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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 (15 articles)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2015 08:31:07 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 14E7D951-114D-4057-8266-0BA511C54A05**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 14, 2015 at 8:30:54 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__pinboard.in_u-3Adchas&d=BQIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=dvNX5-cnqxVNCPLDU-8g0re8VxfYHXxigaUf8nDTDXM&s=-im4iQ4aTRFOUi5digNhPMInkvnaYJBrk49tH7-EOkA&e=
Table of Contents (15 articles)
HUGE EXPLOSION ROCKS CHINESE PORT CITY
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, explosives, tnt
PACIFIC STEEL CONCERNED ABOUT INJURED EMPLOYEES AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, injury, chlorine, metals, waste
FIRE HITS CHEMICAL FACTORY IN NORTHWESTERN CZECH REPUBLIC
Tags: Czech_Republic, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
AS CHINA BLAST TOLL HITS 50, FEARS MOUNT OVER CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental, calcium_carbide, cyanide, sodium_cyanide, toluene, toxics
CHINA EXPLOSION COULD TRIGGER MORE BLASTS MILES AWAY
Tags: China, public, follow-up, response, chlorine, petroleum, solvent, toluene, toxics
WIDNES CHEMICAL SPILL ALERT IS OVER
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, chlorine
DUPONT AND THE CHEMISTRY OF DECEPTION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
EPA MONITORING RUNOFF AFTER INTENSE JACKSONVILLE CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
NSW MAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CONCORDIA METALS: CHEMICAL CAUSING STINK, BUT ISN‰??T DANGEROUS
Tags: us_MS, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
GRAND JURY TO CONSIDER CRIMINAL CHARGES IN FATAL ULTRATEC EXPLOS
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks, illegal
A FIREBALL EXPLODED IN THIS MAN'S FACE, AND NOW HE'S SUING THE NEARBY FRACKING OPERATION
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, injury, methane
TIANJIN, A PORT IN CHINA, IS ROCKED BY EXPLOSIONS THAT KILLED DOZENS
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL PLUME AT PACIFIC STEEL AND RECYCLING INJURES WORKERS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, chlorine, waste
CHEMICAL SPILL AT NORCOLD IN SIDNEY BRINGS HAZMAT CREW
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, other_chemical, irritant
---------------------------------------------
HUGE EXPLOSION ROCKS CHINESE PORT CITY
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, explosives, tnt
Two massive blasts at a hazardous chemical storage warehouse in Tianjin‰??s harbor killed at least 50 people and injured hundreds of others on Aug. 12. Victims were primarily firefighters and employees of cargo handling firms operating in the Chinese harbor.
Beijing Daily Group, a media group based in Beijing, reported that the first explosion had a force equivalent to 3 tons of TNT. The second blast, far larger, represented the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT. Chinese state media reported that windows were shattered on buildings miles away from the accident. Chinese TV news showed images of huge plumes of flames shooting into the sky.
The accident occurred in Binhai New Area at the company Ruihai Logistics, a freight handler that according to state media reports is authorized to manage dangerous goods. Authorities took in several of the company‰??s employees for questioning. The firm‰??s website became inaccessible after the blasts.
With a population of 15 million people, Tianjin is one of four cities directly managed by China‰??s national government. In a statement, Tianjin‰??s government said China‰??s President Xi Jinping had taken control of the situation. Xi issued several directives, notably ordering that the fire be rapidly put down and that those responsible be severely punished.
---------------------------------------------
PACIFIC STEEL CONCERNED ABOUT INJURED EMPLOYEES AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, injury, chlorine, metals, waste
SPOKANE, Wash. -
Confusion and questions remain at Pacific Steel and Recycling a day after a container that contained chlorine gas ruptured, sickening eight employees, leaving several of them in critical condition.
The incident happened Wednesday morning when a metal container ruptured and released chlorine gas into the air. By the time the gas settled more than two dozen people were affected by exposure to the gas, and several were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Pacific Steel and Recycling President and CEO Jeff Millhollin said Thursday in his more than 15 years in the business, he's never seen anything like this happen, and his company is now working to figure out what the chemical was, why it was at the plant and to look after the workers injured in the accident.
