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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 11, 2013 7:47:02 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 (16 articles)
ANOTHER CHEMICAL LEAK AT ORICA FACTORY
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, ammonia
EUROPEAN UNION ASKS CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS TO PROVIDE MORE HEALTH AND SAFETY DATA FOR 32 SUBSTANCES UNDER REACH
Tags: Belgium, industrial, follow-up, response, ethylene_oxide, methanol, toluene
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL FIRE IN MURRAY
Tags: us_UT, laboratory, fire, response, acids, bromine
WORKER WITHOUT FR CLOTHING DIES IN FLASH FIRE
Tags: us_PA, public, follow-up, death, natural_gas
PROGRESS MADE ON RELOCATING HATED CHEMICAL FACTORIES
Tags: Cyprus, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT TEAM ON SCENE OF SPRAY PAINT TRUCK FIRE IN BOUND BROOK, POLICE SAY
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, diesel
EARL AVE. BUSINESS EVACUATED AS FIRE OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL ODOR
Tags: us_IN, public, release, response, sewer_gas
EXPLOSION ROCKS BETHLEHEM HOME POLICE PLANNED TO SEARCH FOR DRUGS
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
LAUREL, MD. FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZE AT OIL COMPANY
Tags: us_MD, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LAB EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT SACRED HEART
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, response, chloroform
VICTIMS AT FOX VALLEY SYSTEMS PAINT FACTORY EXPLOSION STILL IN HOSPITAL; TRANSFERRED BY HELICOPTER TO BURN UNITS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, response, flammables, paints
METAL DUST IGNITES FIRE IN SIMI BUILDING
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, aluminum_dust
HOSPITAL: 3 CRITICALLY HURT IN BLAST AT ILL. PLANT
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, methane
BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, response, batteries
OAKLAND COUNTY HAZ-MAT TEAMS INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF ROCHESTER HILLS CHEMICAL FIRE WITH VIDEO
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
A SAFETY WARNING ON TOGNI'S REAGENTS
Tags: Germany, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives
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ANOTHER CHEMICAL LEAK AT ORICA FACTORY
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/another-chemical-leak-at-orica-factory/story-fn3dxiwe-1226594977255
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, ammonia
CHEMICAL firm Orica is investigating another toxic leak from its Kooragang Island plant in Newcastle.
A plume of ammonia belched into the air from the vent stack of an Orica factory about 1.15pm (AEDT) on Monday after a relief valve was activated because of a build-up of pressure.
"Detectable levels of ammonia were reported at industrial sites to the west of the Orica facility," Orica said in a statement.
"The relevant authorities were notified, including the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and NSW Fire and Rescue.
---------------------------------------------
EUROPEAN UNION ASKS CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS TO PROVIDE MORE HEALTH AND SAFETY DATA FOR 32 SUBSTANCES UNDER REACH
http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i10/European-Union-Asks-Chemical-Manufacturers.html
Tags: Belgium, industrial, follow-up, response, ethylene_oxide, methanol, toluene
Chemical makers are being asked to provide more health and safety data for 32 of the 36 substances that were the first evaluated under the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemical substances (REACH) law. The information request stems from questions cropping up in evaluations that EU countries conducted for these compounds in 2012. Last week, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that in March and April it will provide draft evaluations to manufacturers of the 32 chemicals. ECHA will ask the companies for additional hazard or exposure information that would address questions raised in the drafts. Companies have 30 days to respond. Affected substances include bisphenol A, hydroquinone, methanol, and triclosan. ECHA said there was no need for further data on the other four chemicals evaluatedÑethylene oxide, tributyl phosphate, toluene diisocyanate, and toluene. Also last week, ECHA unveiled a proposal to list 10 more chemi!
cals as candidates for strict REACH regulation. Among those substances are surfactants including 4-nonylphenol ethoxylates and perfluoro-octanoic acid and its ammonium salt.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL FIRE IN MURRAY
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=24343639
Tags: us_UT, laboratory, fire, response, acids, bromine
MURRAY Ñ A chemical fire damaged a laboratory of a chemical company Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, around 1 p.m., an employee of Chemtech-Ford arrived to work at 6100 South and Stratler Street in Murray. Upon entering a laboratory of the building, she discovered the room filled with smoke.
