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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 1, 2014 at 7:49:33 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (14 articles)
FRACKING FIRE POINTS OUT FAILINGS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical
HAZMAT CALLED TO MT. LEBANON SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, cleaners
HFD INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL SPILL IN S. HOUSTON
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL MIX SICKENS TWO FROM SOUTH GREENSBURG
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine, cleaners
CHEMICAL LEAK IN ASHBURY NEAR FARINGDON LEAVES MAN IN HOSPITAL (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, injury, waste
MANUFACTURING PLANT CLEARED OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
UCSD BUILDING EVACUATED FOR HAZMAT INCIDENT AT CHEMISTRY LAB
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, bomb
MAYOR HAGEN SHOCKED, DISAPPOINTED AT SUPERIOR'S HAZMAT RESPONSE DOWNGRADE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, discovery, response, petroleum
EBOLA OUTBREAK: DO HAZMAT SUITS PROTECT WORKERS, OR JUST SCARE EVERYONE?
Tags: Spain, other, release, environmental
MINOR FIRE EXTINGUISHED IN UD?S SPENCER LAB
Tags: us_DE, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL AT INLAND LAKES SCHOOL CLEANED UP
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
DUPONT HIT WITH $1.3 MILLION PENALTY FOR MULTIPLE WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL LEAKS
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED BLAZE AT HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LANDFILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, waste
EXPLOSION AT BP REFINERY IN WHITING, FIRE EXTINGUISHED
Tags: us_IN, industrial, explosion, environmental, sulfur_dioxide
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FRACKING FIRE POINTS OUT FAILINGS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, response, other_chemical
CLARINGTON, Ohio ? Phillip Keevert, the only paid firefighter in Monroe County, was working a diesel spill on the morning of June 28 when a 911 dispatcher called his cellphone about another emergency.
Keevert was out of range of the county?s radio system, so he got in his truck and drove toward town. As he got closer, the radio static gave way to snippets of conversation.
He heard the word ?well.? More static. Then the word ?fire.?
One tanker truck was on fire at a StatOil North America well pad in Clarington. Now, two trucks were on fire. Now, three.
Keevert turned onto Rt. 78 east heading toward Clarington, about a 30-minute drive from the well pad, and saw a thick plume of black smoke cutting into the sky.
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HAZMAT CALLED TO MT. LEBANON SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, cleaners
MT. LEBANON, Pa. ? Hazmat crews were called to a senior living community in Mt. Lebanon Saturday afternoon.
Channel 11?s Shelby Zarotney reported that cleaning products spilled and mixed in a storage area near a third floor kitchen of a building at Asbury Heights on Bower Hill Road.
A worker called 911 about 5:30 p.m. after noticing a chemical smell, though it is unclear what chemicals were mixed.
In addition to hazmat, fire crews and Allegheny County Emergency Services responded to the scene. The spill was cleaned up and crews worked to ventilate the building.
---------------------------------------------
HFD INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL SPILL IN S. HOUSTON
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
Firefighters are investigating a puddle containing an unknown chemical substance in south Houston, authorities said.
Callers reported a puddle containing an unknown chemical substance on the ground outside of a white building in 4700 Griggs around 4:38 p.m. Houston Fire Department spokesman Capt. Ruy Lozano said callers reported that the substance was causing eye irritation.
A HFD Hazmat is at the scene. No further information was immediately availabl
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CHEMICAL MIX SICKENS TWO FROM SOUTH GREENSBURG
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine, cleaners
Two people from South Greensburg were taken to the hospital after mixing chemicals while cleaning Saturday night.
South Greensburg fire Chief Eric Hardy said a mother and her teenage daughter were cleaning in their Elm Street home about 8 p.m. when a mixture of two cleaners caused a reaction to form chlorine gas.
Firefighters were called to the scene along with the Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials Response Team to dispose of the chemicals and ventilate the home, Hardy said.
The pair were taken to Excela Westmoreland Hospital for breathing issues, he said. Another woman in the house was not injured.
Hardy said even household cleaning supplies, which should be used in well-ventilated spaces, can be volatile if mixed.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK IN ASHBURY NEAR FARINGDON LEAVES MAN IN HOSPITAL (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, injury, waste
FIREFIGHTERS were called after a hazardous chemical leaked as it was being delivered to a property in Ashbury, near Faringdon earlier today.
Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the incident just before 9am by the driver who was delivering the heavy duty acidic de-scaler.
