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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 (14 articles)
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 07:43:07 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 44369550-7257-4EC7-88CF-5A2AE31FE16F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 1, 2016 at 7:42:48 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=I1FiwQomydeSwOL8D3dUNcxlATu7Ch7Zw8Q_HsvU3kE&s=X0IXJPssPUkS69ms9dYJSuqLbdn0QlLe7gP52W9rzyw&e=
Table of Contents (14 articles)
LATEST CDC LAB INCIDENT INVOLVES WORKER INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
FORT DRUM SHUTS DOWN TWO WELLS AFTER CHEMICALS DETECTED
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
FORMER LINCOLN PARK HS STUDENT SUES TEACHER OVER METHANOL FIRE
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, follow-up, injury, methanol
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF EXPLOSION, FIRE AT BUTLER CO. PLANT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, explosion, response, petroleum
MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHANDLER CHEMICAL SPILL, FIRE
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, injury, toluene
DANGEROUS CHEMICAL VAPORS CLOSE MERAMEC CAVERNS
Tags: us_MO, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, waste
HAZMAT CREW CLEANS UP RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, radiation
EPA SANCTIONS READING CHEMICAL PLANT OWNER FOR ALLEGED OIL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE STORAGE VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils, wastes
LOT CATCHES FIRE IN SOUTH ODESSA
Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICALS IGNITE FIRE IN MARBLEHEAD
Tags: us_MA, public, fire, response, other_chemical
FIVE RHODE ISLAND MEN CHARGED IN REGARDS OF BUTANE LAB OPERATION
Tags: us_RI, laboratory, follow-up, death, butane, drugs
MAN CHARGED WITH OPERATING A METH LAB AFTER EXPLOSION LIGHTS UP GARAGE, DELAWARE STATE POLICE SAY
Tags: us_DE, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
AWARENESS CAN SHORT-CIRCUIT A BOMB ATTACK
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, bomb, explosives, meth_lab
2020 SCIENCE WITH CARBON NANOTUBES IN THE NEWS AGAIN, WHERE'S THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN POSSIBLE RISKS?
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, asbestos, dye, nanotech
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LATEST CDC LAB INCIDENT INVOLVES WORKER INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating how one of its own lab workers became infected with a strain of salmonella that was being used as part of their job, the agency announced Thursday.
The possible lab-acquired infection is the latest in a series of incidents at the Atlanta-based agency, including previous mishandling of specimens of anthrax, Ebola and a deadly strain of avian influenza.
The CDC said the lab worker who was sickened with salmonella had been infected with a strain that has a relatively rare DNA fingerprint. Salmonella, which is usually spread through contaminated food, typically causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that can last from four to seven days.
"The worker is well and back at CDC and, based on what we know now, no other staff were exposed or sick, and there was no release outside the laboratory," the agency said in a press release.
The worker had completed all required safety training and was following standard protocols while performing a procedure on a frozen sample of salmonella in an effort to grow the bacteria, the CDC said. In the days following the procedure, the worker became ill and on March 18 informed the agency they had been diagnosed with a salmonella infection. The agency said it is investigating to see if additional laboratory safeguards are needed to prevent exposures in the future.
Biosafety experts expressed concern about the infection, but praised the CDC for identifying it and notifying the public.
"I think the important thing here is that the CDC learned from its past mistakes and is now practicing transparency," said Scott Becker, executive director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. Becker, who noted that lab work carries risks, said the CDC's new lab safety office will play an important role in reviewing the policies and procedures to determine what happened in the incident.
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FORT DRUM SHUTS DOWN TWO WELLS AFTER CHEMICALS DETECTED
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
FORT DRUM, N.Y. " Officials at Fort Drum in northern New York say they're shutting down two of the Army post's wells after low levels of perfluorinated chemicals were detected in the water.
Military officials say Thursday the two wells near Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield will be shut down immediately.
Post officials say the detected levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, are well below the government's health advisory levels. But they still decided to shut off the wells and replace the supply with water provided by an existing supply contract.
Army officials say the likely source of the chemical are foams formerly used to suppress aircraft and fuel fires during firefighting exercises and actual emergencies.
Earlier in March military officials said they planned to test 664 sites nationwide where the foam was used in fire or crash training.
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FORMER LINCOLN PARK HS STUDENT SUES TEACHER OVER METHANOL FIRE
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, follow-up, injury, methanol
A former student at Lincoln Park High School is suing a science teacher and the Chicago Board of Education over an experiment that left her with severe burns in 2013.
On Nov. 25, 2013, Tatiana Schwirblat was 16 when she participated in a class experiment involving methanol vapor at the school at 2001 N. Orchard St., according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Schwirblat, now 18, alleges her science teacher failed to follow safety guidelines and knowingly added methanol to an open flame, causing a fire that burned her severely, according to the suit.
