to-chemical-spill-in-Franklin
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, mercury
FRANKLIN Ñ
Three people working in a building on Grove Street had to be taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after mercury leaked from a package they had handled.
A state hazardous materials team at Milford Regional Medical Center tested two men and a woman to determine whether they had been exposed to the mercury at VWR International, a chemical distribution company at 161 Grove St., according to Terri McDonald, a hospital spokeswoman.
They were kept quarantined in the ambulance until the hazmat team had completed testing.
"The individuals were all checked, and they were all clear," McDonald said Tuesday. She added that they would be further examined by hospital doctors.
---------------------------------------------
WIRED BLOG ON UC SETTLEMENT: BAD CHEMISTRY
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/sangji-chemistry-death-ucla/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
Last week, nearly four years later, the University of California agreed to a settlement to avert felony negligence charges in Sangji's death. The chemistry professor responsible for the laboratory, Patrick Harran, still stands accused of willfully violating occupational health and safety standards; it is actually the first time that a professor in the United States has been charged with a felony related to the death of a worker.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BLOG: FACING FELONY CHARGES IN LAB DEATH OF SHERI SANGJI, UCLA SETTLES, HARRAN STRETCHES CREDULITY.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/2012/07/31/facing-felony-charges-in-lab-death-of-sheri-sangji-ucla-settles-harran-stretches-credulity/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
There have been recent developments in the criminal case against UCLA and chemistry professor Patrick Harran in connection with the fatal laboratory accident that resulted in the death of Sheri Sangji (which we've discussed here and here). The positive development is that UCLA has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. However, Patrick Harran's legal strategy has taken a turn that strikes me as ill-advised.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE LEAK CLOSES TRICO CENTRE
http://www.660news.com/news/local/article/387893--chlorine-leak-closes-trico-centre
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, chlorine
Employees at the Trico Family Wellness Centre on Anderson Road were rushed out of the building after high levels of chlorine were discovered in a mixture room and hazmat crews took over before the centre opened its doors Tuesday morning.
The Centre is home to summer daycamps attended by about 300 kids each week.
Those kids and their parents were turned away by police blocking the parking lot, leaving some parents scrambling for alternate plans.
One mom admits, it was disappointing.
"A little, yes. There are things to do which can be done easier without a child around," she says.
Her son on the other hand, seems okay with it and says he just wants to play video games.
There were no injuries or respiratory issues resulting from the leak. The building locked down until emergency personnel managed to clear the air.
---------------------------------------------
EQUATE PETROCHEMICAL EXTINGUISHES FIRE, OPERATIONS UNAFFECTED
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-31/equate-petrochemical-extinguishes-fire-operations-unaffected.html
Tags: Kuwait, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
Equate Petrochemical Co., a joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Co. of Kuwait and Dow Chemical Co., said it put out a fire today in part of a manufacturing unit.
The fire didn't affect production operations or other production units and no one was injured in the incident, Kuwait- based Equate said in an e-mailed statement.
---------------------------------------------
NATURE NEWS BLOG: CRIMINAL CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OVER LAB DEATH
http://blogs.nature.com/news/2012/07/criminal-charges-dropped-against-university-of-california-over-lab-researchers-death.html
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
The first ever criminal prosecution over an accident in a US academic laboratory was partially concluded on 27 July Ñ but also took a bizarre twist. In a keenly anticipated agreement, the district attorney for Los Angeles, California, dropped charges against the governing body of the University of California (the UC regents). In turn, they accepted responsibility for laboratory conditions at the time of the death of 23-year-old Sheharbano ("Sheri") Sangji at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), three-and-a-half years ago.
But the charges remain against Sangji's supervisor, the organic chemist Patrick Harran. His defence team last week pulled out an extraordinary counter-claim (linked to here from Chemical & Engineering News), alleging that a key California state investigator on the case, Brian Baudendistel, committed murder as a teenager in 1985, and had misled authorities about his past. The defence argues that the case against Harran should be dropped; it has been postponed to 5 September while a judge digests the accusations.
---------------------------------------------
U. OF CALIFORNIA SETTLES FELONY CHARGES STEMMING FROM FATAL LAB FIRE
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-california-settles-felony-charges-stemming-from-fatal-lab-fire/46173
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
The University of California on Friday settled three felony charges stemming from a fatal 2008 lab fire that led to the unprecedented filing of criminal charges against both the university and the professor in whose lab the accident occurred.
In the settlement with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, the university's Board of Regents pledged to follow rigorous lab-safety standards, accepted responsibility for lab conditions that contributed to the death of a research assistant, and created a $500,000 endowed scholarship in her name. The assistant, Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji, died soon after she suffered severe burns in a fire that ignited while she was working in the laboratory of Patrick G. Harran, a prominent organic-chemistry professor on the university's Los Angeles campus.
Mr. Harran continues to face the same felony charges that the university settledÑwillful violations of three occupational-safety-and-health regulationsÑand the university said it would continue to support the professor and provide for his defense. In a court filing this week, Mr. Harran's lawyers attacked the credibility of the state investigator who recommended that criminal charges be brought in the case. Mr. Harran has yet to be arraigned.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREW CALLED TO OREGON WATER SCIENCE CENTER AFTER SMALL SPILL
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/07/hazmat_crew_called_to_oregon_w.html
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
A technician dropped a vial of pesticide in a lab at the U.S. Geological Survey's Oregon Water Science Center in downtown Portland on Monday, sparking a response from a city hazmat crew.
The employee was mixing 30 pesticides when a 2 milliliter glass ampule slipped out of its carrier and broke, spilling the contents on the work bench. Dar Crammond, the center's director, said it wasn't clear what the substance was. The employee cleaned it up but in the process got some of the chemical on his hand. He started feeling woozy and called 9-1-1, Crammond said.
