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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 6:15:55 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 (16 articles)
HAZMAT CREWS WORK TO CLEAN UP JET FUEL SPILL NEAR LUBBOCK AIRPOR
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, jet_fuel, kerosene
CHEMICAL TANK ROLLS OFF SEMI, CLOSES HIGHWAY 52
Tags: us_MN, transportation, discovery, response, chlorine
AMID A SEA OF FALSE FINDINGS, THE NIH TRIES REFORM
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
FIRE REPORTED IN CHLORINE BUILDING AT MOCCASIN BEND ONE DAY AFTER LEAK
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, chlorine
LABORATORY EXPLODES AT UI, TWO STUDENTS BADLY INJURED
Tags: Indonesia, laboratory, explosion, injury, pharmaceutical
2 FORMER FREEDOM OWNERS PLEAD GUILTY IN CHEMICAL SPILL CASE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, cleaners
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO RESIDUAL CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, chlorine
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: CONTINUING ENGAGEMENT TO ENSURE THE NATION‰??S BIOSAFETY
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL LEAK, EXPLOSION AT MENASHA PAPER MILL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, bleach, plastics
EXPLOSION, FIRE REPORTED AT ACME GALVANIZING ON CITY'S SOUTH SIDE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, propane
OSHA PUBLISHES NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING UPDATING A NATIONAL CONSENSUS STANDARD IN ITS EYE AND FACE PROTECTION STANDARDS
Tags: industrial, discovery, response
FIGURING OUT FRACKING WASTEWATER
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methane, natural_gas
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ON INDUSTRIALIZATION OF BIOLOGY: A ROADMAP TO ACCELERATE THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OF CHEMICALS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
OSHA PROBE INTO WALLINGFORD CHEMICAL SPILL FINDS ‰??SERIOUS‰?? VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
PROPER LABELING AND MANAGEMENT REQUIRED FOR RE-USED CONTAINERS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, dye, methanol
LABORATORY HOOD FIRE ACTIVATES SPRINKLER SYSTEM
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical, plastics
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS WORK TO CLEAN UP JET FUEL SPILL NEAR LUBBOCK AIRPOR
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, jet_fuel, kerosene
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Hazmat crews were called to a Lubbock Aero at the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport early Tuesday morning, after reports of a jet fuel leak.
Just after 12:10 a.m., firefighters responded to a tanker truck that was leaking kerosene between the Silent Wings Museum and AeroCare.
When crews arrived on the scene, they determined more than 100 gallons of Jet-A fuel had been leaked during a transfer from a holding tank to a fuel truck.
The fuel flowed downhill outside of the airport perimeter to North Cedar Ave. Crews contained the spill using sand before it reached a nearby playa lake. Portions of North Cedar Ave are still blocked off as clean up operations are ongoing.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL TANK ROLLS OFF SEMI, CLOSES HIGHWAY 52
Tags: us_MN, transportation, discovery, response, chlorine
ST. PAUL, Minn. - A wreck involving a semi-trailer hauling chemicals closed a stretch of northbound Highway 52 in St. Paul Tuesday morning.
Minnesota State Patrol spokesperson Sgt, Tiffani Nielson says the semi was hauling 5 large tanks of chlorine weighing 3,500 lbs each around 7 a.m. when the driver braked hard, likely due to inattention. The load shifted suddenly, causing one of the tanks to fall off the trailer.
First responders did not discover any leakage from the tank but police called the St. Paul Fire Department Hazmat Team to inspect the tank. All northbound lanes of Highway 52 were shut down as a precaution.
Eventually the tank was loaded onto a new truck and taken away.
---------------------------------------------
AMID A SEA OF FALSE FINDINGS, THE NIH TRIES REFORM
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
How do you change an entire scientific culture?
It may sound grandiose, but that is the loaded question now facing the National Institutes of Health, the federal agency that oversees and finances U.S. biomedical research.
While the public remains relatively unaware of the problem, it is now a truism in the scientific establishment that many preclinical biomedical studies, when subjected to additional scrutiny, turn out to be false. Many researchers believe that if scientists set out to reproduce preclinical work published over the past decade, a majority would fail. This, in short, is the reproducibility crisis.
The NIH, if it was at first reluctant to consider the problem, is now taking it seriously. Just over a year ago, the agency‰??s director, Francis S. Collins, and his chief deputy, Lawrence A. Tabak, announced actions the agency would take to improve the research it finances. Science needs to get its house in order, Dr. Collins said in a recent interview with The Chronicle.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE REPORTED IN CHLORINE BUILDING AT MOCCASIN BEND ONE DAY AFTER LEAK
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, chlorine
Emergency personnel have returned for a third time to Moccasin Bend and workers were evacuated from part of the waste treatment plant, where a chlorine leak on Sunday was contained just in time.