She alleges the Board of Education was negligent in allowing the teacher to perform an unsafe experiment.
Fire officials said at the time that methanol was being burned inside a container that shattered, and the chemical spilled. A total of three students were taken to the hospital.
A Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman at the time attributed the fire to a "mechanical malfunction," adding that the instructor quickly put out the flames and followed additional safety protocols.
The lawsuit further claims that the teacher pulled off Schwirblat"s clothes in front of her classmates and pushed her into a shower.
The teacher named as a defendant in the suit still teaches science at Lincoln Park High School, according to the school"s website.
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OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF EXPLOSION, FIRE AT BUTLER CO. PLANT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, explosion, response, petroleum
FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP (KDKA/AP) " Investigators are working to determine what caused an explosion and fire on the grounds of a chemical plant in northern Butler County Thursday afternoon.
People who live nearby say the explosion was so massive they felt their houses shake more than three miles away from the scene.
"I was inside sitting on the couch, and all of the sudden, the windows, the roof‰?| I thought my roof blew off," said Robin McGinnis, who lives across the street from the plant. "I thought it was storming out at first. Then, when I came outside there was pressure and it scared the daylights out of everybody in the neighborhood."
According to emergency dispatchers, the fire began around 1:30 p.m. at the Sonneborn Chemical Plant in Fairview Township. The plant is located in the 100-block of Sonneborn Lane.
KDKA"s Brenda Waters reports from the scene that no one was injured. Also, earlier, there were reports some nearby residents may have needed to be evacuated, but that turned out not to be the case.
The Sonneborn Chemical Plant has operated in the Borough of Petrolia for more than 120 years. The plant makes waxes and other products including petrolatum, which is used in baby oil and petroleum jellies.
Just over 200 people live in the community and many of them work at the plant.
"We just felt a large boom," said Anita Orozco, a plant representative. "I"m not sure what it was. At first, it felt like an overactive electrical strike. We walked outside and saw that it was an issue up on what we call "the hill," which is where our hydrogen plant is. That"s where we process all of our raw feed stocks to be able to turn it into the products that we make."
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MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHANDLER CHEMICAL SPILL, FIRE
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, injury, toluene
CHANDLER, AZ - Firefighters said an employee was taken to the hospital with significant injuries after a chemical spill and fire in Chandler Thursday.
Chandler fire responded to Isola USA, near the intersection of N. Price and W. Fry roads, for a reported chemical spill.
Firefighters said a 5-gallon drum of toluene ignited while it was being moved, burning a worker. Units from Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert also responded because of the hazardous material situation. Toluene is widely used as an industrial solvent and is listed as highly flammable in its liquid form , according to the National Institutes of Health.
Chandler fire said the flames were put out, but firefighters remained on the scene as of 3:30 p.m.
Those inside the building were evacuated and will be let in later Thursday to retrieve keys and other items left behind.
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DANGEROUS CHEMICAL VAPORS CLOSE MERAMEC CAVERNS
Tags: us_MO, public, discovery, response, other_chemical, waste
A major Missouri tourist attraction is forced to close due to a health hazard.
The EPA discovered traces of a chemical vapor at Meramec Caverns that could cause birth defects. The attraction is located in Franklin County, near the town of Stanton.
....
In early March, testing by the EPA showed the presence of a harmful chemical vapor in the cavern. The owners decided to close it down, and that means turning away many of the 100,000 annual visitors who come primarily for cave tours.
"The cave is the anchor that draws all the other business to this area. If the cave is not open, unfortunately, not a lot of people want to camp," said Turilli.
Losing all that business means roughly 70 people who work at the Cavern have been laid off because of the contamination closure.
In a report, the EPA says that contamination may have come from the old Sullivan Landfill about four miles away from the caverns. The site has been on the EPA's national watch list since 2002.
The report also indicates the TRW/Ramsey facility in Sullivan as a possible contamination source.
"There were some pollutants in the groundwater there that have dissipated down through our area and other areas of Franklin County," said Turilli.
In an emailed statement, the EPA told NewsChannel 5 On Your Side:
"EPA directed TRW Automotive U.S., LLC"a potentially responsible party for groundwater contamination at a nearby TCE Superfund site, and a separate hazardous waste site being managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources--to work with the cave owner to implement and install additional protective measures to reduce TCE levels to protect workers and visitors from potentially harmful exposures."
In the meantime, business owners in the area say the cavern closure will have a big impact on their bottom line, and they hope cleanup will be swift.
Turilli says remediation will be completed by July or August at the latest. The campground, hotel and zip line will remain open.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREW CLEANS UP RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, radiation
The Fresno Fire Department's hazmat crew dealt with a low level of radioactive material.
