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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: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 03:45:04 -0600
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: F95DAA60-1F1D-4F0D-BCC4-5F350436D895**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, December 14, 2015 at 3:44:47 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=Efutxe2jjkyJb3IBs4osUJ1JOlD68Y_DG1L5IPkxac4&s=KHseeQP6PAmCO0bWoAiIapSndrEL3npHEoUhavLdEk0&e=
Table of Contents (13 articles)
MINOR FIRE REPORTED AT WASHINGTON COUNTY CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CREWS CLEAN UP LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL IN SW OKC
Tags: us_OK, transportation, release, response, corrosives, peroxide
SHOULD A UCLA PROFESSOR BE FORGIVEN FOR THE HORRIFIC DEATH OF HIS LAB ASSISTANT?
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death, other_chemical
IN OHIO‰??S ‰??CHEMICAL VALLEY,‰?? A DEBATE OVER GOOD JOBS AND BAD HEALTH
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical
ONE INJURED AFTER FIRE IN EDGEWOOD: OFFICIALS
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
TWO TOP SANTA CLARA WASTE WATER OFFICIALS ARRESTED AGAIN ON NEW CHARGES
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, illegal
AAAS FELLOWSHIP DECISION CRITICIZED
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, illegal
FIRE OFFICIALS: MD. HOUSE FIRE SPARKED BY HOVERBOARD
Tags: us_MD, public, follow-up, environmental
CHOBANI WORKER TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES IN CHEMICAL BURN
Tags: us_ID, industrial, release, injury, cleaners
PROPANE LEAK SHUTS DOWN U.S. 41 NEAR NORTH PORT
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane
POWAY COMPNAY FINED, CITED FOR JUNE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
SHOULD ALDOT BETTER ENFORCE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ROUTES AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL?
Tags: us_AL, transportation, follow-up, environmental
AIRLINES ARE BANNING ‰??HOVERBOARDS‰?? AFTER FIRES TRIGGER SAFETY CONCERNS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, batteries
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MINOR FIRE REPORTED AT WASHINGTON COUNTY CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. ‰??A chemical plant caught fire in South Strabane Township on Sunday morning.
The Township Fire Department said when personnel arrived to the plant on State Route 136, they saw fire coming from the roof of Washington Penn Plastic.
Several workers were inside and were all evacuated safely.
The fire department said a machine ventilation system caught on fire inside the plant. The fire was contained to the system.
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CREWS CLEAN UP LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL IN SW OKC
Tags: us_OK, transportation, release, response, corrosives, peroxide
OKLAHOMA CITY - It took more than nine hours for crews to finish cleaning up a chemical spill in Southwest OKC.
Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed the road at southbound I-44 and westbound I-240 following an accident in which over 1,200 gallons of highly corrosive organic peroxide spilled.
The roadway was re-opened around 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
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SHOULD A UCLA PROFESSOR BE FORGIVEN FOR THE HORRIFIC DEATH OF HIS LAB ASSISTANT?
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death, other_chemical
A professor whose lack of safety precautions led to the gruesome death of a young lab assistant in 2008 has received a prestigious fellowship from the country‰??s largest scientific society‰??a fellowship that critics say he doesn‰??t deserve.
In late November, Patrick Harran, a chemistry professor at UCLA, was selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to become a AAAS fellow for 2015, an award given to scientists who make notable contributions to their field.
The appointment has been met with backlash from scientists on small blogs and on Twitter. But it wasn‰??t until earlier this week that the real blowback came‰??from none other that the family of Sherharbano Sangji, a lab assistant of Harran‰??s who was killed in a fire in 2008. In a letter addressed to the president and the chairman of AAAS, Sangji‰??s family called Harran an ‰??unethical scientist‰?? and demanded that the organization revoke Harran‰??s fellowship.
