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Chemical Safety Headlines
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (13 articles)
PROS AND CONS OF OPEN-PLAN SCIENCE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response
TESORO ACCIDENT REPORT FINALIZED
Tags: industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
ALLAFRICA.COM: TANZANIA: ILO MOVES TO MAKE CHEMICAL USE AT THE WORKPLACE SAFE (PAGE 1 OF 3)
Tags: Tanzania, public, discovery, environmental
CHEMICAL SPILL CONTAMINATES CHINA RIVER, WATER SUPPLY AFFECTED
Tags: China, transportation, release, response, other_chemical, tetrachloroethane
DANGEROUSLY HIGH CHEMICAL LEVELS REPORTED IN HUNT CO.
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, environmental, illegal, various_chemicals
COMMUNITY WAS IN DANGER FROM WASECA TEEN'S CHEMICAL STASH, AUTHORITIES SAY
Tags: us_MN, education, discovery, response, bomb, explosives
DOWN THE DRAIN DOESN‰??T MEAN THEY‰??RE GONE
Tags: public, release, environmental, cleaners, drugs
LAB EXPLOSION SHAKES STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
US SILICA PLANT REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide, sulfuric_acid
EMPLOYEE INJURED, STUDENTS FORCED TO EVACUATE AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT HARLEM SCHOOL
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, release, injury, nitric_acid
OOPS, WRONG CHEMICAL
Tags: us_OH, education, release, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
PHS EVACUATED DUE TO 'LAB EXPERIMENT GONE BAD'
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
2 HURT IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT HOSPITAL LAB IN WHITTIER
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, injury, xylene
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PROS AND CONS OF OPEN-PLAN SCIENCE
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i20/Pros-Cons-Open-Plan-Science.html
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response
Collaboration-boosting open-plan labs and buildings are becoming the norm, but many chemists say they are both a hindrance and potential danger
There is plenty of evidence, however, that open-space research is much less of a cultural fit in chemistry than it is in information technology. A significant number of chemical and drug researchers, including C&EN readers responding to an online query, say they find working in open-plan labs and buildings to be a noisy and distracting experience. Some feel that sharing labs, equipment, and chemicals with researchers from other teams poses a significant safety risk. Many express a certain dread at the prospect of the open lab becoming the norm in corporate research workspaces.
Of a dozen or so C&EN readers who offered their opinions, most are critical of the open environment. Imke Schr̦der, research project manager at the University of California Center for Laboratory Safety and adjunct associate professor for microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at UCLA, criticizes the trend for open-plan buildings in university campuses across the U.S. In association with colleagues, Schr̦der undertook a straw poll of views from among several faculty; students; research staff; and environment, health, and safety staff about their perspectives on open-plan buildings.
---------------------------------------------
TESORO ACCIDENT REPORT FINALIZED
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i20/Tesoro-Accident-Report-Finalized.html
Tags: industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
A controversial proposal that recommended an overhaul in how U.S. refineries are regulated has been stripped from a final Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) report that was released at a public meeting on May 1 in Anacortes, Wash.
The final report presented the results of CSB‰??s investigation of the Tesoro refinery accident that killed seven workers four years ago. Because of the severity of the Tesoro accident and the frequency of other U.S. refinery accidents, the board had proposed in a draft report a new ‰??safety case‰?? regulatory approach for refineries. The technique is used in the U.K. and other countries and requires companies to work with regulators to develop regulatory requirements. Once developed, the performance-based regulatory system is overseen by government officials, according to CSB.
Although CSB staff, backed by Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso, worked on the safety case proposal for a year, it was opposed by the two other members of the three-person board as well as by the United Steelworkers union and refineries (C&EN, Feb. 17, page 25). CSB first presented the approach as part of a draft report for another refinery accident‰??this one at a Chevron facility in Richmond, Calif., in 2012‰??at a January meeting. At that time, CSB members Beth Rosenberg and Mark Griffon voted down that draft because of the safety case recommendation. A final Chevron accident report has yet to be released.
