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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2015 07:49:06 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: E877CB1D-D3AE-445A-B730-042CDA04226A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at 7:48:49 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)
FIREWORKS ACCIDENT VICTIM DESCRIBES LONG, PAINFUL RECOVERY
Tags: us_KS, public, follow-up, injury, fireworks
CAUSE OF MILLER CHEMICAL FIRE STILL UNKNOWN
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, runoff
HAZMAT INCIDENT PROMPTS CHESTERFIELD BUSINESS EVACUATION
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, corrosives, hydrogen_peroxide
GAS LEAK LEADS TO EVACUATIONS, ALL CLEAR GIVEN
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, petroleum
HAZMAT SITUATION AT SOAP FACTORY PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN AMITYVILLE, LONG ISLAND
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
USA TODAY SAYS WE HAVE A LAB SAFETY PROBLEM, BUT WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
ANNAVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIELD FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN SPEEDWAY
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
HOMEOWNERS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NE, public, release, response, solvent, styrene
CHEMICAL PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE HAD PAST PROBLEMS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
SAN DIEGO 6 NEWS IS THE SOURCE FOR BREAKING NEWS, LOCAL AND EXCLUSIVE COMMUNITY-BASED STORIES, WEATHER, ENTERTAINMENT, AND DEALS. GET THE LATEST UPDATES ON NEWS, WEATHER & TRAFFIC, SPORTS AND EVENTS ON SANDIEGO6.COM
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, pool_chemicals
CHEMICAL ODOR PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE TO FALMOUTH RESTAURANT
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, other_chemical
1 DEAD, 2 SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER AMMONIA LEAK IN FORT ERIE FACTORY
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, death, ammonia
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FIREWORKS ACCIDENT VICTIM DESCRIBES LONG, PAINFUL RECOVERY
Tags: us_KS, public, follow-up, injury, fireworks
KANSAS CITY, Kan. ‰??The holiday weekend left a lot of people seriously injured from using fireworks.
At the University of Kansas Hospital, 21 patients were admitted with fireworks-related injuries and three had amputations. The youngest of these victims was 4 years old.
Julie Durand remembers what it was like when her life changed on the Fourth of July two years ago when fireworks ignited too close to where she was standing.
‰??I had two big tubs of 3- and 4-inch shells right in front of me and they both went off,‰?? said Durand. ‰??I could not see. I thought I was going to be blind.‰??
She said she was helping with a display in Valley Falls, Kansas, when sparks falling from previous fireworks ignited some next to her on the ground.
‰??Nineteen percent of my body was burned,‰?? she said.
The mortars did devastating skin damage. A recent demonstration from the Olathe Fire Department showed the power of one of these shells. Durand was standing near a whole box of them.
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CAUSE OF MILLER CHEMICAL FIRE STILL UNKNOWN
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, runoff
The cause of last month's massive chemical fire ‰?? which burned for hours, contaminated a waterway and killed thousands of fish ‰?? at a Hanover-area chemical plant is still unknown.
An investigation conducted by a state police fire marshal at Miller Chemical and Fertilizer in Conewago Township in Adams County determined the fire caused approximately $20 million in damage.
The investigation revealed the fire originated in the packaging room on the southern end of the facility. It also indicated the fire likely originated where electrical service enters the plant, though the exact cause cannot be determined due the extensive amount of damage.
The fire resulted in a chemical runoff that killed approximately 10,000 fish in the Conewago Creek and prompted restrictions on fishing, boating and swimming in the creek.
The Department of Environmental Protection gave the Adams County Board of Commissioners permission to remove the restrictions last week after water samples proved the water was free of contamination.
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HAZMAT INCIDENT PROMPTS CHESTERFIELD BUSINESS EVACUATION
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, corrosives, hydrogen_peroxide
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. ‰?? Fire crews responded to a hazardous material incident at Classic Party Rentals on Burge Avenue in Chesterfield. Hydrogen Peroxide and other corrosive agent spilled in a delivery truck at the business, Assistant Chesterfield Fire Chief Robby Dawson said.
