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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 4, 2013 7:52:11 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)
GOVERNMENT REPORT QUESTIONS EFFECTIVENESS OF OSHA ENFORCEMENT
Tags: public, discovery, response
HEADLANDS FIRE DUE TO CHEMICAL BLAST
Tags: Zimbabwe, public, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
THREE DIE IN GAS LEAK AT GUJ AGRO-CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
CARRIERE CHEMICAL SPILL WAS NOT HAZARDOUS
Tags: us_MS, transportation, release, response, ag_chems
THREE DIE AFTER CONSUMING CHEMICAL TAKING IT FOR SALT
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
OFFICIALS IDENTIFY SOURCE OF ILLNESS AT HOPKINS FACILITY ON KEWSICK
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, other_chemical
CHEMICAL FIRE CLOSES AU KETTERING SCIENCE CENTER LABS
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, fire, response, fire_extinguisher
RAG-PICKER INJURED IN WASTE EXPLOSION IN INDIA
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, waste
HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO SOUTH SIDE
Tags: us_AZ, transportation, release, injury, diesel
FIRE DEPARTMENT: HAZMAT AT KEURIG BUILDING LAST NIGHT
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, liquid_nitrogen
CAUSTIC CHEMICAL SPILLS AT BREWERY; CAUSE A MYSTERY, OFFICIAL SAYS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, sodium_hydroxide
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT TEXAS REFINERY, NO INJURIES
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, gasoline
MASS. SCHOOL GUARD FACES CHEMICAL CHARGES
Tags: us_MA, education, discovery, response, aluminum_dust, illegal, magnesium
LIQUID CHLORINE SPILL IN RUSSIA'S CHEMICAL PLANT INJURES 30
Tags: Russia, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
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GOVERNMENT REPORT QUESTIONS EFFECTIVENESS OF OSHA ENFORCEMENT
http://www.safetynewsalert.com/government-report-questions-effectiveness-of-osha-enforcement/
Tags: public, discovery, response
The main conclusion of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Further Steps by OSHA Would Enhance Monitoring of Enforcement and Effectiveness, is:
"OSHA and state-run programs conduct a number of enforcement activities to protect the nation's workers, but OSHA knows little about their effectiveness. While data on the number of inspections conducted and violations identified at worksites are useful ways to monitor federal and state enforcement activities, they do not provide the type of outcome-oriented information needed to determine which enforcement activities are most effective in ensuring employer compliance and reducing risks to workers."
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HEADLANDS FIRE DUE TO CHEMICAL BLAST
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-10438-Headlands+fire+due+to+chemical+blast/news.aspx
Tags: Zimbabwe, public, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate
POLICE have said the fire which killed a 12-year-old boy in Headlands last week, sparking fears of renewed political violence, was caused by the explosion of tobacco chemicals and ammonium nitrate fertiliser.
National police spokesman, Charity Charamba said their investigations had not established any evidence the fire was caused by a petrol bomb attack.
"There is high probability that ammonium nitrate and tobacco chemicals exploded during the fire. No foul play is suspected. Forensic experts did their analysis combined with police investigations and no foul play is suspected," Charamba told the Herald.
Charamba said a paraffin lamp was recovered close to bags of fertiliser and tobacco chemicals in the gutted thatched hut.
Christpowers Maisiri died when fire gutted a hut in which he slept with siblings in a tragedy the MDC-T says was a politically-motivated attack targeted at his dad, a local party official and possible representative in Parliamentary elections this year.
---------------------------------------------
THREE DIE IN GAS LEAK AT GUJ AGRO-CHEMICAL PLANT
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/316063/three-die-gas-leak-guj.html
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
Three workers died following a gas leak at the agro-chemicals plant of Meghmani Organics in Ankleshwar industrial area today, police said.
"The gas leak was reported at the agro-chemicals plant of Meghmani Organics, resulting in death of Ratan Rajput (23), Sanjay Prajapti (22) and Ghanshyam Kalsaria (22)," they said without elaborating.
Following the incident, a team headed by deputy director of Industrial Safety and Health, Vijay Patel reached the spot and served a closure notice on the company, officials said.
"If the company is found responsible for negligence then legal action would be initiated against them," Patel said.
Meanwhile, workers at the plant where the mishap occurred held protests.