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ALLAFRICA.COM: TANZANIA: ILO MOVES TO MAKE CHEMICAL USE AT THE WORKPLACE SAFE (PAGE 1 OF 3)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201405190159.html
Tags: Tanzania, public, discovery, environmental
THE production and use of chemicals in workplaces around the world present one of the most significant challenges in workplace protection programmes.
Chemicals are essential to life and their benefits are widespread and well-recognised. From pesticides that improve the extent and quality of food production to pharmaceuticals that cure illnesses, and cleaning products that help establish hygienic living conditions, chemicals are key to healthy living and modern convenience.
However, controlling exposure to these chemicals in the workplace, as well as limiting emissions to the environment, are tasks that governments, employers and workers continue to struggle to address.
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work this year was marked on April 28 globally with the theme, 'Safety and health in the use of chemicals at work.'
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, 1990, the term 'chemical' refers to chemical elements and compounds and their mixtures, whether natural or synthetic such as those obtained through production processes.
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CHEMICAL SPILL CONTAMINATES CHINA RIVER, WATER SUPPLY AFFECTED
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/chemical-spill-contaminates-china-river-water-supply-affected_933060.html
Tags: China, transportation, release, response, other_chemical, tetrachloroethane
Beijing: A chemical spill contaminated a river in China's Zhejiang province today, disrupting water supplies to millions of people.
The spill happened at around 3 am today in Fuyang city when a tanker-truck carrying tetrachloroethane overturned on a road and some of its chemicals flowed into the Fuyang section of the Fuchun river.
The water utility companies in the city have been asked to stop drawing water from the river and banned fishing on the affected section, government sources said.
Citizens have been without tap water since the suspension order.
This is the third city which got affected by chemical spill in China.
---------------------------------------------
DANGEROUSLY HIGH CHEMICAL LEVELS REPORTED IN HUNT CO.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/05/17/dangerously-high-chemical-levels-reported-in-hunt-co/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, environmental, illegal, various_chemicals
HUNT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Dangerous levels of chemicals found in water and soil samples have led to a criminal investigation in Hunt County.
Officers from the Hunt County Office of Homeland Security tested soil near a self-storage facility southwest of Greenville on Thursday and found high levels of multiple chemicals.
Those chemical include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, selenium, silver and zinc.
‰??The amount of certain elements exceed maximum levels for commercial soil limits by up to 1,356%,‰?? a press release reads.
The name of the self-storage company has not been released, but is said to be located off I-30 and sits on a drainage ditch.
The drainage ditch leads to the East Caddo Creek, which eventually drains into Lake Tawakoni. This prompted officers to test nearby water for the chemicals.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality assisted in this second sample gathering.
---------------------------------------------
COMMUNITY WAS IN DANGER FROM WASECA TEEN'S CHEMICAL STASH, AUTHORITIES SAY
http://www.bringmethenews.com/2014/05/17/community-was-in-danger-from-waseca-teens-chemical-stash-authorities-say/
Tags: us_MN, education, discovery, response, bomb, explosives
A stash of chemicals found in a Waseca storage unit last month posed a potential threat to the community, regardless of whether the teenager accused of storing them there was ever going to fulfill his plan to make explosives with them and attack his school, a federal agent told the Mankato Free Press.
John LaDue, 17, was arrested April 29 after neighbors called to report a suspicious person at the storage unit.
Law enforcement officials say LaDue first intended to kill his mother, father and sister, and then head to Waseca Junior/Senior High School, where he planned to set off pressure-cooker bombs full of nails and metal ball bearings in the cafeteria. Amid the ensuing chaos, he intended to fatally shoot more students.
Police found LaDue inside the storage unit along with numerous materials that are used to make bombs, including potassium perchlorate, aluminum powder, red iron oxide and smokeless powder, as well as a pressure cooker, ball bearings and other small metal objects that could be used as shrapnel. The chemicals are used in small quantities to make illegal fireworks.