‰??Something back in our scrap metal processing area ruptured and we do know it was a yellowish greenish puff of something came up int he air. How it got opened or what it was, none of that stuff we don't know yet,‰?? he said.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE HITS CHEMICAL FACTORY IN NORTHWESTERN CZECH REPUBLIC
Tags: Czech_Republic, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
PRAGUE (AP) ‰?? An official says firefighters in northwestern Czech Republic have been battling a blaze in a chemical factory that broke after an explosion.
Firefighter spokesman Lukas Marvan said the explosion of propylene took place in the Unipetrol plant near the city of Litvinov Thursday morning.
Marvan said firefighters managed to get the conflagration under control after about four hours. Czech public television showed a huge fire and massive clouds of black smoke.
The broadcaster said one person and four firefighters had to be treated by emergency services.
Local authorities in Litvinov said no dangerous substances have been released but have recommended people to close windows and stay inside.
---------------------------------------------
AS CHINA BLAST TOLL HITS 50, FEARS MOUNT OVER CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental, calcium_carbide, cyanide, sodium_cyanide, toluene, toxics
An environmental expert says evacuation of the area around Wednesday‰??s mammoth warehouse blast in the Chinese port city of Tianjin is the ‰??main priority,‰?? and warned of the explosion‰??s long term consequences.
His words came as the death toll continued to rise, with at least 50 people dead and over 500 hospitalized, of which 71 are in critical condition, officials said Thursday. Several of the dead are reportedly firefighters.
‰??With a blast like this, normally you would expect the transport [of particulate matter] to be along the wind gradient or contours, but a blast this big must push it beyond that in the opposite direction,‰?? Ravi Naidu, Director of the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation at the University of Newcastle Australia, told TIME. ‰??Not just people but animals and other organisms would be exposed to certain chemicals.‰??
Rescue operations have been temporarily suspended while chemical teams scan the area for harmful materials as fears of airborne toxins mount.
‰??We are concerned that certain chemicals will continue to pose a risk to the residents of Tianjin,‰?? Greenpeace Asia‰??s Beijing office said to TIME in an emailed statement. ‰??According to the Tianjin Tanggu Environmental Monitoring Station, hazardous chemicals [that may have been at the blast site] include sodium cyanide (NaCN), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and calcium carbide (CaC2), all of which pose direct threats to human health on contact. NaCN in particular is highly toxic. Ca(C2) and TDI react violently with water and reactive chemicals, with risk of explosion. This will present a challenge for firefighting and, with rain forecast for tomorrow, is a major hazard.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CHINA EXPLOSION COULD TRIGGER MORE BLASTS MILES AWAY
Tags: China, public, follow-up, response, chlorine, petroleum, solvent, toluene, toxics
People up to 20 miles away from the site of the chemical explosions that devastated the Chinese port city of Tianjin could be in danger from the fallout.
‰??People within the first couple of miles [surrounding the blast] could be severely endangered from poisonous gas,‰?? says Rick Hind, legislative director of Greenpeace‰??s toxics campaign. Investigators have set up 12 air-quality monitoring stations that have shown levels of toluene, used in solvents and gas to improve octane ratings, that surpass the national standard. Prolonged exposure to the chemical can harm the central nervous system or respiratory system.
‰??It would be harmful if you breathe in [this toxic air] for a long time,‰?? Wen Wurui, the head of Tianjin‰??s environmental protection bureau, told the BBC. ‰??But at present, it has not exceeded [the standard] too much based on our monitoring.‰??
Hind says the bigger risk in the world‰??s 10th-largest port‰??beyond airborne chemicals‰??are any other petrochemicals being stored and transported in the area. ‰??The first mile or two is key. As we saw in video, whole buildings collapsed a mile away. If there was another tank of poisonous gas, like chlorine, then more people could be at risk.
---------------------------------------------
WIDNES CHEMICAL SPILL ALERT IS OVER
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, chlorine
A chemical alert on a Widnes industrial estate is over.
Roads were closed and residents warned to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors shut after chlorine leaked into the drains of the Hale Bank estate at around 11am today.
Ambulances stood by and for a while the police helicopter circled overhead. Cheshire Fire Service confirmed there had been a release of chlorine into the drains but it was confined to the surface water drainage system and there was no risk of it reaching the mains water supply.
Just after 5pm a spokesman said fire fighters had safely flushed the drains and it was confirmed there was no longer any trace of the chemical. All road closures and restrictions are lifted.
