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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: Mon, 4 Apr 2016 07:41:23 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 487922AD-6EED-4B3D-8EF1-35A4D727E651**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, April 4, 2016 at 7:41:08 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=ecRXX6qoup5KCdXd460pYgurZfAB2n8eWdxOrHgRLzY&s=disi412E5OURaFfox6MF2e8ItjadAgm0Aky3zQc7z3Y&e=
Table of Contents (15 articles)
CHINA: CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST KILLS 2, INJURES 5
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, water_treatment
CROSMAN CORP. BUILDING EVACUATED DUE TO 'CLOUD-LIKE ATMOSPHERE'
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
HALF OF UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY LAWN DIES IN CHEMICAL MIX-UP
Tags: us_UT, education, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
CLINTON FIREFIGHTERS HEADING TO LEAK AT ADM
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT APPROVES RESTARTING OF TORRANCE REFINERY AFTER EXPLOSION LAST YEAR
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, carbon_dioxide
DRAMATIC VIDEO REVEALS AIRSTRIKE ON IS 'CHEMICAL LAB' IN MOSUL
Tags: Iraq, laboratory, explosion, environmental, bomb, uranium
REPORTED CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS ZEELAND HOSPITAL LOCKDOWN
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, response, phosphorus_trichloride
BLAZE GUTS POOL CHEMICAL BUSINESS IN SYDNEY'S NORTH
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals
ISLAMIC STATE HIJACKS MOSUL UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY LAB FOR MAKING BOMBS
Tags: Iraq, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives
CHEMICAL FACILITY AUDITING PROPOSAL DEFENDED BY EPA'S GILES
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS WITH CYANIDE POISONING RISES TO FOUR, MORE EXPECTED
Tags: us_RI, public, fire, injury, cyanide
OFFICIALS: BRANDON TOWNSHIP MAN COOKING HASH OIL CAUSES FIRE AT HOME
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, butane, drugs
CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION AT LANCASTER COSTCO
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT ZEELAND PLANT
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
ALBUQUERQUE DAYCARE EVACUATED AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_NM, public, release, response, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
CHINA: CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST KILLS 2, INJURES 5
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, water_treatment
An explosion at a chemical plant in China"s eastern Shandong Province has left two people dead and five others hospitalized.
State news agency Xinhua reported Monday that the accident occurred when a waste water treatment device blew up Sunday night at the plant in Dezhou City.
It cited the local government as saying that seven victims were transported to hospital, where two of them succumbed to their injuries while the others remain in stable condition.
No chemical leaks were detected at the site owned by Lianhetech, a private high-tech chemical corporation.
Dozens of people are killed in industrial accidents in China each year, raising questions about lax safety regulations in the country.
On Aug. 12 last year, two massive warehouse explosions rocked the northern port city of Tianjin, leaving 173 dead including many firefighters.
In mid-January, at least four workers died in a blast at a machinery factory in China"s largest city Shanghai.
One week later, three people were killed and more than 50 injured when explosions ripped through a fireworks factory in eastern Jiangxi Province, causing the evacuation of 1,000 nearby residents.
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CROSMAN CORP. BUILDING EVACUATED DUE TO 'CLOUD-LIKE ATMOSPHERE'
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
Bloomfield, N.Y. - First responders evacuated a local airgun manufacturing plant Saturday night following what they called a "cloud-like atmosphere."
Only four employees were inside Crosman Corporation on Routes 5 & 20 in Bloomfield when crews had them leave the building.
Firefighters think some sort of chemical reaction is to blame, but they're waiting on the Ontario County HAZMAT team to make the next call.
"As soon as that HAZMAT team comes out and they have a greater concern than we think exists, we'll probably start evacuating the neighborhood," said East Bloomfield Fire Department Assistant Chief Rick Rayburn.
None of the four Crosman employees who evacuated were hurt.
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HALF OF UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY LAWN DIES IN CHEMICAL MIX-UP
Tags: us_UT, education, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
LOGAN, Utah (AP) " Utah State University is waiting for grass to grow on the 40 percent of Old Main Hill that was hit with a chemical mix-up.
