| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2016 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Dupont SafeSPEC now available in app form Date: Thursday, March 24, 2016 2:35:30 PM Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] mentoring junior scientist Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2016 15:25:55 +0000 Author: "Dodge, Janice" |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, March 25, 2016 at 7:22:36 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=CwIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=1kgyixqEGWRwkUHcUnsSZyG-1YiLB9vck5q2e-rr7ag&s=keEOdSkUOJ35d2wVf55AmJ1tT06lwRE-6yBbBKERDXY&e=
Table of Contents (16 articles)
HAZMAT SPILL ON MIDDLE BELT NEAR DETROIT METRO AIRPORT
Tags: us_MI, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
'MOTHER OF SATAN' EXPLOSIVE CHEAP, EASY TO MAKE, HIGHLY UNSTABLE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, bomb
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE DEATHS ON THE JOB GETTING RARER
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental
DEPUTIES: MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT STEALS CHEMICAL VIAL
Tags: us_FL, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
PROTECTING VERMONTERS FROM CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
ACTIVISTS SAYS 'CHEMICAL CHERNOBYL' THREATENS ST. PETERSBURG AREA
Tags: Russia, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
FIRE OFFICIAL: SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION CAUSED PETERBOROUGH HOUSE FIRE
Tags: us_NH, public, fire, response, other_chemical
WORKER KILLED IN AMMONIA LEAK THAT PROMPTED HAZMAT SITUATION, SHELTER-IN-PLACE AT BOSTON SEAFOOD WAREHOUSE
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, death, ammonia
METH EXPLOSION CATCHES BARN ON FIRE
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
TANKER TRUCK CARRYING CORROSIVE CHEMICAL OVERTURNS AT CHEF MENTEUR HIGHWAY
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, corrosives
MITIGATION OF CHEMICAL LEAK UNDERWAY AT PORT
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, response, corrosives, zinc
THE STATESMAN: CU ASSURES AID TO COLLEGE
Tags: India, laboratory, follow-up, response
CHEMICAL COMPANIES DECIDE WHAT'S TOXIC, NOT THE EPA OR FDA
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
NE ATLANTA SENIOR CENTER EVACUATED BECAUSE OF CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, chlorine
ROUTE 31 REOPENS IN JOHNSBURG NEAR MCHENRY AFTER WAX SPILL FORCES AFTERNOON CLOSURE
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, paints
HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE LEAK ON COLLEGE CAMPUS IN WEST CHESTER
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SPILL ON MIDDLE BELT NEAR DETROIT METRO AIRPORT
Tags: us_MI, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
ROMULUS, Mich. (WJBK) - Crews were on the scene of a Hazmat spill in Romulus near the Detroit Metro Airport for nearly 14 hours after some hazardous material leaked out of a semi truck.
The spill was on Middle Belt Road near Interstate-94. Part of Middle Belt Road was blocked off, and the I-94 Middle Belt/Merriman exit ramp was closed. The roadways opened back up shortly after 8 a.m.
The battalion chief for the Romulus Fire Department, George Simko, says the plastic totes in the back of the truck somehow shifted around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The driver knew right away something didn't feel right. He pulled over to check it out and saw some of the potassium hydroxide he was hauling had spilled out.
---------------------------------------------
'MOTHER OF SATAN' EXPLOSIVE CHEAP, EASY TO MAKE, HIGHLY UNSTABLE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, bomb
(RNN) - The explosive used in fatal bombing attacks in Brussels is a common weapon for terrorists in Europe and the Middle East. Somebody with a basic knowledge of chemistry could produce the volatile substance in a makeshift lab from cheap, easy-to-find chemicals. But the compound is so powerful and unstable, a small miscue can result in the bomb maker blowing himself sky high.
Triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, is widely known by the attention-grabbing nickname "Mother of Satan," which the Washington Post and other media say is the nickname it's been given by the terrorists. The components o make it can be bought in quantity without causing suspicion: concentrated hydrogen peroxide, acetone, sulfuric acid and ice to cool and condense the explosive out of a solution.
If all goes just right, the explosive will crystallize into an acrid-smelling, white powder that is about 80 percent as powerful as dynamite. Palestinian bomb makers started tinkering with the elements back in the 1980s to use in attacks against Israel. TATP caught on and became more and more commonly used in Syria, Lebanon and later in Europe.
