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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Liquid methane experiment in class Date: Friday, April 10, 2015 7:46:52 AM Author: "Vance, Diane" <Diane.Vance**At_Symbol_Here**EKU.EDU> |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 10, 2015 at 8:16:52 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)
LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT PROCESS SAFETY INCIDENTS
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental
MICHIGAN'S METH INCIDENTS SURGE TO ALL-TIME HIGH
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, meth_lab
HAZMAT LEVEL 3 TEAM CALLED TO UBC FOR 'ROUTINE' EMERGENCY
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, injury, methanol, nitric_acid
2 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE INSIDE BURLINGTON COUNTY APARTMENT
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FRACKING ACTIVITIES POLLUTE NEARBY AIR WITH CARCINOGENIC HYDROCARBONS
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, benzene, methane, natural_gas
SECTION OF LEX-SPRINGMILL STILL CLOSED
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, gasoline
LAB WORKERS EVACUATED AFTER POSSIBLE CHEMICAL EXPOSURE IN BEDFORD PARK
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
STATE TESTING WATER AFTER NORTHEAST OHIO CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
FIRE AT BRAZIL'S LARGEST PORT REGAINS MOMENTUM
Tags: Brazil, industrial, fire, environmental, gasoline
CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS DOWN MAIN STREET IN SPENCER
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, sodium_bisulfate
MASSIVE FIRE PUTS SPOTLIGHT BACK ON CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
CHEMICAL SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES PHS CLASSROOM
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, response, sulfuric_acid
THE DYSTOPIAN LAKE FILLED BY THE WORLD‰??S TECH LUST
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT PROCESS SAFETY INCIDENTS
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental
These five incidents demonstrate how seemingly small mistakes or temporary lapses in judgment can result in disaster.
Failures of process safety management (PSM) systems are deadly and costly. Major accidents have emphasized the need for process safety within the chemical and petrochemical industries. For example, the founding of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) was a response by industry to the methyl isocyanate release at Bhopal, India, in 1984 that killed over 2,000 people and injured tens of thousands. A fire and explosion at a PEMEX LPG terminal in Mexico City, also in 1984, killed more than 600 people and injured around 7,000.
Major environmental damage has also been caused by process safety incidents. The firefighting efforts during a fire in a Sandoz warehouse in Basel, Switzerland, in 1986 caused the release of many different chemicals, including pesticides, because responders failed to contain the water runoff. The release caused massive destruction to aquatic life in the Rhine River as far as 250 miles away; fishing was banned for six months. The environmental consequences of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010 have been well-documented.
Engineers and students can obtain safety incident reports from several sources. One useful source is the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). The CSB is a government agency charged with investigating chemical accidents at industrial facilities. The reports of their investigations are available for download from the CSB website (www.csb.gov). Additionally, the CSB has created a series of videos about many process safety incidents.
The CCPS book Incidents that Define Process Safety (I) discusses many more events. The book also describes events from industries other than chemicals and petrochemicals, demonstrating that many PSM concepts are universal in their relevance to safe operations.
---------------------------------------------
MICHIGAN'S METH INCIDENTS SURGE TO ALL-TIME HIGH
Tags: us_MI, public, follow-up, environmental, meth_lab
LANSING ‰?? When Tim Haney saw yellow police barrier tape surrounding a building in downtown Charlotte two years ago, he joked to himself that a methamphetamine lab must have gone bad.
It only took a few minutes for this former addict ‰?? now 11 years clean ‰?? to find out that a real meth lab had exploded and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage near City Hall and the Fire Department.
"You know there are addicts," said Haney, a 47-year-old married father of two. "But I just had no idea that something going on here was on the same level as bigger cities."
Since 2013, Michigan police officers have found more than 1,500 meth labs and dump sites for lab equipment and the dangerous chemical byproducts that come from producing the highly addictive stimulant.
