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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 24, 2012 7:33:03 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 (18 articles)
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT COLOUR FACTORY IN BHAYANDER, NO INJURIES
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CREWS BATTLE FIRE, CHEMICAL LEAK AT WEST SIDE BUILDING
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical, waste
WORKERS INJURED IN CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, flammables
SULFURIC ACID THROWN INTO FACE OF WOMAN IN SAN DIEGO; ATTACK MAY HAVE BEEN RANDOM
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, illegal, sulfuric_acid
POOL CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INJURES THREE IN OTISFIELD Ñ LEWISTON-AUBURN Ñ BANGOR DAILY NEWS Ñ BDN MAINE
Tags: us_ME, public, explosion, injury, pool_chemicals
TWO TRUCK DRIVERS INJURED IN EXPLOSIVE COLLISION
Tags: China, transportation, explosion, injury, acetylene, gas_cylinders
MAN BURNED IN ALLEGED METH LAB EXPLOSION AND FLASH FIRE NOW FACING ARSON CHARGES
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, injury, meth_lab
ACCIDENTAL TEAR GAS RELEASE CHASES WORKERS FROM OFFICE
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, tear_gas
HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO MENTOR BUSINESS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, response, aluminum, graphite
HAZMAT CALL TO METRO STORE IN DUNDAS
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, freon
HAZMAT TEAM NEUTRALIZES MERCURY FOUND AT LANCASTER HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_OH, education, discovery, response, mercury
POLICE INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL BOMB IN SHOREWOOD
Tags: us_MN, public, explosion, response, bomb
CHEMJOBBER: PROCESS WEDNESDAY: THE 20,001ST TIME
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate, sulphur
CLOSE CALLS ARE NEAR DISASTERS, NOT LUCKY BREAKS
Tags: education, discovery, response
AMMONIA LEAK FORCES WORKERS OUT OF DAYTON'S PEPSI-COLA BUILDING
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, ammonia
UK CHEMISTRY GRADUATE STUDENT POISONED BY THALLIUM, ARSENIC
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, injury, thallium, arsenic
COPS: WOMAN HELD FOR COURT AFTER PENNSBURG HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_PA, public, follow-up, response, ammonia, bleach, suicide
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, nitric_acid, sodium_hydroxide
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FIRE BREAKS OUT AT COLOUR FACTORY IN BHAYANDER, NO INJURIES
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Fire-breaks-out-at-colour-factory-in-Bhayander-no-injuries/articleshow/16517875.cms
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MUMBAI: A fire broke out in a colour and ink making factory in Bhayander on Sunday afternoon. Three workers employed in the factory ran out to safety.
The fire broke out at the Sujata Chemical Company located in the Jai Ambe Industrial Estate, Bhayander (east) at around 12.15 pm. Though the factory was shut being a weekly holiday, three workers were working inside the factory that makes colours and inks.
As soon as the workers noticed fire they ran out of the factory. Within seconds the entire factory was in flames. Four fire tenders from the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and two tenders from the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) were pressed into service.
Fire fighters took around two hours to bring the fire under control. The entire area was engulfed in smoke. Panic spread in the locality as a large crowd gathered to see what had caused the fire. The factory was completely gutted in the fire. Preliminary investigations suggested that the fire could have been caught due to a short circuit. No injuries were reported. The fire officials could not ascertain the extent of damage caused by the fire. MBMC mayor Cathlin Periera reached the spot to take stock of the situation.
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CREWS BATTLE FIRE, CHEMICAL LEAK AT WEST SIDE BUILDING
http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1778634
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical, waste
Wayne Township Fire Lt. Craig Peoples says the fire began around 8:45 at the Heritage Environmental Systems facility in the 7900 block of West Morris Street, just north of Indianapolis International Airport. Crews found a large fire with heavy smoke near a storage tank inside a building at the facility. A second alarm was called in shortly after the arrival of the first crew. The fire was under control in about an hour.
Lt. Peoples says chemical leak occurred near the tank but the leak was contained to the building. He says the public was never in danger from the leak. Several firefighters were decontaminated as a precaution no harmful materials came up in any readings. No injuries were reported.
Lt. Peoples says Heritage has an excellent safety record with the Wayne Township Fire Department. He says company officials met firefighters when they arrived and were extremely helpful with providing information to the firefighters to help with extinguishing the blaze.
