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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 8, 2016 at 7:37:46 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=YUQY-6bAcbvRZaObfJvB0INh7KolEFsHcyFUkLIeW9I&s=jpynPzx3Yn6ZvoknTwmP54TsQBmXLrajR41hrlHKHdo&e=
Table of Contents (11 articles)
CHEMICAL TRUCK ERUPTS IN FIRE IN WOODBRIDGE
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BAYTOWN EXXONMOBIL PLANT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
RIVERSIDE: UCR CHEMISTRY LAB MISHAP IRRITATES EYES OF 9 STUDENTS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, injury, irritant, tear_gas
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN WESTLAKE VILLAGE
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CSX HONORS 78 CUSTOMERS WITH CHEMICAL SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental
TWO CHARGED WITH MAKING BOMB AFTER MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, injury, bomb, illegal
65-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INSIDE HOME
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
CDC TESTS AT COFFEE PLANT FIND HIGH LEVELS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
US CHEMICAL REFORM THREATENED BY SUPREME COURT RULING
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics
ANSONIA HS WORKS ON PLAN FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_OH, education, follow-up, response, ag_chems, pesticides
TWO INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY INTO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, biodiesel
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CHEMICAL TRUCK ERUPTS IN FIRE IN WOODBRIDGE
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Woodbridge, NJ - We have photos and more info. on that vehicle fire we told you about Thursday morning on Rt. 9 South in Woodbridge Township:
At around 9:40 am. Thursday a tractor trailer loaded with chemicals was reported on fire on Rt. 9 South, just north of Woodbridge Center in front of the Woodbridge EMS building.
The entire tractor trailer was quickly completely engulfed in the flames, police and eyewitnesses said. It was transporting unknown chemicals, said Captain Roy Hoppock of the Woodbridge police. People who work and live in the area reported hearing several loud explosions as the truck burned, and police reportedly cleared the scene, concerned about a possible explosion.
"We did hear three or four booms " they sounded like really loud popping noises," Emily Meyers, who works nearby at the National MS Society-NJ Metro Chapter, told Patch. "We saw the truck engulfed in flames from our outside window, which is where the pictures were taken from."
There no injuries and the truck's driver was able to jump out of the cab. What caused the fire remains unknown at this time. Thick black smoke could be seen throughout the area from the blaze.
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FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BAYTOWN EXXONMOBIL PLANT
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
here will be an investigation into a fire at the ExxonMobil complex in Baytown, company officials said.
Flames broke out at about 4:40 p.m. Thursday, sending heavy clouds of smoke along Bayway Drive near West.
No injuries were reported and workers at the facility have been accounted for.
"We are cooperating with necessary regulatory agencies, and a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of this incident," according to a company statement. "We deeply regret any disruption or inconvenience that this incident may have caused the community."
The company will conduct air monitoring operations around the plant and in the nearby community as a precaution, officials said.
Exxon's 3,400-acre Baytown complex includes the nation's second-largest refinery and a sprawling petrochemical plant.
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RIVERSIDE: UCR CHEMISTRY LAB MISHAP IRRITATES EYES OF 9 STUDENTS
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, release, injury, irritant, tear_gas
A chemistry lab mishap irritated the eyes of nine UC Riverside students, city fire officials say.
The accident happened about 7:20 p.m. Thursday, April 7, and caused mild irritation that firefighters treated by flushing the students' eyes with water, said Battalion Chief Jeff DeLaurie.
"They were beginning to do their class experiments," DeLaurie said. "What they think happened: One of the hot plates was (mistakenly) turned on. And the chemical they were using reacted to the heat...releasing some fumes.
"That wasn't part of the plan."
None of the students required a trip to the hospital.
Firefighters learned that the chemical involved in the incident was ethyl bromoacetate.
The result of the inadvertent heating was similar to releasing tear gas.
"The first chemical weapon to be used to control civil unrest was ethyl bromoacetate," according to a World Health Organization document entitled Effects on Health of Chemical Weapons. "The highly irritant vapour was intended to temporarily disable mobs."
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FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT IN WESTLAKE VILLAGE
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Los Angeles County firefighters responded to a hazmat incident in Westlake Village Thursday morning, officials said.
The incident was reported about 11 a.m. in the 5700 block of Lindero Canyon Road.
