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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Articles of interest from JOEH Latest Issue Contents - January 2013 Date: January 18, 2013 6:53:39 AM EST Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, January 18, 2013 6:59:27 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 (14 articles)
QUICK THINKING LIMITS CHEMICAL SPILL DANGER
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, injury, sodium_hydroxide
UC DAVIS RESEARCHER INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT APARTMENT
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
AIR POLLUTANTS DECLINE, TOTAL TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASES UP • ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & ENERGY NEWS • ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, hydrochloric_acid, mercury, metals, toxics, waste
MUNCIE SCHOOL CLOSET HELD VOLATILE CHEMICAL FOR 50 YEARS
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive
DANGEROUS CHEMICAL LEAK IN OPA-LOCKA SENDS TWO TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, injury, hydrogen_sulfide, metals, sulfuric_acid
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION INJURES DOZENS IN EASTERN CHINA
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical, choline_chloride
CSB REPORT ON HONOLULU FIREWORKS DISPOSAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks, waste
ERCB RESPONDS TO NG RELEASE IN ALBERTA
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, natural_gas
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
BOEING 787 BATTERY IN JAPAN SPRAYED HOT CHEMICALS
Tags: Japan, public, release, response, batteries
CHEMICAL SPILLS ON MEDICAL EXAMINER'S EMPLOYEE
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, injury, xylene
FIRE CREWS AT HAZMAT SPILL IN NORTH RENO
Tags: us_NV, industrial, release, response, acids
AUTO SHOP EVACUATES AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_ID, industrial, fire, response, solvent
BU BUILDING REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, solvent
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QUICK THINKING LIMITS CHEMICAL SPILL DANGER
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860024
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, injury, sodium_hydroxide
Two men were injured during a large chemical spill at Mainfreight in Tauranga this week.
....
A forklift driver was packing a truck for a night delivery when a piece of metal sticking up inside the truck pierced a 1000-litre plastic drum, called an IBC, which was full of caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide.
The forklift driver quickly backed down the ramp with the drum still on the forks and headed for the secondary containment unit, which another driver picked up and brought towards him.
---------------------------------------------
UC DAVIS RESEARCHER INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT APARTMENT
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22394213
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
DAVIS -- A junior researcher suffered a hand injury after a small explosion at an apartment on the campus of the University of California, Davis early Thursday, and police said they found chemicals inside the building.
Police were called to the apartment around 1:30 a.m. Thursday by hospital officials after the person sought treatment for a hand injury, UC Davis spokesman Andy Fell said.
The building, which has four apartments in it, has been evacuated, and additional neighboring apartments also could be evacuated as police search it and clear out the material, Fell said.
Fell said he does not know what the person was doing with the chemicals when the explosion occurred.
Sean Barberie, a student who lives in an adjacent apartment building, said a man lives in the ground-floor apartment. He said the bedroom window has been modified with a shaft of pipe that vents out onto a walkway next to the building.
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AIR POLLUTANTS DECLINE, TOTAL TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASES UP • ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & ENERGY NEWS • ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/01/17/air-pollutants-decline-total-toxic-chemical-releases-up/
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, hydrochloric_acid, mercury, metals, toxics, waste
Total toxic air releases in 2011 declined 8 percent from 2010, but total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row, according to EPA's annual Toxics Release Inventory report, published yesterday.
EPA attributes the decline to decreases in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions including hydrochloric acid and mercury.
The 2011 TRI data show that facilities disposed of or released into the environment 4.09 billion pounds of toxic chemicals Ñ an 8 percent increase from 2010. EPA says the increase is largely due to more land disposal at metal mines, which typically involve large facilities handling large volumes of material.
---------------------------------------------
MUNCIE SCHOOL CLOSET HELD VOLATILE CHEMICAL FOR 50 YEARS
http://www.indystar.com/article/20130117/NEWS/301170348/Muncie-school-closet-held-volatile-chemical-50-years?nclick_check=1
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive
MUNCIE -- A potentially explosive situation was avoided at Burris Laboratory School Wednesday after staff members discovered a volatile chemical, which had perhaps sat undisturbed for more than a half-century, inside a school storage closet.
