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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 (13 articles)
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2016 05:25:44 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: A496F931-665A-42AC-8DAF-EE0D522BDEC2**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, July 25, 2016 at 5:25:27 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=DQIFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=meWM1Buqv4IQ27AlK1OJRjcQl09S1Zta6YXKalY_Io0&m=TSUw7298Ea_S49jzDiNhjfSbZzrVfHkAJ9s6jsJQDTw&s=TOppB9VNMsRij0XvcRZkbEeONcoaVtfu4saQCMGNOj4&e=
Table of Contents (13 articles)
INHERENTLY SAFER DESIGN AT REFINERIES PROPOSED IN CALIFORNIA
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
U.S. CONGRESS CLEARS THE WAY FOR LIMITS ON DRONE FLIGHTS NEAR CHEMICAL PLANTS AND REFINERIES
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
CLIMATE TALKS PUSH CHEMICAL BAN
Tags: Austria, public, discovery, environmental, hvac_chemicals
CHLORINE LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SEVERAL PEORIA HOMES
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, chlorine
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO EGAN, FLANAGAN & COHEN OFFICES IN SPRINGFIELD FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, fire_extinguisher
HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP CHLORINE SPILL AT GYM
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine
CALIFORNIA TO LEVY FEE ON RAIL CARS CARRYING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, transportation, discovery, environmental, acids, flammables, petroleum
HOW A ‰??STRONG SMELL‰?? ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE PLAYED A ROLE IN TWO MOTORISTS‰?? DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZED THREE COPS
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
DOMBIVLI BLAST DUE TO FIRE IN STORED CHEMICAL: RTI
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
IS THAT RED FIRE RETARDANT DROPPED FROM PLANES DURING WILDFIRES SAFE FOR HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT?
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
DID THE WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL HARM RESIDENTS?
Tags: us_WV, public, follow-up, environmental, irritant
UPDATE: SPECIALIST CHEMICAL TEAM WORK CONTINUE CLEAN UP OF 100 LITRE ACID LEAK AT COWLEY MINI PLANT (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
METH LAB DUMP SITE FOUND IN PORT HURON
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
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INHERENTLY SAFER DESIGN AT REFINERIES PROPOSED IN CALIFORNIA
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
California regulatory agencies are proposing a sweeping overhaul of worker safety and environmental regulations at refineries. A recent proposal would require the state‰??s 14 oil refineries to adopt inherently safer designs and systems ‰??to the greatest extent feasible,‰?? which is regulatory wording long sought by unions and community groups. The proposal would also give refinery workers authority to shut down an unsafe operation as well as allow anonymous reporting of safety hazards. Much of the proposal was based ona report and recommendations of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which last week urged that the proposal be adopted and serve as a national model for refinery worker protection and public safety. The proposal grew from years of state-agency-led meetings with communities, oil companies, and labor unions that followed a 2012 accident at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, Calif., which sent some 15,000 nearby residents to hospitals. In a statement, the Western State!
s Petroleum Association, a business group, notes its involvement in the meetings held to develop the proposal. But the association withheld comment while its member companies review the proposal.
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U.S. CONGRESS CLEARS THE WAY FOR LIMITS ON DRONE FLIGHTS NEAR CHEMICAL PLANTS AND REFINERIES
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
The Senate gave final congressional approval on July 13 to bipartisan legislation that paves the way for restrictions on the operation of drones near chemical plants, oil refineries, and other ‰??critical infrastructure‰?? facilities.
The legislation would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish procedures for chemical plants and refineries, as well as for energy production, transmission, and distribution facilities, to petition the agency to limit or ban operation of unmanned aircraft close to a facility.
The provision is included in a bill (H.R. 636) that authorizes FAA programs at current funding levels through September 2017. The House of Representatives approved the measure on July 11, and the Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 90-4 on July 13. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on July 15.
Drones, unmanned aircraft flown remotely, have surged in recreational popularity. This has raised concerns that a drone could accidentally crash into an industrial facility, hit power lines, or be used by a terrorist to surveil potential targets.
Another worry is the threat of industrial espionage through aerial photography. Industry‰??s anxiety is focused on the possibility that ‰??enterprising individuals will take aerial photos at these sites and try to sell them to competitors,‰?? says John J. Durkay, legal counsel for the International Safety Training Council, which trains contractors and employees at chemical and refining plants in southeastern Texas.
---------------------------------------------
CLIMATE TALKS PUSH CHEMICAL BAN
Tags: Austria, public, discovery, environmental, hvac_chemicals
WASHINGTON -- When negotiators from nearly 200 countries gathered outside Paris in December for the United Nations summit meeting on climate change, they reached the first agreement to take action on curbing their planet-warming pollution.
This weekend in Vienna, with far less attention, negotiators from those same countries are nearing a deal that many environmentalists have called the most significant action this year to reduce global warming.