The company had been cooking about 8 liters of acid overnight to make bromine. The acid combusted, causing a small chemical fire.
"His cooking appliance he was using to cook these acids to make the final product overheated and I believe it started in the thermostat. It overheated and actually caught the counter top on fire," said Deputy Fire Marshall Russ Groves of the Murray City Fire Department.
She began ventilating the room before she left, alerting her boss and officials to the fire.
Officials reported a couple other people being the building, but they were quickly evacuated. They were uninjured.
Murray Fire Department responded to the blaze. At one point, however, firefighters were called out of the building due to the toxicity of the smoke.
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WORKER WITHOUT FR CLOTHING DIES IN FLASH FIRE
http://www.ishn.com/articles/95324-worker-without-fr-clothing-dies-in-flash-fire
Tags: us_PA, public, follow-up, death, natural_gas
A natural gas company's failure to provide a worker with FR clothing led to a fatality, according to OSHA, which has cited Pennsylvania-based J.R. Resources for eight safety and health violations.
The employee died from injuries sustained during a flash fire.
The company's seven serious violations include failing to:
require and provide flame-resistant clothing be worn when working around natural gas
provide fall protection from stairs on brine tanks
provide a written hazard communication program and training
properly label tanks and prevent workers from riding in the bucket of a backhoe
The employer was also cited for utilizing an electric pump in the presence of flammable materials.
One other-than-serious violation was cited for failing to report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours, as required by law.
Proposed penalties total $22,400. J.R. Resources has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Erie, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
---------------------------------------------
PROGRESS MADE ON RELOCATING HATED CHEMICAL FACTORIES
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/adamos-adamou/progress-made-relocating-hated-chemical-factories/20130309
Tags: Cyprus, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
NEW ENVIRONMENT commissioner, Ioanna Panayiotou, is taking a leading role as talks continue between the residents of Pera-Chorio Nisou and the interior, agriculture and commerce ministries over the operation of two chemical factories in the village.
Tensions have been high recently as residents of the village closed off the two factories on March 4, stopping them from operating.
A meeting will take place next Tuesday between the group of residents, the community council of Pera-Chorio Nisou and the managers of the two factories. The meetings will take place at the interior ministry.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM ON SCENE OF SPRAY PAINT TRUCK FIRE IN BOUND BROOK, POLICE SAY
http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2013/03/spray_paint_truck_catches_fire.html
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, diesel
BOUND BROOK Ñ A spray paint truck caught fire in a Bound Brook parking lot Friday afternoon, causing a diesel spill in the area, according to police.
At about 12:08 p.m. Friday, a Straight Edge Striping truck caught fire near 122 Talmage Ave., causing paint canisters to release in the area near Main Street, Lt. David Czaecinski said.
Straight Edge Striping is a roadway painting application company based on East Main Street in Bound Brook.
---------------------------------------------
EARL AVE. BUSINESS EVACUATED AS FIRE OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE CHEMICAL ODOR
http://www.jconline.com/article/20130308/NEWS/303080014/Earl-Ave-business-evacuated-fire-officials-investigate-chemical-odor?nclick_check=1
Tags: us_IN, public, release, response, sewer_gas
A chemical odor at the old National Home's office building in the 400 block of South Earl Street sent about two dozen employees into the morning cold Friday.
It turned out to be sewer gases emitting from a dry floor drain in the second-floor restroom, Battalion Chief Rick DeHahn said.
"We evacuated the building as a precautionary measure. Now we're just É trying to figure out what caused it," Lafayette Deputy Fire Chief Steve Butram said.
After huddling in the parking lot or sitting in their cars for about 45 minutes, the employees of the businesses were told to go get a warm breakfast, and most of them headed out. A few minutes later, about 9:05 a.m., scene commander Rick DeHahn, gave the all-clear to allow employees back inside.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION ROCKS BETHLEHEM HOME POLICE PLANNED TO SEARCH FOR DRUGS
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-bethlehem-township-fire-meth-lab-investigation--20130308,0,4692919.story
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
A harsh chemical odor lingered in the air Friday afternoon in the northeast Bethlehem neighborhood where an early morning explosion rocked a home on Greenleaf Street and started a fire, injuring five people inside and two police officers.