Scott Sweetow, who‰??s in charge of the Minnesota field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the mere presence of those chemicals in the same place is ‰??incredibly dangerous.‰?? Sweetow said amateur bomb makers might make a mistake when trying to put them together and cause an unintended explosion, he told the Free Press.
---------------------------------------------
DOWN THE DRAIN DOESN‰??T MEAN THEY‰??RE GONE
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i20/Down-Drain-Doesnt-Mean-re.html
Tags: public, release, environmental, cleaners, drugs
Many synthetic chemicals used in consumer products including laundry detergents and prescription drugs end up in sewage. Scientists have long known that some of these everyday chemicals pass through wastewater treatment plants unchanged and get released to surface waters, creating a major route for entering the environment.
Now, researchers have found that compounds in consumer products that go down the drain can move downward through soil after land is fertilized with treated sewage sludge, says a federally funded study from the U.S. Geological Survey and Colorado State University, Pueblo (J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc. 2014, DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12163).
In the study, researchers chose 57 chemicals, including detergent components, fragrances, flame retardants, and prescription drugs, collectively called ‰??contaminants of emerging concern.‰?? These substances aren‰??t regulated in water because their risk to human health and the environment isn‰??t known, according to EPA. Wastewater treatment plants aren‰??t designed or required to remove them.
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LAB EXPLOSION SHAKES STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/7085/20140516/lab-explosion-shakes-stony-brook-university.htm
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical
An explosion rocked the Earth and Space Science building at Stony Brook University in New York on Thursday afternoon, the university reported.
The blast occurred in a contained laboratory around 4:30 p.m., injuring two people who were later revealed to be a graduate student and a faculty member, university spokeswoman Lauren Sheprow told local press. They were immediately taken to Stony Brook Hospital where they are reportedly in "good condition."
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The explosion occurred on the second floor of the Earth and Space Science (ESS) building during a "routine scientific experiment" as the result of an "unexpected chemical reaction," according to a series of university statements.
While the explosion did result in damage to the lab, the university determined that "there is no risk for danger to anyone else in or around campus community," and so the building reopened by 8 p.m. Thursday evening.
It's currently Finals Week for undergraduates on the campus, many of whom need access to the ESS building for important studies.
According to the American Industrial Hygiene Association, most lab-borne explosions occur when incompatible chemicals contaminate one another or pressurization of containers exceeds their stress-point.
Lab explosions are uncommon even in an inexperienced university setting, as safety precautions are taken in abundance. It is even less common for such incidents to result in injury.
The last lab explosion that resulted in severe injury occurred in 2010 at Texas Tech University. According to the final investigative report issued by United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a graduate student lost three fingers, was burned, and one of his eyes was injured after the chemical he was working with detonated.
According to a CSB statement included in the report, the organization is "greatly concerned about the frequency of academic laboratory incidents in the United States... Other institutions have attempted to collect data on laboratory incidents, but no nationwide reporting system for tracking near-misses and incidents exists; as a result, academia is missing a significant opportunity to communicate, educate, and improve laboratory safety."
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US SILICA PLANT REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.your4state.com/story/d/story/us-silica-plant-reopens-after-chemical-spill/15889/BPleXOuCnEq55YAvl3VU2Q
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide, sulfuric_acid
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W Va. - While many residents were voting Tuesday afternoon, hazmat crews from Berkeley, Morgan and Washington counties flooded the US Silica Plant working to contain a chemical spill.
Plant officials say the leak happened around 2:30p.m. when a US Silica employee was attempting to move a storage vessel.
"The employee failed to uncouple a hose that was connected to a vessel and a pipe. Which was in turn connected to three separate pumps that control the transfer of chemicals from three storage tanks. These tanks contained sulfuric acid, caustic soda, and petroleum sulfonate," said Michael Lawson, spokesman for US Silica.
