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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 7:21:34 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 (15 articles)
I-85 REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CRASH IN DAVIDSON COUNTY
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, ammonium_nitrate, explosives
CEMENT SMOTHERS PRINEVILLE ZIRCONIUM FIRE
Tags: us_OR, industrial, fire, response, dust, flammables
MFD: CHEMICAL FIRE CAUSES MINOR DAMAGE TO HOME
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, response, solvent
FORT MILL: HEATER IGNITES FIRE AT FORT MILL CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_SC, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL MIX-UP AT WEBER STATE POOL CAUSES SCARE
Tags: us_UT, education, release, response, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
FIRE IN ALLIED PLASTICS PLANT
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, plastics
MAN BURNT AFTER WA DRUG LAB EXPLODES
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
HAZMAT UNIT INVESTIGATING BUBBLING BOTTLES IN LIBERTY
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT: MERCURY SPILL ON POND STREET CONTAINED
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
HAZMAT UNIT REMOVES POTASSIUM CYANIDE FROM HOUSE
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, death, other_chemical, suicide
LANGLEY GREEN DISTILLERY FIRE CHEMICAL LINK
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
DALTON CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $77K AFTER EXPLOSION
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, response, water_treatment
EXPRESS IT IN NUMBERS: EFFORTS TO QUANTIFY ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATRICES ADVANCE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, nanoparticles
$4.5 BILLION SETTLES BP OIL SPILL CASE
Tags: us_LA, public, explosion, death, illegal, petroleum
PRELIMINARY HEARING FOR PATRICK HARRAN IN #SHERISANGJI CASE: DAY FOUR
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
---------------------------------------------
I-85 REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CRASH IN DAVIDSON COUNTY
http://www.wxii12.com/news/local-news/piedmont/I-85-reopened-after-HazMat-crash-in-Davidson-County/-/10703612/17483488/-/kkhtxn/-/index.html
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, ammonium_nitrate, explosives
DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. Ñ
For the second time in less than a month, an Orica USA truck carrying hazardous material has crashed on Interstate 85, causing road closures.
....
The driver was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for evaluation. He is conscious and communicating with medical staff, Orica USA officials said.
The tractor-trailer was carrying ammonium nitrate and blasting caps, emergency officials told WXII. The compound is an oxidizer that has the same chemical composition as fertilizer.
Troopers believe a tire blew out, causing the truck to go off the road.
---------------------------------------------
CEMENT SMOTHERS PRINEVILLE ZIRCONIUM FIRE
http://www.ktvz.com/news/Cement-smothers-Prineville-zirconium-fire/-/413192/17566544/-/30gfcrz/-/index.html
Tags: us_OR, industrial, fire, response, dust, flammables
PRINEVILLE, Ore. -
A spark from a shovel ignited a fierce fire in a pit of flammable zirconium in an industrial area west of Prineville late Tuesday morning, officials said. The blaze sent up a tall smoke plume for hours, prompting authorities to keep students in doors and urge that anyone with respiratory problems do so as well, and report any symptoms to 911.
Matt Smith, chief of Crook County Fire and Rescue, said the fire was reported around 11:20 a.m. at EnviroTech Services, a business at the Prineville Freight Depot about three miles west of town. The 2-year-old facility makes road de-icer and dust control products, according to a 2010 article on its Website.
A hazardous materials team from SMAF Environmental was called in and began pouring dry cement onto the fire to smother it.
The smoke was called an "irritant" and not a significant health threat, though officials were advising people with breathing problems to stay indoors as a precaution.
---------------------------------------------
MFD: CHEMICAL FIRE CAUSES MINOR DAMAGE TO HOME
http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stories/article_fb47a176-38e7-11e2-9012-001a4bcf887a.html
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, response, solvent
A chemical fire in a residential garage Tuesday afternoon resulted in minor damage, according to the assistant fire marshal.
Midland firefighters were called to 4405 Versailles Drive at 4:25 p.m. and found a trash can on fire in the garage.
David Hickman, assistant fire marshal, said the home owner is a painter who uses paint thinners and lacquers, which were disposed of in trash can. The chemicals reacted when coming in contact with each other and started the fire, he said.
"They got real lucky," Hickman said. "I'm just glad someone was home."
The fire caused minor damage to the wall of the garage, as well as some minor damage to a vehicle parked inside.
