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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (11 articles) Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 08:04:12 -0400 Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 18, 2015 at 7:25:07 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 (14 articles)
CHEMICAL SPILL KILLS HUNDREDS OF FISH IN AIEA DITCH
Tags: us_HI, industrial, release, environmental, cleaners, solvent
SCHOOL LAB SET ON FIRE
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
1 FAINTS, 12 ILL AMID HAZMAT SITUATION AT NEW JERSEY POSTAL FACILITY
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
8 TREATED AFTER HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL IN SASKATOON
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
APEX: STUDENT INJURED IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT APEX HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
GOVERNMENT CITES DUPONT FOR CHEMICAL LEAK THAT KILLED FOUR WORKERS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM SUES OVER CHEMICAL AFTER FISH DEATHS
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, response, other_chemical
CHEMICAL LEAK IN NORTHERN CHINA KILLS 8, INJURES 2
Tags: China, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES IN THE 2015 ACS GUIDELINES FOR BACHELOR‰??S DEGREE PROGRAMS
Tags: education, discovery, response
EXACT SOURCE OF MERCURY SPILL UNKNOWN
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, response, mercury
AKRON HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO METAL FIRE, CLOSE EAST EXCHANGE STREET NEAR DOWNTOWN
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, magnesium, metals
AIR QUALITY TESTS DEEM JENKINS TWP. AREA SAFE AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE AT ACTON TECHNOLOGIES INC. STUDENTS RETURN TO PITTSTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL AFTER BEING SENT HOME WEDNESDAY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, acetone, paints
TEXAS A&M NUCLEAR SCIENCE CENTER EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, toluene
CHEMICAL-FUELED INFERNO AT PHILIPPINES FACTORY LEAVES NO SURVIVORS, OFFICALS SAY
Tags: Philippines, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
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CHEMICAL SPILL KILLS HUNDREDS OF FISH IN AIEA DITCH
Tags: us_HI, industrial, release, environmental, cleaners, solvent
The state is investigating a chemical spill that killed hundreds of fish in a drainage ditch along the Pearl Harbor bike path in Aiea.
Hawaii News Now reports that people reported seeing and smelling the dead fish last Tuesday, when state Department of Health workers counted more than 500 dead fish. Officials said water samples revealed the presence of a chemical similar to a cleaner or solvent.
They're looking into whether nearby businesses might have been responsible. One did have an accidental spill last Monday.
Carroll Cox, the president of the environmental group EnviroWatch Inc., said she observed dead bone fish, tilapia, guppies and crabs. She said it was disturbing to be in a beautiful area only to come upon a "wall of smell."
Authorities want to make sure that chemicals don't drain into Pearl Harbor. Health officials said the Navy owns the ditch and will clean it up.
---------------------------------------------
SCHOOL LAB SET ON FIRE
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Early on Saturday, unidentified men set fire to a laboratory in a private school in Padarayanapura coming under J.J. Nagar police station limits.
According to the police, several goods, including LED TV sets, CCTV cameras, 16 computers and many important documents were gutted in the fire in the ground floor of Subhash Memorial English Medium School.
The fire was reported around 3.20 a.m. by a neighbour, Ismail, who reportedly heard sounds of crackers and went to check. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
The school‰??s head mistress Saira Banu filed a complaint with the police.
‰??We are verifying the CCTV footage. We are yet to ascertain their motive. The damage has been estimated at Rs. 2 lakh,‰?? said an investigating officer.
---------------------------------------------
1 FAINTS, 12 ILL AMID HAZMAT SITUATION AT NEW JERSEY POSTAL FACILITY
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP -- Officials are on the scene of a HazMat situation at a postal facility in Hamilton Township, Mercer County.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. Friday at 435 U.S. Route 130.
Several people reported feeling dizzy and nauseated, and one person passed out.
12 people were being treated at the scene - they did not have to go to the hospital.
The workers described a strong, sweet odor at the time.
Investigators have conducted air quality tests, but say so far they have not found anything. The New Jersey State Police hazmat unit has been called in to bring additional - and more sensitive - equipment.
There is no word on what may have caused this situation. Investigators say no spills or powder residue have been found.
