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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 07:59:21 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 134398DF-4CAA-4241-911D-631836926D2E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 8, 2014 at 7:59:09 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 (13 articles)
SAFETY STAND-DOWN REQUESTED BY WHITE HOUSE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response, toxics, biohazards
RENO MUSEUM FIRE: CHEMICALS ADDED INCORRECTLY
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
LAB OWNER SAYS NW OKC CHEMICAL SPILL NOT HIS COMPANY'S FAULT
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
JUDGE FINDS BP ?GROSSLY NEGLIGENT? IN 2010 GULF DISASTER
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
LAWSUIT: 77 AFFECTED BY CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, waste
REGION SENDS EMERGENCY BACKUPS AS EXPLOSION'S COST COUNTED
Tags: Australia, transportation, explosion, injury, ag_chems
SIMEON H.S. CHEMICAL SPILL SENDS 2 TEACHERS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN PAWTUCKET
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
LAVENDER FARMERS REBEL AGAINST EU CHEMICAL RULES
Tags: France, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
MAN ARRESTED AFTER POLICE FIND METH EQUIPMENT AT LANTANA...
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, meth_lab
CREWS CONTAIN CHEMICAL SPILL IN OKLAHOMA CITY
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
5 DIE OF ASPHYXIATION AFTER CHEMICAL-LADEN VAN HITS LORRY IN ANDHRA
Tags: India, transportation, release, death, other_chemical
PICTURES: CHEMICAL EXPERTS DEAL WITH ACID LEAK IN PURFLEET (FROM ECHO)
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, phosphoric_acid
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SAFETY STAND-DOWN REQUESTED BY WHITE HOUSE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response, toxics, biohazards
After three safety breaches involving pathogens in federal government laboratories, the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) has requested a ?safety stand-down,? and NIH has designated September as National Biosafety Stewardship Month.
Both efforts encourage government labs and nongovernment labs that receive federal funding to review practices and improve inventories of infectious agents and toxins.
Earlier this year, a sample of low-pathogenic avian influenza virus was unintentionally contaminated with a far more pathogenic H5N1 strain in a Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) lab then shipped to a Department of Agriculture facility.
Later, CDC scientists failed to properly inactivate anthrax bacteria samples before moving the material to labs operating with fewer safety precautions.
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RENO MUSEUM FIRE: CHEMICALS ADDED INCORRECTLY
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, injury, other_chemical
RENO ? A flash fire that injured 13 people at a Nevada science museum happened when an employee applied the chemicals in the wrong order during a tabletop demonstration about the mechanics of tornadoes, officials said Thursday.
Reno firefighters said a three- to five-second blaze erupted Wednesday at the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum after the presenter poured alcohol on a cotton ball that had been dusted with boric acid and partially ignited. The alcohol is supposed to be applied before the boric acid and the flame.
?It was a simple oversight by the presenter,? Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said in a statement. ?Our prevention staff will be meeting with museum staff to review demonstration and safety procedures and make appropriate recommendations as necessary.?
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LAB OWNER SAYS NW OKC CHEMICAL SPILL NOT HIS COMPANY'S FAULT
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
OKLAHOMA CITY - New information has come to light on a weekend chemical spill in northwest Oklahoma City.
Fire officials say the spill originated from the loading dock or nearby company on Saturday, but the owner of that company says that's not the case, and he thinks the chemical was dumped on his property.
Ra-Nav Laboratories, Inc. assembles radio and navigation equipment and is contracted by the Department of Defense (DoD) and several federal agencies and aviation companies. The company's owner says they don't use harmful chemicals inside their building and could not have caused a chemical spill.
"There just wasn't anything here,? said Don Perry, president of Ra-Nav Laboratories. "The fire department dug up dirt from our neighbors and made them a little dam, to contain a chemical spill, but there was no chemical spill. There was nothing to contain."
It was a different scene from the day before, when several firefighters and Hazmat crews had NW 39th St. and Drexel surrounded, with nearby residents complaining of a chemical leak.
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JUDGE FINDS BP ?GROSSLY NEGLIGENT? IN 2010 GULF DISASTER
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
BP acted with ?gross negligence? in precipitating the nation?s worst offshore oil spill, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled on Thursday. The decision could expose the oil and gas giant to as much as $18 billion in civil penalties for polluting the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 disaster.
U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier presided over a trial without a jury to apportion blame for the accident that killed 11 drilling rig workers and spewed oil for 87 days. The case also included drilling rig owner Transocean and cement contractor Halliburton Energy Services.