---------------------------------------------
FORT MILL: HEATER IGNITES FIRE AT FORT MILL CHEMICAL PLANT
http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/11/27/4442575/crews-called-to-fire-at-fort-mill.html
Tags: us_SC, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FORT MILL Ñ Fire burned at a Fort Mill chemical plant Tuesday afternoon after oil in a heating unit ignited, forcing several employees to evacuate and producing thick, black smoke that officials said could "easily" be seen from the Catawba River Bridge.
No injuries were reported at Nation Ford Chemical Plant, which stands a little over a mile away from Banks Trail Middle School, said Jay Dickson, company president.
Company employees were performing maintenance on a heating unit when oil used for heating processes caught fire, Dickson said. The unit was not running at the time.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL MIX-UP AT WEBER STATE POOL CAUSES SCARE
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567639/Chemical-mix-up-at-Weber-State-pool-causes-scare.html
Tags: us_UT, education, release, response, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
OGDEN Ñ A chemical mix-up at a Weber State University swimming pool shut down Skyline Drive east of campus for more than an hour Tuesday.
Just before 11 a.m., workers chlorinating the pool in the Swenson Gym dumped an extra gallon of chlorine into a drum containing 30 gallons of sulfuric acid, causing a chemical reaction that gave off clouds of gas, said Ogden Fire Department deputy chief Eric Bauman.
The workers then placed the smoking drum in a pickup and drove it to an area on campus near the W5 student parking lot. The Weber County Hazardous Materials Task Force responded and established a 300-foot perimeter around the truck, Bauman said.
The chemical was transferred into a separator to remove the chlorine from the sulfuric acid and contain the chemicals in a chiller.
No buildings were evacuated in the incident. Two Weber State employees were given medical examinations, though they showed no adverse symptoms, officials said.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE IN ALLIED PLASTICS PLANT
http://www.fox17.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.tn/2aaded2c-www.fox17.com.shtml
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, response, plastics
RIPLEY, Tenn. (AP) -- A large fire has erupted at a plant in West Tennessee.
WMC-TV (http://bit.ly/114CPEq ) reported the blaze was at the Allied Plastics plant on the public square in Ripley, which is in Lauderdale County.
Fire crews from Covington were called in to help battle the fire Tuesday morning.
There was no immediate indication of injury and the cause of the fire wasn't yet certain.
---------------------------------------------
MAN BURNT AFTER WA DRUG LAB EXPLODES
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/man-burnt-after-wa-drug-lab-explodes/story-e6frfku9-1226525007092
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
A MAN is being treated for serious burns after a suspected clandestine drug laboratory exploded at a house in the south of Western Australia.
Organised Crime squad officers are investigating the explosion, which occurred late on Monday at a house in Busselton, 220km south of Perth.
The man was treated at the scene and at a local hospital before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Royal Perth Hospital.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT UNIT INVESTIGATING BUBBLING BOTTLES IN LIBERTY
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/26/3935358/hazmat-unit-investigating-bubbling.html
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
The Kansas City Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Unit responded to a Liberty neighborhood to investigate several bottles containing an unknown liquid substance that were left in front of a residence.
The incident was reported just after 12:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Aspen Drive. A homeowner noticed six bottles had been placed in his front yard.
The substance began to bubble when the homeowner picked up one of the bottles, according to authorities.
The homeowner immediately dialed 911, and Liberty police and fire crews responded. They called the Kansas City fire department for assistance.
No injuries were reported and the incident remains under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT: MERCURY SPILL ON POND STREET CONTAINED
http://westwood.patch.com/articles/hazmat-mercury-spill-on-pond-street-contained
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
A Tier 1 Hazmat occured around 30 minutes ago on Pond St. when there was a mercury spill.
The spill was quickly contained, and no roads needed to be closed because people in the area were not at any risk, according to Westwood Police.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT UNIT REMOVES POTASSIUM CYANIDE FROM HOUSE
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20121126/ARTICLES/121129808/1177?Title=HAZ-MAT-unit-removes-potassium-cyanide-at-house
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, death, other_chemical, suicide
Wilmington police on Monday answered some of the questions surrounding a hazardous materials cleanup on Market Street the night before, saying a 42-year-old man poisoned himself with a highly lethal chemical compound in what appeared to be a case of suicide.
The victim was identified as James D. Breese, whom neighbors described as a private yet friendly man who lived alone in the one-story wood frame house at 2004 Market St., near the 20th Street intersection.
Detectives and paramedics first went to Breese's house about 5:45 p.m. Sunday after a woman called 911 to report that while she was talking on the phone with Breese, he told her he was poisoning himself, according to an audio record of the call.
