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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: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 07:01:22 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 2F24206E-91EB-418D-A76E-1919EF45F8D0**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, December 21, 2015 at 7:01:03 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=Mcr34kHlReVgHbSkfuiQx_zKHUWDOEqVc3PTmTxv9Xc&s=Y7Bl6oJjkHrm71jaw5K-n2II8hj7bvK9j0XMTM_6j5k&e=
Table of Contents (18 articles)
FIRE, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CONTAINED AFTER GRAND HAVEN FACTORY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
FIRE INSPECTOR INVESTIGATING DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE FOUND IN APARTMENT WALL
Tags: us_NE, public, discovery, response, bomb, explosives, gas_cylinders, illegal
CHINA UNI STUDENT KILLED IN CHEMISTRY LAB BLAST, ASIAONE ASIA NEWS
Tags: China, laboratory, explosion, death, butyllithium, flammables
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION IGNITES 3-ALARM FIRE IN SOUTHWEST FRESNO
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, paints
5 WORKERS AT CHEMICAL PLANT DEVELOP CANCER
Tags: Japan, industrial, discovery, response, amines, dye
SCIENCE BLOGGERS' SELF-PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION ROLES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
MARIETTA AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY EXPLOSION KILLS RESEARCHER AS LAB EXPERIMENT GOES WRONG: SHANGHAIIST
Tags: China, laboratory, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
JULY TRIAL SCHEDULED IN FREEDOM CHEMICAL LEAK LAWSUIT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
OKLAHOMA CITY-BASED LSB INDUSTRIES DISCOVERS LEAK AT ALABAMA CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, ammonia, hydrogen
ONE PERSON HOSPITALIZED AFTER VOLATILE CHEMICAL REACTION IN AURORA
Tags: us_CO, industrial, explosion, injury, oxidizer
FRENCH INVESTIGATORS LAUNCH PROBE INTO CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE AT A PARIS-AREA SYNAGOGUE
Tags: France, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
ONE PERSON KILLED AFTER EXPLOSION AT TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY LABORATORY IN BEIJING
Tags: China, laboratory, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
SCIENCE HALLS AT MCDANIEL CLOSED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
PEPPER SPRAY MAY HAVE CAUSED ODOR AT LINDEN H.S.
Tags: us_NJ, education, release, injury, pepper_spray
CIGARETTE SPARKS CHEMICAL EXPLOSION, INJURES 2 AT N.J. COUNTY COLLEGE
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
AFTER ROCKY ROAD, U.S. SENATE PASSES LANDMARK CHEMICAL LAW OVERHAUL
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED BY RACINE FIRE
Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, response, corrosives, sodium_hydroxide
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FIRE, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CONTAINED AFTER GRAND HAVEN FACTORY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
GRAND HAVEN, MI ‰?? The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety and Ottawa County Hazmat team responded to the scene of an explosion at a factory Friday evening.
The explosion and fire occurred 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 at PolyPly on Marion Avenue in Grand Haven. The cause of the explosion and fire remain under investigation.
The explosion occurred in the southwest corner of the facility, according to a news release posted on the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety's facebook page.
Officers made entry into the building and extinguished a fire. Chemicals used in PolyPly's manufacturing process complicated the fire response, but the hazardous materials were contained inside the building.
The Ottawa County Hazmat Team conducted testing inside the building, as well as monitored the air outside, according to the Department of Public Safety. One Grand Haven DPS Firefighter was transported to the Northwest Ottawa Community Health System for observation after complaining of dizziness.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE INSPECTOR INVESTIGATING DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE FOUND IN APARTMENT WALL
Tags: us_NE, public, discovery, response, bomb, explosives, gas_cylinders, illegal
LINCOLN, Neb. A destructive device found inside a Lincoln apartment complex is now being investigated further.
Fire Inspector Damon Robbins said workers removing drywall from an apartment at the Chateau La Fleur Apartments on N. 63rd Street found the device on the floor. Inspector Robbins said they believe the device came from inside the wall.
The workers called police to report what they found. LFR, LPD and Fire Inspector Robbins responded on Friday and secured the scene. After searching the apartment nothing else was found inside.
LFR remotely recovered the device and put it in what they call a fragmentation bag. Inspector Robbins said the previous tenant had a history of illegal substance abuse and there were hidden spaces in the wall used to store things.
Inspector Robbins said the device was a four inch long cylinder that has a three inch fuse coming out of one of the ends.
LPD is now investigating who lived in the apartments previously.
Inspector Robbins said LFR will continue to investigate the device to see find out what material is on the inside to see if it is energetic or not. Whether it is or not, it is still a felony to possess or use it. Even if it is a hoax device and there are no explosives inside, it is still a felony.
Inspector Robbins said a destructive device can be classified as any explosive chemical, bomb, grenade, missile, booby trap or Molotov cocktail.