A large commercial building in the area is being remodeled.
Originally 12 people complained about difficulty breathing and itchy eyes, but later only four people had been affected by an unknown substance, said Los Angeles County Firefighter Humberto Agucia. They were all assessed at the scene and were not transported to a hospital.
Firefighters eventually cleared the scene but health officials were trying to determine what the substance was.
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CSX HONORS 78 CUSTOMERS WITH CHEMICAL SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Tags: transportation, discovery, environmental
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CSX Corporation (Nasdaq:CSX) yesterday announced the recipients of its 22nd annual Chemical Safety Excellence Award, recognizing 78 customers for their commitment to the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail.
"CSX's commitment to safety - for our customers, our employees and the communities we serve - is the foundation of the decisions we make every day," said Skip Elliott
, vice president - Public Safety, Health and Environment. "We're honored to work with customers who share this value as we deliver safe, reliable rail service to move their important products around the country."
The Chemical Safety Excellence Awards recognize customers who ship more than 600 carloads of hazardous materials during the year without a release due to controllable factors such as not securing valves or closures properly. CSX and its customers work together to ensure that hazardous materials are transported safely and employees are properly trained on safe loading and handling procedures.
Many of the recipients are repeat winners, representing a wide variety of industries such as energy, technology and agriculture. This year, CSX recognized a continued commitment to excellence by companies that have been listed for five years (Arizona Chemical Company; Ascend Performance Materials; Aux Sable Liquid Products; Cargill; CHS; Dow Corning; MarkWest Hydrocarbon, Inc.; Plains Marketing, LP; SABIC Americas, Inc.; U.S. Government; and World Fuel Services) and ten years (Akzo Nobel Chemicals Incorporated and Kemira).
---------------------------------------------
TWO CHARGED WITH MAKING BOMB AFTER MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, injury, bomb, illegal
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) " Two people were charged after an explosion at a home in east Columbus Tuesday afternoon. The explosion happened on South Hampton Road, seriously injuring one man.
Alphonso Mobley, Jr. reportedly lost his hands in the blast.
Fire officials say the two people charged are Mobley and Roberto Innis, Jr., a friend who was in the home at the time. Both are charged with manufacturing dangerous ordinance (a bomb), which investigators say they were going to use during a robbery.
Investigators say Mobley told the doctor at the hospital he was mixing chemicals when the explosion happened. They say while Innis was being questioned, he told them Mobley had said he wanted to use a bomb to create a distraction device during a bank robbery or armored car robbery. Innis reportedly told them he'd seen Mobley mix the chemicals to make the bomb about five different times recently.
According to a criminal complaint they were using Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) crystal powder. That's the same explosive used in the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels.
Fire crews had to evacuate nearby homes so they could detonate the explosive material inside the house. That detonation then ignited a fire.
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65-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION INSIDE HOME
Tags: us_MI, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
FOREST TWP, MI -- A 65-year-old Otisville man died after an explosion occurred while he was mixing chemicals inside a rural Genesee County home.
Michigan State Police Lt. Dave Kaiser said the man's nephew discovered the body around 7 a.m. Wednesday, April 6 at the home in the 11000 block of Dodge Road, between Henderson and Oak roads, in Forest Township.
A 65-year old man died following an explosion Wednesday, April 6, 2016 in the 11000 block of Dodge Road in Forest Township. Police said the man was mixing chemicals when the explosions took place inside the home.
The man was mixing chemicals on a homemade stove inside the home. Walls inside the home were moved at least six inches to eight inches due to the blast, Kaiser said.
It's not known at this time what types of chemicals were inside the home. The bomb squad detonated an unknown substance behind the home in a field.
Kaiser said the chemicals were not related to any type of drug activity. The man has not been identified. An autopsy is expected to be performed Thursday.
---------------------------------------------
CDC TESTS AT COFFEE PLANT FIND HIGH LEVELS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WI, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A warning for coffee workers in roasting factories and corner cafes across the country: keep your face away from the bins of roasted beans.
That's the latest word from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is examining the health hazards faced by some 600,000 people nationwide who spend their days roasting, grinding, packaging and serving coffee.