The response -- which brought the Delaware County sheriff office's bomb squad to the scene -- resulted in a total building evacuation until the chemical could be removed and properly disposed of.
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications at Ball State University, which operates Burris, said a container of picric acid that had crystallized was found in a chemical storage closet at the end of the school day on Tuesday.
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DANGEROUS CHEMICAL LEAK IN OPA-LOCKA SENDS TWO TO HOSPITAL
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Dangerous-Chemical-Leak-in-Opa-Locka-Sends-Two-to-Hospital-187261411.html
Tags: us_FL, industrial, release, injury, hydrogen_sulfide, metals, sulfuric_acid
At least two people were rushed to the hospital after a dangerous chemical leak at an Opa-Locka warehouse, authorities said.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. at a metal recovery business at 3800 Northwest 125th Street when two workers began to have respiratory problems after some toxic chemicals began to leak.
Police and some 80 fire rescue workers responded and shut down several blocks in the area of 37th Avenue and Northwest 125th Street, authorities said.
The fumes affected more than a dozen other employees and at least two police officers, who were all checked out at the scene and allowed to return to work.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Stan Hills said the employees were security guards who rushed in to save their coworkers.
"Fourteen security people here rushed in to save their two compatriots. They were very brave and did a great job," Hills said. "We cleaned them up before we let them go home but they took a big risk to save two people, they're heroes."
The victims were taken to Palmetto General Hospital where one was in serious condition and the other is stable.
Hills said the leak was violent and the chemicals released were very dangerous.
"It was hydrogen sulfide and it can turn into sulfuric acid in your lungs and do a lot of respiratory damage," Hills said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION INJURES DOZENS IN EASTERN CHINA
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/chemical-plant-explosion-injures-dozens-in-eastern-china-336948.html
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical, choline_chloride
A huge explosion rocked China's Shandong Aocter Chemical Plant in Gaotang County, Shandong Province, on Jan. 14 at around 6:45 a.m. The plant lay in ruins, and nearby residences were also destroyed.
The explosion was so strong that seven out of eight rooms in the Aocter Chemical Plant completely collapsed, and the entire plant was covered with debris and ashes. Vehicles parked near the site were damaged from flying debris. The shock wave also damaged several nearby factories, and caused the collapse of an entire block of residential buildings 30 meters to the north of the factory, leaving more than 40 families homeless.
An employee at the plant told Qilu Evening News that the explosion happened in the choline chloride room, which is the most dangerous area and the highest paid work unit in the plant.
Gaotang County resident Mr. Liu told The Epoch Times that five workers were on duty that day. The workers saw that something had gone wrong and decided to escape, when the explosion happened. One worker was severely injured in the head and arms. He remains in a coma. Another was seriously injured and the rest were slightly injured. State-controlled media China News reported five injuries, citing the propaganda department of the Gaotang County Party Committee.
---------------------------------------------
CSB REPORT ON HONOLULU FIREWORKS DISPOSAL EXPLOSION
http://www.idevmail.net/message.aspx?d=86&m=1058&e=Rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**me.com&r=5300560
Tags: us_HI, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks, waste
Washington, DC, January 17, 2013 - In a final report set to be considered today, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said an explosion and fire that killed five workers during a fireworks disposal operation in Hawaii in 2011 resulted from unsafe disposal practices; insufficient safety requirements for government contractor selection and oversight; and an absence of national guidelines, standards, and regulations for fireworks disposal.
The draft document, scheduled for a board vote at a public meeting in Washington, DC, today, recommends that federal agencies develop a new government-wide safety and environmental responsibility requirement for contractors, and calls for new regulations on the safe disposal of fireworks, a growing problem across the U.S.
---------------------------------------------
ERCB RESPONDS TO NG RELEASE IN ALBERTA
http://www.hazmatmag.com/news/ercb-responds-to-ng-release-in-alberta/1001994602/
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, natural_gas
The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) is investigating an uncontrolled release of completion fluids from a natural gas well Questerre Energy Corporation near Grand Cache, Alberta.
During a routine pressure test an equipment failure caused the release of gas and fluids from the well Friday, Questerre said in a press release.