While the Paris agreement aims to reduce the use of coal and oil, which produce the carbon dioxide emissions that are the chief cause of global warming, negotiators in Vienna are working on a deal to ban the use of hydrofluorocarbons, chemicals used in air conditioners and refrigerators. Although they contribute only a small percentage of the world's greenhouse gases, these chemicals can trap heat in the atmosphere at levels a thousand times higher than carbon dioxide can, according to published scientific studies.
Negotiations to ban hydrofluorocarbons have dragged on for seven years. But if agreement is reached in Vienna, a final deal could be signed during an October conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
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CHLORINE LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SEVERAL PEORIA HOMES
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, release, response, chlorine
PEORIA, Ariz. - Several Peoria homes were evacuated Sunday morning as hazmat teams responded to a chlorine leak.
"There are two 150 gallon tanks of chlorine in there and we know one of them is leaking," said Tim Eiden, a spokesperson for the City of Peoria Fire & Medical Department.
Peoria fire officials said there was a chlorine leak at a water treatment plant near Lake Pleasant and West Beardsley roads before 10 a.m.
Several fire departments responded to the first alarm hazardous situation. A few homes near the plant were evacuated as a precaution.
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HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO EGAN, FLANAGAN & COHEN OFFICES IN SPRINGFIELD FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, fire_extinguisher
SPRINGFIELD -- The downtown law offices of Egan, Flanagan and Cohen were evacuated Friday afternoon after a disused fire suppression system began to leak, sending decades-old extinguishing chemicals into the building's basement.
Springfield firefighters responded to a 67 Market St. following a call from a building worker at 12:38 p.m. and encountered fumes from the spill. A regional hazmat team is en route to the scene and the building remains evacuated as of this afternoon.
Deputy Chief Glenn Guyer said the fire suppressions system used carbon tetrafluoride ‰?? an extinguishing agent commonly used upwards of sixty years ago, but which fell out of favor due to its carcinogenic and corrosive properties.
"It's a type of extinguishing agent which is set up on a fusable link, so when the room gets to a certain temperature or a fire gets to the fusable link, it activates. The system is under pressure and it sprays it all out there.," Guyer said. "It's very good at putting out fires but it's very corrosive ‰?? it's not good for people."
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP CHLORINE SPILL AT GYM
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine
Around 10:15 a.m., authorities were dispatched to the gym located at 1357 E. Los Angeles Ave. after receiving reports of a chemical spill, said Ventura County Fire Capt. Scott Dettorre.
Upon arrival, firefighters evacuated the gym‰??s outdoor pool, as well as the rest of the facility.
‰??There was a large liquid chlorine spill into the pool at the gym and from that leak, a large vapor cloud was released,‰?? Dettorre said. ‰??Ten people were assessed and treated by the (Ventura County) Fire Department, but I don‰??t know if any were gym patrons or employees.‰??
Of those 10, the fire captain said, seven were transported to local hospitals. The other three were paramedics with American Medical Response who were providing treatment.
---------------------------------------------
CALIFORNIA TO LEVY FEE ON RAIL CARS CARRYING DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, transportation, discovery, environmental, acids, flammables, petroleum
California plans to levy a fee on rail cars carrying dangerous chemicals across the state, starting later this year.
The move follows several oil train derailments around the country, including in neighboring Oregon. A recent analysis conducted by the Office of Emergency Services found gaps in California's ability to handle such spills, prompting the state Legislature to order the fee program.
Railroad companies call the proposed fee illegal. Federal law prohibits states from imposing constraints on interstate commerce of railways.
The state compiled a list of 25 of the most hazardous materials shipped by rail. Each car carrying one of those materials is to face a $45 fee. The list includes substances dangerous to humans by direct contact or because they are highly flammable, such as oils, petroleum gases, fertilizers and acids.
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HOW A ‰??STRONG SMELL‰?? ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE PLAYED A ROLE IN TWO MOTORISTS‰?? DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZED THREE COPS
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
Once the trooper was able to break the window, he noticed a strong chemical smell coming from inside the vehicle.
‰??There‰??s some kind of strong smell coming out of the vehicle. We‰??re not able ‰?? we‰??re not sure what‰??s coming out of there. There‰??s one small child and a female, but, uh, they‰??re not able to get in with the smell.‰??
A hazardous materials (Hazmat) team was called. They found an ‰??unknown chemical substance‰?? that, as of this writing, has yet to be identified, according to an Orlando Sentinel report from the time.