‰??Patrick Harran, the epitome of laboratory safety failures, is the farthest one could be from a mentor or role model. It was in reach of honors such as the one you offer that he recklessly ordered Sheri to her death. With his conduct in direct contradiction to your stated goal of promoting and defending ‰??the integrity of science,‰?? we ask that you formally revoke your offer of fellowship to Patrick Harran....No one should suffer the way Sheri did. No family should have to deal with our loss.‰??
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IN OHIO‰??S ‰??CHEMICAL VALLEY,‰?? A DEBATE OVER GOOD JOBS AND BAD HEALTH
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical
Loyalty to the plants runs deep in Belpre, one of several towns strung along the ‰??Chemical Valley‰?? on the Ohio-West Virginia border. For decades, the plants have provided good jobs paying as much as $35 an hour in a hard-luck part of Appalachia where people have few other prospects for employment.
But in October, a jury blamed C8 for causing kidney cancer in a woman who lived downriver in Coolville and ordered the chemical giant DuPont to pay her $1.6 million. A second case is set to go to trial in March and, with 3,500 other plaintiffs waiting in the wings, the verdict has sparked less hope for the environment than anxiety about the region‰??s future.
‰??I‰??m not trying to put economy over health, but if DuPont would close, people will leave,‰?? said Belpre Mayor Michael Lorentz, 65. ‰??With this C8 case, no one wins, everyone loses.‰??
A view of the Ohio River‰??s ‰??Chemical Valley.‰?? (Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post)
The sense of unease has been stoked by an unnerving development: On July 1, DuPont spun off a separate company to run its sprawling Washington Works across the river from Belpre, near Parkersburg, W.Va. For the first time in most people‰??s lives, the iconic DuPont sign is gone, replaced by a flimsy banner that advertises the new company name, Chemours.
Many suspect the move is aimed at helping DuPont limit the economic fallout from the coming Teflon trials, though Chemours spokeswoman Janet Smith denied that is the case. Smith also said Chemours has ‰??no plans to stop our operations at the Washington Works site‰?? ‰?? one of the region‰??s largest employers, with about 1,700 workers.
‰??Chemours is confident that DuPont acted reasonably and responsibly at each stage in the long history of C8, placing high priority on the health of its employees and the community,‰?? Smith said. ‰??DuPont never believed that the extremely low levels of C8 that reached the community would cause any harm.‰??
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ONE INJURED AFTER FIRE IN EDGEWOOD: OFFICIALS
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
EDGEWOOD, MD - One person was hospitalized after a Friday morning fire in Edgewood that involved a reported explosion, according to Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.
At 7:40 a.m. on Friday, crews responded to a fire alarm that had gone off at Smiths Detection in the 2200 block of Lakeside Boulevard, Gardiner said.
On the way to the scene, crews learned of a possible explosion inside the building, according to Gardiner.
Smith‰??s Detection is a defense contractor focused on technological solutions to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.
At the scene, crews found the sprinkler system in the building had contained the fire, and one person was injured, according to Gardiner. The victim was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment, Gardiner said.
‰??The incident involved an oven that was being used to dry materials used in product development,‰?? Gardiner said.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal was investigating the cause of the fire, according to Gardiner.
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TWO TOP SANTA CLARA WASTE WATER OFFICIALS ARRESTED AGAIN ON NEW CHARGES
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, response, illegal
Two top Santa Clara Waste Water Co. officials were arrested Friday on new criminal charges related to hazardous materials district attorney investigators say were still being stored at the company's facility a year after a toxic explosion and chemical spill.
Santa Clara Waste Water CEO William Mitzel and Marlene Faltemier, assistant general manager, were arrested and booked at the county's main jail on 11 criminal charges, including felony reckless disregard for handling hazardous waste causing unreasonable risk, conspiracy to commit a crime, unlawful disposal of hazardous waste and submitting false statements.
Mitzel and Faltemier also face special allegations that the crimes were committed while they were out on bail on a separate but related case, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jan Maurizi said. The two were arrested earlier this year on separate charges stemming from the November 2014 explosion.
Mitzel and Faltemier were in custody as of Friday in lieu of $500,000 bail. They are scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
Santa Clara Waste Water and its parent company, Green Compass, also were charged in the case, with an arraignment scheduled Dec. 18.