Around 4:30 Tuesday afternoon the fire department received a phone call from a contractor working in the area of Marks and Dudley. The crew was using a device to measure moisture content when it was accidentally run over.
The device contained a small amount of radioactive material which was exposed in the accident. A special contractor was called in to pick of the device. The area was deemed safe and was cleared about 4 hours later.
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EPA SANCTIONS READING CHEMICAL PLANT OWNER FOR ALLEGED OIL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE STORAGE VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils, wastes
PHILADELPHIA " The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday the owner and operator of a Reading-based chemical repackaging and distribution plant will be subject to financial penalties, connected to alleged oil and hazardous waste storage violations.
The EPA stated Brenntag Northeast, Inc. will pay a $55,000 sanction and donate $30,000 of emergency response equipment to a local fire department, to settle the aforementioned violations.
The EPA cited Brenntag for violating both federal and state safeguards which regulate the storage of hazardous waste and oil, such as the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and Pennsylvania"s hazardous waste state regulations.
According to the EPA, these laws are "designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid costly cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste and oil."
Per the EPA, the hazardous wastes and oils involved were "waste solvents generated by cleaning containers and tanks, as well as oil and chemical products stored for distribution."
The alleged violations against Brenntag centered on "how the materials were stored, and included failure to conduct proper and timely inspections, and failure to adequately control emissions of volatile waste, and failure to plan for oil spill prevention."
The settlement includes payment of a $55,000 penalty, from which $11,000 will be placed in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and be available to fund future oil cleanups at facilities nationwide.
In addition, Brenntag will purchase $30,000 of equipment for the Union Fire Department No. 1 of Leesport, in order to improve their response capability to incidents involving hazardous materials. The equipment in question includes foam, foam hoses and gas detectors, according to information provided by the agency.
In conjunction with the settlement, Brenntag has not admitted liability but has certified it is now in compliance with the RCRA and CWA"s requirements, as set out by the EPA. Further, Brenntag has developed "new standard operating procedures documenting improved inspection and waste handling practices."
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LOT CATCHES FIRE IN SOUTH ODESSA
Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Flames swept through a blighted two-acre lot of pallets, hay bales and drums containing an unknown chemical substance Wednesday in South Odessa where plumes of dense black smoke rose skyward and were seen for miles.
No injuries were reported during the blaze that was reported at about 4 p.m. and raged near the corner of West Fig Street and South Klondyke Avenue. Crews of firefighters from the South Ector County Volunteer Fire Department and Odessa Fire/Rescue battled the flames that charred an untold number of pallets and blackened hay bales when winds began to shift to the north.
This prompted fire crews to work heavily in containing, or surrounding, the fire from sending embers to nearby homes, including one that sat next to the inferno on West Fig Street. The home did not appear to be damaged.
....
Odessa Fire Battalion Chief Kavin Tinney said there were pallets and "drums of something and just a bunch of junk" that surrounded the property. The intense heat caused one of the drums to burst and strike a fire truck with debris, Tinney said.
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CHEMICALS IGNITE FIRE IN MARBLEHEAD
Tags: us_MA, public, fire, response, other_chemical
MARBLEHEAD " A box truck full of chemicals caught fire on Bubier Road Wednesday morning but no one was injured.
Thomas Rice, Marblehead"s acting fire captain, said they received a call about a 24-foot foam insulation company vehicle that was fully engulfed.
Valerie Larkin, of 11 Bubier Rd., said she had hired Dr. Energy Home Services to spray insulate her home, and was not home at the time of the fire. She was notified through text message by friends, and drove home from Boston.
"The fire didn"t affect the house," Larkin said.
Inside the truck were a generator and 55-gallon drums of chemicals. When the chemicals are mixed, they are put through the nose and nozzle, producing the foam that was being sprayed into the house, Rice said.
Since the fire station is a block away on Ocean Avenue, Rice said firefighters responded within minutes, including Chief Jason Gilliland. Also responding were crews from Swampscott and Salem.
"They did a fast attack and put out the fire in a few minutes," Rice said. "During the overhaul, that"s when they noticed the barrels of chemicals and called Hazmat."
Rice said the Hazmat response escalated from a level one to a level two when the team entered a confined space and needed a back-up crew. Also called to the scene was the Department of Environmental Protection.
Two of the barrels containing chemicals were damaged, but Rice didn"t know to what degree. He didn"t know if any toxic liquids were released into the air, but seemed convinced they were contained in the truck.
"They did a good job putting it out before it became a chemical problem," Rice said.
Ben Cleary, a neighbor who lives on Bubier Road, said he was working at home when the fire broke out. He saw the smoke and heard the sirens, stepped out of his house and saw the truck was on fire.