---------------------------------------------
DOMBIVLI BLAST DUE TO FIRE IN STORED CHEMICAL: RTI
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
Summary: It has been almost two months but there is no official report on the reason behind the chemical factory blast in Dombivli. When the welding sparks flew into the stock, the chemical caught fire and there was a blast," sated the reply. On May 26, a blast in Dombivli MIDC's Probase company killed four and injured 161 people. The RTI reply from the state industrial safety and health department states that the blast took place as welding work was on near the distillation centre of the company. However, according to a reply to an RTI query, it has come to light that the blast took place because of huge stocks of Popargyl chloride that caught fire due to welding sparks.
---------------------------------------------
IS THAT RED FIRE RETARDANT DROPPED FROM PLANES DURING WILDFIRES SAFE FOR HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT?
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
While some say the pink gel is effective at slowing the spread of wildfires, others wonder if its use has long-lasting effects on the environment.
Most agree that the chemical is not harmful ‰?? at least not to humans and other mammals ‰?? even though it can cause quite a mess. However, studies show it may be lethal to aquatic life in lakes, creeks or rivers and scientists more recently are concerned about lingering effects of retardant on trees and chaparral during the current drought, which has made scarce the cleansing rains that can wash the chemicals away.
‰??With these drought conditions, with vegetation already stressed and now, with retardant staying on these plants and waiting six months before it rains, we don‰??t know if that changes the equation,‰?? said Marti Witter, a fire ecologist with the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
‰??Having salt sitting on your leaves ‰?? that would interfere with the leaf surface. Salts are not that great,‰?? she said.
NEIGHBOR NOT PRETTY IN PINK
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DID THE WEST VIRGINIA CHEMICAL SPILL HARM RESIDENTS?
Tags: us_WV, public, follow-up, environmental, irritant
A study completed earlier this month by federal health officials found that chemicals leaked into West Virginia drinking water systems in early 2014 were unlikely to produce adverse health effects at levels recommended by the government.
The year-long analysis by the National Toxicology Program found that most of the chemicals analyzed in numerous studies did not show signs of negative effects, and those that did were only reflected at levels well in excess of the drinking water threshold.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a screening level of 1 part per million for a coal washing chemical that leaked into the Elk River on January 9, 2014, but officials acknowledged that little was known about appropriate exposure levels at the time.
A storage tank that included 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol, or MCHM, and other chemicals ruptured and overwhelmed the water utility serving some 300,000 customers near Charleston.
Local residents went without water for several days under do-not-drink advisories from the water utility and the governor's office. Numerous residents complained of health problems long after the orders were lifted.
The NTP study, however, supported "the adequacy of the drinking water screening level concentrations recommended by CDC at time of spill."
Although some residents reported rashes and skin irritation in the wake of the spill, the agency said that MCHM is a skin irritant only at much higher concentrations.
One of their studies also found low birth weights when pregnant rats were given elevated doses of MCHM, but a study by West Virginia officials reportedly found no increase in low birth weights or pre-term births in the area around the spill.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: SPECIALIST CHEMICAL TEAM WORK CONTINUE CLEAN UP OF 100 LITRE ACID LEAK AT COWLEY MINI PLANT (FROM OXFORD MAIL)
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A SPECIALIST team continues the clear up of 100 litres of leaked acid at the BMW plant in Cowley.
The hydrochloric acid was discovered at about 2am on one of the plant's storage facilities.
The on-site emergency response team dealt with the leak initially until emergency services arrived just before 4am.
Steve Wrelton, a spokesman for MINI Plant Oxford, confirmed Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service left the site this afternoon while the specialist team continues the clear up.
He said they were expected to finish the operation tonight and afterwards there will be an assessment of the area.
He added: "At about 2am a chemical leak was identified in one of our plant‰??s storage facilities.
"In line with procedure, our on-site emergency response team was notified and local emergency services were called to attend.
"No one has been injured as a result of the incident and production continues.
"A full investigation will be undertaken and the Health & Safety Executive have been informed.‰??
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METH LAB DUMP SITE FOUND IN PORT HURON
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, meth_lab
Another methamphetamine lab dump site has been located and dismantled, this time in the city of Port Huron, police said.
The site was found on the night of July 19 by Port Huron Police Road Patrol officers during a follow up investigation into a larceny report, according to a release from the St. Clair County Sheriff‰??s Office. Police were attempting to locate stolen items when they went to a vacant lot in the 1600 block of Whipple Street at about 11 p.m. and instead discovered four one pot method reactionary vessels, along with methamphetamine components and precursors.
The St. Clair County Drug Task Force was called to the scene to decontaminate, dismantle and dispose of the lab.
There were no suspects following the incident, which marked the Drug Task Force‰??s 17th response to a methamphetamine-related complaint this year, police said.
‰??We want to send the message once again to everyone: If you see what might even possibly be the remnants of a meth lab, walk away and contact your local police agency or the Drug Task Force,‰?? St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said in the release. ‰??The remnants left in these one pot vessels can be very volatile. If the chemicals reactivate, it can cause a chemical fire or explosion.‰??
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