Seven emergency vehicles were seen at the Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant Monday afternoon surrounding one of the buildings, and yellow caution tape was stretched across the road. Smoke poured from one of the buildings as firefighters sprayed it down, causing a mushroom cloud of steam to escape.
A reporter and a photojournalist both smelled an odor they likened to a swimming pool filled with chlorine, but the fire department said that their testing tools revealed no leaking chlorine gas.
The Chattanooga Fire Department said a so-called scrubber, which is used to remove dangerous chemicals from the air before they escape into the atmosphere, is on fire and is causing the smell. The scrubber has been overheating since 4 a.m.
---------------------------------------------
LABORATORY EXPLODES AT UI, TWO STUDENTS BADLY INJURED
Tags: Indonesia, laboratory, explosion, injury, pharmaceutical
Two pharmaceutical students at the University of Indonesia (UI) were badly injured after a laboratory explosion on Monday morning.
The spokeswoman of UI's Pharmaceutical School, Devfanny Aprilia Artha, said the blast occurred at about 10:30 a.m.
She said 15 people were injured in the explosion and had been taken to hospitals for treatment.
"Two students who were badly wounded were initially being treated at Bunda Hospital," she said as quoted by kompas.com.
However, the students had been transferred to Mitra Keluarga Hospital and an eye clinic. The remaining 13 had been released because they were only lightly injured.
Devfanny said the explosion took place when students of the 2013 class and their lecturers, a total of 70 people, were taking part in a qualitative practicum at the Pharmaceutical Qualitative Analysis Chemical Laboratory. (nvn)(+++)
---------------------------------------------
2 FORMER FREEDOM OWNERS PLEAD GUILTY IN CHEMICAL SPILL CASE
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, cleaners
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) ‰?? Two former owners of Freedom Industries pleaded guilty on Monday to environmental violations stemming from last year's Charleston chemical spill that prompted a temporary tap water ban for 300,000 residents.
At separate hearings, William Tis, 60, and Charles Herzing, 64, entered the pleas to causing an unlawful discharge of a coal-cleaning agent into the Elk River.
Each faces up to a year in prison when sentenced June 22. They also face fines of $25,000 per day per violation, or $100,000 ‰?? whichever is greater.
But after entering his plea, Tis expressed doubt when U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston asked him whether he committed the crime.
"I have signed my name to these documents," Tis said. "No, I don't believe I have committed a crime, but I am pleading guilty."
When pressed by the judge to explain, Tis said, "I do believe I am guilty of this offense. There are people we had hired ... Their failure results in my failure."
Tis' attorney, Kathleen Gallagher, reiterated that Tis accepted responsibility.
"I apologize for the confusion, your honor," Tis said.
Johnston said he accepted the plea but planned to review the facts.
"This exchange is rather unique in my experience," the judge said.
Herzing, who had attended Tis' hearing earlier, was straight to the point when Johnston asked whether he committed the crime.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO RESIDUAL CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, chlorine
AUBURN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A hazmat team responded to a residual chlorine leak Monday on Black Cat Road.
Auburn Police said they received a report that two empty rail cars might be leaking the chlorine. Officials detected a small leak at one of the rail cars parked at Danville Junction. They were able to contain it and said a faulty valve caused the leak.
---------------------------------------------
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: CONTINUING ENGAGEMENT TO ENSURE THE NATION‰??S BIOSAFETY
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
Life-sciences researchers and public health workers play key roles in mitigating the threat of infectious diseases in the United States and around the world. Working with pathogens in the laboratory is vital to ensuring that the United States and the global community have the right cutting-edge tools‰??such as drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines‰??to counter the ever evolving threat of infectious disease and ensure biomedical progress. It is also the responsibility of the Government to ensure that this research is conducted safely and securely.
That‰??s why the Federal Select Agent Regulations were enacted in 2002 to oversee the possession, transfer, and use of bacteria, viruses, fungi, or toxins that have the potential to threaten public and agricultural health. In order to better adapt policies to the current landscape, the National Security Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) sent a joint memo in August 2014 to federal departments and agencies involved in life-sciences research, urging them to take immediate and longer-term steps to address the underlying causes of recent laboratory incidents and strengthen overall biosafety and biosecurity in the United States.
