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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 (18 articles)
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 06:41:55 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 02B98427-9F62-41E1-A31C-AF7CC8B27C4D**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, July 10, 2015 at 6:41:16 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 (18 articles)
FEDS FINE CHEMICAL COMPANY FOR LEAK THAT KILLED 4
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
WORKER HOSPITALIZED, RESIDENTS MOVED AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION AT HARTFORD SENIOR FACILITY
Tags: us_CT, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
COURT ADJOURNS HEARING IN LABORATORY BLAST DEATH CASE
Tags: Qatar, laboratory, follow-up, death, petroleum
THREE HURT AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION RELEASES TOXIC FUMES IN LABORATORY (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL LEVELS IN AFFECTED WELL GROWING, BUT NO NEW WELLS DETECTED
Tags: us_TN, transportation, follow-up, environmental, acrylonitrile
UPDATE: SMELL OF AMMONIA CAUSES EVACUATION OF CODY BANKS ARENA
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, ammonia
CREWS RESPOND TO NEW JERSEY WAWA AFTER PERSON DISPLAYS EBOLA-LIKE SYMPTOMS, TURNS OUT TO BE MALARIA
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response
SIX WORKERS OVERCOME BY FUMES AFTER UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR MELBOURNE AIRPORT
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
AMITYVILLE HOMES EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION AT SOAP FACTORY
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine
PERSON, 2 DOGS SUFFER CHEMICAL BURNS FROM PAINT REMOVER IN CHAPEL HILL
Tags: us_NC, public, release, injury, other_chemical
‰??SAFE‰?? SUBS FOR HARMFUL CHEMICAL IN PLASTICS MAY BE JUST AS RISKY TO HEALTH
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
MENARDS JOINS OTHER RETAILERS IN DROPPING PRODUCTS WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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
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FEDS FINE CHEMICAL COMPANY FOR LEAK THAT KILLED 4
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slapped DuPont Co. Thursday with a second fine for a November 2014 chemical leak that killed four workers.
OSHA has proposed a $273,000 fine for the leak of 20,000 lbs. of methyl mercaptan at a chemical manufacturing plant in Texas, accusing the company of various willful, serious and repeat violations of worker protection laws.
The Thursday announcement came just over a month after OSHA hit DuPont with a $99,000 fine over the same incident at the La Porte plant, citing different violations.
‰??DuPont promotes itself as having a ‰??world-class safety‰?? culture and even markets its safety expertise to other employers, but these four preventable workplace deaths and the very serious hazards we uncovered at this facility are evidence of a failed safety program,‰?? David Michaels, assistant secretary for occupational safety and health at the Labor Department, said in a statement.
‰??I hope that our continued scrutiny into this facility and into working conditions at other DuPont plants will mean no family ever suffers this loss again,‰?? he said.
In the November 2014 incident, a worker was overcome by the methyl mercaptan, leading three other workers to come to his rescue. All four died of asphyxiation from inhaling the gas.
OSHA has also placed DuPont in its ‰??Severe Violator Enforcement Program,‰?? which will subject it to more rigorous inspections of worker safety details.
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WORKER HOSPITALIZED, RESIDENTS MOVED AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION AT HARTFORD SENIOR FACILITY
Tags: us_CT, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
A maintenance worker was taken to the hospital and authorities evacuated two dozen residents of a Hartford senior living community after a mix of pool chemicals caused a reaction Thursday morning.
The chief executive officer of the Avery Heights senior living center at 705 New Britain Avenue said the company recently changed pool chemical vendors, which caused some confusion.
A maintenance worker mixed the wrong combination of substances as a result, which caused a reaction. Hartford firefighters said he inhaled the chemicals and was taken to Hartford Hospital for a medical evaluation. The worker showed symptoms but was alert when he got into the ambulance.
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COURT ADJOURNS HEARING IN LABORATORY BLAST DEATH CASE
Tags: Qatar, laboratory, follow-up, death, petroleum
A Doha Criminal Court has adjourned to Oct 25, the hearing of the case about an explosion in the laboratory of the branch campus of a foreign university killing one person, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday.