---------------------------------------------
DUPONT AND THE CHEMISTRY OF DECEPTION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
much about chemicals like C8. One of tens of thousands of unregulated industrial chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA ‰?? also called C8 because of the eight-carbon chain that makes up its chemical backbone ‰?? had gone unnoticed for most of its eight or so decades on earth, even as it helped cement the success of one of the world‰??s largest corporations.
Several blockbuster discoveries, including nylon, Lycra, and Tyvek, helped transform the E. I. du Pont de Nemours company from a 19th-century gunpowder mill into ‰??one of the most successful and sustained industrial enterprises in the world,‰?? as its corporate website puts it. Indeed, in 2014, the company reaped more than $95 million in sales each day. Perhaps no product is as responsible for its dominance as Teflon, which was introduced in 1946, and for more than 60 years C8 was an essential ingredient of Teflon.
Called a ‰??surfactant‰?? because it reduces the surface tension of water, the slippery, stable compound was eventually used in hundreds of products, including Gore-Tex and other waterproof clothing; coatings for eye glasses and tennis rackets; stain-proof coatings for carpets and furniture; fire-fighting foam; fast food wrappers; microwave popcorn bags; bicycle lubricants; satellite components; ski wax; communications cables; and pizza boxes.
---------------------------------------------
EPA MONITORING RUNOFF AFTER INTENSE JACKSONVILLE CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
JACKSONVILLE, TX (KLTV) -
The Jacksonville Fire Marshall‰??s Office and the EPA have been investigating the cause of a large industrial fire, which led to multiple explosions early Wednesday morning. Those explosions could be seen from miles away.
The fire began around midnight at Century Industrial Coating off U.S. highway 69 in Jacksonville.
One Jacksonville resident says from a distance, she thought what she heard could have been a gun shot, until the sound repeated itself.
‰??I'm partially deaf so I really don't hear a lot of anything in my right ear, but yes, it was roaring,‰?? said resident Jammie Cody.
One nearby facility supervisor said he and his employees were forced to evacuate as the fire gained strength.
‰??Everybody's reaction was ‰??what's happening‰?? ‰??what's going on?‰??‰?? said Maintenance Supervisor Marshall Whiteley. ‰??It was pretty shocking.‰??
---------------------------------------------
NSW MAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A man has been taken to hospital after 40 litres of an unknown chemical leaked from a large drum at a truck transport centre in Sydney's west.
Emergency services and HAZMAT officers were called to the Chipping Norton premises at 7am on Thursday, said Fire & Rescue NSW.
A 45-year-old man was washed down and taken to Liverpool Hospital as a precaution, while 20 staff members were evacuated.
Four fire crews have contained the spill and are working to decontaminate the transport premises.
---------------------------------------------
CONCORDIA METALS: CHEMICAL CAUSING STINK, BUT ISN‰??T DANGEROUS
Tags: us_MS, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
VIDALIA ‰?? A scrap tank containing the chemical used to scent natural gas has filled the air around the Concordia Metal scrapyard with the smell of gas, but there is no danger, a company spokesman said.
The company did not know the tank had the chemical in and accidentally released it when unloading the tank, which was brought from a pipeline scrap operation, spokesman Jim Smith said.
The Department of Environmental Quality has investigated the tank and there is no danger of explosion and the fumes are not toxic, Smith said.
The smell is expected to dissipate by tomorrow, he said.
---------------------------------------------
GRAND JURY TO CONSIDER CRIMINAL CHARGES IN FATAL ULTRATEC EXPLOS
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, death, fireworks, illegal
MADISON COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
The results of an investigation into the explosion and fire at a Madison County fireworks plant will now be turned over to the Madison County grand jury.
‰??The results of the joint investigation of the explosion and fire at Ultratec will be turned over to the Madison County grand jury to consider any possible criminal charges,‰?? said state fire marshal Ed Paulk.
There was an explosion at Ultratec Special Effects on Feb. 6 that killed two people and left others with burns. Ultratec was cited by OSHA for 13 serious safety violations. You can see those violations here.
The plant has a history of multiple explosions and fires. There have been five incidents at the plant dating back to 1999. That year, one person died in an explosion at the plant when the business was called LunaTech.
