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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 7:57:17 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)
IMPLEMENTATION OF PROTOCOLS TO ENABLE DOCTORAL TRAINING IN PHYSICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY OF A BLIND GRADUATE STUDENT
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, discovery, response
DELIVERING ON SCIENCE'S SOCIAL CONTACT
Tags: us_MI, education, discovery, environmental
COLUMBIA FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT TEAMS CLEAR SWEARINGEN ANNEX, NO GAS LEAK FOUND
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT SITUATION AT NIST
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, discovery, response, other_chemical
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP POUND OF MERCURY THAT SPILLED IN BELL COUN
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, mercury
LAUGHING GAS LEAK EVACUATES GREENSBORO PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical, pharmaceutical
FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT TEAM PUTS OUT CHEMICAL FIRE IN WEST BIRMING
Tags: us_AL, public, fire, response, bleach
A BROADER FOCUS ON ACADEMIC LAB SAFETY
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
CHEMICAL PLANT LEAD POISONING LAWSUIT ‰??TEST OF CHINA‰??S RESOLVE TO TACKLE POLLUTION‰??
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $225,000 FOR IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF PESTICIDE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
TEXAS MOVES TO TIGHTEN STATE‰??S AMMONIUM NITRATE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
HAZMAT SPILL CLOSES STREETS IN CHICO
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, gas_cylinders
KOLKATA: FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
CHLORINE LEAK STOPPED AT YOUNGSTOWN WASTEWATER PLANT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, environmental, chlorine, water_treatment
VICE CHANCELLOR EIGHMY LEADS NATIONAL LAB SAFETY TASK FORCE
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
NEIGHBORS WONDER IF NATURAL GAS CAUSED TULSA DUPLEX EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
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IMPLEMENTATION OF PROTOCOLS TO ENABLE DOCTORAL TRAINING IN PHYSICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY OF A BLIND GRADUATE STUDENT
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, discovery, response
There exists a sparse representation of blind and low-vision students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This is due in part to these individuals being discouraged from pursuing STEM degrees as well as a lack of appropriate adaptive resources in upper level STEM courses and research. Mona Minkara is a rising fifth year graduate student in computational chemistry at the University of Florida. She is also blind. This account presents efforts conducted by an expansive team of university and student personnel in conjunction with Mona to adapt different portions of the graduate student curriculum to meet Mona‰??s needs. The most important consideration is prior preparation of materials to assist with coursework and cumulative exams. Herein we present an account of the first four years of Mona‰??s graduate experience hoping this will assist in the development of protocols for future blind and low-vision graduate students in computational chemistry.
---------------------------------------------
DELIVERING ON SCIENCE'S SOCIAL CONTACT
Tags: us_MI, education, discovery, environmental
In 1998, then-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dr. Jane Luchenco called for a ‰??New Social Contract with science‰??. Based on her 1997 address as AAAS president and published in the journal Science, Lubchenco argued that, in the face of emerging challenges, scientists needed to rethink their roles and responsibilities within society. Next Wednesday she will be examining how far we‰??ve come ‰?? and how far we still need to go ‰?? on delivering on science‰??s social contract, at the University of Michigan meeting on Academic Engagement in Public and Political Discourse. Her keynote lecture is open to the public, and will be live streamed here.
Lubchenco‰??s 1998 article was grounded in environmental responsibility, although her concept of ‰??environment‰?? was a broad one ‰?? encompassing human health, the economy, social justice and national security. Each of these areas, she argued, depend to some degree on the structure, functioning, and resiliency of ecological systems. And together, she suggested, the challenges they represent demand a re-alignment of the science enterprise with the needs of society.
---------------------------------------------
COLUMBIA FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT TEAMS CLEAR SWEARINGEN ANNEX, NO GAS LEAK FOUND
Tags: us_SC, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
Columbia firefighters and Columbia HAZMAT teams cleared the Swearingen annex building at the University of South Carolina shortly after students and faculty were evacuated due to a potential gas leak Tuesday afternoon.
Brick Lewis, a Columbia Fire Department spokesman, said firefighters and HAZMAT teams could not find any evidence of a gas leak in the building after some students and faculty reported an odor in the building.
Columbia firefighters and Columbia HAZMAT teams were called out to 300 South Main Street to inspect the source of the leak around 1 p.m., but the censors didn‰??t detect what the leak may be.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO HAZMAT SITUATION AT NIST
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, discovery, response, other_chemical
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WUSA9) -- Emergency crews responded to a chemical hazard at NIST's Gaithersburg campus on Tuesday.
A pint of an acid-based polish agent warmed to room temperature and became an explosion hazard, the NIST said.
The hazard has been contained to a lab and the building has been evacuated as a precaution, fire officials said. No injuries have been reported.
