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**At_Symbol_Here**ACSDCHAS and **At_Symbol_Here**LabSustain tweets and Chemical Safety Headlines
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acsdchas ES&T: Succession of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill http://t.co/UEpt9kGG7t http://t.co/yDo0WmZ7RI
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labsustain ES&T: Life Cycle Water Consumption for Shale Gas and Conventional Natural Gas http://t.co/9iRPPQnav6
labsustain ES&T: Estimating the Carbon Sequestration Capacity of Shale Using Methane Production Rates http://t.co/POVX0UScWJ http://t.co/tDw3wDvUKU
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acsdchas C&EN: EPA Data On Chemicals Get Easier To Find online tool improves public access to information http://t.co/JFVOcUxtpg
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labsustain BP accussed of "outright lies" during trial for Gulf Oil Disaster: BP ?lied? over true extent of its Gulf oil ... http://t.co/a6HtgLgp1g
labsustain ES&T: Sustainability of Ceramic Filters for Point-of-Use Drinking Water Treatment http://t.co/zCnbRg0KQD http://t.co/o2EyKGKaIQ
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hpandpsafety Creating a Culture of Contempt for #Safety http://t.co/4s0mJGdE72 Sep 17th by acsdchas
acsdchas J Chem Ed: Instrument for Measuring the Cognitive Complexity of Organic Chemistry Exam Items http://t.co/a1RaaXpog7 http://t.co/XCrKCcsAgr
Table of Contents (11 articles)
POWER OUTAGE AT UC BERKELEY LEADS TO EXPLOSION; 1 HOSPITALIZED
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response
EXPLOSION TEARS UP ASHTABULA HOUSE
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, illegal, meth_lab
TWO HOSPITALIZED AFTER SUFFERING CHEMICAL BURNS IN TOWN OF PLYMOUTH
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
CACHE OF UNIDENTIFIED CHEMICALS IN FAIRFIELD HOUSE FORCES ALL-NIGHT CLEANUP
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION (ACS PUBLICATIONS AND DIVISION OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION)
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
ST. PAUL CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS EVACUATION
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
TO CONTROL CHEMICAL EXPOSURE, CALIFORNIA REGULATORS RETHINK RULES FROM GROUND UP
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
BERKELEY HIGH POOL CLOSES AFTER TESTS REVEAL CHEMICAL IMBALANCES
Tags: us_CA, education, discovery, response, chlorine
NEWEST HAZCOM CHEMICAL HAZARD: GHS CLASSIFICATION SHOCK -- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
Tags: industrial, discovery, response
REX ENERGY NATURAL GAS WELL IN CARROLLTON DAMAGED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_PA, transportation, explosion, response, natural_gas
REDWOOD CITY PROPANE TANK EXPLOSION SHUTS DOWN EL CAMINO REAL
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, propane
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POWER OUTAGE AT UC BERKELEY LEADS TO EXPLOSION; 1 HOSPITALIZED
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/09/30/uc-berkeley-campus-evacuated-after-explosion-power-outage/
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response
BERKELEY (KCBS/KPIX 5) ? A power outage triggered an explosion and fire at the University of California at Berkeley on Monday evening, prompting an emergency evacuation of the campus and hospitalizing one person with burns, according to authorities.
The widespread power outage on campus was reported just before 5 p.m., causing university officials to cancel evening classes and tell students to suspend lab activity and leave the academic buildings.
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EXPLOSION TEARS UP ASHTABULA HOUSE
http://starbeacon.com/local/x134969326/Explosion-tears-up-Ashtabula-house
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, illegal, meth_lab
ASHTABULA ? Fire investigators believe an illegal methamphetamine lab blew up a home at 617 Joseph Ave. late Monday night, but the investigation is ongoing.
Firefighters received a report of an explosion with a large cloud of smoke showing at about 11:30 p.m., according to an Ashtabula Fire Department report.
?It shook the whole house,? neighbor Bill Hall said. ?Everything inside jiggled.?
Firefighters first to arrive on the scene discovered a large field of debris on Joseph Avenue and obvious damage to the small, one-story house, but no fire. After shutting off the electricity, firefighters entered the house to search for victims, but found none.