KSL-TV reports (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1oreqcw&d=CwIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=ecRXX6qoup5KCdXd460pYgurZfAB2n8eWdxOrHgRLzY&s=lug4T6YMXOpMVeWBN6EuyLCWh0lcTwNAwuC860ZigTc&e= ">https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1oreqcw&d=CwIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=ecRXX6qoup5KCdXd460pYgurZfAB2n8eWdxOrHgRLzY&s=lug4T6YMXOpMVeWBN6EuyLCWh0lcTwNAwuC860ZigTc&e= ) making the brown area green again is estimated to cost $1,000.
University director of landscape operations Robert Reeder says a worker thought he was spraying an herbicide targeted at dandelions and other weeds, but was actually spraying a substance that smelled more like Roundup.
Reeder said the damage is unfortunately in a highly-visible area that he called one of the university's showpieces.
Everyone on campus is asked to stay off the reseeded area.
He said he expects the lawn to fully recover, but workers will dye the area if the grass is not green by May commencement.
---------------------------------------------
CLINTON FIREFIGHTERS HEADING TO LEAK AT ADM
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A leak at ADM that forced managers to partially evacuate the plant and stop rail and barge traffic for several hours has been contained. No one was hurt.
Employees at ADM"s corn processing plant found the leak at around 6 pm. Hydrochloric acid, a potentially toxic liquid, was apparently coming from a fiberglass chemical tank. Employees followed safety procedures and called the fire department. Mangers also contacted other agencies, stopping railroad and barge traffic nearby.
A Davenport hazmat crew was able to contain the leak and begin cleaning it up by pumping acid from the leaking tank into others.
"We always have to take those different calls seriously," battalion fire chief Frederick Roling said. "We never know if it"s a respiratory type situation we could get into, could it get into the river at different points? It just depends on what type of chemical everybody is dealing with so we have to take all the precautions until we find out exactly what it is."
---------------------------------------------
SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT APPROVES RESTARTING OF TORRANCE REFINERY AFTER EXPLOSION LAST YEAR
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, carbon_dioxide
A divided South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board has approved an agreement that will authorize a restart of the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance that was damaged by an explosion, hampering Southland fuel production and contributing to gas price increases.
The vote was 3 to 2.
Flares at Torrance Refinery Caused By Power Fluctuation
The rare Saturday session featured many hours of public testimony, and the vote didn't come until 8:15PM.
The agreement requires ExxonMobil to pay about $5 million in penalties for air pollution violations that resulted from the February 2015 blast. It must also follow a multi-step procedure aimed at minimizing emissions during the restart procedure. A company spokeswoman says process is likely to take at least a week to complete.
Lasting Impacts From Exxon Refinery Explosion
According to the AQMD, the plan for restarting the damaged facility will result in excessive emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, as a result of an altered start-up procedure "necessary to improve the safety of their operations."
---------------------------------------------
DRAMATIC VIDEO REVEALS AIRSTRIKE ON IS 'CHEMICAL LAB' IN MOSUL
Tags: Iraq, laboratory, explosion, environmental, bomb, uranium
The U.S. military says its air strikes destroyed a high-tech university lab in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which Islamic State had reportedly been using to build bombs, chemical weapons and uranium compounds.
---------------------------------------------
REPORTED CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS ZEELAND HOSPITAL LOCKDOWN
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, response, phosphorus_trichloride
ZEELAND, Mich. (AP) - Officials in western Michigan are investigating a reported chemical leak that prompted a hospital to shut down for about four hours.
MLive.com reports (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1pUKlDf&d=CwIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=ecRXX6qoup5KCdXd460pYgurZfAB2n8eWdxOrHgRLzY&s=eAu2IdUOH-jFSOtGYRlqNfHGrGZzVtmm6xF3lT--eaA&e= ">https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_1pUKlDf&d=CwIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=ecRXX6qoup5KCdXd460pYgurZfAB2n8eWdxOrHgRLzY&s=eAu2IdUOH-jFSOtGYRlqNfHGrGZzVtmm6xF3lT--eaA&e= ) Saturday that Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital went on lockdown Friday night after reports that a small cloud of phosphorus trichloride leaked at nearby chemical manufacturer Vertellus Specialties.