"A loss of well control is the most serious incident we can have in our business. This is the first in my career and I hoped that any company I worked with would never be involved in one," said Michael Binnion, president and CEO of Questerre in a January 12, 2013 statement to media.
Workers were temporarily evacuated, but no injuries were reported in the incident.
"As an advocate for our industries' safety record it is simply unacceptable to be responsible for this accident. We will do everything possible to mitigate the situation and ensure it is not repeated," Binnion added in the release.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/news/firefighters-called-chemical-spill/1720722/
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A number of people were treated for minor chemical burns after a chemical spill in Mount Maunganui last night.
Tauranga fire service senior station officer Len Sabin said Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Tauranga firefighters were called to the spill at Mainfreight on Te Marie St about 8.50pm yesterday.
"What happened was they've inadvertently punctured an IBC [1000L plastic drum] full of chemicals."
Mr Sabin said the staff managed to largely contain the spill inside another container until the fire service arrived.
"The fire service were called to stabilise the scene and decontaminate a number of people...We called an ambulance to deal with what appeared to be some minor chemical burns."
Two men were taken to Tauranga Hospital, treated and discharged.
The fire service properly contained the chemical and left it in place to be removed by specialists this morning, he said.
---------------------------------------------
BOEING 787 BATTERY IN JAPAN SPRAYED HOT CHEMICALS
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020149011_787batterydamagexml.html
Tags: Japan, public, release, response, batteries
Hot chemicals sprayed out of the battery on the 787 Dreamliner in this week's emergency landing in Japan, leaving a gooey dark residue and suggesting a different malfunction than last week's 787 battery fire in Boston, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
The residue covered the battery and splattered over nearby instruments inside the forward electronics bay. It left a 12-foot-long dark streak from the battery to an outflow valve through which some of the spray vented overboard during the flight.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILLS ON MEDICAL EXAMINER'S EMPLOYEE
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/20590692/chemical-spills-on-medical-examiners-employee
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, injury, xylene
ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say an employee of the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office has been taken to a hospital as a precaution after being exposed to a spilled chemical.
WXIA-TV reports (http://on.11alive.com/W7XQKY) that the worker was cleaning slides Tuesday morning when she spilled some of the xylene she was using.
Paul Desamours, operations manager for the office, said the woman showered and was decontaminated, but was still taken to Grady Memorial Hospital as a precaution.
4 of the five employees in the building at the time were evacuated as fire officials used fans to clear the office of possible fumes.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE CREWS AT HAZMAT SPILL IN NORTH RENO
http://www.kolotv.com/news/headlines/Fire-Crews-at-Hazmat-Spill-in-North-Reno-186984361.html
Tags: us_NV, industrial, release, response, acids
RENO, NV - Hazardous materials crews are at an industrial building in north Reno, dealing with an acid spill.
There are no reports of injuries, but the building on Security Circle, off Old 395, has been evacuated. There was a small fire that was quickly extinguished.
The business is Kappes, Cassiday and Associates, which deals with mining chemicals. Employees have been sent home for the day.
---------------------------------------------
AUTO SHOP EVACUATES AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Burning-fuel-drum-forces-auto-shop-to-evacuate--186974741.html
Tags: us_ID, industrial, fire, response, solvent
BOISE -- Firefighters helped extinguish a potentially dangerous fire at a Boise automotive shop Tuesday morning.
That's because a 55-gallon drum of methanol -- an industrial alcohol used in antifreeze and other solvents -- sparked and caused the shop's employees to evacuate.
The fiery accident happened at Einstein's Oilery at 8488 West Overland Road shortly before 9 a.
---------------------------------------------
BU BUILDING REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/01/bu_building_reopens_after_chemical_spill
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, solvent
A life sciences building on the Boston University campus has reopened after a graduate student working in a laboratory spilled a liter of an industrial solvent, prompting a brief evacuation today but causing no injuries, fire department officials said.
The student knocked over the container of solvent on the seventh floor of the 12-story Life Science and Engineering Building about 11 a.m., said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said.
The chemical, decahydronaphthalene, is a liquid used in the making of paint and other industrial solvents.
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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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