The business has been evacuated as a result of the incident, according to a Chesterfield Fire spokesperson. No other buildings in the area have been evacuated and no injuries were reported.
The cleanup remained on-going, Dawson said.
---------------------------------------------
GAS LEAK LEADS TO EVACUATIONS, ALL CLEAR GIVEN
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, petroleum
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
Hazardous materials crews responded to a gas leak in Baton Rouge that caused several businesses to be evacuated Tuesday morning, but the order was lifted once the all clear was given.
....
Officials added the evacuation only impacted 10 to 15 businesses and was put in place as a precaution. They did not mention any homes being evacuated.
According to BRFD, there was a high pressure leak of a pipeline behind businesses along South Choctaw that created a vapor cloud of petroleum. Officials added Shell workers quickly responded to the scene and shut down the line.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SITUATION AT SOAP FACTORY PROMPTS EVACUATIONS IN AMITYVILLE, LONG ISLAND
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (WABC) -- Authorities responded to the scene of a Hazmat situation in Amityville.
The incident happened on Dixon Avenue around 4:25 p.m. Tuesday.
Workers were mixing products at AlPak Soap, located at 175 Dixon Avenue when there was a delay in the mixing process that caused a plume of gas to form.
The workers, as well as houses across the street, were evacuated.
No one was injured.
As of 8:30 p.m. the cleanup was continuing by Hazmat crews and Dixon Avenue remained closed between Albany and Bay View Ave.
---------------------------------------------
USA TODAY SAYS WE HAVE A LAB SAFETY PROBLEM, BUT WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, environmental
Live anthrax samples shipped across the country. Forgotten vials of smallpox. Lab employees exposed to anthrax bacteria. Bird flu samples contaminated with a deadly strain. Failed PPE and poor standards exposing clinical workers to Ebola.
These have been the headlines regarding lab safety in the last 12 months. For the most part, it hasn‰??t been a pretty picture. And it only got worse last month when Gannett‰??s USA Today released an investigative report titled ‰??Inside America‰??s secretive biolabs‰??Investigation reveals hundreds of accidents, safety violations and near misses put people at risk.‰??
Read more on the accidental shipment of anthrax samples
The largest point of contention highlighted in the USA Today report is the number of biosafety level 3 and biosafety level 4 labs in the U.S.‰??and, more importantly, that the names of these labs are not made public.
‰??Of particular concern are mishaps occurring at institutions working with the world's most dangerous pathogens in biosafety level 3 and 4 labs ‰?? the two highest levels of containment that have proliferated since the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. Yet there is no publicly available list of these labs, and the scope of their research and safety records are largely unknown to most state health departments charged with responding to disease outbreaks. Even the federal government doesn't know where they all are, the Government Accountability Office has warned for years,‰?? the report reads.
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ANNAVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIELD FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
The Annaville Fire Department was called out to a fire early Monday morning.
It happened around 9:30 a.m. on McKinzie Road. A chemical plant let out an emergency flare that caused a field to catch fire.
The Annaville Fire Department was able to put the flames out in about 15 minutes.
No one was injured and no crops in the field near by were lost to the flames.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN SPEEDWAY
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) ‰?? Emergency crews responded to a chemical spill at the Coca Cola plant in Speedway on Monday evening, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.
The Wayne Township Fire Department says the chemical has been identified as muriatic acid, which is also known as hydrochloric acid.
A tank outside of the building sprung a leak and an unknown amount of the chemical spilled onto the ground, according to Wayne Township FD officials.
What caused the tank to leak is still being determined.
The Coke plant was evacuated, but no one was injured.
---------------------------------------------
HOMEOWNERS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NE, public, release, response, solvent, styrene
Several Lincoln families had to be evacuated Monday morning, after dangerous chemicals seeped up into their homes. Lincoln Fire and Rescue were called to a home near 11th and Rose on reports of a strong chemical smell.
"The readings in one of the houses was significantly high, higher than expected levels or safe levels," Captain Brian Giles, Lincoln Fire and Rescue, said.
Homeowners in the area were worried about their health.