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WORKERS INJURED IN CHEMICAL PLANT FIRE
http://wreg.com/2012/09/24/workers-injured-in-chemical-plant-fire/
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, flammables
(Memphis) At least two people were injured in a fire at the Penn A Kem facility at 3324 Chelsea Ave. overnight.
The fire started around 2:00 a.m. at the chemical plant.
We're told two of the 12 workers inside the facility suffered serious burns and were rushed to the MED.
The company makes furans and furfurylamine which are used as additives in specialty chemicals. Furfurylamine is used as the active ingredient in pesticides and herbicides and also as an engine cleaning solvent.
Specifications say the chemicals are highly flammable and harmful if inhaled.
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SULFURIC ACID THROWN INTO FACE OF WOMAN IN SAN DIEGO; ATTACK MAY HAVE BEEN RANDOM
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/22/14040080-sulfuric-acid-thrown-into-face-of-woman-in-san-diego-attack-may-have-been-random?lite
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, illegal, sulfuric_acid
SAN DIEGO -- A man allegedly threw sulfuric acid on a woman who was walking into a Golden Hill laundromat just before 6 a.m. Saturday, police confirmed.
....
The woman was taken to a hospital and treated for second-degree burns on her face, arms and back. Officials said the victim was injured pretty badly.
....
Hazardous Materials officials later identified the chemical substance thrown at the victim as sulfuric acid, police said. Hazmat crews decontaminated the scene at 25th Street following the attack.
Reyes was taken into custody and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He's being charged with assault with a caustic chemical and aggravated mayhem.
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POOL CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INJURES THREE IN OTISFIELD Ñ LEWISTON-AUBURN Ñ BANGOR DAILY NEWS Ñ BDN MAINE
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/22/news/lewiston-auburn/pool-chemical-explosion-injures-three-in-otisfield/
Tags: us_ME, public, explosion, injury, pool_chemicals
OTISFIELD, Maine Ñ Three people were injured Friday morning in a pair of explosions believed to have been caused by a reaction in chemicals used to clean the family swimming pool.
The most seriously hurt, 44-year-old Tammy Thomas, remained hospitalized Friday night in stable condition. A family member said in an update on Facebook that the burns were not as severe as initially feared but that she remained on a respirator.
WGME reported that Thomas' parents suffered less severe burns when a bucket of water exploded, twice, as Tammy was using a broomstick to mix in chlorine.
Tammy's parents told a reporter that their daughter was covered in chlorine after the blasts. Her eyes and face were burning and she was having trouble breathing, they said.
Her parents were taken to a Norway hospital. Tammy was taken by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
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TWO TRUCK DRIVERS INJURED IN EXPLOSIVE COLLISION
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/734830.shtml
Tags: China, transportation, explosion, injury, acetylene, gas_cylinders
wo truck drivers were injured early Sunday in a collision that set off an explosion in Yangpu district, local media reported.
One of the trucks was hauling 250 cylinders of acetylene, a highly combustible chemical, down Jungong Road at 4:30 am, when another truck rear-ended it near the Zhayin Road intersection, according to a report on the news website Xinmin.cn. Two of the cylinders exploded on impact, setting another 34 ablaze, with 26 burning on the truck and two on the road.
The explosion woke up nearby residents, according to the report. Firefighters responded to the report of an explosion and extinguished the fire with foam before 8 am. They also sprayed down the remaining cylinders to cool them so they could be removed from the scene.
One driver suffered a fracture while the other walked away with bruises. Both were sent to the hospital, the report said. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collision.
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MAN BURNED IN ALLEGED METH LAB EXPLOSION AND FLASH FIRE NOW FACING ARSON CHARGES
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8819629
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, injury, meth_lab
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three people are facing trouble with the law after an alleged meth lab explosion caused a fire in May.
Related Content
MORE: Got a story idea? Let us know!
On May 24, Jason White was burned in a fire in the 17800 block of Paddle Wheel, in north Harris County. White, 32, was taken to Houston Northwest Medical Center for burns received when he was "injured by an explosive chemical reaction during the production of methamphetamine," could documents state.
Officials from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Harris County Fire Marshal and Harris County HazMat all arrived at the scene of the fire. Authorities determined that White had allegedly been creating meth in a bathroom when the accident happened. They say he was shaking a bottle full of chemicals when a reaction occurred and the bottle exploded, burning his face, arms and hands.
---------------------------------------------
ACCIDENTAL TEAR GAS RELEASE CHASES WORKERS FROM OFFICE
http://www.indeonline.com/news/x1931749711/Accidental-tear-gas-release-chases-workers-from-office
Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, tear_gas
LAWRENCE TWP. Ñ
No injuries were reported following a chemical release that led to the evacuation of 11 employees this morning from Lehman Awning, 14633 Lincoln Way W.