The judge ruled that BP bears 67% of the blame, Transocean is responsible for 30%, and Halliburton takes 3%.
In his decision, Barbier said BP made ?profit-driven decisions? during the drilling of the well that led to the deadly blowout. ?These instances of negligence, taken together, evince an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risks,? he wrote.
BP strongly disputes the court?s claim of gross negligence and says it will appeal. The finding ?is not supported by the evidence at trial. The law is clear that proving gross negligence is a very high bar that was not met in this case,? the company states.
---------------------------------------------
LAWSUIT: 77 AFFECTED BY CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, waste
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. -- A lawsuit filed on behalf of 77 people against American Electric Power and related companies claims they were exposed to dangerous chemicals in coal waste from the Gavin Landfill in North Chesire in Gallia County, Ohio.
The suit alleges employees were told the coal waste was "safe enough to eat" and were never offered any protective equipment during their time at the landfill.
Six employees had died by the time the suit was filed in August, and two more have died since, according to the law firms of Bordas & Bordas and Duffield, Lovejoy, Stemple & Boggs.
The firms filed the complaint in Mason County Circuit Court on Aug. 8, claiming the 77 clients were exposed to dangerous chemicals that caused numerous illness and several deaths.
---------------------------------------------
REGION SENDS EMERGENCY BACKUPS AS EXPLOSION'S COST COUNTED
Tags: Australia, transportation, explosion, injury, ag_chems
9.05AM SAT: EIGHT people have been injured after a truck, carrying 50 tonnes of fertiliser, crashed and exploded 30km south of Charleville overnight.
The Cunnamulla Road between Charleville and Wyandra was closed to all traffic after the truck roll-over at about 9.50pm on Friday night.
Police say the roll-over occurred near a bridge heading towards Wyandra.
Police said on Saturday that Facebook reports that two people had died were not correct.
They said four firefighters, one police officer and three civilians sustained non life threatening injuries.
They were all taken to the Charleville Hospital.
According to police the male truck driver sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and was air-lifted to Brisbane for treatment.
Two male witness who stopped to assist the truck driver received minor injuries. One male police officer and four male emergency services workers also sustained minor injuries They were taken to the Charleville Hospital for treatment.
The truck was carrying aproximately 50 tonnes of the chemical.
Even this morning, the situation is still considered volatile with a two kilometre exclusion zone in place.
---------------------------------------------
SIMEON H.S. CHEMICAL SPILL SENDS 2 TEACHERS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two teachers were injured in a chemical spill at Chicago's Simeon Career Academy, officials said.
Emergency crews arrived at the school, located in the 8100-block of S. Vincennes Avenue, after a chemical reaction occurred while the teachers were preparing for a chemistry lab around 12:30 p.m. Friday, officials said. The school's fire alarm went off, and students were evacuated outside or to designated parts of the building.
Both teachers were hospitalized with minor injuries, officials said. No students were in the classroom at the time of the reaction.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN PAWTUCKET
Tags: us_RI, transportation, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) -Fire officials say a HAZMAT scare Saturday morning in Pawtucket appears to have been a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Police and firefighters responded to Saratoga Avenue at about 8:30 a.m. after the driver of a Waste Haulers garbage truck called 911 reporting that he?d been overcome by some kind of chemical smell. A witness said he found the driver laying on the sidewalk unconscious just before firefighters arrived.
The driver was taken to Memorial Hospital and according to witnesses appeared to be awake and alert when transported.
Emergency responders blocked off Saratoga Avenue and evacuated residents from nearby homes on the assumption that the truck had picked up some kind of chemical along its route; crews checked the vehicle and the last few stops it had made but found no unusual chemicals.
Pawtucket?s Fire Chief told Eyewitness News that he suspects that carbon monoxide from the truck itself was the cause of the driver?s illness.
---------------------------------------------
LAVENDER FARMERS REBEL AGAINST EU CHEMICAL RULES
Tags: France, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
PARIS ? The sweet smell of lavender is tinged with bitterness this year in the south of France, as farmers who harvest the flower protest European regulations linking the plant to chemical toxins.
Billboards proclaiming ?Lavender is not a chemical? dot fields that yield what in Provence is known as blue gold ? lavender oil, worth over 100 euros a kilogram ($60 a pound). The plant is cultivated by around 1,500 producers, representing 30,000 full-time jobs that include catering to the millions of tourists in the south of France who come for the panoramic views of purple fields.