The newspaper says the chemical turns into a toxic gas when it comes in contact with water.
Hospital spokeswoman Sara Donkersloot said the facility reopened about 1 a.m. Saturday.
Zeeland Fire Chief Bill Gruppen said other buildings in an industrial zone within a half-mile of Vertellus Specialties were evacuated.
Vertellus Specialties spokeswoman Susan Miller said in an email late Friday that the company was "working with authorities to resolve the situation."
---------------------------------------------
BLAZE GUTS POOL CHEMICAL BUSINESS IN SYDNEY'S NORTH
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals
A fire ripped through a pool chemical business in Hornsby early this morning, prompting a precautionary evacuation of about 60 people from neighbouring residences.
Fifty firefighters are working to mop up the blaze, which was reported just before 6am at the Jersey Street property.
Four pumps and two ladder trucks were dispatched, and the scene is still active.
The building was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived, and had spread to adjoining units, but crews managed to contain the spread.
Smoke has spread across Hornsby and Asquith, prompting safety concerns as the business housed chlorine, acid and other hazardous pool chemicals.
Four people have been treated on site for smoke inhalation, and one person was transported to hospital.
"The smoke was a real concern because of the amount of chemicals in the building which would be sucked up into the smoke plume as the fire spread," NSW Fire and Rescue Inspector Ron James said.
Residents in the area are advised to keep doors and windows shuts, while those with health concerns are advised to avoid the area.
---------------------------------------------
ISLAMIC STATE HIJACKS MOSUL UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY LAB FOR MAKING BOMBS
Tags: Iraq, laboratory, discovery, response, explosives
Islamic State has been using a well-stocked university chemistry lab in Mosul, Iraq, for the past year to concoct a new generation of explosive devices and train militants to make them, according to U.S. and Iraqi military officials and two people familiar with the university.
Gen. Hatem Magsosi, Iraq"s top explosives officer, said the facilities at the University of Mosul have enhanced Islamic State"s ability to launch attacks in Iraq and to export bomb-making know-how when its fighters leave the so-called caliphate and return to their home countries.
The weaponry churned out includes peroxide-based chemical bombs and suicide-bomb vests like the ones used in the Brussels attacks and by at least some of the Paris attackers, according to the general and others in the Iraqi military, as well as an official from the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State.
Other bombs made include nitrate-based explosives and chemical weapons, Gen. Magsosi said.
"The University of Mosul is the best Daesh research center in the world," the general said, using another name for Islamic State. "Trainees go to Raqqa, [Syria], then to Mosul university to use the existing facilities."
Its current status isn"t clear, however. The U.S.-led coalition has targeted the campus with airstrikes more than once, most recently on March 19.
"We do know that Daesh has used some of those buildings for military purposes and we bombed them," said Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FACILITY AUDITING PROPOSAL DEFENDED BY EPA'S GILES
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
March 31 " An Environmental Protection Agency proposal that would require chemical plants to hire independent third parties to perform compliance audits under the agency's Risk Management Program is supported by evidence that those audits are more effective, the agency's top enforcement official said.
Cynthia Giles, the EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said March 31 that there are "multiple" studies that show the independence of an auditor makes a "huge difference" in ensuring that a facility is in compliance with regulatory requirements. The third-party auditing requirement is part of a February EPA proposal that aims to improve safety at facilities that house chemicals in the wake of a deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.
Current regulations require facilities to conduct compliance audits after a reportable release, but facilities are allowed to self-audit. The EPA said in its proposal (RIN 2050-AG82) that poor compliance audits have been identified as a contributing factor to past chemical accidents, including a 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City Refinery.
"Independence really matters," Giles said during remarks at an American Bar Association conference in Austin, Texas. "We could see from that [third-party requirement], our hope is, a substantial reduction" in serious incidents.
---------------------------------------------
NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS WITH CYANIDE POISONING RISES TO FOUR, MORE EXPECTED
Tags: us_RI, public, fire, injury, cyanide
Several firefighters have suffered from cyanide poisoning following the blaze that ripped through a triple-decker on Eaton Street in Providence's Elmhurst neighborhood and spread to two others on Thursday, according to Providence Fire Union president Paul Doughty.