The next incident happened in 2010. A a chemical fire damaged the building, but no one was hurt. In 2012, a chemical fire injured one person. Then in 2013, two people were hurt in an explosion. The blast destroyed a building. In 2014, another fire and explosion happened, but nobody was injured.
---------------------------------------------
A FIREBALL EXPLODED IN THIS MAN'S FACE, AND NOW HE'S SUING THE NEARBY FRACKING OPERATION
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, injury, methane
A Texas man is suing a group of fracking companies after burns from a methane explosion near his house allegedly hospitalized him for a week, burned his family, and caused permanent damage.
Cody Murray, 38, and his father, wife, and four-year-old daughter were all burned by a ‰??fireball‰?? after methane built up in his pump house and exploded when Murray entered the shed to check on a water issue. The lawsuit, filed last week against EOG Resources, Fairway Resources LLC, and three subsidiaries of Fairway, alleges the methane was from the defendants‰?? fracking wells just 1,000 feet from Murray‰??s house, which sits 35 miles outside Fort Worth.
‰??At the flip of the switch, Cody heard a ‰??whooshing‰?? sound, which he instantly recognized from his work in the oil and gas industry, and instinctively picked his father up and physically threw him back and away from the entryway to the pump house,‰?? the complaint states. ‰??In that instant, a giant fireball erupted from the pump house, burning Cody and [his father], who were at the entrance to the pump house, as well as Ashley and A.M., who were approximately twenty feet away.‰??
---------------------------------------------
TIANJIN, A PORT IN CHINA, IS ROCKED BY EXPLOSIONS THAT KILLED DOZENS
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
TIANJIN, China ‰?? Thunderous, fiery explosions at a warehouse containing hazardous goods traumatized this northeast port city late Wednesday, killing at least 44 people, injuring at least 400, shattering glass on scores of high-rise buildings and causing other extensive damage.
The force of the blasts registered on earthquake scales and was felt miles away.
As of Thursday morning, an unknown number of people remained unaccounted for in the wreckage, the Tianjin Police Department said in a statement, and 32 of the injured were in critical condition. The official Xinhua news agency later reported that 12 firefighters were among the dead. The toll was expected to rise.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL PLUME AT PACIFIC STEEL AND RECYCLING INJURES WORKERS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, chlorine, waste
SPOKANE, Wash. -
Update: The Spokane Fire Department is releasing the four block restriction around the Pacific Steel and Recycling Building located at 11114 N. Ralph Wednesday evening. The Pacific Steel building itself will still be closed to non-emergency personnel until the Department of Ecology personnel have had time to evaluate the scene.
Fire officials are confident that the gas released was chlorine and not arsenic trichloride as previously reported. Chlorine dissipates quickly and fire personnel monitoring air quality in the area have found no residual chlorine particulates.
Previous coverage:
Emergency responders from several agencies were called to Pacific Steel Wednesday morning for a haz-mat investigation.
Spokane Police say workers were handling a barrel Wednesday morning and it was punctured, releasing a large plume of yellow vapor. Right workers at the plant were immediately affected by the unknown chemical. The plume was carried by winds and settled on a City owned facility a few blocks away. 17 City workers outside were affected.
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CHEMICAL SPILL AT NORCOLD IN SIDNEY BRINGS HAZMAT CREW
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, other_chemical, irritant
The chemical spill at Norcold Inc. has triggered a shelter-in-place order until further notice for residents living within a mile radius south of the facility, Sidney Fire Chief Brad Jones said.
The spill of the liquid form of isocyanate, used for expanded foam insulation inside air conditioning units, prompted the order because of the wind direction, Jones said.
Crews aren‰??t sure of the size of the spill, he said, and there have been no reported injuries, but the spill was large enough to trigger the order that residents close all windows and doors and have no open flames in their homes until further notice.
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, isocyanates are a family of highly reactive, low molecular weight chemicals. They are widely used in the manufacture of flexible and rigid foams, fibers, coatings such as paints and varnishes, and elastomers, and are increasingly used in the automobile industry, autobody repair, and building insulation materials.
Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the mucous membranes of the eyes and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, according to NIOSH. Direct skin contact can also cause marked inflammation. Isocyanates can also sensitize workers, making them subject to severe asthma attacks if they are exposed again.
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Ralph Stuart
secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Secretary
Division of Chemical Health and Safety
American Chemical Society
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