Maurizi said investigators on Nov. 5 found more than 5,000 gallons of hazardous materials, including a corrosive industrial cleaning product identified as Saxon, at the facility at 815 Mission Rock Road near Santa Paula.
Jeff Barry, a district attorney investigator, wrote in a search warrant that the chemicals found inside a metal storage container are caustic and "can create strong heat reactions" when mixed with incompatible acids.
---------------------------------------------
AAAS FELLOWSHIP DECISION CRITICIZED
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, illegal
Biochemist Patrick Harran of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has been named one of the fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for 2015. Harran joins 346 other fellows from diverse disciplines and from institutions across the nation for their ‰??contributions to innovation, education, and scientific leadership.‰??
But Harran‰??s election is being criticized due his role in a tragedy that unfolded in his lab seven years ago. On December 29, 2008, Harran‰??s research assistant, 23-year-old Sheharbano ‰??Sheri‰?? Sangji, was badly burned in a fire that engulfed her clothes and body as she handled a dangerous chemical, tert-butyllithium. Sangji, who was not wearing the proper protective lab coat as she conducted the experiment, died from her injuries 18 days later. In 2011, Harran was charged with three felony counts of health and safety code violations that contributed to the tragic accident. Avoiding jail time, Harran was forced to pay $10,000 and served 800 hours of community service, in addition to other penalties.
Sangji‰??s family has written a letter to Gerald Fink, president of AAAS, Phillip Sharp, chairman of the association‰??s board of directors, and members of the AAAS council, asking that they reconsider their decision to honor Harran. ‰??No family should have to deal with our loss,‰?? Naveen Sangji and M. Hussain Sangji wrote on behalf of the Sangji family. ‰??And certainly, no principal investigator who runs their laboratory in a criminally negligent manner as Patrick Harran has should be bestowed with any awards. We respectfully request that you refuse to honor the unsafe science conducted by an unethical scientist.‰??
Ginger Pinholster, AAAS director in the office of public programs, told UCLA‰??s Daily Bruin that the decision to award Harran a fellowship was tied only to his scientific achievements. ‰??(Selection as a fellow) doesn‰??t reflect behavior or other issues,‰?? Pinholster told the campus newspaper. According to the Daily Bruin, Harran could not be reached for comment.
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FIRE OFFICIALS: MD. HOUSE FIRE SPARKED BY HOVERBOARD
Tags: us_MD, public, follow-up, environmental
GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Montgomery County fire officials issued a warning Friday about a gift item that‰??s on many holiday wish lists this year. According to officials, hoverboards and other motorized scooters like them have the potential to cause fires.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said Friday in a blog post that a fire that sparked at a Gaithersburg home last month was caused by a hoverboard. They said the November 8 blaze started in an upstairs bedroom at the home on Mineral Springs Drive and was quickly put out.
Eleven-year-old Ryan has a new room and bed after firefighters say the hoverboard ignited without warning, destroying everything in its path.
The souped-up scooter caught fire and zoomed under Ryan‰??s bed. He received the hoverboard in October as a birthday gift. Less than a month later, it burst into flames.
Lead fire investigator Kevin Frazier said it took a month to connect the dots and determine the hoverboard caused the fire inside the Gaithersburg home.
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CHOBANI WORKER TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES IN CHEMICAL BURN
Tags: us_ID, industrial, release, injury, cleaners
TWIN FALLS ‰?¢ A worker at the Chobani factory was treated for minor injuries after being burned by a cleaning solution Friday afternoon.
The Twin Falls Fire Department was dispatched to the factory on Kimberly Road at 3:18 p.m. for reports of a worker who was burned by chemicals, Battalion Chief Ron Aguirre said. The chemical turned out to be sodium hydroxide, a chemical common in soap, detergents and drain cleaners.
‰??The burns were not serious from a fire department standpoint,‰?? Aguirre said. ‰??The worker was taken to the hospital to be treated.‰??