The number last year, 861, was a record and adds to the Great Lakes State's reputation as one of the fastest growing areas for production and distribution of the drug.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT LEVEL 3 TEAM CALLED TO UBC FOR 'ROUTINE' EMERGENCY
Tags: Canada, laboratory, release, injury, methanol, nitric_acid
Vancouver Fire and Rescue's highest level hazmat team was called to UBC Thursday afternoon after ingredients mixed in a test tube shattered and a small cloud of vapour was released into the air.
The incident happened in a classroom in the 2300 block of East Mall Road.
Spokesman Brian Hutchinson said the fire department deals with this type of situation on a regular basis ‰??when chemicals are mixed in labs. In this case, he said it's believed nitric acid was mixed with methanol.
One patient was transported to hospital in a routine manner, Hutchinson said, meaning without lights and sirens.
The building was temporarily cleared, but no one was evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
2 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE INSIDE BURLINGTON COUNTY APARTMENT
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A Burlington County, New Jersey apartment building was evacuated and two people were taken to the hospital after being exposed to an unknown chemical, officials say.
Firefighters evacuated eight apartments inside Building P at the Edgewater Manor Apartments along the 100 block of Elm Street in Edgewater Park around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, county dispatchers tell NBC10.
Northern Liberties Bar Closing
The evacuations were ordered after two people came in contact with a chemical inside one of the units. Both were taken to an area hospital.
Firefighters donned hazmat suits as they investigated the incident. The type of chemical and reason for the exposure remains unclear.
---------------------------------------------
FRACKING ACTIVITIES POLLUTE NEARBY AIR WITH CARCINOGENIC HYDROCARBONS
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, benzene, methane, natural_gas
Hydraulic fracturing activities to extract natural gas can release carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air, a new study shows (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/es506095e). In some cases, the estimated exposure of nearby residents to these compounds exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s maximum acceptable risk level for cancer.
Many researchers and community leaders are concerned about the human health impacts of air and water pollution from hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, and the limited environmental regulation of the industry in the U.S. Fracking can release carcinogens such as benzene into the air along with other volatile organic compounds that are precursors of smog, which can contribute to asthma and other respiratory illnesses (Sci. Total Environ. 2012, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.02.018).
But few studies have examined the impact of fracking on airborne PAHs, larger molecules that are also linked with cancer and respiratory illness (Atmos. Environ. 2008, DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.12.010). The compounds are present in fossil fuels and are also products of their combustion‰??for example, they‰??re found in the exhaust of truck traffic near fracking sites.
---------------------------------------------
SECTION OF LEX-SPRINGMILL STILL CLOSED
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, gasoline
MANSFIELD ‰?? Lexington-Springmill Road between Cook Road and Marion Avenue was closed all day Wednesday due to a gasoline spill.
A commercial gasoline truck spilled 222 gallons of fuel at 4:39 a.m. Wednesday in and around an area of Lexington-Springmill Road.
Mike Bailey, director of the Richland County Emergency Management Agency, said fortunately a truck carrying fertilizer did not lose its product in the two-vehicle crash.
From the scene, it was apparent the fuel tanker had a hole on the driver's side of the tank.
---------------------------------------------
LAB WORKERS EVACUATED AFTER POSSIBLE CHEMICAL EXPOSURE IN BEDFORD PARK
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
BEDFORD PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Ambulances rushed to an industrial park in the southwest suburbs after reports of a possible chemical exposure, officials said.
Workers at Dhaliwal Labs in Bedford Park may have been exposed to a high concentration of vapors from a chemical used in hair care products that the company makes, officials said.
The building was evacuated, and fire officials say one person was treated at the scene. Another person was taken to a hospital for treatment.
---------------------------------------------
STATE TESTING WATER AFTER NORTHEAST OHIO CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
WARREN, Ohio (AP) ‰?? Residents in northeast Ohio are waiting to hear from state environmental officials whether their water is safe to drink following a chemical spill at an injection well facility.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has been testing water in Vienna Township near Warren after residents last week reported dead animals near a local pond and a sheen on the water's surface.
The Warren Tribune Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/1O81P62">http://bit.ly/1O81P62 ) officials expected to contact residents with results of the tests Wednesday.
