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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 29, 2016 at 7:02:36 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=uNQCJtG0gqMASS4NEd2MBdPR26G58xZPRyGcH6nTIQ8&s=9W7welA_tqHKWmPijcMpQ3PYG3apXexlypHe9OYtkxo&e=
Table of Contents (15 articles)
AMMONIA LEAK AT MUNN ARENA CONTAINED, MSU SAYS
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, ammonia
WESTMORELAND HAZMAT TEAM CREDITS DECLINE IN CALLS TO EDUCATION, PREVENTION PLANS
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental
STUDENTS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, release, response, mercury
AMMONIA SPILLS AT PEARL VALLEY EGGS IN STOCKTON
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, injury, ammonia
CREWS RESPOND TO SOUTH PORTLAND CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, chlorine
FIRE AT TRAILER SHOP BELIEVED CAUSED BY OILY RAGS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
MUSEUM FIRE: CRIME, FORENSIC TEAMS INSPECT PREMISES
Tags: India, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MAN DIES IN ISLE OF WIGHT 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT'
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, death, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL FACTORY GUTTED, NARROW ESCAPE FOR WORKERS
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
RESULTS FROM INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO UH LAB EXPLOSION DELAYED
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, biodiesel, gas_cylinders
FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT BILTMORE LAKE
Tags: us_NC, public, explosion, injury, phosphoric_acid
SUNNYVALE BLOTTER: TWO PEOPLE INJURED IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
HIDDEN LAKE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT INJURED AFTER CHEMISTRY LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
SPOKANE FIRE AIMS TO USE DRONES FOR EMERGENCIES
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response
BUSINESS STANDARD-MAJOR FIRE AT BIO-DIESEL CO AT VISAKHAPATNAM, NO CASUALTIES: OFFICIALS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, biodiesel
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AMMONIA LEAK AT MUNN ARENA CONTAINED, MSU SAYS
Tags: us_MI, education, release, response, ammonia
EAST LANSING - Michigan State University officials said they've stopped an ammonia leak that prompted an evacuation at Munn Ice Arena early Thursday afternoon.
The building remains closed, but Chestnut Road had been reopened and there is no threat to public health, the officials said.
Six employees were in the arena when a monitoring system detected an ammonia leak about 1:10 p.m., the university said in a news release. The system triggered an alarm and automatically turned on exhaust fans, the release said. Ammonia is used make and cool the ice.
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WESTMORELAND HAZMAT TEAM CREDITS DECLINE IN CALLS TO EDUCATION, PREVENTION PLANS
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental
Westmoreland County's volunteer hazmat team responded to just 34 incidents last year, a number officials attribute to better education and prevention plans improving safety in dealing with dangerous chemicals and fuels.
According to a report approved Thursday by county commissioners, no injuries resulted from industrial site chemical spills, leaks or other minor incidents that involved hazardous materials in 2015.
"We are aggressive with our planning, and it allows for better prevention," said Roland Mertz, the county's director of public safety.
Hazmat response in Westmoreland rose dramatically after 2001, when anthrax scares nationwide caused panic. For several weeks, the county hazmat unit responded to dozens of calls a day about suspicious substances. No cases resulted in any findings.
Most of the hazmat team's calls last year dealt with small-scale gas leaks, oils spills and the release of other combustible liquids.
"We get calls when there are lives at risk, property at risk and the environment's at risk," Mertz said.
The unit responded to three incidents through the first two months of this year and had 48 calls in 2014. Its most recent high was 106 calls in 2010.
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STUDENTS EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, release, response, mercury
YUMA. Ariz.-
Yuma High was partly evacuated Thursday after a chemical spill in the research building. Five people including one student were in the room when the chemical spill happened.
A chemistry teacher and staff were checking inventory of the schools chemicals when one of the vials containing a form of mercury fell and broke on the floor. Assistant principal for Yuma High Frank Nunez says, "a very small amount fell on the floor. These chemicals are stored in glass at times which was broken on impact."
