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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] CSB Releases New 3-Disc Safety Video DVD Set; Contains 31 CSB Productions Depicting Variety of Accidents Date: June 7, 2013 8:56:15 AM EDT Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 7, 2013 6:26:59 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 (13 articles)
CHEMICAL SAFETY REFORM: A TALE OF TWO BILLS
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
KRONOSPAN CHEMICAL SPILL: NORTH WALES FIRE AND RESCUE ATTENDING
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
SAFETY AT DEADLY CHINA PLANT 'EXTREMELY CHAOTIC'
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
SERENDRA BLAST CAUSED BY LPG
Tags: Philippines, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
A METH LAB NOW CAN BE A PROBLEM FOR OTHERS LATER
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab, waste
SKY NEWS: LAB WORKERS EXPOSED TO TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, cyanide
BROKEN COMPUTER MONITOR IN 'BIOHAZARD' BOX PROMPTS HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
UPDATE: IEPA SEEKS COURT ORDER FOLLOWING ANHYDROUS AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
THREE PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING INDUSTRIAL HAZMAT IN THERMAL
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES VARIAN EVACUATION
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
TRUCK CARRYING CHEMICAL GUTTED
Tags: India, transportation, fire, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
NYACK COLLEGE EXPLOSION: PROBE EYES DAMAGED PIPE
Tags: us_NY, education, explosion, injury, natural_gas
CHEMISTRY TEACHER MIXES SCIENCE AND INNOVATION AND SETS IT ON FIRE
Tags: us_NY, education, discovery, environmental, biodiesel, ethanol
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SAFETY REFORM: A TALE OF TWO BILLS
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/chemical-safety-reform-a_b_3396865.html
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
But almost everyone agrees that it's deeply flawed and in need of reform. (See calls to update TSCA from the American Chemistry Council [pdf], EPA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment [pdf], to list but a few.)
Sen. Lautenberg died with his efforts at TSCA reform unfulfilled, but he did leave us with a kind of TSCA legacy in the form of two active bills intended to provide that much needed update:
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KRONOSPAN CHEMICAL SPILL: NORTH WALES FIRE AND RESCUE ATTENDING
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-22799028
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
Firefighters have been called to a chemical spill at a wood panel factory in Wrexham, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service says.
A tanker caused the spillage at Kronospan Ltd on Holyhead Road, Chirk, at 10:06 BST on Thursday.
Kronospan is the UK's only fully integrated producer of wood-based panels.
The Environmental Protection Unit and and crews from Chirk, Llangollen, Wrexham and Deeside attended.
Firefighters were called to Kronospan, which employs 600 people, last October following a blaze in two storage areas.
There were also were three fires at the factory in June and July last year.
---------------------------------------------
SAFETY AT DEADLY CHINA PLANT 'EXTREMELY CHAOTIC'
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/safety-deadly-china-plant-totally-chaotic-19344479#.UbHd5Ylevfk
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
China's workplace safety agency said negligence among factory managers and government inspectors caused "extremely chaotic" work-safety conditions at a poultry plant where a deadly fire killed 120 workers this week.
Safety exits were blocked at the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co. plant and managers neglected to hold required safety drills or worker education, State Administration of Work Safety head Yang Dongliang said in a statement posted Friday on the administration's website, confirming workers' accounts. No one at the plant took responsibility for safety, while the relevant local government departments failed to make proper inspections, Yang said.
The preliminary findings came just four days after the deadly fire in Jilin province in northeastern China. The speed with which officials reacted suggests they have learned from past industrial disasters in which slow and incomplete responses have aroused considerable public anger.
"An initial investigation shows that the management of work safety at this plant was extremely chaotic," Yang was quoted as telling investigators and other officials Thursday at a meeting in Changchun, Jilin's capital.
---------------------------------------------
SERENDRA BLAST CAUSED BY LPG
http://www.rappler.com/nation/30840-serendra-blast-caused-by-gas-roxas
Tags: Philippines, industrial, explosion, death, petroleum
MANILA, Philippines - Gas caused the explosion at the Two Serendra that killed 3 and left 4 injured on May 31.
Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said the blast was most likely caused by liquefied petroleum gas.
The blast was most likely to have been caused by combustion or reaction of chemical substances like gas, Dr CP David of the Department of Science and Technology said Friday, June 7.
---------------------------------------------
A METH LAB NOW CAN BE A PROBLEM FOR OTHERS LATER
http://www.dothaneagle.com/enterprise_ledger/news/article_1111967c-ceef-11e2-bbbd-0019bb30f31a.html
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab, waste
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third in a series regarding methamphetamine and the effect it has had on Alabama and the rest of the country. Part Three centers on the problems meth labs can have on residences, some for long periods of time.
Many cookers of methamphetamine believe that as long as they keep to themselves, they are not harming anyone else. Aside from the obvious emotional drain their addiction has on friends and family, they could be putting someone they have never met in serious danger.
Meth labs can be made in places such as apartments or rental homes, but they have also been found in hotel rooms. Even those that were made in homes owned by the actual cook may have contaminated a house that is eventually foreclosed upon, sold or seized, therefore potentially being a health risk for unsuspecting new owners down the line.
It is estimated that for each pound of drug that meth cookers produce, between five and six pounds of poisonous waste is dumped, flushed or left behind
---------------------------------------------
SKY NEWS: LAB WORKERS EXPOSED TO TOXIC CHEMICAL
http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=878031
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, cyanide
Two lab workers at a Sydney nuclear facility are in hospital after toxic chemicals spilled on them.
The male workers at the Lucas Heights facility in Sydney's south were exposed to sodium cyanide on Friday about 7am (AEST).
A container holding the chemical spilled on the workers' legs, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) said in a statement.
A spokesman for the facility said the staff were not injured, but had been taken to Sutherland Hospital as a precaution.
'They're fine. They've been decontaminated. There's no injuries,' he told AAP.
---------------------------------------------
BROKEN COMPUTER MONITOR IN 'BIOHAZARD' BOX PROMPTS HAZMAT SITUATION
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/06/05/columbus-hazmat-team-called-biohazard-box.html
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Emergency crews were called to a location in south Columbus Wednesday morning after there was a report of a box with the word "Biohazard" on it.
HAZMAT officials responded to 4335 Creekside Parkway, near Rohr Road, around 11 a.m.
The Columbus Fire Department and Obetz Police Department said that there was a broken LCD computer monitor in the box.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: IEPA SEEKS COURT ORDER FOLLOWING ANHYDROUS AMMONIA LEAK
http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/Ammonia-Leak-at-the--Winnebago-Boone-Farm-Bureau-210175171.html?ref=171
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
WINNEBAGO COUNTY (WIFR) -- The two chemical companies involved in Tuesday night's anhydrous ammonia leak are now being cited for polluting the environment.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also wants an immediate injunction filed against Conserv FS and Schoff Farm Service. It was a Schoff tanker truck that hit a valve on Conserv FS' ammonia loading rack. The IEPA says the leak went on for 12 hours and almost 8,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia was released, and contaminated 100,000 gallons of water used by firefighters. The runoff went into a branch of the Kent Creek which flows into a private pond that killed dozens of fish. Additionally the IEPA wants the Attorney General to obtain a court order to clean this up and make improvements.
The Attorney General is also still considering whether to file an injunction against Nova-Kem which had a chemical explosion in Seward on Sunday.
---------------------------------------------
THREE PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING INDUSTRIAL HAZMAT IN THERMAL
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130606/NEWS0803/306060014/Three-people-hospitalized-following-industrial-hazmat-Thermal?gcheck=1
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ammonia
THERMAL Ñ Three women who were packing vegetables near a commercial plant in Thermal were hospitalized Thursday after they breathed in refrigeration fumes, fire officials said.
At 1:41 p.m., emergency personnel responded to Belk Farms, 57-800 Desert Cactus Drive, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The women were exposed to anhydrous ammonia, which Belk General Manager Paul Hoesterey said is used to cool vegetables.
There were no evacuations, Cal Fire spokesman Mark Annas said.
