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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 25, 2015 at 6:48:36 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 (10 articles)
TWO ARRESTED AND RELEASED AFTER CHEMICAL DRUMS LEFT OUT FOR BINMEN SPARK TERROR ALERT IN LEVENSHULME
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, bomb, explosives
NO ONE HURT AT SUN CHEMICAL CORP. FIRE IN BERKELEY COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, industrial, fire, response, methane
ATF WARNS OF DANGER FROM 'HASH OIL' EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, butane, drugs, explosives
SANTA BARBARA OIL SPILL: OFFICIALS STEP UP INQUIRIES
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, environmental, oils
EPA SAYS CITGO CORPUS CHRISTI PLANT AGREES TO FINE, FIX PROBLEMS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response, corrosives, hydrofluoric_acid, petroleum
NAPERVILLE CHLORINE SPILL PUTS 11 PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, chlorine
HILLSBORO-DEERING HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATED BECAUSE OF ODOR
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, release, injury, formaldehyde
TEXAS LAWMAKERS APPROVE FERTILIZER SAFETY BILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
ONE TRANSPORTED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT FARM
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
COUNTY AND STATE TEAM UP TO KEEP SAFE SITE OF HIGHWAY CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, dust
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TWO ARRESTED AND RELEASED AFTER CHEMICAL DRUMS LEFT OUT FOR BINMEN SPARK TERROR ALERT IN LEVENSHULME
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, bomb, explosives
Discarded chemical drums triggered a terror alert after they were reported by worried neighbours.
Police arrested two people on explosives charges after finding 16 plastic containers, which had contained a chemical routinely used by terrorists to make bombs, in a back alley in Levenshulme.
They had been moved into an alley, from the backyard of a nearby house prompting officers to call a specialist fire service hazardous materials team.
Some of the 25-litre barrels were empty but specialist tests showed the others contained only rainwater.
The man and woman were held in custody for more than 15 hours before but have now been released without charge.
It is thought they had been clearing rubbish from a property in Tonbridge Road, shortly after moving into the property.
---------------------------------------------
NO ONE HURT AT SUN CHEMICAL CORP. FIRE IN BERKELEY COUNTY
Tags: us_SC, industrial, fire, response, methane
Several fire departments responded to a fire at a Berkeley County chemical plant Saturday morning.
The chief of the Goose Creek Rural Fire Department says they received a call about a fire at Sun Chemical at Bushy Creek Park about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Pimlico and Whitesville Fire Departments also responded as part of an auto-aid agreement.
The Fire Departments assisted the plant's response team, getting the fire under control in about 45 minutes.
The site manager says the incident occurred in one of the vessels involving methane.
The Goose Creek Rural Fire Department says there are no hazards to the community or first responders.
---------------------------------------------
ATF WARNS OF DANGER FROM 'HASH OIL' EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, butane, drugs, explosives
DENVER ‰?? A potentially explosive technique used to make a powerful marijuana concentrate from pot leaves and stems has federal investigators cautioning the public about the risks of hash oil extraction.
When done wrong, the process can cause a fireball or flash fire that blows out windows and doors. Authorities say they've seen an uptick in hash oil-related incidents from California to Washington and New Jersey, and say it's in part because people learn the basic technique over the Internet but often lack the sophistication to do it safely.
In 2014, there were 32 butane hash-oil explosions in Colorado alone. Now, there is a move to limit the amount of the chemical someone can purchase. Watch the video to see a hash-oil explosion. VPC
While the technique to make hash oil ‰?? also known as wax, shatter, butter or dabs ‰?? isn't new, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives experts say the danger can be greater in states that have legalized marijuana because people have access to larger quantities of marijuana plants. ATF agents aren't taking a position on marijuana legalization but are asking lawmakers to consider the ramifications of permitting hash oil extraction.
"I don't think they realize it's unsafe," said Billy Magalassi, chief of the ATF's fire investigation and arson enforcement division. "Kids are curious but they're dealing with things that are very dangerous."
Colorado's constitution permits residents to make marijuana extracts like hash oil, although Gov. John Hickenlooper is considering whether to sign a proposal specifically banning the use of butane for hash extraction.
---------------------------------------------
SANTA BARBARA OIL SPILL: OFFICIALS STEP UP INQUIRIES
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, environmental, oils
Santa Barbara, California (CNN)Authorities intensified their response Friday to this week's Santa Barbara oil spill by announcing remedies and additional investigations.
Meanwhile, environmentalists declared the 105,000-gallon spill "a wake-up call" about additional oil development and the nation's dependence on fossil fuels.
The federal government ordered the firm, Plains All American Pipeline, to suspend operations and make safety improvements on the ruptured pipe, according to a corrective action order announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, the California attorney general's office is now working with local prosecutors as well as state and federal agencies in investigating Tuesday's spill that prompted a state-issued emergency in Santa Barbara County and the closing of two state beaches until June 4.
---------------------------------------------
EPA SAYS CITGO CORPUS CHRISTI PLANT AGREES TO FINE, FIX PROBLEMS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response, corrosives, hydrofluoric_acid, petroleum
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday an agreement had been reached with Citgo Petroleum Corp to fix violations found at the company's Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery.
In addition to corrective actions agreed to with the agency, Citgo will pay a $360,000 civil penalty and give $117,000 to the Corpus Christi Fire Department to purchase equipment to detect and identify suspected chemical leaks, the EPA said.
