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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 31, 2013 8:19:22 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)
BLAST DAMAGES CHEMICAL FACTORY IN CHINA
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, hydrogen, xylene
YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP: SLOAN PETROLEUM PLANS MOVE OVER HAZMAT FLAP
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, response, gasoline
UPDATE: COLUMBIA GAS STATION NOW OPEN
Tags: us_AL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
PRELIMINARY HEARING STARTED FOR #DAVIDSNYDER IN UC DAVIS EXPLOSIVES CASE
Tags: us_CA, education, follow-up, response, illegal, waste
FIRE UNDER CONTROL AT BIODIESEL PLANT IN SEDGWICK
Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, biodiesel
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, cleaners
EXPLOSIONS ROCK PROPANE PLANT IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, SEVEN INJURED
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, propane
COURTHOUSE REMAINS CLOSED AFTER HAZMAT EVACUATION
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, batteries
CHEMICAL SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ON THE RISE
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, cleaners, suicide
BUSINESSES ENLIST CONGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CALIFORNIA LAWS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING REPORTS OF SMOKE IN UT ENGINEERING BUILDING
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, other_chemical
PESTICIDE SPILL AT MIA CAUSES GATE CLOSURE
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, injury, pesticides
LETHAL STOCKPILE OF CHEMICALS AT SUBURBAN IPSWICH HOUSE SHOCKS POLICE
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, explosives
CHEMICAL CONTAINER BLAST INJURES WOMAN, 3 CHILDREN
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, flammables, waste
NO SERIOUS INJURIES IN MASSIVE NW INDIANA FIRE
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, injury, petroleum
---------------------------------------------
BLAST DAMAGES CHEMICAL FACTORY IN CHINA
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/blast-damages-chemical-factory-in-china_865428.html
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, hydrogen, xylene
Beijing: A powerful explosion damaged a controversial paraxylene plant in China's eastern Fujian Province, officials said Tuesday.
No casualties have been reported, according to the county government. A fire that erupted after the explosion has been brought under control, officials said.
The controversial chemical plant was built in 2009 on Gulei Peninsula after the project was called off in the coastal city of Xiamen amid protests over potential pollution and health problems, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
A Zhangpu county government spokesman said an initial investigation found that a cracked hydrogen pipeline triggered the fire during a pressure test.
He said the blast did not heavily damage the plant, nor has it resulted in any chemical leaks. However, windows on a number of residences near the plant were shattered in the explosion. This is the second explosion of a chemical plant in the last few days.
A massive explosion destroyed a chemical factory in the city of Liaocheng in China's eastern Shandong Province on July 27. Official media said no casualties were reported in that blast.
---------------------------------------------
YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP: SLOAN PETROLEUM PLANS MOVE OVER HAZMAT FLAP
http://www.heritage.com/articles/2013/07/30/ypsilanti_courier/news/doc51f7edfadbec7575569765.txt
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, response, gasoline
YPSILANTI ? Following a hazardous gasoline spill that occurred last month, Ypsilanti Township has pursued legal action against the owner of Sloan Petroleum Transport.
On July 3, more than 1,000 gallons of gasoline spilled from a petroleum tanker being stored at 3105 E. Michigan Ave. According to township officials, the tankers were being stored improperly and the property was in violation of zoning regulations.
"The tankers were set in place on the grass without being hooked to the tractors," said Ron Fulton, building department director for Ypsilanti Township. "You're never supposed to unhook the tractor if the load is not fully supported."
Fulton said that the spill was caused by the heavy tankers sinking into the soft grass on the property. Since the tankers were so heavy, the jacks supporting one of the tankers collapsed, knocking that tanker into the one next to it. One of the tankers was punctured, and the gasoline leaked out.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: COLUMBIA GAS STATION NOW OPEN
http://www.wtvy.com/news/headlines/Hazmat-Responds-to-Colubmia-Gas-Station-217603051.html
Tags: us_AL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Hazmat tested the air twice, both tests came back negative. The store has been aired out and is now back open.