For some neighbors, the commotion came as no surprise. Several said they had seen suspicious activity Ñ people coming in and out at all hours, lights flickering in the basement late into the night Ñ at the home that county property records say is owned by 64-year-old Elaine Noone.
Bethlehem police suspected the same. Although police would not detail what sparked the fire, they said it erupted just three hours before they planned to execute a search warrant that grew out of a two-month investigation into methamphetamine sales.
---------------------------------------------
LAUREL, MD. FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE BLAZE AT OIL COMPANY
http://www.firehouse.com/news/10890806/md-firefighters-battle-blaze-at-oil-company
Tags: us_MD, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LAUREL, Md. (WUSA9) -- The Laurel Oil and Heating Company went up in flames Wednesday night. Firefighters are still watching over any potential hot spots. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway into a blaze that easily could have become a deadly disaster.
The Prince George's County Fire Department spokesperson said when fire crews arrived at 101 Main Street at about 7 p.m., the fire was showing from a garage that houses fuel trucks.
Approximately 100 firefighters from Prince George's County and Howard County put out the blaze that burned through the roof, the spokesperson said.
A full Hazmat team also responded to help clear out the scene that was about 50 yards away from five massive fuel tanks, the City of Laurel Public Information Officer Pete Piringer said. The crews prevented the fire from spreading to the massive fuel storage tanks nearby.
---------------------------------------------
LAB EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT SACRED HEART
http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/Lab-evacuated-after-chemical-spill-at-Sacred-Heart--196073461.html
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, release, response, chloroform
Eau Claire, Wis. (WEAU) - People had to be evacuated from a lab at Sacred Heart Hospital after a chemical spill.
The Eau Claire Fire Department says a 1 liter bottle of chloroform fell and broke in the lab Thursday afternoon. It says the lab was evacuated and the area was ventilated. No one was hurt.
The department says an on-site chemist poured a substance on the chloroform to neutralize its effects. Fire crews are handling general cleanup.
It says only the lab was the only area evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
VICTIMS AT FOX VALLEY SYSTEMS PAINT FACTORY EXPLOSION STILL IN HOSPITAL; TRANSFERRED BY HELICOPTER TO BURN UNITS
http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2013/03/08/victims-at-fox-valley-systems-paint-factory-explosion-still-in-hospital-transferred-by-helicopter-to-burn-units/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, response, flammables, paints
Cary firefighers responded about 1:10 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, 2013 to an explosion and fire at 640 Industrial Drive. Witnesses on the block reported seeing one man rolling on the ground at the front of the building immediately after the explosion. Several smaller pops and explosions occurred, and one larger explosion occurred about 7 minutes into the incident. Heavy black smoke rolled out of the commercial building. A brick wall at the front of the building was also blown out and destroyed.
Components used in the mixture of colorful paints made at the factory are highly flammable, and can be ignited from exposure to a static spark or even a hot light bulb.
---------------------------------------------
METAL DUST IGNITES FIRE IN SIMI BUILDING
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2013-03-08/Community/Metal_dust_ignites_fire_in_Simi_building.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, aluminum_dust
Firefighters, police and a hazmat team were called out to a Simi Valley industrial building Tuesday after metal dust ignited a fire within a machine shop's duct work.
Altogether, 40 firefighters and Simi Valley Police officers were on scene and about 70 employees were evacuated from the business.
The call of a structure fire in the 1700 block of Voyager Avenue came in to the Ventura County Fire Department just after 10 a.m. March 5.
The fire was situated in a space occupied by RSA Engineered Products at 1785 Voyager Ave. The large building is in a commercial complex just off Royal Avenue, west of Tapo Canyon Road.
RSA is a company that designs, develops, manufactures, tests and qualifies products for the aerospace and defense industries.