Among a number of robust steps, the memo directed the formation of an interagency group to comprehensively review the impact that the current select agent regulations have on science, technology, and national security. To ensure that this review benefits from diverse perspectives and the broadest possible input, OSTP is holding a series of stakeholder listening sessions, the first of which was held on February 17, 2015, to ensure that members of the scientific, regulatory, and security communities, as well as interested citizens, have an opportunity to provide direct feedback on this important issue.
In addition, today OSTP issued a Request for Information to solicit feedback from the broader public and expert community.
Anyone can submit comments through this request for information and we welcome your input. The Request for Information, along with instructions on how to submit input, can be found in the Federal Register here. The comment period will close at 5pm ET on March 30, 2015
---------------------------------------------
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL LEAK, EXPLOSION AT MENASHA PAPER MILL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, bleach, plastics
MENASHA ‰?? Federal authorities say they are investigating a chemical leak and explosion at a Menasha paper mill that forced people out of their homes.
No one was injured in the blast at SCA Tissue, but dozens of homes south of the plant were evacuated shortly after 8 a.m. Monday morning.
‰??Just a loud explosion, sounded like a crack of thunder, real close to the house,‰?? said Jon Muska, who lives on Lock St., just south of the plant.
Muska says he woke up and looked outside and saw what he thought what a cloud of steam coming from the mill. About a half-hour later there was a knock on his door.
‰??It was the fire department,‰?? he said. ‰??They were asking everybody to evacuate, because of a chemical spill.‰??
‰??Upon our arrival and further investigation we did note there was a vapor cloud that was emanating from the building also there was some liquid on the ground, outside the building, which also had some vapors coming off of it,‰?? said Assistant Chief Mike Sipin of the Neenah-Menasha Fire Department.
Authorities say an ‰??organic polymer‰?? was being unloaded at the plant when it leaked and came into contact with another chemical, sodium hypochlorite ‰?? a more concentrated form of household bleach. Both are used in cleaning water from the paper making process.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION, FIRE REPORTED AT ACME GALVANIZING ON CITY'S SOUTH SIDE
Tags: us_WI, industrial, explosion, response, propane
Flames and propane explosions came from ACME Galvanizing, a metal finishing a zinc plating facility located at 2730 S. 19th St.
A neighbor said he heard a series of booms around 7:50 a.m. Video sent in to WISN 12 News has about a dozen "booms" audible from a considerable distance from the fire.
Video from NewsChopper 12 shows significant damage to an out-building where propane tanks were stored. Fire crews called for a second alarm for extra equipment to battle the fire.
A worker inside the building at the time of the explosion told WISN 12 News that propane tanks were being filled when there was an issue, which was likely sparked by a nearby fork truck.
---------------------------------------------
OSHA PUBLISHES NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING UPDATING A NATIONAL CONSENSUS STANDARD IN ITS EYE AND FACE PROTECTION STANDARDS
Tags: industrial, discovery, response
WASHINGTON ‰?? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today published a proposed revision to its Eye and Face Protection Standards that updates personal protective equipment requirements in the agency's general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring, marine terminals and construction standards. The proposed revisions will reflect current national consensus standards and ensure that employers use up-to-date eye and face protection during hazardous workplace operations.
This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking incorporates the latest American National Standards Institute eye and face protection standard, which was adopted after OSHA issued the final rule on personal protective equipment in 2009. The 2009 final rule did not modify the construction standard. This NPRM also updates language in the construction eye and face protection standard to make it more consistent with general industry and maritime standards.
Individuals may submit comments to the NPRM electronically at http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking Portal, by mail or facsimile. See the Federal Register notice for details. Comments must be submitted by April 13, 2015.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov">http://www.osha.gov.
---------------------------------------------
FIGURING OUT FRACKING WASTEWATER
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methane, natural_gas
Almost 3 million gallons of concentrated salt water leaked in early January from a ruptured pipeline at a natural gas drilling site near Williston, N.D. The brine, a by-product of the oil and gas extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, spilled into two creeks that empty into the Missouri River, according to news reports. Although a state health official said the salty water was quickly diluted once it reached the Missouri, the spill‰??large by North Dakota standards‰??raised questions about the contents of the brine.
Accidental spills like this one occur with some frequency, so scientists would like to understand the contaminants they release into waterways and elsewhere in the environment. Their findings could help officials guide the cleanup of sites or mitigate damage.