The explosion of an apparatus, which simulate the work of machines that separate gas from petroleum through air and water, resulted in the death of an Egyptian expatriate lab co-ordinator at Texas A&M University at Qatar.
The court heard the testimony of a number of witnesses.
One witness, who works at the university said that when the explosion took place, the lab in-charge came and calmed the other staff at the scene. Thereafter, he called the police. The witness confirmed that the apparatus was locally-manufactured in the Industrial Area and was subject to very high pressure. The other witness, an expert in the forensic lab, said the apparatus was subject to cold mechanical explosion.
He added that when he reviewed the emails of the victim with the manufacturer of the apparatus, he came across exchanges about cracks that needed repair.
The machine was however tested by the manufacturing company and installed in the lab.
Another email showed that the company tested the apparatus a day before the incident for potential leaks and a non-standard material was applied on it, to stop leaks between its joints. Yet, the machine was exposed to high pressure that led to its explosion, the daily added.
---------------------------------------------
THREE HURT AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION RELEASES TOXIC FUMES IN LABORATORY (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
THREE people were injured when a chemical reaction released toxic fumes into a laboratory.
The alarm was raised at 2.30pm on Tuesday and emergency services rushed to Oxford Science Park to find a chemical reaction had released dangerous fumes into Oxford Nanopore Technology‰??s offices.
Fire crews from Oxford, Kidlington and Abingdon made the area safe and began an emergency clean up operation while police cordoned off the offices at Edmund Cartwright House in Robert Robinson Avenue.
A total of 35 firefighters wearing gas-tight protective suits and using specialist hazardous materials equipment spent nearly nine hours dealing with the incident.
The toxic fumes were believed to have been released after an accident involving an acid and alcohol.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEVELS IN AFFECTED WELL GROWING, BUT NO NEW WELLS DETECTED
Tags: us_TN, transportation, follow-up, environmental, acrylonitrile
(WBIR-Maryville) Officials continue to test wells in the area of a CSX train derailment and chemical fire a week ago in Blount County.
So far, there have been 103 requests to test and monitor wells in the area of concern. Results for 81 of those have been returned, with no further detections of the chemical acrylonitrile.
However, the levels of acrylonitrile in a well closest to the derailment site continue to grow.
"CSX and TDEC continue to aggressively sample and monitor the area. Samples are being tested as quickly as possible and results will be shared as they are confirmed," according to a joint press release from officials in Blount County, Alcoa, and Maryville.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: SMELL OF AMMONIA CAUSES EVACUATION OF CODY BANKS ARENA
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, ammonia
Charlottetown fire fighters were called to Cody Banks Arena Tuesday where a report had come in of ammonia in the air.
Ammonia is a gas used in the refrigeration system of rinks to make ice and keep it cool.
The unit was shut down for the summer, said Deputy Chief Tim Mayme, but there was a slight smell of ammonia when there should be none.
Firefighters controlled the area, got clients out of the building, including a kick boxing club and people practicing roller derby, then stood by to escort some refrigeration technicians into the arena.
"It was a maintenance issue," said Mayme. "(Ammonia) never reached alarm levels."
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO NEW JERSEY WAWA AFTER PERSON DISPLAYS EBOLA-LIKE SYMPTOMS, TURNS OUT TO BE MALARIA
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response
Hazmat crews responded to a New Jersey Wawa after a man showed Ebola-like symptoms there, but police said officials don't believe the patient has the potentially deadly disease.
Rather, authorities said, the man is believed to be suffering from malaria, a mosquito-borne illness.
State and local police responded overnight Tuesday into Wednesday to what they called a hazmat situation at Squankum and East County Line roads in Lakewood Township, Ocean County.
Original reports stated the man had Ebola-like symptoms at a nearby condo complex, but Lakewood Police Chief Robert Lawson later clarified that the situation began around 9 p.m. Tuesday after a man began to vomit at a Wawa convenience store, causing someone to call 911.