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TWO HOSPITALIZED AFTER SUFFERING CHEMICAL BURNS IN TOWN OF PLYMOUTH
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20131001/SHE0101/310010227/Two-hospitalized-after-suffering-chemical-burns-Town-Plymouth?nclick_check=1
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
A Flight for Life was called Monday after two people pouring a chemical product into a drain inside a Town of Plymouth home suffered sulfuric acid burns, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff?s Office.
They were burned while trying to dispose of a home cleaning product containing sulfuric acid by pouring it down a drain, said Lt. Mark Rupnik.
Rupnik said back pressure from the drain caused the chemical to spray onto the man and woman?s skin.
Nicole Pennell suffered third-degree chemical burns to 30 percent of her body and was taken by Flight for Life helicopter to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. Robert Pennell suffered burns to 15 percent of his body and was transported to St. Nicholas Hospital.
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CACHE OF UNIDENTIFIED CHEMICALS IN FAIRFIELD HOUSE FORCES ALL-NIGHT CLEANUP
http://westport.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/cache-unidentified-chemicals-fairfield-house-forces-all-night-cleanup
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
Update 10 p.m.: FAIRFIELD, Conn. - A call from a Bronson Road resident about a possible break-in at his home Tuesday afternoon turned into an all-night chemical and weapon cleanup, Fairfield police and fire officials said.
The evening of closed roads, chemical investigations and calls for evacuations began when the 65-year-old man homeowner at 1625 Bronson Road called police at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday because he thought someone was breaking into his house, police said.
When officers arrived, he was taken to the hospital after a conversation with officers indicated he was confused, police said. Responding officers discovered the multiple unidentified chemicals after detecting an odor, and the homeowner admitted that chemicals were in the house, police said.
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION (ACS PUBLICATIONS AND DIVISION OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION)
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed400305e
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
An effective way of addressing the need for an improved culture of safety in research-intensive science departments is described, which involves enabling leadership by graduate student and postdoctoral associate laboratory safety officers (LSOs). In partnership with The Dow Chemical Company, LSOs from the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota formed a Joint Safety Team. With helpful input from Dow, the team has played a key role in improving the culture and practice of safety in both departments, providing support for use of this model for inculcating safety as a core value and an integral part of academic life.
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ST. PAUL CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTS EVACUATION
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/01/news/st-paul-chemical-spill-prompts-evacuation
Tags: us_MN, public, release, response, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
ST. PAUL, Minn. ? St. Paul firefighters evacuated a building downtown Tuesday morning following a chemical spill.
St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said that a janitor had accidentally mixed chlorine and sulfuric acid and the mixture gave off a toxic cloud.
The incident occurred in the former St. Paul Athletic Club building on the 7th floor where there is a swimming pool.
The fire marshal said that the chemical mixture was also believed to be explosive so firefighters evacuated the building as a precaution.
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TO CONTROL CHEMICAL EXPOSURE, CALIFORNIA REGULATORS RETHINK RULES FROM GROUND UP
http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/10/01/39588/to-control-chemical-exposure-california-regulators/
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
California toxic regulators launch new rules today guiding the use of hazardous chemicals. Five years ago the state began its Green Chemistry Initiative, an effort to overhaul the policy protecting consumers from potentially unsafe chemicals in everyday products. The new regulations from the Department of Toxic Substances Control are both long awaited and cutting edge.
A few years ago state lawmakers were awash in bills seeking to regulate chemicals in specific consumer products, like lead in jewelry and childrens' toys or chemical softeners in baby and water bottles.
"The legislature felt, and probably rightly so, they didn?t have the expertise, the scientific knowledge and capability, to get at that level of detail," said the DTSC's Karl Palmer. "And there were a lot of these blow-by-blow, product-by-product, chemical-by-chemical types of regulation."
California turned away from that piecemeal approach. Instead, lawmakers passed what could be a groundbreaking way to think about chemical safety, focusing not only on the chemical's inherent risk, but also factoring in the pathway and extent of its exposure to people and the environment.
"Some chemicals have certain what we call hazard traits, which mean they can intrinsically cause harm," Palmer says. "They might be a carcinogen that causes some kind of cancer. They might be a reproductive toxin, which may affect your reproductive system. But it?s how it?s used and if you?re exposed to it that matters."