---------------------------------------------
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ON INDUSTRIALIZATION OF BIOLOGY: A ROADMAP TO ACCELERATE THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OF CHEMICALS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The tremendous progress in biology over the last half century - from Watson and Crick's elucidation of the structure of DNA to today's astonishing, rapid progress in the field of synthetic biology - has positioned us for significant innovation in chemical production. New bio-based chemicals, improved public health through improved drugs and diagnostics, and biofuels that reduce our dependency on oil are all results of research and innovation in the biological sciences. In the past decade, we have witnessed major advances made possible by biotechnology in areas such as rapid, low-cost DNA sequencing, metabolic engineering, and high-throughput screening. The manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand even faster. A proactive strategy - implemented through the development of a technical roadmap similar to those that enabled sustained growth in the semiconductor industry and our explorations of space - is needed if we are to realize the wi!
despread benefits of accelerating the industrialization of biology.
---------------------------------------------
OSHA PROBE INTO WALLINGFORD CHEMICAL SPILL FINDS ‰??SERIOUS‰?? VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
WALLINGFORD ‰?? An OSHA investigation into a chemical spill at a freight terminal on North Plains Industrial Highway in October found employees at R+L Carriers faced ‰??dangerous chemical, fire and explosion hazards.‰??
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration investigators found two repeated and four serious violations of workplace safety standards by R+L Carriers Shared Services LLC and proposed fines of $86,900. The repeated violations stem from similar hazards cited by OSHA during a 2011 inspection of an R+L terminal in Chicago.
‰??These workers were essentially defenseless,‰?? said Robert Kowalski, OSHA‰??s area director. ‰??They did not know how to evaluate the hazards involved, what personal protective equipment to use and what steps to follow to contain the spill safely. Worse, no one present at the terminal did. These deficiencies in emergency response by R+L Carriers put its employees at risk of death or serious injury.‰??
R+L Carriers is a nationwide freight shipping company with 9,000 employees; 45 work at the Wallingford terminal.
---------------------------------------------
PROPER LABELING AND MANAGEMENT REQUIRED FOR RE-USED CONTAINERS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, dye, methanol
Statement: Re-using and repurposing a container is an acceptable practice provided the container is of an appropriate material and configuration and properly prepared for it new contents. This preparation includes correct labeling.
Discussion: A worker was refilling squeeze bottles of methanol for use in a laboratory. While pouring from a manufacturer‰??s large amber bottle expected to contain pure methanol, the employee immediately noticed that the contents were a bright fluorescent pink (figure 1), and did not match the characteristics of methanol. A review of the bottle providing this liquid showed some faint scratch marks over the original product labeling (figure 2), but nothing definitive was added to indicate what the new contents were.
Analysis: A review of the source bottle indicated that it originated in a nearby facility, and individuals relocated this bottle, along with several unopened bottles, in an attempt to reuse chemicals when the directorate initiated a lab cleanout initiative. Further review of past operations in the original building indicated that the pink color was a result of adding a laser dye to a solvent.
The attempted relabeling of the amber (source) bottle was inadequate to communicate the contents to the new owner(s). Nothing indicated the presence of a laser dye, some of which are toxic or even carcinogenic. Furthermore, the relabeling would probably be insufficient for use within the lab by knowledgeable individuals.
---------------------------------------------
LABORATORY HOOD FIRE ACTIVATES SPRINKLER SYSTEM
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, fire, response, other_chemical, plastics
Discussion: On October 9, 2014, the Argonne Fire Department responded to building 362 room E-332 for multiple (2) smoke detector activation. On arrival, the Fire Alarm Office reported a water flow alarm from the same area. The fire department crew found moderate smoke in the room with water flowing. The crew entered the area and room with full personal protective equipment (PPE) and reported the fire was out and the sprinkler was going off in the laboratory hood. Once the fire department crew verified the fire was out, they shut down the sprinkler in that laboratory hood. No personnel were injured and fire damage was limited to equipment in the hood (see photos, below).
The research being conducted in the hood at the time of the fire was to fabricate metal salt containing polymer precursors for nanofibers, nanotubes and other high aspect ratio materials using electrospinning.
Analysis: A fire cause origin investigation team concluded that: "The first fuel ignited was the solution from the syringes which contained IPA [isopropyl alcohol]. The cause of the fire was due to one or more of the syringe plunger seals failing causing solution to leak out of the syringe from the plunger end and coming in contact with the electrical components within the top syringe pump."
For more than three years, the researchers have been using various sizes of plastic disposable syringes with Luer-Lok tip. Trials with alternative syringes have been performed. They chose the plastic disposable syringe because of its construction quality, seal performance and cost. The plastic disposable syringe has been a standard syringe used for electrospinning by many labs across the country. Many syringe pumps have pre-loaded parameters for this syringe type, which adds convenience and reliability for usage.
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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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