There was a heightened sense of concern, considering this facility was the scene of an anthrax attack back in 2001.
---------------------------------------------
8 TREATED AFTER HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL IN SASKATOON
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
Eight people had to be treated for breathing problems after a large hydrochloric acid spill in the 800 block of 50th Street in Saskatoon's north end.
They were checked over by ambulance crews, but officials said that none of the eight had to be taken to hospital.
Some buildings nearby were also evacuated as a precaution, according to CBC reporters at the scene. But it's unclear exactly how many people were asked to leave the immediate area.
A 9-1-1 call came in around 9:15 a.m. CST from Pounder Emulsions, which is a division of Husky Oil. As much as 10,000 litres of hydrochloric acid may have spilled at the site. Clean up of the site will begin this evening.
---------------------------------------------
APEX: STUDENT INJURED IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT APEX HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
APEX, N.C. -
One student suffered minor burns in a chemical fire in a science lab at Apex High School, said Matt Dees, public information officer for Wake County Public Schools.
The incident happened around 9:55 a.m. Friday. The entire school was evacuated as a precaution Dees said.
Dees said the student who suffered minor burns was being treated at the school.
Students were allowed back into the school around 11:15 a.m. Friday.
No other details were immediately released.
---------------------------------------------
GOVERNMENT CITES DUPONT FOR CHEMICAL LEAK THAT KILLED FOUR WORKERS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
DuPont has been cited by federal investigators for 11 violations related to a chemical leak at the company‰??s plant in LaPorte, Texas, that claimed the lives of four workers.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) on May 14 said the tragedy would have been prevented had DuPont taken steps to protect the workers. The agency is proposing fines totaling $99,000 for the November 2014 deaths, which were caused by exposure to a leak of methyl mercaptan, an insectide ingredient.
An investigation by OSHA determined that one worker was overcome when ‰??methyl mercaptan gas was unexpectedly released‰?? after she opened a drain on a vent line. Two coworkers nearby, unaware of the leak, attempted to save her but were also consumed by the gas. The brother of one of the victims rushed to rescue the three but was also overcome by the gas.
‰??Four people lost their lives and their families lost loved ones because DuPont did not have proper safety procedures in place,‰?? says OSHA chief David Michaels. ‰??Had the company assessed the dangers involved, or trained their employees on what to do if the ventilation system stopped working, they might have had a chance.‰??
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM SUES OVER CHEMICAL AFTER FISH DEATHS
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, response, other_chemical
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) ‰?? The Texas State Aquarium is suing a company that it says supplied a chemical labeled as a parasite treatment that actually ended up killing nearly 400 fish.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports that the aquarium sued Fishman Chemical of Vero Beach, Florida, on Thursday in federal court.
The lawsuit alleges Fishman Chemical sold what was labeled as a parasite treatment known as trichlorfon, but what turned out to be hydroquinone, which is used as an additive to paint and motor fuel. The aquarium began to investigate a potential misuse of chemicals after the fish died last month.
A message left for Fishman Chemical was not immediately returned Friday. The company‰??s owner, Dr. David Fishman, previously told KRIS-TV last month that the incident ‰??really bothers us.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK IN NORTHERN CHINA KILLS 8, INJURES 2
Tags: China, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
Authorities say a chemical leak in northern China has killed eight people and injured two others.
A statement from Yangcheng County in Shanxi province said the carbon disulfide leak occurred Saturday morning at a plant belonging to the Ruixing chemical company.
It says three rescue workers are also under health observation. The cause of the leak is still under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES IN THE 2015 ACS GUIDELINES FOR BACHELOR‰??S DEGREE PROGRAMS
Tags: education, discovery, response
The Committee on Professional Training (CPT) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has recently approved a new set of Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor‰??s Degree Programs. Input from the community was invaluable in informing the deliberations of CPT during the three-year process of Guidelines revisions. The Guidelines describe standards that are used to approve programs to offer ACS certified undergraduate degrees. The most significant changes in the Guidelines are described in this commentary.