---------------------------------------------
CHINA UNI STUDENT KILLED IN CHEMISTRY LAB BLAST, ASIAONE ASIA NEWS
Tags: China, laboratory, explosion, death, butyllithium, flammables
A postdoctoral student was killed by a chemical explosion in a laboratory at Tsinghua University in Beijing on Friday morning.
The blast occurred on the second floor of Ho Tim Building, where graduate and postdoctoral students from Department of Chemistry conduct research.
"I heard a loud sound while I was in the dormitory, and I later saw black smoke coming from the building," a student surnamed Chen told Beijing News.
A teacher at the scene told The Mirror on condition of anonymity that the blast victim was Meng Xiangjian, 32, who was working with Tert-butyl lithium, a highly flammable compound that spontaneously burns upon exposure to air.
All the other students and faculty members in the lab building were safely evacuated after the explosion.
A strong odour lingered in the air hours after the fire was put out in the afternoon.
Min Guisen, a sophomore chemistry major at the university, said: "We have strict guidelines and standard operating procedures for every experiment we conducted in class. We conduct our experiments under the guidance of either a professor or a professor's research assistant."
Min said that hazardous chemicals are carefully stored in the building and cannot be used without permit.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION IGNITES 3-ALARM FIRE IN SOUTHWEST FRESNO
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, paints
An explosion in a southwest Fresno chemical manufacturing plant nearly caught firefighters in a blinding fireball Friday night in what ended up being a three-alarm fire.
Fresno fire Battalion Chief Todd Tuggle said the fire was reported around 10 p.m. at General Coatings Manufacturing Corp. near North and Orange avenues.
The company‰??s website says it sells foam insulation and other coating products. The chemical that caught fire was actually a fire retardant that is designed to suppress flames.
The chemical is generally kept warm by a machine, but fire investigators believe that the system malfunctioned, causing several barrels to overheat and catch fire.
As soon as firefighters began to hose down the flames, the explosion occurred.
‰??There was a fireball that erupted at them. They described it as a concussion grenade,‰?? Tuggle said. ‰??The sound was enormous. There was an extremely loud explosion that happened in front of them.‰??
THERE WAS A FIREBALL THAT ERUPTED AT THEM. THEY DESCRIBED IT AS A CONCUSSION GRENADE.
Fresno fire Battalion Chief Todd Tuggle
Firefighters were rotated to minimize exposure to the chemical. Many had to be hosed down and their clothing set aside because of possible contaminants. The firefighters who had been exposed had to be stripped down and washed off outside as the temperature plummeted to 39 degrees.
Four fire crews were inspected for contamination, Tuggle said.
‰??It was a very dangerous moment for a brief period of time while our teams regrouped and we brought in additional resources,‰?? Tuggle said.
About 12 engines, three trucks, two battalion chiefs, the full Type 1 hazmat team and EMS were on scene.
---------------------------------------------
5 WORKERS AT CHEMICAL PLANT DEVELOP CANCER
Tags: Japan, industrial, discovery, response, amines, dye
TOKYO (Jiji Press) ‰?? Five male workers at a chemical plant, including one who has already quit, have developed bladder cancer, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Friday.
The five worked at a section handling a type of aromatic amines, which is a suspected carcinogen, the ministry said. The plant has about 40 workers.
The ministry stopped short of disclosing the name and location of the plant, which makes chemical materials for colorants and pigments, saying that it is still investigating the case.
The ministry called on industry groups to take thorough measures to prevent exposure to such substances, such as ensuring ventilation and having workers wear face masks.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE BLOGGERS' SELF-PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION ROLES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
This study addresses an open question about science bloggers' self-perceived roles as science communicators. Previous research has investigated the roles science journalists see themselves engaging in, but such research has failed to capture the experiences of science bloggers as a broad and diverse group that is yet often very different in their practices from professional journalists. In this study, a survey of over 600 science bloggers reveals that on the broadest level, science bloggers see themselves engaging most often as explainers of science and public intellectuals. Perceived communication role depends predominantly on occupation, science communication training, blog affiliation and gender.
---------------------------------------------
MARIETTA AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
MARIETTA, Ga. -- An ammonia leak has Marietta fire and hazardous materials out in force, Friday afternoon.
The leak has been contained but cleanup will likely take about three hours.
It happened in the 1000 block of King Industrial Drive. At this point there are no evacuations or road closures in progress.
---------------------------------------------
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY EXPLOSION KILLS RESEARCHER AS LAB EXPERIMENT GOES WRONG: SHANGHAIIST
Tags: China, laboratory, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
A postdoctoral researcher was killed in a laboratory blast which rocked a chemistry building at Beijing's Tsinghua University on Friday morning.