The building was evacuated and items that the chemical touched were left in the building. "A little bit fell on the floor on some shoes. Everything was removed and left there and the fire department was called and we enacted our emergency response plan," says Nunez. The Yuma Fire Department responded to the scene with a special response vehicle to assess the situation. Mike Erfert with the fire department says, "Personnel that had been trained in dealing with hazardous chemicals entered and checked out what the chemical was comprised of and took the appropriate action."
Erfert says YFD worked to stop the spread of the chemical fumes from getting to other buildings by shutting of the air conditioning to the building.
Nunez says they were not sure what the side effects of the chemical were but treated the situation with extreme caution. "Essentially it"s a chemical with unknown side effects at the time by the people who were around it so regardless we are going to act as if it were the most volatile substance there even though really it"s not. The doctors cleared both the people that were involved rather immediately."
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AMMONIA SPILLS AT PEARL VALLEY EGGS IN STOCKTON
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, injury, ammonia
STOCKTON " A hazardous materials team and other emergency units responded to a small ammonia leak at Pearl Valley Eggs at 8:30 a.m. today. The leak caused no injures or public health concerns.
The Stockton Police Department, Stockton Community Ambulance, Stockton Fire Department and the Jo Daviess County Sheriff's hazmat team responded to 2125 S. Illinois 78. Protocol requires a hazmat team to clean up ammonia, Stockton Deputy Police Chief Thomas Sheehan said. Police left the egg farm at about 12:30 p.m.
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CREWS RESPOND TO SOUTH PORTLAND CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, chlorine
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- South Portland firefighters and a hazmat team are on scene of a chemical leak at a rail yard, early Wednesday morning.
The leak is happening at Rigby Train Yard on Rigby Street.
Fire officials said the call came in early Wednesday morning about a Chlorine leak.
Crews are there assessing the situation and working to clean things up.
It's not known yet if any of the workers at the rail yard have been affected.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE AT TRAILER SHOP BELIEVED CAUSED BY OILY RAGS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
A pile of oily rags is believed to be the cause of a fire that damaged a Gainesville trailer-manufacturing business Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported at 6:41 a.m. at the Texas Trailers commercial complex at 1650 NW 55th Place, which was closed at the time, according to a Gainesville Fire Rescue report.
Firefighters used mechanical tools to open the gates and found a 20 by 50 foot paint booth that had caught fire behind the main building. They quickly extinguished the fire, the report said, limiting the damage. No one was reported injured.
The fire is under investigation but the report said the fire appears to have been caused by oily rags that were in a storage bin. This type of fire is caused from spontaneous combustion or a chemical reaction and oily rags are the most common culprit, according to the National Fire Protection Agency.
---------------------------------------------
MUSEUM FIRE: CRIME, FORENSIC TEAMS INSPECT PREMISES
Tags: India, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Forensic and crime teams visited the National Museum of Natural History on Wednesday to collect samples " a day after it was gutted in a fire.
A police officer said that a crime team as well as one from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) visited the site and collected samples which were then sent for examination.
The reports will take around a month and will be crucial in determining the exact cause.
Meanwhile, cooling operations continued till Wednesday. The police said that almost the entire museum, all three affected floors, were completely gutted. A few taxidermies may, however, be unaffected, said sources.
So far, the assessment of damage has not been made as the police were not allowing anyone, including Museum officials, to enter the premise for safety reasons.
However, DFS officials said that some taxidermies and fauna samples kept on the lowermost floor of the museum may have been saved but the number was too small and dwarfed by the overall destruction figure.
The police may question the officials on fire safety arrangements soon. So far the only person questioned by them is the guard who spotted the smoke and raised an alarm. The case registered is under Section 436 of IPC (mischief caused by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) against unnamed persons in connection with the fire at the museum.
---------------------------------------------
MAN DIES IN ISLE OF WIGHT 'CHEMICAL INCIDENT'
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, death, unknown_chemical
A man has died after a "chemical incident" at house on the Isle of Wight, police have said.