The agency is conducting tests at about a dozen facilities across the country in the wake of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation that exposed how a naturally occurring chemical endangers coffee workers. The agency's first test results, from a midsize roasting facility in Wisconsin, found extremely high levels of two lung-destroying chemicals in the roasting bins.
Investigators with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a research arm of the CDC, spent several days at Madison-based Just Coffee in July. Investigators tested personal air space and took air samples to measure the concentration of the chemicals diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione. They also evaluated the company's ventilation and other operating systems.
Diacetyl has been tied to the deadly lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, more commonly known as "popcorn lung" for its association with the many illnesses suffered by microwave popcorn workers in the early 2000s. The chemical's molecular cousin, 2,3-pentanedione, has shown equal toxicity in animal studies.
Both chemicals have been made synthetically to give a buttery flavor to all kinds of foods and beverages and have been deemed safe to ingest in trace amounts. Inhaling the compounds, however " whether natural or synthetic " can prove deadly.
The tests at Just Coffee were the agency's first study of a coffee facility that does not used added flavors. The results underscore the risk faced by all coffee workers, not just those in facilities where artificial flavors are used.
---------------------------------------------
US CHEMICAL REFORM THREATENED BY SUPREME COURT RULING
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics
As Congress works to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that governs US chemicals, more than 30 legal experts and public interest lawyers are warning that a supreme court decision last year could undermine any new law passed. They argue that a 2015 supreme court ruling, which blocked the Environmental Protection Agency"s (EPA) regulation of mercury emissions from power plants, could "unintentionally reassert" the agency"s obligation to detail the expenses involved in regulating a chemical.
TSCA reform legislation approved by the House and Senate contain provisions to reduce the EPA"s consideration of compliance costs. The intent of the language in those bills is for the agency to focus only on the risks that a chemical poses to public health and the environment.
In the 2015 supreme court decision the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February, said it is not appropriate for the EPA to "impose billions of dollars in economic costs in return for a few dollars in health or environmental benefits". He said the EPA "must consider cost " including, most importantly, cost of compliance " before deciding whether regulation is appropriate and necessary." In their letter, the legal experts argue that such cost consideration requirements would "unduly burden" the EPA, even in the face of credible threats from toxic chemicals.
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ANSONIA HS WORKS ON PLAN FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_OH, education, follow-up, response, ag_chems, pesticides
ANSONIA, Ohio (WDTN) " The Ansonia Local Schools district is working on a plan following a chemical spill at the high school.
Tuesday afternoon a pesticide spilled in the school"s agriculture department, which is also used as a greenhouse.
The chemical is being blamed for sending seven students and two faculty members to the hospital with respiratory issues.
Superintendent, Jim Atchley says the district is learning from the incident and putting a plan in place to improve safety procedures.
School resumed normally for students Wednesday morning.
School officials say the nine that were taken to the hospital are expected to recover.
"As an administrative team we"ve already met this morning to determine what we could do differently. I think there needs to be more communication. We probably needed to get our maintenance supervisor involved more readily, so he could"ve shut off our air handler unit. That would"ve prevented some of this from coming back into the building," said Atchley.
The district plans to meet with the Ansonia Fire Department on Friday to put a plan in place for future calls.
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TWO INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY INTO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, biodiesel
The University of California (UC) Center for Laboratory Safety has been retained to carry out "an independent investigation to determine the cause of the explosion" in a Hawaii Natural Energy Institute biofuels research laboratory at the University of Hawaii (UH), Manoa, on 16 March, the university's chancellor, Robert Bley-Vroman, announced in a 4 April statement. The explosion severely injured a postdoc, who has now been released from the hospital, according to Bley-Vroman.
Investigators from the UC center were on the Manoa campus during the week of 28 March and anticipate completing their investigation by the end of April, he continued. The UC center was established in 2011, 2 years after the death of research assistant Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji from burns sustained while working in the lab of UC, Los Angeles, professor Patrick Harran.
The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health division (HIOSH) is also investigating the incident, UH spokesman Daniel Meisenzahl tells Science Careers by email. "Any serious injuries in a place of business would be investigated by HIOSH," Meisenzahl writes. "I can confirm their investigators have been/will continue to be on campus."
"All preliminary indications are that the accident was an isolated incident and not the result of a systemic problem ‰?| or intentional wrongdoing," Bley-Vroman"s statement adds.
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