Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
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: Fri, 6 Feb 2015 07:48:44 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 72066D0A-D21B-4962-922B-D6C27E36E92E**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, February 6, 2015 at 7:48:29 AM
A membership benefit 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 FLAWS LED TO DEADLY DUPONT LEAK
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BEACONHURST SCHOOL'S CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
METH PRODUCTION EASIER, MORE DANGEROUS [2/5/2015]
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, meth_lab
4 BEAVERTON HS STUDENTS OK AFTER CHEMISTRY LAB CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, toxics
CDC REPORTS INVESTIGATION RESULTS OF LAB MIX-UP BREACH
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
HOW PREPARED IS THE BAY AREA FOR CHEMICAL DISASTERS?
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental
AMMONIA LEAK REPORTED AT R.C. BOTTLING PLANT NEAR AIRPORT
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, ammonia
21 STUDENTS TAKEN TO HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT QUEENS SCHOOL
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FIRE CHIEF: GAS LEAK AT CHEMICAL COMPANY CAUSES EVACUATION
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, injury, nitrogen
VOLUSIA DEPUTIES, BABY, 2 OTHERS INJURED IN SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
CHEMICAL DEVICE FOUND AT SECOND PARK IN HIGHLANDS RANCH
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, bomb
HAZMAT TEAM ON SCENE AT ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NE, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
OVERTURNED 18-WHEELER SHUTS DOWN RAMP ON I-10 EAST AT EASTEX FREEWAY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, batteries, sulfuric_acid
---------------------------------------------
SAFETY FLAWS LED TO DEADLY DUPONT LEAK
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
HOUSTON -- It was DuPont's third deadly U.S. accident in five years and the deadliest of them all. On November 15th, a chemical leak in LaPorte took the lives of four workers, including two brothers.
They were inside a building that manufactured insecticides.
Federal investigators have now claimed there were problems both with the building and with how things were done there.
"What we are seeing here in this incident in LaPorte is definitely a problem of safety culture in the corporation of DuPont," said Rafael Moure-Eraso, Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
After months of investigating, the independent agency found a ventilation system had been broken that allowed a harmful chemical called methyl mercaptan to build up without anyone knowing it.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BEACONHURST SCHOOL'S CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A chemistry laboratory has caught fire at a private school in Bridge of Allan.
Fire crews were called to Beaconhurst Grange School at 6.15pm on Wednesday.
A blaze had broken out in the lab on the first floor of the building.
Four firefighters wearing breathing equipment entered the building and put out the flames.
There was significant smoke damage to the room but the school, which teaches children aged three to 18, was open as normal on Thursday.
A statement from the school said: "A minor fire broke out this evening in the Science Building. Fire crew were quickly on site and the incident was contained.
---------------------------------------------
METH PRODUCTION EASIER, MORE DANGEROUS [2/5/2015]
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, meth_lab
More makers of meth in our area are moving away from using clandestine labs and instead using what's called the one-pot or shake and bake method. It's a process that requires fewer ingredients and less knowledge, but increases the chances of chemical burns, fires, and explosions.
"During this process they have to loosen the cap on the bottle to burp it, they call it, to let some of the gases emit and let air enter the bottle," said Det. Sgt. Matthew Cower of the Broome County Sheriff's Office.
Pseudophedrine tablets, sulfuric acid and lithium strips from batteries are common ingredients used to make meth.
"Lithium can burn through the side of the plastic bottle to cause a fire or if the pressure builds up enough it will cause an explosion," said Cower.
There are also other signs to look for if you suspect suspicious activity near your home.
"Windows that are blocked off, covered with something so that people can't see into them, towels or blanket material stuffed underneath the doorway to try not to have the fumes exit from that room or from the building," said Cower.
Cower also says a strong chemical smell similar to cat urine is among other many signs that could point to the manufacture of meth. And the one-pot method is making the manufacture of the drug more mobile and widespread.
"It's in every geographic or socioeconomic area now especially because you don't need a large area for the clandestine lab anymore. It's just the one bottle. You can make it in an apartment, you can make in in a hotel room," said Cower.