The NIST building is located at 100 Bureau Drive and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services are helping at the scene, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP POUND OF MERCURY THAT SPILLED IN BELL COUN
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, mercury
BELL COUNTY - Authorities are investigating after hazmat crews had to clean up a pound of mercury that spilled Monday evening at a Belton home.
Bell County Fire Marshal Steve Casey says crews were called about 5:30 p.m. to the backyard of a home in the 7000 block of Sparta Rd. for a mercury spill.
Casey reports about one pound of the substance was found and later cleaned up by the Killeen hazmat team. The material was put in a container and taken to Georgetown by a company that deals with disposal of poisonous chemicals.
TCEQ has cleared the scene and reported there is no danger to the area after the clean up, which was done correctly.
---------------------------------------------
LAUGHING GAS LEAK EVACUATES GREENSBORO PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical, pharmaceutical
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Greensboro Fire and EMS says a pharmaceutical company was evacuated after nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, leaked inside the building.
Hazmat crews, and Greensboro Fire and EMS were all at Proctor & Gamble located at 100 South Swing Road on Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Michael Rogers with Guilford County Fire and EMS said one person was taken to the hospital, but will be okay.
GSO Fire says the building was evacuated from about 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Employees are now back inside and the building is safe.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS, HAZMAT TEAM PUTS OUT CHEMICAL FIRE IN WEST BIRMING
Tags: us_AL, public, fire, response, bleach
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A Birmingham Fire and Rescue HAZMAT team worked quickly to extinguish a chemical fire on 4th Street West, ABC 33/40 has learned.
Crews were called to the scene around 2 p.m. on a report of a bleach spill and fire. Firefighters were able to put out the flames, allowing for HAZMAT workers to begin cleaning up the chemical spill.
No one was injured in the incident. The cause of the spill remains under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
A BROADER FOCUS ON ACADEMIC LAB SAFETY
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)‰??which comprises more than 230 institutions and university systems from every state, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Canada, Guam, Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands‰??has formed a task force on laboratory safety. The new group ‰??will provide research universities with recommendations and guidance on the most appropriate strategies to enhance a culture of laboratory safety,‰?? according to a 23 April announcement. Composed of ‰??senior research officers and environmental and health safety experts‰?? from a range of universities, the group was ‰??created in coordination with the Association of American Universities (AAU), American Chemical Society (ACS), and Council on Government Relations (COGR),‰?? the announcement adds.
This is welcome news for several reasons. First, many academic labs sorely need ‰??recommendations and guidance‰??‰??and more‰??in order to work safely, as shown by this horrifying litany of disasters and near-disasters recounted on Reddit by scientists and students.
Second, 4.8 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students attend APLU‰??s member institutions, which collectively do $41.1 billion worth of research, according to the organization‰??s website. If the task force succeeds in significantly improving safety culture and practices in its members‰?? labs, the impact would be vast.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL PLANT LEAD POISONING LAWSUIT ‰??TEST OF CHINA‰??S RESOLVE TO TACKLE POLLUTION‰??
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
A lawsuit filed by residents of a town in China against a chemical plant they say is responsible for high levels of lead in the blood of children is shaping up as a test of the central government‰??s resolve to tackle pollution.
Of the more than 50 residents from in and around the rural town of Dapu in central Hunan province who originally agreed to join the lawsuit, only 11 remain, their lawyer, Dai Renhui, said.
Hu Shaobo, another lawyer advising on the case, said some plaintiffs had withdrawn under pressure from local government officials.
The lawsuit, described by lawyers as one of the first of its kind to be accepted by a court in mainland China, is scheduled to be heard next month.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation, although Dai declined to say if they had agreed on an amount.
China‰??s central government has declared ‰??war on pollution‰?? in the wake of mounting discontent over a growth-at-all-costs economic model that has spoiled much of the country‰??s water, skies and soil.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $225,000 FOR IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF PESTICIDE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
Helena Chemical Co. has been ordered to pay $225,000 in fines for improperly disposing of a restricted pesticide.
The Coweta-based company, according to a plea agreement, disposed of unused Medal II AT into the ground at its Craig County facility for at least six months beginning in May 2013, U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. said in a news release.
The pesticide was allowed to run onto adjacent property and into Little Cabin Creek, according to the release.
Medal II AT contains the restricted-use chemicals Altrazine and S-Metolacher.
Exposure to Altrazine can cause difficulty breathing, weakness, eye irritation and liver damage.
Exposure to S-Metolacher can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation, dizziness and nausea.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS MOVES TO TIGHTEN STATE‰??S AMMONIUM NITRATE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
The Texas Legislature appears to be headed toward passage of the first legislation to tighten the state‰??s regulation of ammonium nitrate since a massive and deadly explosion at a fertilizer storage facility near Waco two years ago.