Two fire engines from Faringdon and Wantage were sent to the scene with a specialist hazardous materials unit from Rewley Road Fire Station, Oxford.
It is believed the chemical leaked out through its packaging and gave off fumes which affected the delivery driver.
Fire crews identified the chemicals and then put them in a secure container ready for disposal.
One person who was affected by the chemicals was assessed by fire and rescue service and then taken to hospital by ambulance for a precautionary check.
---------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING PLANT CLEARED OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
Hamilton firefighters responded to a call regarding hazardous material exposure this morning at approximately 5:30 a.m. at Hamilton Caster & Manufacturing Co., 1900 Dixie Hwy.
Dep. Fire Chief Jeff Shaw said that responders coded it a hazardous material run as three people were exposed to a volatile organic chemical, but were not injured. Shaw said that responders were not able to determine the cause of exposure.
?We did some checks with hazmat detectors and did get a hit on a volatile organic chemical, but when we did a second check about 10 minutes later, it was already gone,? he said.
The exposed individuals reported irritated throats, and paramedics checked them out and found all vitals to be fine, Shaw said. No one was sent to the hospital. The department?s hazardous materials truck, one engine, Battalion 20 shift commander and the West Chester Twp. hazmat truck responded and remained for approximately two hours.
?We left frustrated, because we don?t like not knowing what?s going on,? Shaw said. Facility workers were advised to contact the fire department in the event of another exposure.
---------------------------------------------
UCSD BUILDING EVACUATED FOR HAZMAT INCIDENT AT CHEMISTRY LAB
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, bomb
A hazardous materials incident has prompted fire crews to evacuate the social sciences building at UC San Diego.
San Diego Fire-Rescue officials say two unknown chemicals mixed by staff members in a school chemistry lab, possibly creating explosive material.
An SDFD hazmat team and bomb squad were called in around 5:50 p.m. to deal with the situation. Once on scene, they ordered that the building be evacuated and that those in adjacent buildings shelter in place.
Roads in the area were closed as a precaution.
However, by 8:30 p.m., the SDFD crews began downgrading the response as the threat no longer posed a problem.
They have since handed operations over to the UCSD hazmat team, which will dispose of the chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
MAYOR HAGEN SHOCKED, DISAPPOINTED AT SUPERIOR'S HAZMAT RESPONSE DOWNGRADE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, discovery, response, petroleum
Superior, WI (NNCNOW.com) --- Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen says it's shocking that recent hazmat response cuts in the city's budget are happening when Superior needs it most.
This month, Superior joined five other cities in Wisconsin that were downgraded from a top?tiered hazmat response plan to a tier two plan.
That leaves the closest tier one response team in Eau Claire, which is two and a half hours away from Superior.
Democratic State Senator Bob Jauch has referred to the hazmat funding cuts in Superior as unacceptable for a city dealing with 17 percent of the nation's crude oil.
Mayor Bruce Hagen says, with six petroleum based industries in the city, it's shocking that the state's hazmat funding has dramatically shifted away from Superior.
"Preparedness and prevention is everything," said Mayor Hagen, "and it seems to me that this is probably the worst of politics decision?making you could ever see."
Mayor Hagen says the city is working independent from the state with the industries in Superior to provide greater protection, and equipment, in case of an emergency.
---------------------------------------------
EBOLA OUTBREAK: DO HAZMAT SUITS PROTECT WORKERS, OR JUST SCARE EVERYONE?
Tags: Spain, other, release, environmental
For health care workers and researchers, wearing pressurized, full-body suits around Ebola patients may be counterproductive to treating the disease, say three Spanish researchers in a new letter published in the journal The Lancet. But other health experts, wary of wearing less protective gear, disagree.
Health agencies often require that health care workers caring for Ebola patients wear hazardous material (hazmat) suits that protect against airborne diseases. But the Ebola virus rarely spreads through the air, according to the researchers at the University of Valencia and Hospital La Paz-Carlos III, in Madrid.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected patients? secretions (such as blood, vomit or feces), and such contact can be prevented by wearing gloves and masks, the researchers wrote.
Wearing full-body protection gear is "expensive, uncomfortable, and unaffordable for countries that are the most affected," they said. It may also send the message that such protection against the virus is being preferentially given to health care workers and is out of reach to the general public, they wrote in their article. [Ebola Virus: 5 Things You Should Know].