---------------------------------------------
4 BEAVERTON HS STUDENTS OK AFTER CHEMISTRY LAB CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, injury, toxics
BEAVERTON, Ore. ‰?? Four students were treated for inhaling toxic chemicals after a reaction in a chemistry lab at Beaverton high School Thursday morning, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue said.
The four students were not taken to the hospital and are considered OK, fire officials said.
Crews were called out to the school around 9:30 a.m. Thursday after getting reports that a chemical reaction created some toxic fumes in a classroom.
The school was not evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
CDC REPORTS INVESTIGATION RESULTS OF LAB MIX-UP BREACH
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of its internal investigation of the December 22 incident in Atlanta.
The report revealed that the scientists at CDC were lucky in their latest laboratory accident that had the potential to expose its workers to the deadly Ebola virus.
On December 22, a scientist working with Ebola at CDC's biosafety level 4 lab, a high-biosecurity lab accidentally transferred some specimens of Ebola virus to a lower-level lab with minimal protection.
But investigation of the incident by the agency concludes that the samples sent to the biosafety level 2 lab at CDC did not contain live Ebola virus.
Lab technicians were working with cheek swabs from some guinea pigs in biosafety level 4 lab. The report after the investigation confirmed that the animals used in the experiment no longer had detectable live virus in their bodies at the time of the mistake.
The report conduced that the chief cause of the breach was the lack of a written study plan, a document that outlines specific steps to be followed in an experiment. The report also noted a failure to design the study so that a possible human error can be minimized.
Scott Becker of the Association of Public Health Laboratories said, "That concerned me. I thought that was one of the issues they uncovered after the first lab incident".
According to the report, the scientist placed Ebola into two sets of tubes, one to inactivate it and another to merely isolate it. The tubes looked identical except for a blue cap and label on one.
But the caps had been removed, which left no visual clue as to which was which. This resulted in mistake of sending untreated samples to the lower-biosecurity lab down the hall.
The CDC said that it will prevent further incidents, such as using colored liquids and different-sized containers so that live and killed pathogens can be differentiated in a proper manner.
---------------------------------------------
HOW PREPARED IS THE BAY AREA FOR CHEMICAL DISASTERS?
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental
Hazardous materials leak into Bay Area soil, water, and air daily. The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit Analyzed data for every hazmat incident reported to the state in 2014.
Last year, California recorded 7,033 incidents. That‰??s an average of 19 chemical spills a day, ranging from petroleum spills to toxic gas leaks. In the nine Bay Area counties, emergency crews responded to 1,376 calls last year. Alameda County topped the list with 299 hazardous spills in 2014, followed by Contra Costa County with 226 and Santa Clara County with 193.
‰??Those are just the ones that we know about, because I‰??m sure there‰??s many out there that people understand there‰??s a threshold to report, or not reporting because they‰??re trying to stay under the radar screen,‰?? Fire Chief Kim Zagaris said. He leads the California Office of Emergency Services, which is responsible for overseeing the state‰??s Local Emergency Planning Committees, known as LEPCs. They are federally mandated committees tasked with creating an emergency response plan, reviewing it yearly, and informing residents about the chemicals in their community.
---------------------------------------------
AMMONIA LEAK REPORTED AT R.C. BOTTLING PLANT NEAR AIRPORT
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, ammonia
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS) ‰??Emergency crews responded to an ammonia leak near the Louisville Airport at the 7up / R.C. bottling group in the 6200 block of Strawberry Lane. Officials received the call around 10 p.m. on February 5.
Officials have said no nearby houses or businesses are in danger.
Hazmat crews currently believe the leak is due to a problem in refrigeration
---------------------------------------------
21 STUDENTS TAKEN TO HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION AT QUEENS SCHOOL
Tags: us_NY, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
RICHMOND HILL (WABC) -- Nearly two dozen people were taken to the hospital after a HazMat situation at a school in Queens Thursday.
The incident happened at Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy on 86th Avenue in Richmond Hill.
The FDNY responded to the scene.
Officials with the Brooklyn Diocese say that a faulty science project caused the issue. It is science fair week at the school, and one of the kids' projects caused a chemical spill that filled the science room with either a smoke or gas.