Palmer says the Department of Toxic Substances Control has whittled down a big list, from thousands of ingredients to a select group of 164 "chemicals of concern." Now regulators will pick five categories ? like personal care products or electronics - to analyze first.
---------------------------------------------
BERKELEY HIGH POOL CLOSES AFTER TESTS REVEAL CHEMICAL IMBALANCES
http://www.dailycal.org/2013/09/30/berkeley-high-pool-closes-tests-reveal-chemical-imbalances/
Tags: us_CA, education, discovery, response, chlorine
After receiving reports of water polo players experiencing itchiness and discomfort after practice, the city of Berkeley temporarily closed Berkeley High School?s pool on Sept. 25 after tests showed chemical imbalances in the pool.
The school?s pool had a pH level of 8.4, whereas a healthy level must be between 7.2 and 8.0, according to a city inspection report. Currently, the school is testing the pool?s chemical levels three times daily, and the city will reopen the pool once it is deemed safe.
According to William Gaebler, the Berkeley High School water polo coach, chlorine levels were low, and the concentration of chloramine ? the chemical that causes eye and skin irritation ? was 10 times higher than the limit. A defective carbon dioxide tank, which lowers the pH level in the pool, caused the high pH level, he said.
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NEWEST HAZCOM CHEMICAL HAZARD: GHS CLASSIFICATION SHOCK -- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2013/10/01/newest-hazcom-chemical-hazard-ghs-classification-shock.aspx?admgarea=news
Tags: industrial, discovery, response
A key requirement of OSHA's newly revised Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom 2012) is that chemical manufacturers and distributors operating in the United States classify their chemicals using criteria adopted from the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System (GHS). For many manufacturers and distributors, the results of the classification (or reclassification, in the case of chemicals already in the marketplace) can be startling. At MSDSonline, our safety data sheet authors have coined a new term to describe the experience: "Classification Shock."
Classification shock is the realization that a chemical is more hazardous than once thought, either because of the new classifications OSHA has put in place or, in many cases, because the hazards were not evaluated properly the first time.
It's an issue employers should be aware of because they have a responsibility to ensure the requisite controls and personal protective equipment (PPEs) are in place and that employees are properly trained on all of the chemical hazards to which they are exposed. Employers should be prepared to address new hazards for chemicals, even for chemicals that have been used in the workplace for years. As we will see, the classification affects labels, SDSs, training, and more. To better understand the changes GHS brings to hazard identification and the compliance implications for everyone in the chemical life cycle, it's helpful to understand how hazard identification worked pre- versus post-GHS adoption.
---------------------------------------------
REX ENERGY NATURAL GAS WELL IN CARROLLTON DAMAGED IN EXPLOSION
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/09/30/explosion-damages-rex-energy-well-in.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, explosion, response, natural_gas
Cleanup work is underway at an oil and natural gas well near Carrollton after a tanker truck explosion and fire damaged the site Friday night, reports the Herald-Star in Steubenville.
Multiple fire departments rushed to the scene to battle the blaze, which sent flames and smoke high into the air. They had it extinguished by Saturday morning, the newspaper said. No injuries were reported.
An official with Rex Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:REXX), the State College, Pa., company that operates the well, was reported as saying the accident happened during a transfer of natural gas condensate to the tanker truck. The fire also damaged two holding tanks.
The company said it appeared no condensate was released from the well or holding tanks during the fire, but a small amount leaked from the tanker truck.
---------------------------------------------
REDWOOD CITY PROPANE TANK EXPLOSION SHUTS DOWN EL CAMINO REAL
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/09/27/redwood-city-propane-tank-explosion-shuts-down-el-camino-real/
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, propane
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) ? Firefighters were working to drain propane gas from a 1,000-gallon tank at a U-Haul storage facility in Redwood City following an explosion Friday morning involving smaller tanks at the site.
The explosion at the U-Haul facility at 2200 El Camino Real at about 8:20 a.m. Friday sent a plume of black smoke into the air, according to Baldez Mann, the owner of the Chevron gas station directly across the street.
No one was injured and all U-Haul personnel are accounted for, according to Redwood City Deputy Fire Chief Stan Maupin.
Firefighters called to the U-Haul facility found the explosion involving smaller propane tanks had started a fire that threatened the larger 1,000-gallon propane tank, Maupin said.
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