Pictures taken by witnesses showed heavy fumes escaping from the windows of the second floor of the He Tian building. According to Beijing News, teachers and students were immediately evacuated after the blast. The fire was later put out by firefighters.
The incident occurred at around 10 a.m. and is believed to have happened in a location that contained chemicals. 32-year-old Meng Xiangjian, who joined the university last year, has been named as the sole victim of the explosion.
According to a Tsinghua University student, an organic catalysis experiment was being held in the in the laboratory prior to the explosion.
Tsinghua University is currently one of China's top educational institutions, known for its excellence in academics and scientific research.
---------------------------------------------
JULY TRIAL SCHEDULED IN FREEDOM CHEMICAL LEAK LAWSUIT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) ‰?? A July trial date is set for a class-action lawsuit over a chemical spill that tainted tap water for 300,000 people.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver ordered a July 12 trial in Charleston.
The lawsuit pits affected residents and businesses against West Virginia American Water, its parent company and Eastman Chemical.
In January 2014, a chemical leaked into the Elk River from faulty containment tanks at Freedom Industries, causing a tap-water ban for the utility‰??s customers for days.
The lawsuit states the utility could‰??ve prevented the contamination, pointing to company decisions over decades. It states Eastman didn‰??t properly warn of the chemical‰??s properties or possible health impacts.
In a related proposed settlement, ex-Freedom President Gary Southern would pay $350,000 and ex-Freedom executive Dennis Farrell would pay $50,000. Both await sentencing for federal pollution crimes.
---------------------------------------------
OKLAHOMA CITY-BASED LSB INDUSTRIES DISCOVERS LEAK AT ALABAMA CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_OK, industrial, release, response, ammonia, hydrogen
Oklahoma City-based LSB Industries Inc. continues to suffer failures at its chemical plants.
The company on Thursday reported that the ammonia plant at its Cherokee, Ala., chemical facility was shut down for maintenance on Dec. 11 after a leak was discovered in a vessel containing hydrogen. The plant is expected to resume operation in about a week.
The shutdown is expected to reduce the company's fourth-quarter earnings by about $2.5 million to $3 million, LSB said.
Also, LSB's urea plant at its Pryor chemical facility was taken out of service on Nov. 14 for repair, the company said. Production is expected to resume next week, the company said.
Costly incident
That incident will cut LSB's fourth-quarter operating income by about $3 million to $3.5 million, the company said. However, about $1 million of that is expected to be recouped in the first quarter next year through the sale of surplus ammonia, LSB said.
---------------------------------------------
ONE PERSON HOSPITALIZED AFTER VOLATILE CHEMICAL REACTION IN AURORA
Tags: us_CO, industrial, explosion, injury, oxidizer
AURORA - One person was taken to the hospital after being exposed to a volatile chemical reaction inside Advanced Circuits in Aurora. That's located near East 32nd Parkway and Picadilly Road.
The person's condition is unknown.
Aurora Fire initally said there was an explosion but later said it was a reaction caused by an accidental mix of acid and an oxidizing agent.
Hazmat crews managed to contain the reaction without further injury or exposure to the environment.
Firefighters said the building was released to the owner, and crews returned to service.
The Aurora Fire Service is reminding the public that any chemical can be hazardous, and those handling chemicals should always wear eye, skin and respiratory protection, even in a household setting.
---------------------------------------------
FRENCH INVESTIGATORS LAUNCH PROBE INTO CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE AT A PARIS-AREA SYNAGOGUE
Tags: France, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
PARIS -- French investigators are trying to identify a chemical applied to an electronic keypad at a Paris-area synagogue that burned more than a dozen congregants.
The Creteil prosecutor's office said Friday that analysis is still taking place on the substance, which caused light burns and eye irritation for the congregants at the synagogue in Bonneuil-sur-Marne late Monday. No one was hospitalized.
Jewish locations in France have been on high alert since the January attacks in Paris on a kosher supermarket and the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper.
Jewish communities around the world faced an "explosion of hatred" last year, with the number of violent anti-Semitic attacks rising by 38 percent, according to a report released by Israeli researchers.
---------------------------------------------
ONE PERSON KILLED AFTER EXPLOSION AT TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY LABORATORY IN BEIJING
Tags: China, laboratory, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
One person was killed in an explosion at a laboratory at the prestigious Tsinghua University in northwest Beijing on Friday morning, state media reported.
The fire has been put out and the cause of the explosion is under investigation, according to a short dispatch on China Central Television‰??s microblog, quoting Beijing‰??s fire department.
A fire broke out in a chemistry laboratory on first floor of the He Tian building at the university, China Radio International reported on its website.
It said the person killed was working inside the laboratory and that the building had been evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE HALLS AT MCDANIEL CLOSED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
Two science halls at McDaniel College in Westminster will remained closed as a precaution until Monday, following a minor chemical spill Thursday morning.