Inspectors traced the spill to a Kleese Development Associates facility, which operates five saltwater injection wells. Officials haven't pinpointed the exact source of the spill. The Ohio Department of Resources on Friday ordered the facility to cease operations.
Officials say most of the surface contamination has been cleaned up.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE AT BRAZIL'S LARGEST PORT REGAINS MOMENTUM
Tags: Brazil, industrial, fire, environmental, gasoline
The fire that has burned for nearly a week at a fuel and chemical products depot at the southeastern port of Santos, Brazil's largest, regained momentum Wednesday after being partially brought under control.
The blaze had been nearly extinguished Wednesday morning, but high temperatures in one of the gasoline tanks caused the flames to intensify in the early afternoon, firefighters said on social media.
The fire could be extinguished either later Wednesday or Thursday, although that depends on the results achieved with a chemical powder imported from Germany that has been used since Tuesday, they said.
Seven tons of dead fish that perished when high temperatures and fuel toxicity depleted oxygen levels in the nearby Casqueiro River have been removed from that waterway, the Ibama environmental protection agency said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS DOWN MAIN STREET IN SPENCER
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, sodium_bisulfate
A chemical leak shut down part of Main Street in Spencer Tuesday night, according to a Roane County 911 dispatcher.
An unknown amount of the chemical leaked out of plastic containers on a truck parked across from the First Neighborhood Bank drive-thru, the dispatcher said.
Kelley Gillenwater, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Tuesday night that an estimated less than 10 gallons of sodium bisulfate solution spilled. However, Gillenwater said Wednesday morning that the spill could have been more than 10 gallons.
The chemical can irritate skin, respiratory tracts and eyes, and can burn eyes if left untreated, according to a material data safety sheet she provided. Ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or more serious symptoms, including death.
---------------------------------------------
MASSIVE FIRE PUTS SPOTLIGHT BACK ON CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
blaze at a chemical factory in southeastern China has put a fresh spotlight on the safety and management of such facilities and their potential environmental impact.
The fire broke out Monday at the Taiwanese-owned Tenglong Aromatic Hydrocarbon plant in the city of Zhangzhou in Fujian province, and defied the efforts of 829 firefighters and 170 fire engines to put it out over three days. At least six people were injured.
The blast could be felt miles away and shattered windows of homes and businesses in nearby villages; residents were evacuated as the inferno raged. Members of the army‰??s chemical defense corps were among firefighters who battled the blaze.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES PHS CLASSROOM
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, release, response, sulfuric_acid
A science experiment gone awry closed a Pendleton High School classroom Wednesday.
According to a Pendleton School District press release, sulfuric acid dropped onto a hot plate during a routine chemistry experiment and created a chemical vapor.
The chemistry teacher and the student sitting closest to the spill were evaluated at the high school and found to be fine. After arriving at the high school, Pendleton Fire Department officials found no need to clear any hazardous materials.
A special ventilation system in the classroom was used to clear the vapor and will continue to do so throughout the night.
---------------------------------------------
THE DYSTOPIAN LAKE FILLED BY THE WORLD‰??S TECH LUST
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
From where I'm standing, the city-sized Baogang Steel and Rare Earth complex dominates the horizon, its endless cooling towers and chimneys reaching up into grey, washed-out sky. Between it and me, stretching into the distance, lies an artificial lake filled with a black, barely-liquid, toxic sludge.
I‰??d seen some photos before I left for Inner Mongolia, but nothing prepared me for the sight ‰?? The alien environment at Baotou lake
Dozens of pipes line the shore, churning out a torrent of thick, black, chemical waste from the refineries that surround the lake. The smell of sulphur and the roar of the pipes invades my senses. It feels like hell on Earth.
Welcome to Baotou, the largest industrial city in Inner Mongolia. I'm here with a group of architects and designers called the Unknown Fields Division, and this is the final stop on a three-week-long journey up the global supply chain, tracing back the route consumer goods take from China to our shops and homes, via container ships and factories.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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