The explosive is so unstable that it has no military or industrial usefulness. If the chemical is shaken or comes in contact with a spark, the solid instantaneously turns into gas, expands in a flash and only a little can cause a big explosion. A mishandled tea-spoon full could easily blow a careless jihadist's hands off.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE DEATHS ON THE JOB GETTING RARER
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental
Millions of people across the nation work every day around materials that could prove dangerous or deadly without proper handling. But chemical accidents like the one that killed a worker in South Boston this week are rare, and have become rarer, as workplace safety improves.
According to federal data, deaths on the job have been falling for decades, and chemical exposure incidents " which make up a small percentage of such fatalities " have declined, as well.
---------------------------------------------
DEPUTIES: MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT STEALS CHEMICAL VIAL
Tags: us_FL, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. - A Bradford County Middle School student is accused of stealing a chemical vial Thursday during school.
The Bradford County Sheriff"s Office said the school reported the vial was stolen from an educational element kit.
Deputies said they were able to locate the student responsible for removing the vial after they interviewed several students from eighth-grade class.
The student told deputies he hid the vial in a school bathroom until the end of school day, at which time he flushed it down the toilet.
The information was verified with other students and the bathroom was inspected by Bradford County Emergency Management, deputies said.
The Sheriff"s Office said there did not appear to be any hazard to the community or the middle school.
---------------------------------------------
PROTECTING VERMONTERS FROM CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Vermont environmental officials are working on proposed law changes to help protect communities against chemical contamination. This comes as the state investigates water contamination in North Bennington.
Over 100 private wells in the North Bennington area have tested positive for high levels of PFOA, a chemical used to make Teflon. PFOA is what the government calls an "emerging contaminant." Its dangers are not fully known, so it's not tightly regulated.
The state is now looking at whether to require more information from companies using potentially dangerous chemicals in Vermont.
"So right now, for example, you know, what company uses it-- unless it's a regulated chemical-- is private. So we want to have some way to know where these unregulated but emerging contaminants are in our state," Vt. Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz said.
Markowitz says the state is also looking at whether there need to be stronger liability laws for companies that cause chemical contamination. They hope to have a bill introduced within two weeks
---------------------------------------------
ACTIVISTS SAYS 'CHEMICAL CHERNOBYL' THREATENS ST. PETERSBURG AREA
Tags: Russia, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
ST. PETERSBURG " Environmental activists call it the "chemical Chernobyl," a vast toxic waste dump outside St. Petersburg that they say is a dangerous threat to the environment of Russia"s second-largest city.
"The situation has been dire for many years, and nothing has changed," warned Viktoria Markova, a local environmental activist. She recently staged a 29-day hunger strike to draw attention to the Krasny Bor (Red Forest) chemical dump, whose contamination she believes could leach into the city"s drinking water.
"We don"t want the site to be kept in this state," said Markova, a 50-year-old mother.
Krasny Bor, which sprawls over 73 hectares (180 acres), is the largest dumping ground for dangerous industrial waste in northwestern Russia, containing almost 2 million tons of toxic waste in open-air pools.
"With the start of the thaw, the level of the pools has risen a lot. They have even overflowed in some places," Markova warned.
If such contaminated water reached a nearby stream, the Bolshaya Izhorka, "it will mix with rainwater and then reach the Neva River and the taps of St. Petersburg residents," Markova said, referring to the river flowing through the city center.
This scenario does not appear totally far-fetched, following statements by Russian authorities. In mid-February, the country"s natural resources monitor Rosprirodnadzor said the concentration of dangerous substances in a man-made canal circling Krasny Bor exceeded permitted levels.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE OFFICIAL: SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION CAUSED PETERBOROUGH HOUSE FIRE
Tags: us_NH, public, fire, response, other_chemical
PETERBOROUGH " Spontaneous combustion started the two-alarm house fire at 1 Carley Road in the town Wednesday morning, according a fire official.
Peterborough Fire Chief Edmund M. Walker said sawdust and rags soaked with floor-finishing material ignited inside a plastic bag in the foyer of the 1å1Ú2-story home shortly before 8 a.m.