A vial containing a small amount of liquid tear gas was broken after an employee bumped into it while retrieving a cash box from a small office safe, according to North Lawrence Fire Lt. Chad Mutersbaugh. Two vials were installed in the roughly 70-year-old safe to function as an anti-tampering device.
"One of the vials was accidentally broken and ran down the safe and caused an irritant to a couple of people," said Tom Garra, team manager of the Stark County HazMat team. "... (Vials) are designed to break if someone tries to get into it."
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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO MENTOR BUSINESS
http://news-herald.com/articles/2012/09/22/news/doc505d3db685580389619180.txt
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, response, aluminum, graphite
Multiple agencies responded at 10 a.m. Friday to the Wiseco Piston Company in Mentor after employees noticed an industrial drum had become over-pressurized and was bulging.
The drum contained aluminum shavings, graphite powder and cutting oil, according to a release from the Mentor Fire Department. The contents were mixing and causing a build up of hydrogen gas.
Lake County Hazardous Materials Response team relieved the pressure and a chemical clean-up company removed the drum from the site at 7185 Industrial Parkway Blvd.
There were no injuries and neither the plant nor the environment were negatively affected.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CALL TO METRO STORE IN DUNDAS
http://www.raisethehammer.org/blog/2551/hazmat_call_to_metro_store_in_dundas
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, freon
The Hamilton Fire department's hazardous materials (HAZMAT) team has been called out to the Metro store on Governor's Road in Dundas. The three streets encircling the store have been closed to traffic: Governor's Road, Hatt Street and Ogilvie Street.
View Dundas Hazmat Road Closures in a larger map
Reports indicate that the issue is a gas leak at the store. According to Spectator report Matthew Van Dongen, the building has been evacuated safely and there have been no injuries.
Update: the gas was identified as a freon leak from a compressor. The leak has been closed and the store is being ventilated.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM NEUTRALIZES MERCURY FOUND AT LANCASTER HIGH SCHOOL
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120921/NEWS01/120921004/Hazmat-team-called-Lancaster-High-School?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Tags: us_OH, education, discovery, response, mercury
LANCASTER Ñ A hazardous materials team was called to Lancaster High School Friday morning after a student reported she came in contact with a small amount of mercury.
The student told school officials she came in contact with the mercury around 8:35 a.m. in her locker. The locker is on the second floor of the building near the science rooms.
Lancaster schools Superintendent Steve Wigton said that it is still unclear how the mercury got in the locker.
"The school was cleared of mercury long ago, but it appears that this mercury may be residual," Wigton said.
Wigton said the hazmat team discovered a small amount of mercury after prying up the ledge connected to the shelf of the locker. The locker was thoroughly clean, and the situation was not deemed a health threat. Wigton said that the mercury was more than likely from a broken thermometer left over from when the district still used mercury-based instruments.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL BOMB IN SHOREWOOD
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S2774267.shtml?cat=10151
Tags: us_MN, public, explosion, response, bomb
The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department tells KSTP.COM it is investigating the explosion of a chemical bomb in Shorewood.
It happened about 1:30 a.m. Sunday at a home on Shady Island.
"The homeowner reports hearing their doorbell ring shortly before the detonation of the device," said a police spokesperson. "The device was made using a 2-liter plastic bottle."
There were no injuries.
"The only apparent damage was some chemical residue left on the front steps," said the spokesperson.
Personnel from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Crime Lab responded to the scene. The spokesperson said they are currently processing evidence collected.
There were no arrests as of Friday afternoon.
The Police Department provided these tips:
These devices are extremely dangerous as they are highly volatile and unpredictable.
They have the potential to cause significant injury and/or damage.
If you locate a suspicious device, do not try to handle it or move it on your own. Call 911 to alert authorities.
Report any suspicious activity to police.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMJOBBER: PROCESS WEDNESDAY: THE 20,001ST TIME
http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2012/08/process-wednesday-20001st-time.html
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate, sulphur
While fairly rare, I occasionally hear a risk analysis that can be summarized as "we've done it before, and not had any problems with it." Whenever I hear that, I'm immediately reminded of the early, early days of industrial-scale chemistry and the Oppau explosion. From Wikipedia [emphases mine]:
The Oppau explosion occurred on September 21, 1921 when a tower silo storing 4,500 tonnes of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded at a BASF plant in Oppau, now part of Ludwigshafen, Germany, killing 500-600 people and injuring about 2,000 more. The plant began producing ammonium sulfate in 1911, but during World War I when Germany was unable to obtain the necessary sulfur, it began to produce ammonium nitrate as well...