---------------------------------------------
MINOR FIRE EXTINGUISHED IN UD?S SPENCER LAB
Tags: us_DE, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A Friday afternoon fire prompted the evacuation and closure of a University of Delaware lab in Newark.
No injuries were reported.
The fire was reported at 2:48 p.m. in the Spencer Laboratory, a mechanical engineering facility of the Department of Engineering at 130 Academy St.
....
The fire was quickly extinguished and fans were used to help clear smoke from the building.
The fire started in and was confined to a piece of laboratory equipment on the first floor, UD officials posted on the university?s UDaily website.
Smoke spread through the building and, the officials said, the odor may be lingering in some areas.
The lab will reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday, except for Suites 131 and 133, which remain closed until further notice, they said.
Because of the lingering odor, UD said, people are encouraged to avoid entering the building until after the Labor Day holiday weekend to let the building time to air out.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT INLAND LAKES SCHOOL CLEANED UP
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
A chemical spill early in the week at Inland Lakes High School resulted in the postponement of a volleyball tournament and students at practices being sent home early.
Superintendent Fred Osborn said the school has a chemical storage area between two of the chemistry labs, which is built specifically for storing chemicals used in the chemistry classes. It has ventilation, a fire suppression system and other safety features which help if there is a problem. This is a room that isn?t used very often, especially during the summer.
?It?s specifically designed to house those chemicals. We went in there Monday and discovered a jar of something had broken and was sitting on the counter with several other jars of something,? said Osborn. ?We noticed some deterioration of those other jars and were worried about cross contamination.?
These were some chemicals which had been in the room for around 15 years or more and hadn?t been used by classes in about as long. To err on the side of caution, he called the emergency hotline listed on the container of the chemicals, who recommended he call the fire department.
Osborn said he called Tuscarora Township Fire Chief Dave Carpenter, who responded to the school with Tuscarora Township Police Chief Gordon Temple and Megan Anderson from the Office of Emergency Management.
?They determined the best course of action was to tape it off to try to contain everything,? said Osborn. ?And the bad thing was we had students in the building who were at volleyball practice and band practice. So, we sent them home.?
---------------------------------------------
DUPONT HIT WITH $1.3 MILLION PENALTY FOR MULTIPLE WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL LEAKS
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
DuPont will pay a fine of $1.275 million to settle a federal complaint over eight chemical releases from a Kanawha County production facility, one of which killed a worker.
The Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the settlement resolves several alleged violations of federal law. The releases occurred between May 2006 and January 2010.
DuPont said the releases occurred at the Belle plant between 2006 and 2011. The settlement requires DuPont to make improvements to safety and emergency response to prevent future releases at the plant.
?Producing toxic and hazardous substances can be dangerous, and requires complying with environmental and safety laws,? said Cynthia Giles, head of the EPA?s enforcement office. ?Today?s settlement with DuPont will ensure that the proper practices are in place to protect communities and nearby water bodies.?
DuPont estimates it spent more than $6.8 million to comply with an EPA order issued in March 2010 and take corrective actions related to the chemical releases.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED BLAZE AT HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LANDFILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, waste
ROBSTOWN ? State officials will probe the cause of a fire that erupted Thursday at a chemical landfill outside Robstown.
Thick black smoke billowed from one of two enclosed treatment facilities at US Ecology Texas around 10:40 a.m., prompting residents on nearby farms to call 911.
Robstown firefighters responded first and calls were made for additional crews, including volunteers from nearby Annaville. The fire was extinguished just after noon.
No one was injured, said Roland Padilla, director of Robstown Emergency Medical Services. An employee was treated on the scene, but declined further medical help, Padilla said.
Located about 4 miles south of Robstown, US Ecology Texas treats and disposes hazardous waste and industrial waste and certain naturally occurring and low activity radioactive materials, according to the Boise, Idaho-based company's website.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION AT BP REFINERY IN WHITING, FIRE EXTINGUISHED
Tags: us_IN, industrial, explosion, environmental, sulfur_dioxide
WHITING, Ind. -- BP officials have notified the state of Indiana that more than 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide were released into the air following an explosion at refinery in northwestern Indiana.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management spokesman Dan Goldblatt says the agency is still preparing a report but the initial indication is that the release didn't cause any air quality problems.
BP spokesman Scott Dean says there's no indication the explosion had any environmental impact.
Dean says the explosion Wednesday night was caused by a compressor in one of the units of the refinery. He says the plant was continuing to operate Thursday. He wouldn't comment on whether it affected the production at the plant.
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