Capt. Joseph Fontaine, who was in critical condition after the fire, is now in stable condition,Doughty said during a Friday morning press conference at Rhode Island Hospital. The first thing Fontaine asked about was his men, according to Doughty.
A total of four firefighters, including Fontaine, have been tested and treated for cyanide poisoning and that number is expected to rise, Doughty said.
Symptoms of cyanide poisoning are similar to carbon monoxide poisoning, but one difference is that carbon monoxide poisoning doesn't pound your body, hydrogen cyanide does, according to Doughty. Hydrogen cyanide is a chemical agent that was used as a weapon by the Germans in World War II. But hydrogen cyanide poisoning usually occurs in patients with smoke inhalation from residential or industrial fires. Once they are treated with the antidote, they are fine, according to Doughty.
At last count, 21 firefighters were injured after the massive fire erupted engulfing the multifamily home. That's six percent of the department, which currently has 360 sworn members. They suffered burns, neck, back, knee and skeletal injuries during the fire, Doughty told NBC 10. T
The aggressive approach to the fire was necessary, according to Doughty who commended Capt. Kevin Jutras of Tower Ladder 2 for his management of the fire. One mistake while fighting that fire with the wind gusts the way they were could have resulted in the entire block burning down, according to Doughty.
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OFFICIALS: BRANDON TOWNSHIP MAN COOKING HASH OIL CAUSES FIRE AT HOME
Tags: us_MI, public, fire, injury, butane, drugs
A 20-year-old Brandon Township man could face potential charges after being severely injured when a fire broke out at his mobile home while he was cooking butane hash oil, investigators said Friday.
The investigation began March 9, when sheriff"s deputies and Brandon Township firefighters were sent to the mobile home in the 3800 block of Red Bud Lane after reports of a fire.
First responders were able to put out the fire and stop it from spreading, authorities said.
After the flames were extinguished, deputies called the Sheriff"s Office Fire Investigations Unit and the Oakland County Hazmat team to determine how the fire started.
Officials said evidence at the scene indicated that the fire was caused by an accident using butane to extract a chemical " tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC " from marijuana.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATION AT LANCASTER COSTCO
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, hvac_chemicals
A members-only warehouse store in Lancaster was evacuated Friday while a hazardous-materials team cleaned up a chemical spill.
The Costco at 1875 Hempstead Road, at Pitney Road, was closed to customers shortly before 3 p.m. Friday.
A supervisor at Lancaster County-wide Communications said at 3:30 the spill was a "nonflammable refrigeration leak" in the rear of the store.
"They"ve evacuated the store because refrigerant is hazardous to your health," he said. "But no one was sickened by it. They got everyone out."
Lancaster city firefighters handled the cleanup. A store spokeswoman said the store reopened to customers shortly before 5 p.m.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT ZEELAND PLANT
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
ZEELAND, MICH. (WZZM) - Ottawa County dispatch tells WZZM 13 Zeeland firefighters have responded to a chemical leak at 215 N Centennial Friday evening. That's the address of Vertellus Specialties.
A hazmat team was called to the scene, as well, to respond to what's reported as a small cloud of phosphorous trichloride. A company spokesperson said the chemical is a raw material used in one of the plant's food products.
Firefighters first arrived on scene shortly after 7 o'clock.
Authorities on the scene said there have been no injuries and there are no health concerns.
Dispatch says emergency crews have evacuated a business next-door to Vertellus, but there haven't been any other evacuations. While they responded, crews closed Centennial St. from Roosevelt to Washington, and Washington from Centennial to Fairview.
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ALBUQUERQUE DAYCARE EVACUATED AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_NM, public, release, response, other_chemical
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) " An Albuquerque daycare was evacuated Friday after a hazmat incident.
According to the Albuquerque Fire Department, crews responded to the daycare center located at 901 86th SW.
AFD says a clogged toilet had been treated with multiple cleaning products causing toxic vapors to fill the center.
Three women to be transported to the hospital for minor breathing issues. AFD says none of the children were taken to the hospital.
The daycare was evacuated and the children were picked up by their parents.
Crews vented the building to remove the vapors.
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