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CLOSE CALLS ARE NEAR DISASTERS, NOT LUCKY BREAKS
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/st_essay_close_calls
Tags: education, discovery, response
Post-Columbia, Robin Dillon-Merrill and Catherine Tinsley, two researchers at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business, have been attempting to figure out how our near-miss blind spot really works. In one study, they asked NASA employees and MBA students to rank different versions of a mission scenario. One described a highly successful project; the other project nearly self-destructed but was ultimately saved by a lucky break. Regardless, subjects ranked both missions as equally well done. Why? Most of us grade outcomes in binary terms. Success is good. Failure is bad.
"People don't learn from a near miss, they just say, ÔIt worked, so let's do it again,'" Dillon-Merrill says. Other studies have shown that the more often someone gets away with risky behavior, the more likely they are to repeat it; there is a sort of invincibility complex. "For ego protection reasons, we like to assume that past events are a product of what we controlled rather than chance," Tinsley adds.
---------------------------------------------
AMMONIA LEAK FORCES WORKERS OUT OF DAYTON'S PEPSI-COLA BUILDING
http://www.abc22now.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wkef_vid_8952.shtml
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, ammonia
DAYTON -- Hazmat crews respond to an ammonia leak at the Pepsi-Cola building in Dayton.
Crews were called to the building on Milburn Avenue around 6:30 Thursday morning. Firefighters say it was a small ammonia leak contained to one room. Everyone was evacuated right away. Hazmat crews were called in to monitor air levels.
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UK CHEMISTRY GRADUATE STUDENT POISONED BY THALLIUM, ARSENIC
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2012/09/uk-chemistry-graduate-student-poisoned-by-thallium-arsenic/
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, injury, thallium, arsenic
Several UK news outlets this week reported that a Southampton University chemistry graduate student, reportedly a 25-year-old man, is hospitalized for poisoning by thallium and arsenic. "The 25-year old had been feeling ill for around three weeks and is now being treated at a specialist toxicology unit in Cardiff," according to Chemistry World. The chemistry building had been closed since the evening of Sept. 12, but on Tuesday, Sept. 18, the university reopened all but "one level which is still part of the ongoing Police investigation," a university spokesman told C&EN European Correspondent Sarah Everts in an e-mail.
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COPS: WOMAN HELD FOR COURT AFTER PENNSBURG HAZMAT INCIDENT
http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120920/NEWS01/120919482/cops-woman-held-for-court-after-pennsburg-hazmat-incident
Tags: us_PA, public, follow-up, response, ammonia, bleach, suicide
PENNSBURG Ñ A Pennsburg woman who allegedly attempted to kill herself by mixing a large amount of chemicals together inside her home while her children were inside the residence, was held for court at her preliminary hearing Thursday.
Victoria Ann Waldman, 32, of 310 Pottstown Ave., was charged with endangering her children and causing a catastrophe after she allegedly created a hazmat incident Sept. 6 by mixing ammonia and bleach inside her home around 10:40 p.m. According to the court documents filed by Upper Perk police, Waldman was the only adult home with her three children under the age of 10 at the time, and she was attempting suicide. Waldman's husband received "several alarming text messages" from Waldman while he was at work, police indicated in court documents. When he returned home, he went inside and "encountered an overwhelmingly strong odor of chemicals inside of the residence." He also found "piles of vomit in the bathroom and bottles of ammonia, bleach" and other chemicals there.
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EMERGENCY OFFICIALS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL
http://thegranbys.patch.com/articles/fire-department-responding-to-possible-chemical-spill-at-ethel-walker-school
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, response, nitric_acid, sodium_hydroxide
Two chemicals were spilled in a science lab in the main classroom building at The Ethel Walker School Thursday morning, officials said.
Jeff Chandler, supervisor of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's emergency response team said Nitric Acid and Caustic Soda were spilled in two separate areas of the third-floor lab classroom. Nitric acid can burn the skin but the amount was very small, Chandler said.
He added that the two chemicals did not mix and police are investigating the cause of the spills.
Officials said there were no injuries.
Emergency crews first responded to the school at approximately 9:19 a.m. for a call of a chemical spill in a science lab classroom, fire marshal Kevin Kowalski said.
"The school followed all the
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