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**At_Symbol_Here**ACSDCHAS and **At_Symbol_Here**LabSustain tweets and Chemical Safety Headlines
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
Tweets available on our ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS) Facebook Page
Tagged Article summaries are available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (12 articles)
DERMAL UPTAKE OF ORGANIC VAPORS COMMONLY FOUND IN INDOOR AIR
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, solvent
GAS EXPLOSION AT SHOPPING MALL IN SOUTHWEST CHINA KILLS 4 PEOPLE, INJURES 35
Tags: China, public, explosion, death, natural_gas
HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO FACTORY FIRE
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, magnesium
OSHA FINES OWNER OF OLEFINS PLANT
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death
MAN DIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS DELIVERED WITH BOX OF SHOES
Tags: China, transportation, release, death, toxics
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDERGO COURSE TO PREVENT RISING CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS
Tags: Tanzania, education, discovery, response, other_chemical
MALIBU HIGH SCHOOL SET FOR CLEANUP AFTER CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL FOUND IN SOME ROOMS (12/21/13 6:15 PM)
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, pcbs
DUMP FIRES CREATE CHEMICAL FUMES :: CAYCOMPASS.COM
Tags: Cayman_Islands, industrial, fire, environmental, wastes
AXIALL INVESTIGATES WHY WESTLAKE, LA., PLANT EXPLODED, CAUSING FIRE THAT RELEASED TOXINS (12/21/13 6:22 PM)
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, toxics
SITE OF WESTLAKE CHEMICAL FIRE HAS HISTORY OF VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid, paints
FIRE REDUCES INK FACTORY TO ASHES
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LOCAL PLANT FIRE LEADS TO BRIEF SHUTDOWN OF I-10, SHELTER-IN-PLACE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, sulphur
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DERMAL UPTAKE OF ORGANIC VAPORS COMMONLY FOUND IN INDOOR AIR
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es405490a
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, solvent
Transdermal uptake directly from air is a potentially important yet largely overlooked pathway for human exposure to organic vapors indoors. We recently reported (Indoor Air 2012, 22, 356) that transdermal uptake directly from air could be comparable to or larger than intake via inhalation for many semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). Here, we extend that analysis to approximately eighty organic compounds that (a) occur commonly indoors and (b) are primarily in the gas-phase rather than being associated with particles. For some compounds, the modeled ratio of dermal-to-inhalation uptake is large. In this group are common parabens, lower molecular weight phthalates, o-phenylphenol, Texanol, ethylene glycol, and ë±-terpineol. For other compounds, estimated dermal uptakes are small compared to inhalation. Examples include aliphatic hydrocarbons, single ring aromatics, terpenes, chlorinated solvents, formaldehyde, and acrolein. Analysis of published experimental data for huma!
n subjects for twenty different organic compounds substantiates these model predictions. However, transdermal uptake rates from air have not been measured for the indoor organics that have the largest modeled ratios of dermal-to-inhalation uptake; for such compounds, the estimates reported here require experimental verification. In accounting for total exposure to indoor organic pollutants and in assessing potential health consequences of such exposures, it is important to consider direct transdermal absorption from air.
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GAS EXPLOSION AT SHOPPING MALL IN SOUTHWEST CHINA KILLS 4 PEOPLE, INJURES 35
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/27/gas-explosion-at-shopping-mall-in-southwest-china-kills-4-people-injures-35/
Tags: China, public, explosion, death, natural_gas
BEIJING ‰?? A natural gas explosion at a shopping mall in southwestern China has killed four people and injured 35 others.
The Luzhou municipal government in Sichuan province says three floors of the Moerma shopping center caught fire after the explosion late Thursday. Its online statement says there were four deaths and 35 people injured as of Friday morning.
Local authorities cordoned off the area and urged residents not to gather to look at the scorched structure. News photos show shattered glasses and blackened wall panels.
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HAZMAT TEAM CALLED TO FACTORY FIRE
http://chicagoheights.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/hazmat-team-called-to-factory-fire
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, magnesium
A hazmat team has been called in response to a heavy fire reported at the Trialco metal smelting factory Monday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the 900 E. 14th Street location just before noon. As emergency crews battled the blaze, a quantity of magnesium caught fire, according to reports. A hazmat team has been called in to deal with the fallout.