Within hours, emergency and hazmat crews were able to set up a secondary perimeter around the leak in case it spread.
"We were able to cut some holes in the walls to access some valves. Put down a neutralizing solution of lime and soda ash which allowed the responders to enter the building walking on the substance to isolate more valves," said Keith Bowers, Morgan County EMS.
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EMPLOYEE INJURED, STUDENTS FORCED TO EVACUATE AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT HARLEM SCHOOL
http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/news/208806/employee-injured--students-forced-to-evacuate-after-chemical-spill-at-harlem-school
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, release, injury, nitric_acid
A school employee was injured and students were forced to evacuate following a chemical spill at a Harlem school Friday.
It happened on the first floor of the Percy Sutton Educational Complex on Edgecombe Avenue.
The Department of Education said the chemical was nitric acid and was with other bottles of chemicals in a classroom.
A fire safety employee suffered a burn.
No students were injured, but they waited outside the building for more than a half an hour while fire, police and hazmat teams responded.
The building houses several schools, including Bread and Roses High School, Mott Hall High School, KAPPA IV and Eagle Academy.
---------------------------------------------
OOPS, WRONG CHEMICAL
http://www.kwtx.com/news/offbeat/headlines/Oops-Wrong-Chemical-259571271.html
Tags: us_OH, education, release, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
FINDLAY, Ohio (May 16, 2014) University of Findlay in northwest Ohio will have to replace almost all its grass after weed killer was accidentally applied to lawns instead of fertilizer.
University spokeswoman Brianna Patterson said the chemical was applied to campus lawns during the last week of April.
She said it will take several weeks to reseed and re-sod the affected areas.
Patterson said the mistake was unfortunate because of how hard the university works to keep the campus looking nice.
Findlay University did not release the name of the company that made the mistake, but is working with the business' insurance company to pay for it to be fixed.
The university said grass was killed over as many as 54 of the campus' 72 acres.
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PHS EVACUATED DUE TO 'LAB EXPERIMENT GONE BAD'
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20140516-NEWS-140519793
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
PORTSMOUTH ‰?? ‰??A lab experiment gone bad‰?? caused a Friday morning evacuation at Portsmouth High School, according to Assistant Principal Shawn Donovan.
No one was injured and no harmful chemicals were used, Donovan said, adding the building was evacuated due to a large amount of smoke inside a third-floor laboratory in the school‰??s science wing. Fire Chief Steve Achilles said an alarm came in from the school at 10:44 a.m. ‰??Since the school has approved chemicals in the wing, we evacuated the building,‰?? he said.
In a released statement, Principal Jeff Collins and Assistant Superinten‰??dent Stephen Zadravec said smoke had emanated from a drying oven used in science experiments. They said once it was determined there was no further hazard, the drying oven was removed from the room and the school.
Achilles said there was no fire but firefighters checked for the cause of the smoke and to identify any hazardous chemicals lingering in the wing. The third floor was isolated while the region‰??s Hazmat team evaluated the scene.
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2 HURT IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT HOSPITAL LAB IN WHITTIER
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/general-news/20140516/2-hurt-in-chemical-fire-at-hospital-lab-in-whittier
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, injury, xylene
WHITTIER >> Two people suffered minor injuries and 14 people were evacuated after a chemical spill caused a flash fire in a lab at a local hospital Friday, authorities said.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Keith Mora said it happened at a lab at PIH Health Hospital - Whittier at 12401 Washington Blvd.
The incident was initially reported at 7:55 a.m. as a possible explosion. But Mora said there was no explosion.
Mora said a woman was pouring a chemical, Xylene, into a funnel when it spilled onto the floor and caused a flash fire. He didn‰??t know if the woman was a tech at the lab.
‰??She went to the emergency room. One other person in the lab went with her to the ER with minor injuries,‰?? Mora said.
Of the 14 people evacuated, Mora said none were patients.
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