Sodium hydroxide can be ‰??very hazardous in case of skin contact,‰?? according to a federally-produced material safety data sheet that Aguirre referenced.
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PROPANE LEAK SHUTS DOWN U.S. 41 NEAR NORTH PORT
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane
SARASOTA COUNTY - U.S. 41 was shut down in both directions Thursday afternoon and some people were evacuated after about 800 gallons of liquid propane leaked near a RV park to the west of North Port, Sarasota County spokesman Jason Bartolone said.
The leaked propane was from a ‰??small tanker truck‰?? pumping the fuel to be used by the Myakka River RV Resort, Bartolone said.
First responders evacuated about 30 residents at the RV park, Bartolone said. He anticipated they could come back to their homes on Thursday night.
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POWAY COMPNAY FINED, CITED FOR JUNE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury
POWAY ‰?? State regulators have cited and fined a high-tech energy storage company in Poway $58,025 in connection with a June 10 explosion that injured four workers, blew part of the roof off a building, and sent people from neighboring offices running in fear.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) this week issued 16 health and safety violations against Quantum Energy Storage Corp., following a six-month investigation into the blast at the company‰??s warehouse on Gregg Street, a few blocks east of Home Depot and Costco in the Poway Business Park.
The explosion occurred when a nearly 7-foot wide, 11,000 pound metal flywheel spinning at 6,000 rotations per minute failed, Cal/OSHA said. The flywheel came loose from its moorings and crashed into the sides of a concrete vault installed in the warehouse for tests of the energy storage system. The damage to the building, including a hole that was blown through the roof, caused the structure to be deemed uninhabitable for a time. At least one piece of metal shrapnel flew more than two blocks in the air.
None of the injuries were life-threatening. One worker broke an ankle, the other three suffered only minor cuts and abrasions.
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SHOULD ALDOT BETTER ENFORCE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ROUTES AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL?
Tags: us_AL, transportation, follow-up, environmental
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) ‰?? Almost 24 hours after a truck caught on fire after leaking chemicals, there are conflicting reports about exactly how the accident happened.
However, research suggests there‰??s a possibility a truck carrying hazardous material should have never been on that stretch of I-20/59.
PHOTOS | 18 wheeler catches fire after crash, chemical leak
Wednesday evening was an absolute mess after a portion of the interstate was shut down because of the hazmat situation. The truck later caught fire and exploded. Reportedly, hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide combusted, causing the explosion.
‰??That‰??s when it really gets tricky is when you get a hazardous material load, people don‰??t understand that could pose a real big risk,‰?? said Franklin Jenkins, a truck driver.
According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, numbers show in 2015 alone there have been 21 incidents in Birmingham involving hazardous materials. Add Wednesday‰??s chemical spill, and the number rises to 22.
‰??Especially if it‰??s a tanker and you‰??re carrying hazardous material, there are guys that get in a big hurry and they don‰??t close the valve caps the way they should be,‰?? said Jenkins. He also added that usually drivers should check their valves every 50 to 100 miles.
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AIRLINES ARE BANNING ‰??HOVERBOARDS‰?? AFTER FIRES TRIGGER SAFETY CONCERNS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, batteries
Hoverboards have gone from a hot gift this holiday season to literally the hottest gift this month as regulators are investigating reports of the batteries catching on fire, raising safety concerns about the devices.
Delta, American and United announced Thursday afternoon they are restricting the electric scooters from flights, joining British Airways, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue. United‰??s policy is immediate, Delta‰??s takes effect Friday and American on Saturday. Also, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating at least 10 hoverboard fires in nine states.
‰??We want to get to the bottom of what‰??s going on with these products,‰?? said spokeswoman Patty Davis.
The organization started receiving reports in August of emergency-room trips as consumers suffered injuries after falling off the self-balancing scooters. But reports of fires also began to emerge ‰?? some of which have happened while the devices are charging. Several of these incidents were caught on video. And now safety experts are warning that some manufacturers may be cutting corners to meet demand for the popular toy this holiday season.
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