---------------------------------------------
SIX WORKERS OVERCOME BY FUMES AFTER UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILL NEAR MELBOURNE AIRPORT
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Six people have been overcome by fumes after a chemical spill near Melbourne Airport this morning.
Fire crews from the Metropolitan Fire Service and Melbourne Airport were called to a freight storage property on Mace Way at around 2am this morning after the unidentified substance spilled.
The six workers were treated on scene and one was taken to hospital for observation.
The MFB declared the incident under control an hour later, but said it would take some time to clean up the spill once the substance has been identified.
The incident has not affected flights and is not believed to be suspicious.
---------------------------------------------
AMITYVILLE HOMES EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL REACTION AT SOAP FACTORY
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, response, chlorine
A plume of toxic gas flared over Amityville Village when a chemical reaction went wrong at a soap factory late Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
Scores of people were evacuated from the area surrounding Alpak Soap, which makes commercial-grade detergent, on Dixon Avenue and about 150 responders from 11 fire departments, as well as hazmat teams and arson detectives, raced to the scene, authorities said.
Alpak workers were mixing chemicals to create chlorine bleach, a process that requires "stirring or agitating" of the chemicals in a 1,200-pound tank, authorities said.
---------------------------------------------
PERSON, 2 DOGS SUFFER CHEMICAL BURNS FROM PAINT REMOVER IN CHAPEL HILL
Tags: us_NC, public, release, injury, other_chemical
CHAPEL HILL ‰?? The Chapel Hill Fire Department responded Wednesday morning to a Chapel Hill apartment complex after a strong chemical odor was reported.
At about 7:36 a.m., firefighters arrived at 111 Pinegate Circle and found that a contractor had used a paint remover chemical on the floors and stairwells of 11 apartment buildings.
The chemical was applied without notifying residents to be cautious, according to a news release from the Town of Chapel Hill.
One occupant and two dogs have suffered chemical burns, and 128 units are affected by the incident.
The fire department has called the Regional Response Hazmat Team to help.
---------------------------------------------
‰??SAFE‰?? SUBS FOR HARMFUL CHEMICAL IN PLASTICS MAY BE JUST AS RISKY TO HEALTH
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
To make matters worse, the study authors say that the process for substituting the chemicals used in manufacturing is fairly flawed, which is why we‰??re seeing harmful replacements. (Photo: Getty Images)
Replacing harmful chemicals used for manufacturing is a good thing, but not if those replacements produce the same effects. According to new research out of NYU Langone Medical Center, two such substitutes used to strengthen items like plastic wrap, food containers, and soap have been linked to a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure in children.
Lead study author Leonardo Trasande, MD, an associate professor at NYU Langone, and his team had previously found that the chemical di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, or DEHP, found in many plastic products was linked to these same risks. As a result of this research, DEHP has slowly been replaced by the phthalate compounds diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) over the last decade in the United States.
---------------------------------------------
MENARDS JOINS OTHER RETAILERS IN DROPPING PRODUCTS WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Menards said Wednesday it would stop selling vinyl flooring containing a toxic chemical ‰?? an apparent response to a public-relations campaign to pressure the Eau Claire-based company to join other retailers and end its use of the product.
Menards said it planned to stop selling any products containing phthalates (pronounced "tha-layts") at its home improvement stores by the end of year.
The toxic chemical compound has been banned by federal regulators from many children's products, but not flooring. The chemical has been linked to an array of reproductive and development problems in humans.
The Home Depot and Lowes ‰?? two of Menards' chief competitors ‰?? agreed this spring to phase out products containing the chemicals by the end of the year.
Phthalates are a family of chemical compounds that are used to make polyvinyl chloride or vinyl more flexible.
The concern by health and environmental groups is that phthalates can migrate from flooring and potentially harm children who are more vulnerable to exposure and are more apt to play on the floor.
---------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------
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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