--------------------------------------------------------
A hazmat team responded to a Columbia gas station after a strange odor caused people to feel sick.
The Valero Convenience store, on the corner of Church and Washington Street, closed early on Monday due to the smell. A sticky substance was also discovered in a cooler.
---------------------------------------------
PRELIMINARY HEARING STARTED FOR #DAVIDSNYDER IN UC DAVIS EXPLOSIVES CASE
http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2013/07/preliminary-hearing-started-for-davidsnyder-in-uc-davis-explosives-case/
Tags: us_CA, education, follow-up, response, illegal, waste
Former University of California, Davis, chemist David Snyder appeared in court on Friday to begin his preliminary hearing on 17 felony charges relating to a January explosion in Synder?s campus apartment.
The charges are for reckless disposal of hazardous waste, possession of a destructive device or explosive, possession of materials with intent to make a destructive device, and possession of firearms on university property. Snyder was released from jail in February on $2 million bail. Snyder was working as a postdoc at the time of the explosion; he?d received his Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Davis in 2011.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE UNDER CONTROL AT BIODIESEL PLANT IN SEDGWICK
http://www.kansas.com/2013/07/30/2914396/biodiesel-plant-in-sedgwick-catches.html
Tags: us_KS, industrial, fire, response, biodiesel
Tuesday morning?s fire at a biodiesel plant in Sedgwick has been brought under control, although crews are expected to remain on the scene into the evening, Sedgwick County Fire Chief Gary Curmode said.
Flames were out and the black smoke that had been billowing into the sky had been greatly reduced by mid-morning. No one was in Healy Biodiesel at the time the fire started about 8 a.m. at the plant just south of the Harvey County border, Curmode said.
No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, Curmode said
By noon, fire crews from McConnell Air Force Base and the HollyFrontier oil refinery in El Dorado were expected to begin coating the whole structure with foam.
Crumode said crews have minimized threats to various fuels and chemicals, including a 5,000-gallon tank of methanol. Besides knocking down the primary fire, they poured water on the tanks to keep them cool, he added.
Corn oil and corn diesel were among the fuels burning at one point.
Nearly 40 firefighters from five jurisdictions responded to the fire. Newton and Halstead joined Sedgwick County, McConnell and the El Dorado oil refinery crew, Crumode said.
Healey Biodiesel is a 6-year-old Sedgwick company that expanded last year to include a 12,000-square foot building.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
http://www.registerstar.com/news/article_13245b38-f8d0-11e2-a2ee-0019bb2963f4.html
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, cleaners
Firefighters from Niverville and Valatie responded to Ichabod Crane Middle School at 2910 Route 9 Monday morning due to a dangerous chemical reaction.
Firefighters were called to the school at 6:47 a.m., and the roughly half-dozen district employees in the school were evacuated when toxic fumes began to fill the school?s hallways.
?Toilet bowl cleaner got into another material which created a toxic cloud that set off the fire alarms,? said Niverville Fire Chief Wayne Huyck.
There were no students in the building at the time of the incident and the OK Kids Day Care program was redirected to the nearby primary school, according to a statement released by the district. A custodian was examined by emergency responders but was released after examination.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSIONS ROCK PROPANE PLANT IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, SEVEN INJURED
http://news.yahoo.com/explosions-rock-propane-plant-central-florida-041722891.html
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, propane
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Dozens of explosions rocked a propane tank servicing plant in central Florida, northwest of Orlando, late on Monday, injuring seven workers, at least three critically, and prompting the evacuation of nearby homes, authorities said.
No one outside the plant was hurt by the blasts, which began at about 10:30 p.m. local time at the Blue Rhino propane gas filling station in the town of Tavares, about 40 miles northwest of Orlando, said John Herrell, a Lake County sheriff's spokesman.
Fifteen workers out of the two dozen on duty were initially reported missing, but all subsequently were found unscathed, Herrell said. Two others were safe from the outset.