Magnesium is well known as a metal that is very difficult to extinguish once it's lit. It burns at temperatures reaching 5,610 å¡F.
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OSHA FINES OWNER OF OLEFINS PLANT
http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i51/OSHA-Fines-Owner-Olefins-Plant.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death
The owner of a Louisiana ethylene and propylene plant faces a $99,000 fine for alleged workplace safety violations after a June explosion that killed two workers and injured scores of others. OSHA proposed the penalty earlier this month when it cited Williams Olefins LLC for six alleged violations of federal standards for process safety management. OSHA says one of those alleged violations was willful because Williams Olefins failed to develop written procedures, as required, for putting idle pressure vessels into service. Tulsa-based Williams Partners LP, which owns Williams Olefins, says it is reviewing OSHA‰??s findings and is committed to enhancing safety performance. The company, which was expanding its Geismar, La., facility when the explosion occurred, is rebuilding and plans to complete the expansion by April 2014.
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MAN DIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS DELIVERED WITH BOX OF SHOES
http://www.thejournal.ie/contaminated-parcels-china-1235376-Dec2013/
Tags: China, transportation, release, death, toxics
A MAN WAS killed and seven others injured in China after receiving parcels from a delivery company that were contaminated with toxic chemicals, it was reported Saturday.
The unnamed man, from China‰??s eastern Shandong province, died after taking delivery of a box of shoes in late November which were tainted with methyl fluoroacetate, a highly toxic chemical, the Xinhua news agency reported citing the local post bureau.
The bureau said four parcels delivered by Shanghai YTO Express, a private delivery company, were found to be contaminated by the chemicals, making five delivery workers and two recipients sick. The report did not state the condition of the injured.
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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDERGO COURSE TO PREVENT RISING CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS
http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=62893
Tags: Tanzania, education, discovery, response, other_chemical
Students at the University of Dar es Salaam are to join a unique training programme aimed at curbing chemical accidents dubbed Chemical Accidents Prevention and Preparedness Programme (CAPP-TZ).
The project seeks to raise public awareness on increasing incidents involving chemical accidents.
The initiative is a joint project of the University‰??s Department of Chemistry, the Government Chemical Laboratory Agency (GCLA) and the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Dr Egid Mubofu, head of chemistry department at the Hill told an inaugural workshop that the training programme was aimed at raising public awareness on how to curb personal injury from preventable chemical accidents.
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MALIBU HIGH SCHOOL SET FOR CLEANUP AFTER CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL FOUND IN SOME ROOMS (12/21/13 6:15 PM)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2a07b031250a41cb87c3e028d7e6d712/CA--Malibu-High-Toxic-Cleanup
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, pcbs
MALIBU, California ‰?? Malibu High School buildings will be cleaned and tested during the winter holiday break after a cancer-causing chemical was found in some rooms, the school superintendent said.
Some rooms will be cleaned of dust and air and dust samples will be taken to ensure they are safe before classes resume on Jan. 6, Sandra Lyon, superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, said in a Thursday letter to parents and staff, the Santa Monica Daily Press (http://bit.ly/1bXHRsl">http://bit.ly/1bXHRsl) reported.
In October, 20 staff members, including three diagnosed with thyroid cancer, wrote a letter to the district complaining of a variety of health-related issues. Rumors spread about potential contaminants.
Students from 11 classrooms were switched to other rooms on campus and a nearby elementary school.
Later testing at dozens of locations throughout the school found elevated levels of PCBs in caulking around some window sills.
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in industrial and commercial products before they were banned in 1979. In some studies, the compounds have been associated with cancer and damage to the immune system.
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DUMP FIRES CREATE CHEMICAL FUMES :: CAYCOMPASS.COM
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/12/20/Dump-fires-create-chemical-fumes/
Tags: Cayman_Islands, industrial, fire, environmental, wastes
Friday morning‰??s fire at the George Town Landfill could threaten the health of anyone exposed to the thick, oily smoke billowing from the site, and could cost as much as US$1 million to extinguish, according to an expert on landfill fires.