However, Meghmani Organics in a statement said, "An accident has taken place at our plant situated at GIDC Ankleshwar and three staff members have been hospitalised. Necessary steps are being taken to provide best treatment to the three hospitalised staff member."
---------------------------------------------
CARRIERE CHEMICAL SPILL WAS NOT HAZARDOUS
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x36433263/Carriere-chemical-spill-was-not-hazardous
Tags: us_MS, transportation, release, response, ag_chems
CARRIERE Ñ Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers with the Picayune Police Department responded to a report of a suspected chemical spill on Interstate 59 at exit 10 in Carriere.
Assistant to the Chief of Police Jeremy Magri said the call came into the department after a Pearl River County Sheriff's Department deputy detected a strong chemical odor while driving along I-59.
The deputy pulled off the interstate and found an 18 wheeler, belonging to Evergreen Environment Company, at the Keith's service station was the source of the smell. Magri said the deputy reported to police officers that he noticed a liquid he could not identify was dripping from the trailer being towed by the large vehicle. The liquid was determined to be a corrosive tree or weed killing compound, Magri said.
Further investigation determined the spill occurred when, for an unknown reason, on top of the trailer a cap securing the chemical opened, causing the chemical to spill onto the roadway. Employees with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and with Picayune's Public Works were called to the scene. The Picayune Public Works Department assumed responsibility for cleanup of the chemical, which was determined not to be a hazardous threat.
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THREE DIE AFTER CONSUMING CHEMICAL TAKING IT FOR SALT
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Lucknow/Three-die-after-consuming-chemical-taking-it-for-salt/Article1-1019919.aspx
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical
In a bizarre mix-up, three workers of Vikas Power Equipments Private Limited died after consuming a chemical which they thought was salt, in Chinhat late on Thursday night.
The condition of four other workers, admitted to KGMU's trauma centre, was said to be critical.
Police said the workers, who cooked food on the company premises, ran out of salt and searched for it in a room that also stored painting material. There they found the chemical which looked exactly like salt. The chemical, which couldn't be immediately defined, was then mixed in the food (tehri) they had cooked.
Soon after consuming the food, the workers' condition started deteriorating.
The company's production engineer Saurabh Yadav informed the police about the incident and rushed the workers to a nearby hospital.
Two of them, Ayodhya and Satish, succumbed soon. Others were then referred to the trauma centre, where another worker Sudhir also died during the treatment. The doctors said the condition of four others was very critical.
Additional superintendent of police (trans-Gomti) Habibul Hasan said no FIR had been registered but police were probing the matter.
"Although cooking is banned on the campus, they still cooked here and paid with their lives," said Manish Rai Chowdhary, owner of the company. However, Niranjan Prasad, father of Balwant (32) who is in trauma centre, said the workers, who also stayed inside the factory, got very little salary and had no option but to cook to save money.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS IDENTIFY SOURCE OF ILLNESS AT HOPKINS FACILITY ON KEWSICK
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/Officials-identify-source-of-illness-at-Hopkins-facility-on-Kewsick/-/10131532/19089692/-/awatu2/-/index.html
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, other_chemical
A hot water heater in the south building of the Johns Hopkins Hospital facility on Kewsick Road was the source of an illness that sent 17 people to the emergency room Tuesday, according to city and state health officials.
Officials said the water heater was the source of nitrates and nitrites that made their way into hot water service in the building's north side.
Elevated nitrates and nitrites, according to a news release, can cause dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulty and vomiting. Officials said those who were sickened had been discharged from hospitals by Wednesday.
The building will be reopened Thursday, but all restrooms, sinks and other water sources served by that water heater will be off limits while more testing is done, officials said.
The facility was closed earlier Wednesday while health officials tried to figure out what caused the hazardous materials situation on Tuesday.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE CLOSES AU KETTERING SCIENCE CENTER LABS
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20130301/NEWS01/303010024/Chemical-fire-closes-AU-Kettering-Science-Center-labs?nclick_check=1
Tags: us_OH, laboratory, fire, response, fire_extinguisher
ASHLAND Ñ Parts of the Kettering Science Center at Ashland University remain closed off after a chemical spill that ignited flames Friday night.