"Keeping communities and workers safe is the highest priority for EPA's enforcement program," said Regional Administrator Ron Curry, in a statement from the agency. "Companies have to be held accountable when they violate these important regulations."
A Citgo spokesman did not reply to a request for comment about the agreement.
The EPA, acting on a tip from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, discovered the violations during an unannounced inspection of the 163,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in June 2012.
"The inspectors found violations in a range of areas, including equipment and controls, operation and auditing procedures, and initial and ongoing training," the agency said in a statement.
Citgo will be required to correct each violation as part of the agreement.
The Chemical Safety Board found numerous problems with a system meant to prevent a dangerous release of hydrofluoric acid into the atmosphere following a 2009 fire on an alkylation unit that uses the highly corrosive and poisonous substance.
---------------------------------------------
NAPERVILLE CHLORINE SPILL PUTS 11 PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL
Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, chlorine
Eight children and three adults are being treated for respiratory issues at Edward Hospital in Naperville following a chlorine spill this morning at Goldfish Swim School on the 1600 block of Quincy Avenue in Naperville.
All of the patients are in good condition and expected to be released, according to an Edward Hospital spokesman.
Fire department Bureau Chief Andrew Dina said firefighters responded to a call of a hazardous materials spill at 10:23 a.m. and arrived at the school to find people leaving the building -- many of them coughing.
The department's hazardous materials team discovered a chlorine leak and began ventilating the building, Dina said.
Meanwhile, paramedics treated patients complaining of chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. Ambulances took nine patients to Edward Hospital, the fire department said, and 19 others refused to be taken there.
By 2:30 p.m., spokesman Keith Hartenberger said Edward was treating 11 patients with symptoms from the chlorine leak.
Dina said school officials said the staff was "shocking the pool," when the spill occurred, which means they likely found a substance in the water and used chlorine to clean it.
---------------------------------------------
HILLSBORO-DEERING HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATED BECAUSE OF ODOR
Tags: us_NH, laboratory, release, injury, formaldehyde
HILLSBOROUGH, N.H. ‰??About 400 students were evacuated Thursday from Hillsboro-Deering High School after a strong odor was detected in one section of the building.
Emergency crews were called about 9:15 a.m. after students and staff members reported feeling sick. Firefighters and emergency crews from three towns responded.
"Basically, we were called to the location for an unknown odor, so basically, we're investigating one of the rooms on the second floor for an unknown odor," Fire Chief Kenny Stafford said. "We did get a report of some symptoms, headaches, dizziness and stuff like that."
Officials said seven people, including students and staff members, were evaluated at the school. No one was taken for treatment, and authorities said everyone appeared to be OK.
All students at the school were taken to the nearby middle school and dismissed for the day.
First responders spent most of the morning trying to isolate the smell and figure out what it was.
"We've narrowed it down to one room, possibly two rooms, which are in the science end of the high school, and that's what we know so far," Stafford said.
Around noon, officials determined that the smell was coming from a formaldehyde-like packaging material that had leaked from one of the biology projects, and they said there was no danger.
"Right now, it doesn't appear that there is (any danger), but to be on the safe side, we have the hazmat crew checking the building out, and we have the (Department of Environmental Services) folks to just to make sure the building is safe," Superintendent Bob Hassett said.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS LAWMAKERS APPROVE FERTILIZER SAFETY BILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
AUSTIN (AP) ‰?? Texas lawmakers have sent to Gov. Greg Abbott a bill meant to strengthen regulations for storing the chemical fertilizer that caused a fatal explosion in West in 2013.
The Senate gave final approval Thursday to requiring ammonium nitrate be kept separate from combustible material. The bill also grants the state fire marshal new powers to inspect businesses that store the chemical and issue citations.
Businesses would have 10 days to fix problems or face penalties.
Companies also would be required to give multiple state agencies and local emergency officials reports on what chemicals they store. The Texas Commission on Environment Quality would make those records public.
---------------------------------------------
ONE TRANSPORTED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT FARM
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
One person was brought to the hospital following a chemical spill Thursday morning at Dickinson Farm on U.S. Route 202 in Granby, Massachusetts.
Granby Fire Capt. George Randall told necn affiliate WWLP that at least two chemicals spilled and mixed together, causing a reaction at around 9 a.m. The farm building was immediately evacuated.
Firefighters and police from Granby, as well as an Amherst hazardous materials team, and officials from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection all responded to the farm.
It was not immediately clear what chemicals had reacted, and the condition of the patient is not known at this time.
---------------------------------------------
COUNTY AND STATE TEAM UP TO KEEP SAFE SITE OF HIGHWAY CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, dust
County and state authorities were able to contain a chemical spill at the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 75 in Huntsville on Wednesday morning.
Huntsville Emergency Management Coordinator John Waldo said the Walker County Hazmat Team was able to neutralize the acid-based substance by about 11 a.m. Authorities are unsure how the spill occurred, which forced the roadway in front of McCoy's Building Supply to be closed for a couple of hours.
"It must have fallen off a truck that was turning onto the on-ramp at Highway 19," Waldo said. "We got a call that there was a substance on the ground and that it was smoking. When we got there it was eating the asphalt.
"The Hazmat Team was able to neutralize the spill with a sodium-based powder off the truck."
---------------------------------------------
Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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