A burning dump, frequently caused by spontaneous combustion in the wake of the intense heat created by decomposition of biological materials, releases a wide range of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, aldehydes (e.g. formaldehyde), acrolein, benzo (a) pyrene, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen fluroride, nitrogen oxides, phenol, sulfur dioxides, dioxins and furans, and have both short and long-term health effects.
Most immediately, lesions of the skin, called chloracne can occur, while peripheral neuropathy and liver enzyme induction are also possible, although frequently reversible.
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AXIALL INVESTIGATES WHY WESTLAKE, LA., PLANT EXPLODED, CAUSING FIRE THAT RELEASED TOXINS (12/21/13 6:22 PM)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/963206124a524877b83b0625165d60ae/LA--Axiall-Fire
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, toxics
WESTLAKE, Louisiana ‰?? Company officials are trying to figure out what caused a Friday explosion and fire at the Axiall Corp. chemical plant near Lake Charles.
The American Press reports (http://bit.ly/1dutSJB">http://bit.ly/1dutSJB) that a dozen motorists were taken to hospitals as a precaution after the fire producing hazardous smoke that drifted over Interstate 10.
The explosion happened about 1:30 p.m., with the ensuing fire releasing unknown amounts of vinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid and EDC dichloroethane.
State troopers to briefly closed I-10 and ordered residents in parts of Calcasieu Parish to stay inside their houses, businesses and schools for a time.
Atlanta-based Axiall makes ingredients for the plastic polyvinyl chloride and other chemicals in Westlake. The plant was formerly owned by PPG, but became Axiall when the former Georgia Gulf bought PPG's commodity chemical business.
---------------------------------------------
SITE OF WESTLAKE CHEMICAL FIRE HAS HISTORY OF VIOLATIONS
http://www.katc.com/news/site-of-westlake-chemical-fire-has-history-of-violations/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrochloric_acid, paints
The fire at a Calciseau chemical plant is now under control and the shelter-in-place has been lifted, but State Police are still investigating the cause of the fire that began in a unit containing hazardous chemicals.
Billions of pounds of chemicals -- including hydrochloric acid and vinyl chloride, which were located where the fire began -- are stored at the Axiall Corporation in Westlake, which blends chemicals that are used in paints, coatings, glass and other materials.
And, as a KATC Investigation found, the company has a long track record of chemical spills and violating government regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE REDUCES INK FACTORY TO ASHES
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Fire-reduces-ink-factory-to-ashes/articleshow/27696882.cms?cfmid 00000
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
KANPUR: A major fire broke out at an ink factory situated in Panki Industrial area on Friday evening. A short-circuit is believed to have triggered the blaze in which property worth crores was destroyed. There was no casualty.
The fire reduced major portion of the factory to ashes. It took eight fire tenders from Latouche Road, Fazalganj and Colonelganj fire stations several hours to douse the flames. The task was made tougher by the presence of combustible material in the factory.
According to the firemen, workers were present in the factory but no one suffered injuries. There was a major a loss of property, including machines, raw material and products worth several crores.
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LOCAL PLANT FIRE LEADS TO BRIEF SHUTDOWN OF I-10, SHELTER-IN-PLACE
http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20131220/NEWS/131229975/2000
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, sulphur
A Friday afternoon fire at the Axiall chemical plant in Westlake forced an evacuation of the facility, the closure of I-10 near the plant for a brief time and a shelter-in-place to be called for Westlake and east Sulphur.
According to an Axiall Corporation news release, the fire occurred at around 1:40 p.m. in the vinyl chloride manufacturing area of the company‰??s chemicals complex in the Westlake area. The fire was extinguished at approximately 2:38 p.m. and the shelter-in-place was lifted by 2:52 p.m. While no injuries to plant personnel were reported from the scene, 12 cases of respiratory issues have been reported from a local hospital.
Students were placed in lockdown at Western Heights Elementary, Westwood Elementary, S.P. Arnett Middle and Westlake High schools in Westlake and Maplewood School in Sulphur until after the shelter-in-place was lifted and the all-clear was given. Students were released around 3:15 p.m.
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