No one was injured and the spill posed no danger to the public, according to college and Westminster fire company officials.
The chemical, No. 3 Heptanone, was being transported to a lab in Eaton Hall when it spilled, according to Westminster Volunteer Fire Company spokesman Kevin Dayhoff. Some of the chemical spilled down an elevator shaft. The chemical can cause eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The person involved in the incident was evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but was not transported for treatment, according to Dayhoff.
Upon arriving at the scene around 9:10 a.m. Thursday, emergency personnel evacuated the building, Dayhoff said. The county's Hazardous Materials team cleared the building by 11:15 a.m.
---------------------------------------------
PEPPER SPRAY MAY HAVE CAUSED ODOR AT LINDEN H.S.
Tags: us_NJ, education, release, injury, pepper_spray
LINDEN - The Union County hazmat team and the Linden Fire Department are investigating an odor that caused the evacuation of the high school on Thursday morning.
The Linden Board of Education released the following statement by Superintendent of Schools, Danny A. Robertozzi:
"This morning several cafeteria staff workers reported feeling ill while in their work area at Linden High School. The Linden Fire Department responded and recommended an evacuation pending clearance from the Union County Hazmat team.
"As a result, we instituted our evacuation/relocation plan and moved students from the main high school building to the athletic field. At 10:58 a.m. it was determined that all Linden High School students would be dismissed for the day.
"At this time, the investigation is unfounded. The Linden Fire Department has reported that it is possible the affected workers were exposed to pepper spray; however, this substance has since dissipated and is not detectable.
---------------------------------------------
CIGARETTE SPARKS CHEMICAL EXPLOSION, INJURES 2 AT N.J. COUNTY COLLEGE
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
MOUNT LAUREL TOWNSHIP ‰?? A lit cigarette sparked a chemical explosion that injured two men at Rowan College at Burlington County's Mount Laurel campus Wednesday night.
Mount Laurel Police Lt. Stephen Riedener said the accident occurred when an employee of a temporary staffing service contracted to handle custodial services lit a cigarette in his car, which contained cleaning supplies.
The 34-year-old Mount Laurel man, who was about to report for work, was unaware an aerosol product had leaked in his vehicle, however, and the flame ignited an explosion that caused significant damage to the car and burns to the employee. All of the windows were blown out of the vehicle.
"The doors were buckled out, as well as the roof," said Riedener.
---------------------------------------------
AFTER ROCKY ROAD, U.S. SENATE PASSES LANDMARK CHEMICAL LAW OVERHAUL
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
These days in Congress, not even strong bipartisan support seems to guarantee a bill‰??s success. But the Republicans and Democrats who backed a U.S. Senate bill to overhaul the nation‰??s environmental safety law for industrial chemicals refused to give up. Overcoming a thicket of procedural barriers, they won a signature victory tonight as the Senate unanimously approved, on a voice vote, an overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The vote puts Congress close to reforming one of the nation‰??s most maligned environmental laws for the first time in nearly 40 years. Both environmentalists and industry have assailed TSCA, first passed in 1976, for being unwieldy and ineffective.
The Senate bill now stands alongside a far narrower, but still strongly bipartisan, bill already approved by the House of Representatives. Lawmakers must still resolve differences between the two measures, and send a final version to the president‰??s desk.
Despite the potentially challenging road ahead, backers of the Senate bill celebrated after the vote. ‰??I think it will be looked back on as a major environmental accomplishment,‰?? said Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), who cosponsored the bill, S. 697, along with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA).
Under the current TSCA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can‰??t restrict a chemical‰??s use, or even request new toxicity data on it, without first proving that the chemical poses a certain level of risk. EPA also must factor in the potential costs of regulating a chemical in determining whether it is safe for use, and pick the ‰??least burdensome‰?? method of regulation.
Under the new Senate bill, EPA would no longer have to satisfy these cost-related requirements, and would have more freedom to take chemicals off the market or order companies to generate new toxicity data. With tens of thousands of chemicals in commerce whose safety has never been reviewed, the bill would task EPA with first reviewing the safety of chemicals that the agency deems as a high priority, in the tens of chemicals at a time. EPA would have to give even more priority to chemicals that don‰??t break down easily in the environment, accumulate in the body, or are already known to be highly toxic.
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CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED BY RACINE FIRE
Tags: us_WI, transportation, release, response, corrosives, sodium_hydroxide
RACINE ‰?? The Racine Fire Department successfully contained a chemical leak near City Hall Thursday afternoon.
A semitruck at Wisconsin Plating Works‰?? receiving docks, 620 Stannard St., was discovered leaking sodium hydroxide Thursday. In all, approximately 30 gallons of the corrosive chemical leaked from the truck‰??s 250 gallon transport container, according to a Fire Department news release.
The release indicated that the Racine Fire Department‰??s Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team quickly controlled the leak. No one was reported injured.
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