Homeowner Wayne Murray suffered a minor, first-degree burn to his face, according to Walker. Murray was treated at the scene, as he refused transport to the hospital, he said.
Murray"s wife, Sarah Sherburne, and the couple"s dog escaped without injury, Walker said.
The couple had contracted to have some floor work done at the home Tuesday, and while the contractor had left the bag of combustibles outside, the homeowners later moved it into the vestibule, Walker said.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.
---------------------------------------------
WORKER KILLED IN AMMONIA LEAK THAT PROMPTED HAZMAT SITUATION, SHELTER-IN-PLACE AT BOSTON SEAFOOD WAREHOUSE
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, death, ammonia
A worker is dead and a neighborhood was ordered to shelter in place after more than 5,000 pounds of ammonia leaked in a Boston seafood warehouse, authorities confirm.
Boston Fire responded just before 6 p.m. to the leak at Stavis Seafoods Warehouse on Channel Street in the city's Seaport District. A Level 3 hazmat situation was declared, and crews could not turn off the valve and stop the flow of ammonia until after 9 p.m.
One employee died during the leak. The cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Police have ordered people in the Seaport District to shelter in place. At Harpoon Brewery, nestled close to Stavis, workers told necn by phone that nobody was allowed to leave.
---------------------------------------------
METH EXPLOSION CATCHES BARN ON FIRE
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
ROCK CREEK " The Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department is investigating a Monday evening barn fire they suspect was caused by a methamphetamine lab explosion.
Detective Bryan Rose, one of the department's certified clandestine lab officers, said the fire started about 6 p.m. Monday in a horse barn in the 4600 block of Windsor-Mechanicsville Road.
Hartsgrove Township fire crews that were called to the scene found chemicals and glassware related to meth production and called in sheriff's deputies.
"It looked like a one-pot (meth lab) had caught fire and exploded in there," Rose said Wednesday.
Those involved had fled the scene before fire authorities arrived, he said.
Rose said the department had suspected meth-making activity was occurring in the region, as the property owner has called deputies at least twice to remove meth-making materials he found on his property.
---------------------------------------------
TANKER TRUCK CARRYING CORROSIVE CHEMICAL OVERTURNS AT CHEF MENTEUR HIGHWAY
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, corrosives
NEW ORLEANS "New Orleans firefighters are at the scene of a level 1 hazmat incident involving an overturned chemical tanker truck that is leaking at Chef Menteur Highway.
The New Orleans Fire Department said the incident was reported after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and France Road.
Harbor Police notified NOFD about the overturned tanker truck. Firefighters found an intermodal tanker truck on its side. The truck is carrying approximately 9,000 gallons of a highly corrosive chemical, methacrylic acid.
Officials said firefighters are on the scene working to contain the leak. All drains have been dammed and no chemicals have entered the waterways.
---------------------------------------------
MITIGATION OF CHEMICAL LEAK UNDERWAY AT PORT
Tags: us_OK, industrial, follow-up, response, corrosives, zinc
Port of Catoosa officials said clean-up efforts are aggressively underway following a chemical leak that occurred during a fire at a port business over the weekend.
Port of Catoosa Manager of Operations Brad Banks said Tuesday an environmental management company began mitigation efforts immediately on Sunday. The clean-up is expected to be completed by the end of the week.
The fire occurred inside the AZZ Galvanizing facility, near tanks holding chemicals used at that business.
The chemical, zinc ammonium chloride, is corrosive and reacts with water. It is a complex salt used in galvanizing steel, and is non-combustible. However, it does threaten the environment.
"This issue after the fire became an environmental response because of the contaminated water from extinguishing the fire and any material in the holding tank that got out. That is when it became more crucial to keep water from going into the drain," Banks said.
Dikes were immediately placed in some areas to prevent the chemical from going into drains. Banks said that alone helped get the situation under control within an hour.
---------------------------------------------
THE STATESMAN: CU ASSURES AID TO COLLEGE
Tags: India, laboratory, follow-up, response
A day after a fire broke out at Ballygunge Science College, the Calcutta University (CU) authorities on Tuesday assured that they would provide financial help to the college as equipment and materials worth Rs.3 crore were damaged. CU vice-chancellor Prof. Sugata Marjit went to the college and assured that they would provide financial help to the college so that they could purchase the materials that have been damaged.