Officials say 21 students in all were taken to local hospitals to be evaluated, but they are all OK. No teachers were sickened.
The school was not evacuated, only the science room the kids were in.
None of the children needed to be admitted to the hospital, and all were released.
The victims suffered injuries ranging from inhalation to eye irritation.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE CHIEF: GAS LEAK AT CHEMICAL COMPANY CAUSES EVACUATION
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, injury, nitrogen
A Plumstead company that specializes in compressed gases was evacuated at about 5 p.m. Wednesday after a gas leak.
Plumsteadville Fire Co. Chief Brian DuBree said the leak at Air Liquide at 6141 Easton Road posed no threat to the surrounding community.
The Bucks County Hazmat Team determined that two 1,000-pound PSI containers were leaking and the crew was able to secure them. The building was ventilated and is expected to open for business Thursday.
The company followed all the proper safety procedures, said Dubree, adding that the operation went smoothly. The only reported injuries were from two firefighters who slipped on ice. But they are ‰??doing fine,‰?? according to DuBree.
He said the gas was a mix of nitric oxide and nitrogen, but he was unsure of the exact amounts and components of the chemical.
---------------------------------------------
VOLUSIA DEPUTIES, BABY, 2 OTHERS INJURED IN SUSPECTED METH LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, meth_lab
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -
A Volusia County couple has been arrested after a suspected methamphetamine lab exploded Wednesday. The explosion sent two Volusia County sheriff's deputies, two adults and a baby to the hospital.
The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. at a house in the 1200 block of 10th Street in Daytona Beach. Fire officials say the people inside of the home were suspected of using a fire extinguisher to manufacture the meth, which exploded.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL DEVICE FOUND AT SECOND PARK IN HIGHLANDS RANCH
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, bomb
An explosive device similar to one that injured a child Tuesday was found at another park Wednesday about five miles from where the explosion too place.
‰??The first one you just kind of think it‰??s a fluky thing,‰?? Terri Crupke from Highlands Ranch told CBS Denver. ‰??Now it‰??s really getting scary.‰??
Tuesday a child was hospitalized after he picked up what looked like a water bottle and it exploded in his face. The Douglas county sheriff's office says they was some sort of acid in the bottle.
It happened at popular Dad Clark Park located near Highlands Ranch Parkway and University Boulevard.
‰??There were five very young kids that were in the park, and what they were doing ‰?| they were playing with this plastic bottle type device,‰?? Sgt. Ron Hanavan with the Douglas County Sheriff‰??s Office said. ‰??Ultimately we believe it was some type of acid device. At some point this device actually went off or exploded.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM ON SCENE AT ACID SPILL
Tags: us_NE, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A State Hazmat Team is on scene this afternoon analyzing how to clean up a chemical spill on West Ash Creek Road.
An Industrial Chemical truck from Denver, Colo., turned over approximately two miles from the Crow Butte Uranium Mine as it was making a delivery of hydrochloric acid to the facility.
Dawes County Deputy Sheriff Scott Swickert said the accident occurred around 6 a.m. and was caused by the wintry weather conditions.
‰??The trailer got into the soft shoulder of the road and it sucked the trailer into the ditch,‰?? he said.
A small valve on the trailer broke off in the wreck, and Swickert described the hydrochloric acid as dribbling out. Neither Swickert or Crow Butte Mine knows as yet how much of the acid was spilled.
Ken Vaughan, communications director with Cameco, Crow Butte‰??s parent company, said mine staff helped build a berm around the site of the accident to contain the spill. The Dawes County Sheriff and the Nebraska State Patrol are controlling access to the scene.
---------------------------------------------
OVERTURNED 18-WHEELER SHUTS DOWN RAMP ON I-10 EAST AT EASTEX FREEWAY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, batteries, sulfuric_acid
HOUSTON -
HazMat Crews are on the scene of an overturned 18-wheeler in northeast Houston.
The big rig overturned on the I-10 eastbound connector ramp to the Eastex Freeeway.
Batteries have spilled from the truck and battery acid has leaked onto the freeway.
TxDot says drivers should avoid the area and the North Loop can be used as an alternate route.
The ramp is expected to be shut down for at least two to three hours.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post