Police cordoned off a house and closed part of St Mary's Road in Cowes shortly after 19:00 BST on Wednesday.
Hampshire Constabulary said a man in his 20s was initially treated at the scene but later died.
Others living at the property, along with two ambulance service crew, were taken to hospital for checks.
The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service said they were all expected to be discharged later.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FACTORY GUTTED, NARROW ESCAPE FOR WORKERS
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Ghaziabad: A fire broke out in a chemical factory in Udyog Kunj, gutting goods worth Rs 1 crore, on Wednesday afternoon. About 15 fire tenders, which were pressed into service, finally brought it under control after six hours of firefighting. No causalities have been reported.There was panic in Udyog Kunj after two massive explosions that ripped apart Bharat Chemical, a paint manufacturing factory, shortly after noon.
While people ran for safety, the factory was completely engulfed in the fire with thick plumes of smoke that could be seen from quite a distance.An eyewitness, Mansukh Lal, said he and some other witnesses had just finished their lunch when they heard a loud explosion and rushed towards Bharat Chemical factory. "We saw the factory in flames even though about a dozen workers were rushing out," said Mansukh Lal, who works in a nearby factory. "Such was the intensity of the fire that in less than half an hour it completely engulfed the factory and also spread in a nearby factory," he said."Around 1.15pm we received a call that a fire has broken out in a chemical factory and initially we rushed five fire tenders to the spot," R K Yadav, fire station officer, said.
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RESULTS FROM INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO UH LAB EXPLOSION DELAYED
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, biodiesel, gas_cylinders
An independent investigation into the explosion at a University of Hawaii at Manoa laboratory may take a little longer than expected.
The investigation, which is being conducted by the University of California Center for Laboratory Safety, is now expected to be complete by mid to late May instead of the end of April.
According to UH, the center was unable to send materials involved in the explosion for testing until the Hawaii State Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH), the government agency investigating the accident, completed its review of the accident scene. HIOSH released the materials and scene to UH late last week.
A postdoctoral researcher, identified as Thea Ekins-Coward, lost her arm in the explosion on March 16. She was working alone in a Hawaii Natural Energy Institute biofuels research laboratory in the UH Manoa Pacific Ocean Science and Technology building.
A Honolulu Fire Department investigation classified the incident as an accident that occurred in a portable gas cylinder.
HFD also says the equipment that contributed to the blast should not have been there in the first place, and a previous, smaller incident went unreported.
In its preliminary investigation, the UC Center for Laboratory Safety determined that the explosion was an isolated incident and not the result of a systemic problem, UH said.
Following the explosion, the university"s Office of Environmental Health and Safety reviewed and surveyed all of the 500-plus laboratories on campus to ensure similar experiments weren"t being conducted elsewhere.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT BILTMORE LAKE
Tags: us_NC, public, explosion, injury, phosphoric_acid
CANDLER - Phosphoric acid found along the shoreline at Biltmore Lake exploded Tuesday night, injuring two firemen, officials say.
Two residents reported seeing a canister, about 1 liter or 1 quart in size, smoldering along the shoreline of the lake near the Biltmore Lake club house and Lake Drive, said Bill McMannis, on-site manager for Biltmore Lake.
County Dispatchers received a call about 6:46 p.m. reporting a small fire, according to notes at the Buncombe County Emergency Operations Center.
The Enka-Candler Fire Department arrived on scene shortly after to investigate, but in their efforts two firemen were injured, Assistant Chief Josh Howard said.
When firefighters attempted to extinguish the material by kicking dirt over it, the material exploded, McMannis said.
"At that point, they realized they weren"t dealing with the ordinary," he said.
The firemen were transported to Mission Hospital with first- and second-degree burns to their hands and faces and released later Wednesday night, Howard said.
Following the explosion, the Asheville Fire Department's Hazmat Team performed a test and determined the substance was phosphoric acid. Firefighters then let the material burn on its own until the fire was out.
Officials said there was a small canister near the chemical, but they don't know if the chemical was inside that container or just along the shoreline.