On Monday, some rare scientific equipment of the laboratories were destroyed in a fire and 14 firetenders were pressed into service to control the blaze. According to Prof. Marjit, the science laboratories were destroyed in the fire and the zoological laboratory was badly damaged.
Eleven students who were inside a biochemistry laboratory on the seventh floor of the college were rescued by the fire brigade. Students said they raised an alarm after seeing an electrical wire catching fire on the ground floor of the building. Students also complained that there is only one stair case in the entire building and so when the fire broke out they had to rush to the ground floor in a hurry.
The students claimed that they saw an electrical wire catching fire but before they could do anything the fire had spread to the first floor of the building, where the science laboratory is situated.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL COMPANIES DECIDE WHAT'S TOXIC, NOT THE EPA OR FDA
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
A 2008 draft assessment by the EPA estimated that arsenic was seventeen times more potent than previously thought. In assessing the impact of arsenic on women in particular, the agency estimated that if a hundred thousand women were to consume the legal limit of arsenic currently permitted, 730 would get bladder or lung cancer.
After seeing the draft assessment, the producers of arsenic-based pesticides that hired Charlie Grizzle to lobby for them, Drexel Chemical Co. and Luxembourg-Pamol, began to take action, as did mining companies like Rio Tinto, which also would have been affected by the regulation. As the Center for Public Integrity"s David Heath reported, a group of lobbyists, including Grizzle, set up a meeting with Representative Mike Simpson, the Republican from Idaho, who by 2015 had received a total of $8,000 in campaign donations from Grizzle, according to data compiled and analyzed by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics.
All it took to send the EPA"s draft assessment to the National Academy of Sciences for a review was for a congressman to slip one paragraph into in a 221-page spending bill. When Heath asked Simpson about the paragraph, he said he worried about small communities not being able to meet drinking water standards.
---------------------------------------------
NE ATLANTA SENIOR CENTER EVACUATED BECAUSE OF CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, chlorine
A northeast Atlanta senior center had be to evacuated Tuesday morning after a chlorine leak, a fire spokesman said.
Employees were just beginning to arrive at the Helene S. Mills Multipurpose Senior Center in the 500 block of John Wesley Dobbs Avenue when a worker discovered the leak in a pool chemical storage facility, Atlanta Fire Rescue Sgt. Cortez Stafford said.
That employee called 911 and Atlanta fire decontamination units checked the center "to make sure there were no dangers to them or anyone else," he said.
John Wesley Dobbs Avenue and Boulevard were temporarily closed while authorities processed the scene. Authorities ultimately found the leak was "not hazardous and non-threatening to anyone" because the worker quickly reported it, Stafford said.
---------------------------------------------
ROUTE 31 REOPENS IN JOHNSBURG NEAR MCHENRY AFTER WAX SPILL FORCES AFTERNOON CLOSURE
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, paints
JOHNSBURG " The southbound lanes of Route 31 in Johnsburg were closed for more than nine hours Tuesday after a Carnauba wax spill that occurred in the late morning.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District crews were dispatched at 11:15 a.m. for the chemical spill on Route 31 near Johnsburg Road. Officials requested a hazardous material crew from the Woodstock Fire Rescue Department just after 1 p.m.
The road was reduced to one northbound lane as officials worked throughout the afternoon and evening to clean the spill. The road eventually reopened about 8:45 p.m.
Johnsburg Police Chief Keith Von Allmen said a semitrailer was driving near Johnsburg Road with a barrel of the chemical when the barrel began leaking out of the trailer.
He said the Carnauba wax was in liquid form but solidified once it came in contact with the pavement and formed a wax coating over three of the road's four lanes for about 100 to 150 yards.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency arrived in the afternoon and released fire personnel from the scene. Police and a cleanup crew remained on the site to clear the road, and the Illinois State Police came and inspected the truck, Von Allmen said.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE LEAK ON COLLEGE CAMPUS IN WEST CHESTER
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) -- Hazmat crews arrived on West Chester University's campus to investigate a leak at the science center.
The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday on the 700 block of South Church Street.
Crews cordoned an area and investigated a leak inside the science lab.
After a thorough check, they gave an all-clear sign.
There were no injuries or evacuations reported.
---------------------------------------------
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post