The Portland Fire Bureau responded by calling a hazmat crew to the lab, located in the basement of the building at 2130 S.W. Fifth Ave. The technician was decontaminated by a hazmat crew and sent to OHSU Hospital for observation out of precaution. His identity was not released.
The areas around the lab, which is in the basement, were evacuated but air tests showed no contamination.
---------------------------------------------
WWW.PHILLYBURBS.COM: PALISADES: FIREFIGHTER, CHEMICALS, HAZMAT, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, TOWNSHIP FIRE MARSHALL
http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/palisades/fire-brings-hazmat-response/article_30a26a90-88ec-549f-a9da-0a6434e766f9.html
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, response, ag_chems, pesticides
Landscaping chemicals found Sunday afternoon in the burning garage of a home on Gruversville Road in Springfield, Bucks County, prompted a call for a hazmat team.
Six fire departments were on scene, as well as the hazmat team, which was called in after firefighters found several landscaping chemicals in the garage where the fire started.
The cause of the fire, which broke out around 2:30, is unknown at this time but it has been ruled accidental.
"During suppression, we came across chemicals for landscaping, pesticides and herbicides. We're working with the hazmat team to control that," said Calvin Trovinger, the deputy chief of the Richlandtown Fire Co.
No injuries to firefighters have been reported, but the owner of the house was taken to the hospital for a burn on his arm from an exploding paint can. Everyone inside the house escaped without injury.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE, SPILL AT LAUREL UPS FACILITY
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/214837/189/Chemical-Fire-Spill-At-Laurel-UPS-Facility
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, injury, flammables, nitric_acid
LAUREL, Md. (WUSA) -- Prince George's County and UPS hazmat crews have cleared the scene of a potentially dangerous chemical at a UPS facility in Laurel.
The Prince George's County Fire department was initially called to the large facility at 14841 Sweitzer Lane around 2:15 a.m. for a report of hazardous material on fire. Crews at the scene identified the material as nitric acid, which caught on fire. A second package with flammable liquid was also burned, say officials.
The fire was extinguished and crews were able to contain the spilled material. A hazmat team neutralized the acid.
Employees were evacuated from the building.
One haz-mat crew member was transported to hospital for evaluation of a minor illness/injury as well as one firefighter.
---------------------------------------------
FITNESS CENTER EVACUATED DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/29/2229930/fitness-center-evacuated-due-to.html
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
CARY -- A Cary fitness center was evacuated for about two hours Sunday due to a chemical leak in the pool area.
A town spokeswoman said the leak was reported around 11:40 a.m., and a couple hundred people were in the building at the time. Many had to be moved to a nearby Residence Inn, she said.
---------------------------------------------
UC SYSTEM AGREEMENT
http://www.dchas.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:uc-system-agreement&catid=18
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, response
UC System Agreement
On Friday, July 27, the University of California system reached an agreement with the Los Angeles District attorney's office that includes a list of chemicals for which Standard Operating Procedures and training are required. Copies of the agreement and the list of chemicals can be found here:
---------------------------------------------
22 INJURED BY MALFUNCTIONING FOG MACHINE
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-22/news/32791533_1_fog-machine-twitter-reports-hazmat-team
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A fog machine went out of control at a pre-party for the Teen Choice Awards in Hollywood, sending six young people to the hospital and causing burns and breathing problems for several others.
The machine at the Avalon nightclub belched out fog so thick that some partygoers could barely see, KNBC-TV reported, throwing the club into chaos shortly after 6:00 p.m. Saturday.
Boy band Midnight Red, which was scheduled to perform at the event, initially suggested on its Twitter feed that "smoke canisters" had gone off inside the club and a riot had erupted.
A total of 22 people between the ages of 8 and 20 were assessed at the scene, with six needing further treatment.
"Along with respiratory irritation, a few patrons who contacted dripping liquid from apparent heavy use of smoke effect have superficial burn [injuries],'' Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
---------------------------------------------
FITNESS CENTER IN CARY BACK TO NORMAL AFTER EVACUATION
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/jul/29/3/lifetime-fitness-evacuated-after-chemical-leak-ar-2473583/
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
RALEIGH, N.C. --
A Lifetime Fitness building on Regency Parkway in Cary is back to normal after being evacuated because of a chemical leak in the pool area.
A spokeswoman for Cary says the leak was reported about 11:40 a.m.
She said a couple hundred people were in the building at the time. 50-100 who could not retrieve their keys or belongings were evacuated to a nearby Residence Inn.
Raleigh Hazmat was called out to check the building and Cary Fire and EMS units were standing by. The spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported.
---------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS FROM WTXF FOX 29
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/19143838/sewer-arson-under-investigation
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, response, gasoline
Philadelphia police are investigating an underground hazardous materials situation in Northeast Philadelphia.
Police say someone poured gasoline into the sewer and then ignited it.
This happened near Academy Road and Nanton Drive.
Hazmat crews were called in to flush the gasoline out of the sewer system. No one was hurt.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF FOOD MANUFACTURING BUILDING
http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/chemical-leak-forces-evacuation-of-food-manufacturing-building-1.896885
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
The Winnipeg Fire Services hazardous materials response unit spent hours trying to clear a potentially lethal amount of ammonia from a business Saturday evening.
Naleway Foods in the Inkster Industrial Park was evacuated Saturday when a large ammonia leak was discovered in a freezer area.
The hazmat unit spent a large chunk of time trying to safely release the chemical into the air.
Fire officials said the vapour was more of an irritant but could be poisonous in large amounts.
Everyone made it out of the business safely, without coming in contact with the vapour.
Food inspectors were also on scene investigating.
---------------------------------------------
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