"It smelled like paint and it was very bad because I‰??m pregnant then we‰??ve got six other children in the house, it was just bad for us to be sitting in there, smelling it," Keavisha Mosley, a resident, said.
They had reason to be concerned, not only does it smell like rotten eggs, or paint thinner, but it can have several side effects.
"Styrene can cause eye irritation and nasal membrane, maybe some runny nose, some lung irritation," Harry Heafer, an Environmental Health Specialist who works for the city, said.
The cause was a routine sewer sanitation and re-lining happening about a block away that sent the Styrene fumes up homeowner‰??s pipes.
"When they inject steam into the sewer line and in that steam is a chemical called styrene,‰?? Giles said.
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CHEMICAL PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE HAD PAST PROBLEMS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
WALLER COUNTY, Texas -
A chemical plant fire that ignited Saturday night in rural Waller County happened at a facility that has been cited previously for violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Channel 2 Investigates has learned.
The Brookshire facility, which manufactures lubricants for oil pipelines, has been owned by a company called Flowchem since January 2012, according to the Texas secretary of state.
In April 2012, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality received a complaint regarding chemical storage at the facility. A subsequent investigation resulted in five separate violations.
At the time, the plant, was called MPower Specialty Chemicals.
A year earlier, in 2011, under different ownership, according to the CEO of Flowchem, OSHA found 14 serious violations regarding worker safety. The noted hazards included "failure to control combustible dust."
---------------------------------------------
SAN DIEGO 6 NEWS IS THE SOURCE FOR BREAKING NEWS, LOCAL AND EXCLUSIVE COMMUNITY-BASED STORIES, WEATHER, ENTERTAINMENT, AND DEALS. GET THE LATEST UPDATES ON NEWS, WEATHER & TRAFFIC, SPORTS AND EVENTS ON SANDIEGO6.COM
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, pool_chemicals
EL CAJON - A hazardous materials spill was reported Monday at an El Cajon pool supply company.
Around 5:30 a.m., workers at Abcana Industries discovered that a 4,000-gallon storage tank filled with bleach had been drained to half its capacity, Heartland Fire and Rescue spokesman Sonny Saghera said.
The 2,000 gallons of bleach went into a secondary containment area that also had a breech, and the chemical subsequently flowed into the storm drain and the company's parking lot at 545 W. Bradley Ave., Saghera said.
Heartland Fire and Rescue personnel were joined by San Diego County and city hazmat crews sent to the scene around 7:20 a.m. to clean up the spill, which was contained, Saghera said.
An environmental crew was on scene to finish cleaning up the hazardous pool chemical, Saghera said.
Pedestrians in the area said there is a prevalent smell of bleach in the air that burned both the eyes and the nostrils.
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CHEMICAL ODOR PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE TO FALMOUTH RESTAURANT
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, other_chemical
FALMOUTH ‰?? Hazardous Material technicians were called in after a chemical odor was reported in a Falmouth restaurant. Firefighters were called to Anejo Mexican Bistro at 188 Main Street just before 10 p.m. Monday evening. A Tier One hazmat response was ordered in an effort mitigate the fumes which may have been triggered by a reaction from cleaning solvents being mixed. No injuries were reported.
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1 DEAD, 2 SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER AMMONIA LEAK IN FORT ERIE FACTORY
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, death, ammonia
A contract worker has died and two more have been sent to hospital following an ammonia leak at a Fort Erie factory Monday.
Niagara Regional Police confirmed there was a fatality as the result of an ammonia leak at Rich Products of Canada, a food factory in Fort Erie near the U.S. Border.
Two more people were taken to hospital, however police said their injuries were "non life threatening" in a Facebook post Monday afternoon.
"We are heartbroken at the news today," said Dwight Gram, vice president of corporate communications for Rich Products, based in Buffalo, N.Y.
The company operates 36 plants with more than 10,000 employees across the globe, including a dessert plant in Woodbridge. The Fort Erie plant employs 285 workers, 85 of which were on site as well as 10 contract workers.
The man who died was one of those contract workers, and was in the "immediate area" of the leak, which began in the engine room.
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