All four labs on the south end of the 922 Grant St. building will remain closed off until further notice, said Steve Hannan, director of public relations for the university. There were no reported injuries.
A shelving unit in a fourth-floor laboratory came off of the wall around 5:33 p.m., spilling several containers filled with chemicals that burst into flames when mixed, said Ashland Fire Department Chief Ron Workman.
A staff member was able to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher, but not before the smoke set off one sprinkler, Hannan said. Potentially chemical-laced water spilled over into all four labs on the south end, he said.
Faculty and staff are still assessing the damage Ñ the shelving unit and cabinet below were burned and there may be some water damage Ñ and will clear out the chemicals before reopening the labs to students, Hannan said.
---------------------------------------------
RAG-PICKER INJURED IN WASTE EXPLOSION IN INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Rag-picker-injured-in-explosion/articleshow/18757421.cms
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, waste
HYDERABAD: In the back drop of the twin blasts in Dilsuknagar, an explosion in a garbage dump at Subhash Nagar, Petbasheerabad, created panic in several surrounding localities.
It was late in the afternoon, Koteshulu,22, a rag-picker, came to the garbage near a culvert, to collect plastic remains. While scouring the dump, Koteshulu found a plastic bottle.
"The plastic bottle, filled with some chemical, exploded when he slammed it against a stone. Immediately, police rushed to the spot and heaved a sigh of relief when they realized that it was not a bomb. There was some combustible chemical inside the bottle , which exploded after the reaction when it was hit against the stone," deputy commissioner of police (Balanagar) P Pramond Kumar said. The rag-picker suffered burns on his hand and leg. He was immediately shifted to a local hospital where he is undergoing treatment. The locals gathered in large number at the explosion site.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO SOUTH SIDE
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/21433699/hazmat-crews-called-to-south-side
Tags: us_AZ, transportation, release, injury, diesel
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
The early morning started with a possible hazmat situation after an accident between a Union Pacific train and a tanker truck near 22nd and Campbell.
Tucson Fire Department arrived on the scene to find a gasoline tanker truck flipped over by a train, but TFD is saying they aren't sure how the accident happened.
According to TFD's public information officer the tanker may have been holding close to 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel, they aren't sure exactly how much diesel escaped the tanker though, as there are several compartments inside the tank. The potential for fire is also low, according to TFD officials, as the fuel is diesel and the low morning temperatures.
A crew from TFD is still at the scene, assisting Union Pacific with the removal of the remaining diesel in the tanker and clean up of the area.
The driver of the tanker was taken to a local hospital, according to TFD officials, with minor injuries.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE DEPARTMENT: HAZMAT AT KEURIG BUILDING LAST NIGHT
http://burlington.patch.com/articles/fire-department-hazmat-at-keurig-building-last-night
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, liquid_nitrogen
There was a vapor cloud of liquid nitrogen filling the air around the building for the incoming Keurig Headquarters last night.
....
Emergency crews, led by Captain Scott Carpenter, assessed the situation and determined that the cloud was liquid nitrogen, which Yetman said is a cryogenic liquid with a temperature of -375 degrees.
Yetman said the vapor cloud made approximately a 50-foot circle around the tank. He added that tanks that hold gases such as liquid nitrogen have a safety release if the pressure builds up too much. He said fire fighters believe that was the case here.
"That's what the tanks are designed to do, but at this time we think the valve froze open."
Yetman said that during the release of liquid nitrogen the public was not in danger.
"It didn't affect Route 3," he said. "There was no hazard to the public. It's an inert gas and will displace oxygen. So there was that and the frostbite hazard."
He added that there were fire fighters stationed on both sides of the building to monitor the cloud to ensure winds didn't push it to populated areas.
"We waited it out for a while," he said. "Keurig officials were on scene and they notified their gas supplier. They brought in a technician and we were able to go in and shut the system down. The last units cleared around midnight."
---------------------------------------------
CAUSTIC CHEMICAL SPILLS AT BREWERY; CAUSE A MYSTERY, OFFICIAL SAYS
http://www.uticaod.com/news/x1551257798/Crews-clean-up-reported-toxic-spill-at-FX-Matt-Brewing-Co
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, sodium_hydroxide
UTICA Ñ
Fire officials don't know what caused a highly caustic chemical to spiill out of its vat at the F.X. Matt Brewery on Thursday night, but they do know that the situation could have been a lot worse.