The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval on May 1 to legislation (H.B. 942) that would strengthen rules for storing ammonium nitrate, a compound that farmers use as fertilizer. It is considered safe when stored properly but can explode at high temperatures or when it reacts with other substances.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kyle Kacal, a Republican whose district includes the town of West, where the blast on April 17, 2013, killed 15 and injured more than 200. Investigators determined that ammonium nitrate detonated after a fire at the West Fertilizer Co. engulfed a warehouse that stored approximately 30 tons of the chemical in wooden bins.
The legislation would give local fire marshals the authority to inspect facilities and order owners to make changes if any dangerous conditions are found that could cause a fire or explosion. The proposal would require that ammonium nitrate be stored at least 30 feet away from combustible materials.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SPILL CLOSES STREETS IN CHICO
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, gas_cylinders
CHICO, Calif. -
A hazmat situation in Chico prompted Chico Fire Department to close a city block at East 20th and Mulberry Streets.
The hazmat spill was reported at 8:13 a.m. Monday.
Firefighters said it appears two cylinders fell from a truck. One was leaking liquid oxygen onto the asphalt. The second cylinder contained carbon dioxide and was not leaking.
The streets have been closed in the area around East 20th and Mulberry Streets.
Chico Police Department said the roads in the area will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time, until the area is deemed safe.
---------------------------------------------
KOLKATA: FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
A fire broke out at a chemical factory in the Topsia neighbourhood of north Kolkata.
According to workers of the factory, nobody was inside the premises and the factory was shut.
"The fire brigade came very fast and they did a great job. Nobody was inside the factory. The gates were shut," said Sanjay Dutta, a worker in the factory.
"I, along with another worker got hurt. He was rushed to the nearby hospital. Thankfully, nobody was inside," said another worker.
Ten fire tenders have been rushed to the spot.
Further details are awaited.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE LEAK STOPPED AT YOUNGSTOWN WASTEWATER PLANT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, environmental, chlorine, water_treatment
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) ‰?? It was quiet Monday evening at the Youngstown wastewater treatment plant on Poland Avenue, but it was a very different scene around 9:15 a.m., shortly after liquid chlorine started leaking from a pipe.
The Himrod Avenue Expressway between U.S. Route 62 and Interstate 680 and the section of Poland Avenue in front of the plant, between Gibson Street and Powers Way, will be closed until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Shortly after 9 a.m. Monday, workers evacuated the facility after potentially hazardous liquid chlorine began leaking from a valve as workers were trying to switch one-ton tanks of the chemical, which is used in the water treatment process. Firefighters and HazMat crews responded quickly, put on protective gear and got inside and shut off the leak, but that was not the end.
‰??Unfortunately, they lost about 500 pounds of liquid chlorine that remained in the building, that did not get mixed off, so we are going to have to slowly allow the air exchangers within that building to mix it with air and release it back into the environment,‰?? Youngstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Sil Caggiano said.
---------------------------------------------
VICE CHANCELLOR EIGHMY LEADS NATIONAL LAB SAFETY TASK FORCE
Tags: us_TN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
Taylor Eighmy, vice chancellor for research and engagement, is heading a new national task force to enhance safety in college and university laboratories.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities formed the Task Force on Laboratory Safety recently to provide research universities with recommendations and guidance on strategies to enhance a culture of laboratory safety. The task force is composed of senior research officers and environmental and health safety experts. Eighmy and Mark McLellan, vice president for research for Utah State University, are co-chairs.
APLU formed the group in coordination with the Association of American Universities (AAU), the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Council on Government Relations (COGR).
‰??This is an essential matter to address,‰?? Eighmy said. ‰??The culture around lab and studio safety is integral to the responsible conduct of research and scholarly excellence. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated task force and support from APLU, AAU, COGR, and ACS. It will be important for us to listen and learn and bring forward recommendations for implementation. We are excited to work together to help lead this effort.‰??
---------------------------------------------
NEIGHBORS WONDER IF NATURAL GAS CAUSED TULSA DUPLEX EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OK, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
TULSA, Oklahoma - A woman is recovering from serious injuries after she was thrown outside of her Tulsa duplex after it exploded and burst into flames over the weekend.
Fire investigators don't yet know what caused the explosion, but neighbors said they've smelled natural gas over the past few days.
The home, a charred shell of what it used to be, is still sectioned off with caution tape as fire investigators work to pinpoint an exact cause.
If it turns out to be a gas explosion, fire officials said the incident is a learning opportunity.
If you smell gas, act quickly because it could save your life.
Bernitra Waller was on the side of the duplex that's still standing.
‰??We felt a big boom and all the stuff just collapsed on us," Waller said.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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