---------------------------------------------
COURTHOUSE REMAINS CLOSED AFTER HAZMAT EVACUATION
http://www.koin.com/2013/07/29/columbia-courthouse-remains-closed-after-fire/
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, batteries
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) ? Columbia County officials hope to re-open the courthouse Tuesday after an overheated battery back-up box caused $500,000 worth of damage.
All county offices on the first and second floors were closed Monday. The closures included circuit courts.
The courthouse on Strand Street was evacuated Friday, shortly after the first call at 4:37 p.m.
?We were called to a ?Smoke in a Structure? situation?,? according to a Columbia County Fire & Rescue news release. ?[Arriving] fire crews smelled both a strong odor similar to rotten eggs ? as well as something akin to a burning electrical smell in the main floor computer room.?
Portland?s Hazardous Materials Team also responded.
Luckily, it was a Columbia County furlough day ? leaving few, if any, county staff in the building. However, State Court also is held in the building and was open at the time the smell was reported.
?Fire crews worked for about two hours to ventilate the building and look for the source of the rotten egg smell,? CRFR reported.
They found it in the ?overheated and venting battery back-up box for the telephone system,? according to CRFR. That system has been removed from the building.
There were no injuries or reported ill effects due to the smell. However, the fire suppression system for the computer room did leave a fine white powder. The county has called for a clean-up and restoration company to deal with the subsequent clean-up.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ON THE RISE
http://www.telegram.com/article/20130729/NEWS/307299584/1003/NEWS03
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, cleaners, suicide
WORCESTER ? Chemical, or detergent, suicides originated in Japan at the turn of the century and spread around the world from there.
In Massachusetts, there have been 15 chemical suicides in the past three or four years, according to David M. Ladd, director of the state's Hazardous Materials Response Division. The last chemical suicide attempt was in Worcester on July 17, and elicited a Tier 2 response by one of the state's Regional Response Hazmat Team.
A woman tried to kill herself by mixing toilet bowl cleaner and calcium lime rust remover to create hydrogen sulfide, a lethal gas. While the vapors killed her dog, the woman was rescued by Worcester firefighters and a state hazardous materials team. She was hospitalized. Public safety officials would not comment on her condition.
---------------------------------------------
BUSINESSES ENLIST CONGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CALIFORNIA LAWS
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-california-targeted-20130728,0,113871.story
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
WASHINGTON ? California has a reputation for having some of the nation's most aggressive rules on workplace safety, consumer protection and environmental quality ? regulations that force companies to make costly adjustments to the way they do business worldwide.
Now some of those companies, banking on congressional gridlock and sympathetic Republican leaders in the House, are fighting back. And officials in Sacramento worry that some of the state's landmark laws may be in danger.
At the top of their worry list is a measure with bipartisan support that would strengthen federal environmental laws on dangerous chemicals, but at the price of rolling back a pioneering California law that tries to protect consumers from the most toxic materials. State leaders are scrambling to fend off the bill, which they say is written so broadly that it also could undermine California's clean water laws and its effort to combat global warming.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING REPORTS OF SMOKE IN UT ENGINEERING BUILDING
http://www.readthehorn.com/news/81151/officials_investigating_reports_of_smoke_in_ut_engineering_building
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, other_chemical
The Chemical and Petroleum Engineering building on UT's campus was evacuated just before 1 p.m. on Monday following reports of smoke on the third floor.
An employee in the building said the smoke originated in the utility corridor on the third floor.
Witness James Patterson said not many chemicals are stored on the third floor but that it appeared the smoke came from someone overcooking something in the microwave.
A spokesman for Austin Fire Department said no fire was found and that the evacuation was due to a "mistaken alarm." However, several employees in the building said they saw the smoke on the third floor that initially led to the call.
AFD has handed the investigation to UTPD. Officers are still in the building trying to determine what happened.
---------------------------------------------
PESTICIDE SPILL AT MIA CAUSES GATE CLOSURE
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21011282746951/chemical-spill-at-mia-causes-gate-closure/
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, injury, pesticides
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (WSVN) -- Fire rescue and Hazmat crews responded to a small chemical spill at Miami International Airport Monday afternoon that caused officials to close down two gates.