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FIVE RHODE ISLAND MEN CHARGED IN REGARDS OF BUTANE LAB OPERATION
Tags: us_RI, laboratory, follow-up, death, butane, drugs
Five Rhode Island men are being charged in federal court due to property damage and at least one death associated with explosions and fires in BHO labs.
The individuals have no relation between defendants or the cases other than allegations that the four labs manufactured hash oil marijuana using butane according to United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
On July 31, 2015 a fire and explosions in and around a BHO lab caused property damage to a single family home in South Kingston where two individuals were seriously injured.
Dillon Kantlehner, 26, of Providence and another individual who later died from injuries from the explosions and fire, used the kitchen area to operate a BHO lab.
Investigators seized more than 500 grams of BHO and over 9,000 grams of marijuana from the home, as well as 72 butane canisters, some empty and full.
On March 9, 2015, a fire destroyed an 85,000 square foot warehouse on Kinsley Avenue in Providence.
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MAN CHARGED WITH OPERATING A METH LAB AFTER EXPLOSION LIGHTS UP GARAGE, DELAWARE STATE POLICE SAY
Tags: us_DE, public, explosion, response, meth_lab
A 36-year-old Kenton-area man was arrested by Delaware State Police on charges he started a fire in his garage while manufacturing Meth.
On Tuesday, March 29, 2016, James F. Sparks was charged by authorities after fire officials were dispatched to the 2000 block of Downs Chapel Road at around 6:50 p.m. for reports of a garage fire. While investigating the case, investigators "located equipment and component mixtures of the manufacturing stages of Meth, along with key ingredients in making the drug," authorities said Wednesday.
Three residents of the property were evacuated, authorities said, and the roadway was closed.
Sparks was identified as the individual using the space to manufacture Methamphetamine, authorities said, when a substance in a bottle blew up, igniting the detached garage.
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AWARENESS CAN SHORT-CIRCUIT A BOMB ATTACK
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, bomb, explosives, meth_lab
As al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine so famously stated, you can indeed "make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom." It truly is not difficult for a knowledgeable individual to mix up improvised explosives using a wide range of common household chemicals, including peroxide, acetone, chlorine and brake fluid.
It is important to recognize that when we say an explosive mixture or an explosive device is "improvised," that does not automatically mean the end product is going to be ineffective or amateurish. Like an improvised John Coltrane saxophone solo, some improvised explosive devices can be highly crafted, albeit deadly, works of art. That said, certain activities necessary to make bombs leave even proficient bombmakers open to detection by outside observers " and amateur bombmakers are even easier to spot if one knows what to look for.
To obscure bombmaking activity, explosive mixtures and device components are often manufactured in rented houses, apartments or hotel rooms. We have seen this in past cases, such as the December 1999 "millennium bomb" plot in which Ahmed Ressam and an accomplice set up a crude bombmaking factory in a hotel room in Vancouver, British Columbia. More recently, Najibullah Zazi was arrested in September 2009 and charged with attempting to manufacture the improvised explosive mixture triacetone triperoxide (TATP) in a Denver hotel room. In September 2010, a suspected lone assailant in Copenhagen accidentally detonated an explosive device he was constructing in a hotel.
Similar to clandestine methamphetamine labs, which are also frequently set up in rental properties or hotel rooms, makeshift bombmaking operations frequently use everyday volatile substances. Chemicals such as acetone, a common nail-polish remover, and peroxide, commonly used to bleach hair, can easily be found in stores. Fertilizers, the main component of the bombs used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 World Trade Center attack, are present in large volumes on farms or in farm-supply stores in rural communities. Hardware and paint stores sell acids and powdered metals.
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2020 SCIENCE WITH CARBON NANOTUBES IN THE NEWS AGAIN, WHERE'S THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN POSSIBLE RISKS?
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, asbestos, dye, nanotech
Back in 2008, carbon nanotubes " exceptionally fine tubes made up of carbon atoms " were making headlines. A new study from the U.K. had just shown that, under some conditions, these long, slender fiber-like tubes could cause harm in mice in the same way that some asbestos fibers do.
As a collaborator in that study, I was at the time heavily involved in exploring the risks and benefits of novel nanoscale materials. Back then, there was intense interest in understanding how materials like this could be dangerous, and how they might be made safer.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when carbon nanotubes were in the news again, but for a very different reason. This time, there was outrage not over potential risks, but because the artist Anish Kapoor had been given exclusive rights to a carbon nanotube-based pigment " claimed to be one of the blackest pigments ever made.
The worries that even nanotech proponents had in the early 2000s about possible health and environmental risks " and their impact on investor and consumer confidence " seem to have evaporated.
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