For many, Provence is synonymous with lavender, both fine lavender ? used for perfumes, cosmetics and aromatherapy ? and hybrid lavender, called lavandin. Lavandin is cheapest and used to scent soaps, detergents and air fresheners.
And they fear European Union rules adopted last year and due to come in force by 2018 will threaten that. According to regulators, lavender oil?s potential to produce allergies places it firmly within regulations on chemical toxins. That means lavender products will have to bear labels involving bold black and red warning labels with messages such as ?CAN BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED.?
---------------------------------------------
MAN ARRESTED AFTER POLICE FIND METH EQUIPMENT AT LANTANA...
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, meth_lab
LANTANA ? 9:45 p.m. update: A 34-year-old man was arrested Saturday morning after police found chemicals used for making methamphetamine inside a Lantana apartment, the Palm Beach County Sheriff?s Office said.
Noble Simms is facing charges of possession of property to manufacture methamphetamine. He had not been booked into the Palm Beach County Jail as of 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Lantana police were called to an apartment in the 600 block of South Broadway on an unrelated charge when someone reported that methamphetamine was being made inside the residence.
The Lantana officers discovered several plastic bottles containing white residue and began experiencing symptoms derived from being exposed to chemicals.
The officers were treated at a hospital, said Eric Davis, sheriff?s spokesman.
The sheriff?s Clandestine Lab Enforcement Team members responded to the scene and evacuated the building.
While wearing protective gear, team members entered the apartment and confirmed that the apartment was in fact being used to manufacture methamphetamine.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS CONTAIN CHEMICAL SPILL IN OKLAHOMA CITY
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
OKLAHOMA CITY - A chemical spill from a lab in Northwest Oklahoma City has neighbors complaining of burning eyes.
Firefighters received several calls from residents saying there was a noticeable, disturbing smell in the area.
So that's when crews showed up to a nearby laboratory and found the leak.
Crews surrounded the Ra-Nav Laboratories building on Northwest 39th and Drexel. They tested water and took samples after residents complained of chemical exposure.
"A caustic burning to their eyes, and acrid smell, and it's noticeable but it's dissipated a lot since then," said Oklahoma City Fire Maj. Pat King.
Not sure how long the substance had been leaking, Oklahoma City Hazmat crews checked drainage ditches to see if the chemicals had entered the water.
"Especially knowing that the rain was potentially washing this down the street and through the neighborhood, and you know there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood," said five-year resident Justin Connelly.
Fire officials weren't sure what the chemical was, saying it may have been some type of paint thinner, aviation fuel or alcohol-based substance, which was alarming for residents.
"If your news crew hadn't been by earlier, I wouldn't have even known there was a chemical spill up there and that my drinking water potentially could have been compromised," Connelly said.
---------------------------------------------
5 DIE OF ASPHYXIATION AFTER CHEMICAL-LADEN VAN HITS LORRY IN ANDHRA
Tags: India, transportation, release, death, other_chemical
Five persons died of asphyxiation after inhaling poisonous smoke when the chemical-laden van they were travelling in hit a lorry near Andhra Pradesh's Machilipatnam, police said on Saturday.
The accident took place during wee hours today when the van, which was delivering tins of chemical phenyl fluoro chloride from Hyderabad to a factory in West Godavari district, on board with 13 people, hit a parked lorry on the highway in Veeravalli village in Krishna district, inspector YV Raman of Hanuman junction circle police station said.
Lid of the chemical tins broke when the van rammed into the lorry, causing emanation of poisonous smoke. Four persons died on the spot, while the boy succumbed during treatment at the government hospital in Eluru, he said.
Condition of the three other injured is stated to be critical and have been shifted to a government hospital in Vijayawada, he said.
All the deceased and victims belonged to Peddipalem and Vemulapalem towns of East Godavari district but their identity is yet to be ascertained, Raman added.
Meanwhile, senior police officials visited the spot on Saturday and a case was registered in this regard at the Veeravalli police station, the officer said.
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PICTURES: CHEMICAL EXPERTS DEAL WITH ACID LEAK IN PURFLEET (FROM ECHO)
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, phosphoric_acid
Essex Fire Service has released images of chemical experts dealing with an acid leak in Purfleet.
A total of 24 firefighters were scrambed to Storehouse Lane on Friday night after reports of a lorry leaking ortho-phosphoric acid and hydrocholic acid from its drums.
A decontamination unit was set up to deal with the spillage while chemical experts helped fire crews in mopping up the leak and inspecting the lorry.
No-one was injured in the incident, which happened at about 8pm on Friday night.
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