Airport officials said a TSA agent checking luggage on a cargo hold before loading it into a plane between gates D24 and D25 noticed a suspicious odor coming out of a bag belonging to a passenger on American Airlines Flight 1119, which had originated in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and was scheduled to fly to Baltimore after its Miami stop.
According to an e-mail statement from the TSA, the agency "re-screens all luggage that arrives in the U.S. from foreign destinations before being loaded on a domestic flights, both carry-on and checked baggage."
Upon further inspection, Hazmat technicians found that a homemade pesticide inside a three-ounce container had seeped through the suitcase and started to make several TSA agents sick. "From our understanding, there was some spillage from the bag," said MIA spokesperson Greg Chin. "It was enough that it caused them to react in a way that caused their health to take a downturn."
---------------------------------------------
LETHAL STOCKPILE OF CHEMICALS AT SUBURBAN IPSWICH HOUSE SHOCKS POLICE
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/lethal-stockpile-of-chemicals-at-suburban-ipswich-house-shocks-police/story-fnihsrf2-1226687799672
Tags: Australia, public, explosion, injury, explosives
More than 1kg of explosive materials have been uncovered since the first blast at the Clay St house on Thursday night, which left one of the men critically injured.
Inspector Keith McDonald told The Courier-Mail the "sizeable quantity'' of the volatile chemicals found was frightening and capable of unleashing "catastrophic consequences''.
In pictures: Bombs in the 'burbs
He said the material could "go off under the slightest bit of pressure, heat, and rubbing" and was highly unstable.
Glen Charles Dell, 43, faced court yesterday charged with a string of offences including the manufacture of explosives, attempts to destroy property by explosives and acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.
His housemate, a 37-year-old contractor, suffered serious injuries to his hands and groin in the explosion and remains in critical condition in hospital.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL CONTAINER BLAST INJURES WOMAN, 3 CHILDREN
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/chemical-container-blast-injures-woman-3-children/1148017/
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, flammables, waste
A 30-year-old woman and her three children sustained severe burn injuries in an explosion that took place while she was trying to open a scrap chemical container at her home in Gawani Nagar, Bhosari, on Sunday afternoon.
As per information given by Bhosari police, the woman, Suman Laxman Gaikwad, bought a tin container from a scrap dealer on Sunday afternoon. Sub-inspector Ravindra Pingale of Bhosari police station said, "We have come to know that the scrap dealer told her to open the lid of the container by heating the upper part of its body for sometime. Around 5 pm, when she started heating it, the container suddenly exploded. She and her three children, who were in the same room, sustained severe burn injuries."
Pingale said all four injured persons had suffered more than 25 per cent burn injuries and were being treated at various hospitals in Pimpri. He added, "Prima facie, it seems that it was an inflammable substance. We will be sending the samples for chemical tests. The woman and her three children are out of danger."
---------------------------------------------
NO SERIOUS INJURIES IN MASSIVE NW INDIANA FIRE
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/hammond-indiana-explosion-fire-217235921.html
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, injury, petroleum
No serious injuries were reported Saturday after a massive fire at a northwest Indiana shipping company that sent an incredible plume of black smoke skyward.
The fire broke out shortly before 9 a.m. at Bulk Express, located just southeast of the intersection of 131st Place and Sheffield Avenue in North Hammond. The company specializes in transporting coal tar, asphalt and oil products.
A fire official said the fire started while employees were trying to torch product as it came out of an asphalt tanker. The flames spread to two adjacent buildings, and crews had to use extreme caution because of propane tanks in the area.
The fire could have been much worse had crews not gotten fire-fighting foam on it as fast as they did, a fire official told NBC Chicago.
One employee was hurt while trying to leave the area after the fire started. That person was transported to a nearby hospital with back pain but the injury wasn't believed to be serious.
---------------------------------------------
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