"We work at a chemical lab so he could have gotten anything - arsenic, lead - any chemical he wants he could take home from work," the woman said, her voice shaking.
She also said that Breese stopped responding while they were on the phone, so she hung up and dialed 911.
---------------------------------------------
LANGLEY GREEN DISTILLERY FIRE CHEMICAL LINK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-20506164
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
A massive fire at a distillery in the Black County was probably caused by a combination of chemicals being mixed, fire investigators say.
At the height of the blaze on Monday, more than 100 firefighters were tackling flames at Alcohols Ltd, in Crosswells Road, Langley Green.
....He said: "I don't think it was a gas leak that caused the fire - I think it was the decanting of fluids that initially caused the fire.
"But the gas has helped keep the fire burning."
A spokeswoman for National Grid said engineers had investigated the site and had concluded there had not been a gas leak.
A man in his 20s was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham suffering from burns after the fire started on Monday morning.
---------------------------------------------
DALTON CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $77K AFTER EXPLOSION
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/265656/3/Dalton-chemical-company-fined-77K-after-explosion
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, response, water_treatment
DALTON, Ga. -- MFG Chemical Inc. in Dalton has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 20 safety violations following a plant explosion earlier this year.
The proposed penalties total $77,000.
OSHA reports the May explosion was caused by a runaway reaction from an overheated reactor. During the production of coagulant 129, a compound used in water treatment, an increase in temperature caused the reactor to over pressurize, rupturing the dome cover and blowing a hole in the roof of the facility.
The inspection found 19 serious violations involving exposing workers to fire and explosion hazards while they performed manufacturing duties, as well as failing to ensure that initial process hazard analyses were conducted.
The company also did not develop operational procedures that are safe, accurate and concise, and which include operating parameters such as emergency shutdown.
They also failed to provide training and implement safe work practices for contracted workers performing maintenance in a PSM-covered area nor develop and implement a written mechanical integrity program for workers required to perform maintenance on and repair process equipment.
---------------------------------------------
EXPRESS IT IN NUMBERS: EFFORTS TO QUANTIFY ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATRICES ADVANCE
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es302789n
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, nanoparticles
Without the ability to quantify a novel chemical or material in the environment, we are blind to the study of its transport, ignorant in the prediction of biological exposure to it, and unarmed in both the pursuit and enforcement of meaningful regulation. Typically, analytical methods for new materials in complex matrices (e.g., air, water, sediment, and tissue) require years to decades of research before useful techniques are available. This delay between production and ability to study a chemical/material in the natural world has led to unfortunate consequences for the environment, public heath, and economic longevity of commercial products. Aware of this pattern, environmental chemists have made significant and early efforts to avoid such a tragedy associated with the developing nanomaterial industry. In particular, several research groups endeavored to quantify carbon nanotubes (CNTs, a class of nanomaterials with great industrial promise inorganic nanoparticles) in comp!
lex natural systems. In this issue of Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T), several articles present marked advances toward this time-sensitive, critical goal.
---------------------------------------------
$4.5 BILLION SETTLES BP OIL SPILL CASE
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i48/45-Billion-Settles-BP-Oil.html
Tags: us_LA, public, explosion, death, illegal, petroleum
BP and the federal government reached a $4.5 billion settlement on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster on Nov. 15. Under the deal, BP will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges stemming from the explosion and oil spill at the company's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 workers. The fine will be divided: BP will pay nearly $4 billion to settle criminal charges. Of that, $350 million will go to the National Academy of Sciences to establish a 30-year program on human health and environmental protection in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, BP is being fined $525 million by the Securities & Exchange Commission for making false financial statements after the incident. "We apologize for our role in the accident, and as today's resolution with the U.S. government further reflects, we have accepted responsibility for our actions," said Robert Dudley, BP's CEO. BP could still face more fines for civil violations of the Clean Air Act, which the government is investig!
ating.
---------------------------------------------
PRELIMINARY HEARING FOR PATRICK HARRAN IN #SHERISANGJI CASE: DAY FOUR
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2012/11/preliminary-hearing-for-patrick-harran-in-sherisangji-case-day-four/#more-3220
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death
A California occupational safety investigator returned to the witness stand of a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, Nov. 21, to testify about his inquiry into a 2008 chemistry laboratory fire at the University of California, Los Angeles. Researcher Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangi died of burns that she sustained in the fire. The testimony was part of an ongoing preliminary hearing for UCLA chemistry professor Patrick Harran, who faces felony charges of labor code violations related to the fire.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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