According to Capt. Mike Lindbery, public information officer for the fire department, the fire was caused by burning aluminum dust in the duct work. The machine shop has a dust collection system that is supposed to expel metal dust through the ducting.
---------------------------------------------
HOSPITAL: 3 CRITICALLY HURT IN BLAST AT ILL. PLANT
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hospital-critically-hurt-blast-ill-plant-18681010
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, methane
At least two people are hospitalized in critical condition after an explosion at a manufacturing plant in southwestern Illinois.
Authorities say 10 people were taken to hospitals after the explosion Thursday at the American Steel Foundries plant in Granite City, just northeast of St. Louis.
Gateway Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Kate Allaria says seven workers were treated for smoke inhalation and have been released. She says three workers were flown to nearby Missouri hospitals.
A spokeswoman at one of those hospitals says the two victims it received were in critical condition. The whereabouts of the other worker wasn't immediately clear.
Granite City Assistant Fire Chief Jim Snelson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gas somehow caught fire near a grinding machine at the plant that makes railcar components, causing an explosion.
---------------------------------------------
BOEING 787 BATTERY FIRE WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/03/07/boeing-787-battery-fire-was-difficult-to-control
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, response, batteries
WASHINGTON (AP) Ñ Firefighters and mechanics tried repeatedly to put out a battery fire aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner through smoke so thick they couldn't see the battery, according to documents released Thursday that portray the incident as more serious than previously described.
The Jan. 7 fire at Boston's Logan International Airport is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety board, which released laboratory analyses, interviews and other data it has gathered so far. It still hasn't been able to pinpoint the cause.
Federal Aviation Administration officials are expected to make a decision in the next few days on whether to approve a plan by Boeing to revamp the 787's lithium ion batteries to prevent or contain future fires. Once the plan is approved, Boeing hopes to swiftly test the reconfigured batteries and get the planes back in the air.
---------------------------------------------
OAKLAND COUNTY HAZ-MAT TEAMS INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF ROCHESTER HILLS CHEMICAL FIRE WITH VIDEO
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/03/07/news/local_news/doc51387e3c0ff8e529341047.txt
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
Officials are investigating what caused chemicals and sealers to burn inside a leased space near the engineering firm in the Star Batt Industrial Complex.
While on patrol at 5:13 a.m., an Oakland County Sheriff's deputy saw a large amount of smoke coming out of the industrial complex located in the 1900 block of Star-Batt Drive and Crooks in Rochester Hills. The deputy investigated and saw through windows that smoke filled the office areas of the building. The deputy notified dispatchers and the Rochester Hills Fire Department responded to the scene.
Fire crews were called about 5:20 a.m. to the complex and found fire in a space rented by OPW, which provides deck and brick paver cleaning services.
"We found smoke coming from the building," said Fire Chief Ronald Crowell. "We sent crews in and they quickly had the fire under control. One did get burns on his legs. He was transported to a hospital and has since been released."
---------------------------------------------
A SAFETY WARNING ON TOGNI'S REAGENTS
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2013/03/a-safety-warning-on-tognis-reagents/
Tags: Germany, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives
From Novasep in Germany and Organic Process Research and Development comes word that Togni's reagent II, used for trifluoromethylations, is explosive. Also highly hazardous is an intermediate in the reagent's synthesis and probably Togni's reagent I.
Togni's reagent II, in particular, shows some properties comparable to trinitrotoluene and gunpowder. Caution the paper's authors:
Work with the compounds behind a safety shield and use small amounts
Avoid open flames and sparking
Don't grind the materials with "brute force" (I think I'd probably err on the side of not grinding at all)
Use "soft and polished tools" for manipulations
Avoid caking and disperse lumps early
Impurities may influence the thermal and mechanical sensitivity of the material
The Sigma-Aldrich material safety data sheet for Togni's reagent II, 1-(trifluoromethyl-1,2-benziodoxol-3(1H)-one, mixed with diatomaceous earth classifies the product only as an irritant and toxic. Togni's reagent I, 3,3-dimethyl-1-trifluoromethyl-1,2-benziodoxole, is flagged as an irritant.
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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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