Deputy Chief Michael Wusik said firefighters were called to the brewery at about 10:30 p.m. after an electrical problem apparently caused a short and a minor explosion.
"The personnel on the scene described it as dynamite going off," Wusik said.
Once they arrived, firefighters discovered that about 200 to 250 gallons of sodium hydroxide had leaked out of a 1,000 gallon vat on the third floor and was dripping down into a two-story industrial space below, Wusik said. Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, can be highly caustic in certain concentrations. Even the 2-percent solution used at the brewery was enough to cause damage.
"We could see it actually dissolving paint," Wusik said.
The spill also caused a chemical haze to fill the building, requiring brewery employees to be evacuated and forcing firefighters to wear breathing appartuses. Firefighters cleaned up the spill by adding extra water to the solution to dilute it and then directing it toward existing floor drains, Wusik said.
The Department of Environmental Conservation and the local sewer authority were notified prior to that, Wusik said. National Grid also was called to fix a widespread power outage in West Utica that apparently was linked to the electrical short at the brewery.
Wusik said it was not clear whether the chemical spill caused the short or vice versa. Officials also don't know exactly how the spill occured or why it stopped after just a few hundred gallons.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT TEXAS REFINERY, NO INJURIES
http://www.fireengineering.com/news/2013/03/01/fire-breaks-out-at-texas-refinery-no-injuries.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, gasoline
A Marathon Petroleum refinery in the U.S. state of Texas caught fire Thursday, but no one was injured in the blaze, said the company.
The fire broke out in the mid-afternoon when a hose leading to a tank came loose, setting fire to a pump at the plant, which is located in Texas City, Marathon officials were quoted by newspaper the Houston Chronicle as saying.
Emergency officials said the pump was carrying a gasoline-like substance, and fire officials allowed the fire to burn itself out, according to the report.
There are no reports of injuries or threats to the environment, said the officials, adding that an investigation will start as soon as the fire is fully extinguished.
The plant is also the site of a deadly explosion almost eight years ago. Marathon Petroleum took control of the plant from BP on Feb. 1 and renamed it.
The 2005 explosion at the plant, which was owned by BP at that time, killed 15 people and injured scores of others. The incident led to safety operation changes at BP and other refineries around the country.
---------------------------------------------
MASS. SCHOOL GUARD FACES CHEMICAL CHARGES
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/02/mass_school_guard_faces_chemical_charges
Tags: us_MA, education, discovery, response, aluminum_dust, illegal, magnesium
LEOMINSTER, Mass. Ñ A security guard at a suburban Boston high school has been arrested and charged with possessing chemicals that could be used to make a bomb.
Authorities say 23-year-old Jesse Holland of Gardner stole the chemicals, including iron powder, aluminum powder and magnesium metal ribbon, from Waltham High School, where he worked.
He was arrested Wednesday morning in a Leominster store parking lot after police say he acted suspiciously. A search of his car yielded the chemicals, a hatchet and a stun gun.
He was held without bail in court Wednesday on charges including possession of an incendiary device, pending a dangerousness hearing set for March 11.
Police say Holland told them he intended to throw the chemicals into a fire to "see what would happen."
Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy called the allegations "troubling."
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LIQUID CHLORINE SPILL IN RUSSIA'S CHEMICAL PLANT INJURES 30
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/01/c_132200949.htm
Tags: Russia, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
MOSCOW, March 1 (Xinhua) --Liquid chlorine spill at a chemical plant in Russia's Perm Territory injured 30 people, local authorities told the Interfax news agency Friday.
Workers at the plant, located at the town of Berezniki in Perm, violated the technological process, triggering the accident.
"30 people have been injured, 27 of them were hospitalized," a local emergencies department spokesperson said, adding the other three people received medical care on the spot.
"The chlorine spill could have been caused by a technical failure and it had already been contained," the regional police department said on its website, adding no threat would be posed to the population.
Local authorities were alerted at 0421 GMT about the spill at the plant's 13th unit, a local emergencies service spokesman told the Interfax.
Perm Territory Governor Viktor Basargin has ordered the local authorities to provide assistance to those affected and conduct an investigation into the incident.
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