Hoesterey said the women were among 45 people working in the area when fumes were released from a valve due to pressure buildup related to high outdoor heat.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK FORCES VARIAN EVACUATION
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x953007776/Chemical-leak-forces-Varian-evacuation
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
A chemical leak within the Applied Materials/Varian Semiconductor complex in Blackburn Industrial Park Wednesday forced the evacuation of dozens of employees, and drew emergency crews from Varian and the city alike.
The first emergency call shortly before 1:30 p.m. reported a fire on the roof of Building 4 at Applied/Varian, but that fire was quickly "self-extinguished."
City emergency personnel learned soon after, however, that the incident was not a fire, but a likely chemical reaction from a chemical, Boron triflouride, that was leaking within the research and development building and released into the air from the building, Fire Chief Eric Smith he said.
A representative from Applied Materials confirmed there was no fire.
"Essentially, the leak was contained right from the outset," marketing communicator James Kawski said.
But when Boron triflouride reacts with moisture in the air, it can create vapors that may appear to be smoke. Besides the brief flash of vapors, the chemical did not leave the building, authorities said.
---------------------------------------------
TRUCK CARRYING CHEMICAL GUTTED
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Truck-carrying-chemical-gutted/articleshow/20452259.cms
Tags: India, transportation, fire, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
CHENNAI: A truck carrying hydrogen peroxide cylinders caught fire at Kadampakkam on East Coast Road just after midnight on Tuesday. The vehicle fell on its side and careened across the road. There was not much traffic on the stretch at the time.
Police said the truck was coming to Tambaram from Puducherry when the driver, Venkatesan, braked suddenly to avoid hitting a cow. The truck fell on its side and some cylinders burst into flames. Firefighters from Madurantakam, Acharapakkam and Marakkanam battled for nearly two hours to put out the fire. The trick was completely gutted.
A foul smell soon enveloped the area. A number of residents of Kadampakkam rushed out of their houses, complaining of irritation in the eyes, police said. Even residents of nearby Edaikazhinadu complained of the same symptoms. Soon, rumours began to fly. Some said chemicals from the Kudankulam power plant had leaked into the city.
Police had a tough time convincing people that all was well with the nuclear plant and and that there was no need to panic. Most of those who complained of irritation in the eyes were treated at a few small clinics on the stretch.
The driver of the truck told police that as soon the truck turned on its side, he saw flames emanating from the cylinders and fled.
---------------------------------------------
NYACK COLLEGE EXPLOSION: PROBE EYES DAMAGED PIPE
http://www.lohud.com/article/20130605/NEWS03/306050063/Nyack-College-explosion-Probe-eyes-damaged-pipe?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Cimg%7C%7Cp
Tags: us_NY, education, explosion, injury, natural_gas
SOUTH NYACK Ñ Orange and Rockland Utilities is focusing on a steel pipeline that may have been damaged during construction, causing Wednesday's gas explosion that injured eight people at Nyack College.
O&R found evidence of recent excavation and heavy equipment work on the ground above a service line, but couldn't say definitely if the work caused the 2-inch steel pipe to break away from a gas main, company spokesman Michael Donovan said.
"How that damage occurred remains an open question," Donovan said.
The line feeds the college gym from a gas main on South Highland Drive. Installed in 1969, he said the pipe was 5 feet deep at its connection.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMISTRY TEACHER MIXES SCIENCE AND INNOVATION AND SETS IT ON FIRE
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/06/chemistry-teacher-makes-biofuel-in-the-classroom.html
Tags: us_NY, education, discovery, environmental, biodiesel, ethanol
A trio of girls start shrieking as their crucible of clear liquid catches fire. This is exactly the result they were hoping for.
"It worked!" they scream. "Ms. Munkatchy, we did it!"
The flaming liquid is ethanol, something Jamie Munkatchy's high school class at Validus Preparatory Academy in the New York City is learning to make this spring. Fermenting and distilling biofuel is not only a lesson in chemistry, but a way to connect their science education to real world problems, Munkatchy said.
"There is a trend in the current educational literature that we should mimic as much as possible or perhaps even just do real science in the classroom," she said. "Why spend all this time on the background knowledge and who was Bohr and what did his atom look like when there are current science questions going unanswered."
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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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