One firefighter described the can as 4 to 5 inches large, similar to the size of a drink can, Howard said.
Officials believe the material began to smolder and burn after it was exposed to the air along the shoreline because of lake levels being down by seven feet, McMannis said. In recent weeks, the lake has been drained to perform dredging, which is part of a restoration project.
---------------------------------------------
SUNNYVALE BLOTTER: TWO PEOPLE INJURED IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Hazardous materials--April 17, 10:36 a.m. Karlstad Drive. Two employees were injured in a small explosion that resulted from working with chemicals. Both employees were taken to the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
HIDDEN LAKE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT INJURED AFTER CHEMISTRY LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- A chemical reaction caused an explosion that rocked Hidden Lake High School in Westminster Wednesday morning.
One student was rushed to the hospital while the rest of the school was evacuated.
Westminster Fire Department officials said the explosion happened before school at around 7:45 a.m. when a student came in early to work on a chemistry project. The student was working with a teacher when he mixed two chemicals together and the explosion occurred.
"The two chemicals mixed together isn"t necessarily an issue. What happened is then the mulling of the substance caused the explosion in a ceramic bowl," said Courtney Van Marter with the Westminster Fire Department.
The explosion injured the student"s hands. He was rushed to the hospital and into surgery where doctors operated on one of them.
"There were also some minor abrasions up in the chest area from the shrapnel of the injury, but nothing life threatening," said Steve Saunders, a spokesman with Westminster Public Schools.
Jolene Olivas works at Heavenly Cakes, a bakery across the street from the alternative high school. She said she was walking to work when the blast happened.
"It was a loud boom, yeah. I assumed it was a shooting," she said. "Thirty seconds later the whole school was surrounded by cops and ambulances."
The district is now trying to determine exactly what happened and whether the horrible accident could have been prevented.
"Obviously we"ll go back and look at what happened and what protocols were used and try to get to the bottom of it and make sure it never happens again," said Saunders.
Classes at the school were cancelled Wednesday. However, school will resume on time Thursday morning.
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SPOKANE FIRE AIMS TO USE DRONES FOR EMERGENCIES
Tags: us_WA, public, discovery, response
SPOKANE, Wash. " Spokane firefighters have asked City Council to create an exception that would allow them to use drones in the event of an emergency.
If city leaders approve the vote, fire administrators said the drones will respond mostly to hazmat calls, where firefighters come into contact with dangerous chemicals.
By sending a drone into a contaminated area, Spokane Fire said the benefits are twofold. First off, they said it will save precious time because workers will not have to get suited up to deal with chemicals " something that can take several minutes to do.
On top of that, officials said fewer firefighters will be exposed to dangerous materials, possibly saving lives in the process.
Spokane Fire said the cost for a drone is somewhere between $8,000 and $20,000 and most of the costs would come from training the drone"s pilots.
A recent example that officials gave where a drone could have been used was during the chlorine leak at Pacific Steel and Recycling in the summer of 2015.
Had firefighters used a drone in that case, they said the overall investigation would have been much faster.
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BUSINESS STANDARD-MAJOR FIRE AT BIO-DIESEL CO AT VISAKHAPATNAM, NO CASUALTIES: OFFICIALS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, biodiesel
A massive fire broke out at Biomax Fuels Limited (BFL), a bio-diesel manufacturing unit in the Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (VSEZ), Duvvada area in the city, on Tuesday night, officials said.
No casualties were reported in the incident, they said.
Biomax Fuels Ltd has a manufacturing capacity of five lakh tonnes of bio-diesel from multi-feedstock at VSEZ. There are about 15 storage tanks and the blaze spread to the 11 of them.
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"Eight fire engines reached the spot and two fire engines with chemical foam were requisitioned from HPCL and Eastern Naval Command to put off the fire," District Fire Officer J M Rao said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the fire tenders were unable to reach the storage area, Rao said.
District Collector N Yuvaraj and other rushed to the spot and examined the operations.
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