---------------------------------------------
EXACT SOURCE OF MERCURY SPILL UNKNOWN
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, response, mercury
Several days after 3 pounds of mercury was found on a Cochran Street driveway, directly exposing 10 people to the hazardous liquid metal and prompting a partial street closure, authorities are still not sure what caused the spill in the first place.
With the investigation still underway, the closure of Cochran Street between Tapo Street and Tapo Canyon Road remained in place as of press time Thursday. Officials were hopeful residents of the neighborhood would be able to return home by Saturday afternoon, City Manager Eric Levitt told the Simi Valley Acorn.
Levitt said the colder temperatures and forecasted rain has been an issue for repaving the contaminated areas.
‰??Right now the plan is we‰??re hoping to have the (repaving) completed both in the street as well as the private drive,‰?? he said. ‰??If that works as planned, then the streets should be reopened by end of day Saturday.‰??
---------------------------------------------
AKRON HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO METAL FIRE, CLOSE EAST EXCHANGE STREET NEAR DOWNTOWN
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, magnesium, metals
AKRON, Ohio -- Water from an overhead sprinkler system reacted with metal shavings to start a fire in an industrial building on East Exchange Street in Akron this morning.
The Akron fire department sent HAZMAT crews to 600 East Exchange St. just after 4 a.m. after metal shavings inside the building caught on fire, according to Fire Department Spokeswoman Inspector Sierjie Lash.
Lash said that smoke inside the building activated the sprinkler system, but the water reacted with the smoldering metal causing the fire to grow.
The fire department closed East Exchange Street in both directions and continue to monitor the building for potential hot spots and flareups, Lash said. The street ropened at about 8 a.m.
A fire department spokesperson told reporters this morning hat they believed the fire started spontaneously. Lash said information on the exact type of metal -- mentioned in other news reports as either magnesium or nickel -- was not yet available.
---------------------------------------------
AIR QUALITY TESTS DEEM JENKINS TWP. AREA SAFE AFTER CHEMICAL FIRE AT ACTON TECHNOLOGIES INC. STUDENTS RETURN TO PITTSTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL AFTER BEING SENT HOME WEDNESDAY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, acetone, paints
JENKINS TWP. ‰?? A state Department of Environmental Protection official said Thursday air quality tests at the site of a chemical fire at Acton Technologies Inc. revealed ‰??very low‰?? levels of chemical compounds.
The fire alarm at Acton Technologies Inc. on Thompson Street Wednesday summoned nearly 80 Greater Pittston firefighters into action and sent Pittston Area High School students home early.
Classes at Pittston Area, located less than a mile away from Acton Technologies Inc., resumed on Thursday.
The fire was ruled accidental by state police deputy fire marshal Trooper Ron Jarocha, and the investigation determined a static discharge was the cause of the blaze.
Acton Technologies Inc. creates coating material for cookware, and according to state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Colleen Connolly, the storage area that caught fire contained acetone, a chemical used to remove glue-like substances such as nail polish.
It took firefighters three hours to quell the flames. One firefighter was treated by paramedics for minor injuries.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS A&M NUCLEAR SCIENCE CENTER EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, toluene
The Nuclear Science Center on the Texas A&M campus was evacuated Thursday morning after a chemical spill.
University Police Lt. Allan Baron said about four liters of toluene were spilled inside the facility. Fifteen people were evacuated and there were no injuries.
Baron said the spill happened at 9 a.m., and multiple agencies were on scene. At 10 a.m, the building was being ventilated and the chemical was still being cleaned up, he said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL-FUELED INFERNO AT PHILIPPINES FACTORY LEAVES NO SURVIVORS, OFFICALS SAY
Tags: Philippines, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
MANILA, Philippines ‰?? Police will open a criminal investigation into a Philippines factory fire that killed at least 72 workers who became trapped in the building's second floor, where iron grills on windows prevented their escape, a victims' relative said Thursday.
....
Gatchalian said the fire was apparently ignited by sparks from welding work at the factory's main entrance, triggering an explosion of the chemicals used to make the slippers. Workers fled to the second floor where they were trapped, he said.
District Fire Marshal Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said that the building had other exits but apparently the workers were overwhelmed by the thick black smoke from the burning rubber and chemicals, which are highly flammable and caused the blaze to spread quickly.
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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