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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, 8 Aug 2016 08:04:29 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: E754F347-65D6-4D88-94BF-722024ED5978**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, August 8, 2016 at 8:03:50 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=pixYmyWQcFN2bGEDAxButxH_LywQrbLxMnrZBpgp67s&s=FtUzGFRKn2z3O0SliOP2LNSVkSOBtbZyRDt-IXjo3so&e=
Table of Contents (15 articles)
MAKING SURE CHEMICAL TOXICITY TESTS DON‰??T MISS METABOLITES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, pesticides
WOMAN AND DOG FOUND DEAD IN BERRIEN SPRINGS, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTED
Tags: us_MI, public, release, death, carbon_monoxide
JUDGE IN IBERVILLE CLEARS WAY FOR FIRST CIVIL JURY TRIAL ON 2013 WILLIAMS EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, public, follow-up, death
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
7-ELEVEN EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
EPA ORDER TO PROTECT HOMES IN WASHINGTON, MO., FROM CHEMICAL VAPORS
Tags: us_MO, industrial, discovery, response, solvent
FRACKING AIR POLLUTION STUDY RETRACTED
Tags: us_OH, public, release, environmental, natural_gas
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVERS TO CALL FIRE DEPT.
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
7 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL SEEPS INTO WAUSAU VA CLINIC VENITLATION SYSTEM
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
EXPLOSION AT JURONG GAS FIRM, 9 MONTHS AFTER ANOTHER BLAST THERE KILLED A WOMAN, SINGAPORE NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Singapore, industrial, explosion, response, oxygen
MAN JAILED OVER DRUGS LAB EXPLOSION AT GLASGOW FLAT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, explosion, injury, drugs
EU CRITERIA ON ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS INSUFFICIENT, WARNS CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ‰?? EURACTIV.COM
Tags: Belgium, industrial, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
UPDATED: CHLORINE LEAK IN STEADY BROOK CONTAINED WITHOUT INCIDENT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, chlorine
LAFAYETTE FIRE DEPARTMENT, HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO INCIDENT AT RESEARCH LAB
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, release, response, batteries
CHEMICAL COMPANY DIDN'T PROTECT WORKERS FROM FLAMMABLE GAS, OSHA SAYS
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal, plastics
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MAKING SURE CHEMICAL TOXICITY TESTS DON‰??T MISS METABOLITES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, pesticides
Once hailed as a safe alternative to the persistent organochlorine insecticide DDT, methoxychlor was widely used for decades to fight flies, mosquitoes, roaches, and other household pests. It was also extensively applied to fruits and vegetables, grains, and livestock.
But after laboratory animal studies linked the substance to developmental and reproductive side effects‰??including miscarriages, reduced fertility, and small litter size‰??regulators took action. The European Union banned sales of methoxychlor in 2002 and the U.S. followed suit in 2003.
Without data from animal studies, regulators would have likely missed the adverse effects of methoxychlor. The insecticidal chemical itself is relatively benign. Once it enters the body, however, metabolic enzymes in the liver convert the chemical into 2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (HPTE), a substance with estrogenic activity. This metabolite disrupts the body‰??s endocrine system.
Compounds such as methoxychlor present a major challenge for regulators who are hoping to reduce the number of animal studies needed to demonstrate the safety of chemicals. They pin big hopes on high-throughput human cell-based assays that would replace slow and costly in vivo animal studies for evaluating chemical toxicity. Standing in their way, however, is the fact that such cell-based assays can‰??t yet detect the effects of unrecognized metabolites.
---------------------------------------------
WOMAN AND DOG FOUND DEAD IN BERRIEN SPRINGS, CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTED
Tags: us_MI, public, release, death, carbon_monoxide
Berrien Springs, MI - The Berrien Springs Oronoko Fire Department found an elderly woman and her dog dead in a home on the 4900 block of Appain Way in Berrien Springs.
Because there were two bodies, officials thought the cause of death might not be old age.
A hazardous materials team responded to the home for a reported gas leak Sunday evening.
Investigators confirm high levels of carbon monoxide was found in the home.
"When they went in they found that their meters had very high carbon monoxide readings." Captain Rocky Adams said. "Somewhere around the 1000 parts per million range. 1200 Is somewhere around where CO is lethal for people."
This measurement was taken several hours after the death of the woman, so the levels were much higher before fire crews shut down the home's appliances.
"It has reduced since we were out here from 5:00." Adams said. "The levels have went down and dissipated a little bit. Right now, the fire department is further evacuating the house of any kind of gases that are in there, so they're trying to push all that out."
The signs point to carbon monoxide being the cause of death, but the investigation is still underway.
Officials
---------------------------------------------
JUDGE IN IBERVILLE CLEARS WAY FOR FIRST CIVIL JURY TRIAL ON 2013 WILLIAMS EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, public, follow-up, death
More than three years after a devastating explosion and fire at the Williams Olefins complex in Geismar, a state district judge in Iberville Parish has cleared the way for the first civil trial brought by workers who say they were injured in the blast, plaintiffs attorneys said.
Judge Elizabeth A. Engolio of the 18th Judicial District denied Williams' motion for summary judgment, avoiding an end to the case based only on legal argument and allowing a Sept. 6 trial on the first group of five plaintiffs to proceed in Plaquemine.
The ruling comes just a month after another district court judge in Ascension Parish agreed to dismiss Williams from separate suits brought by several plaintiffs also alleging injury in the explosion. The Williams Olefins' plant straddles the Ascension-Iberville line.
The June 13, 2013, blast at the complex, which was then undergoing a $300 million ethylene expansion, killed two men and injured 114 workers, authorities said at the time.
The explosion has since spawned a series of damages lawsuits in Ascension and Iberville parishes, garnered Williams a $36,000 fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and scrutiny from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
But the early phases of litigation over the explosion, in addition to drawing in nearly two dozen defendants, has involved wrangling over which parish the suits should be tried in and whether Williams can even be sued over the blast.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL LEAK AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
Tags: us_KS, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
Firefighters responded to a chemical leak Friday at the new Lansing Middle School.
The leak was from old science lab chemicals that school officials were planning to dispose of, said Rick Huhn, chief of Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1.
Located at 220 Lion Lane, Lansing Middle School is at the site of a former high school. The building has been renovated to serve as the new middle school.
The school year has not yet started.
Huhn said the chemical spill was reported around 3 p.m. Firefighters hauled the chemicals outside the building.
Huhn said there were about two grocery carts worth of chemicals.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, firefighters were waiting for representatives of a private firm from Olathe to arrive and dispose of the chemicals.
Huhn said the chemicals were located in a shower room area at the time of the leak.
Before the leak, firefighters had been working with school officials and Leavenworth County Emergency Management to properly dispose of the chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
7-ELEVEN EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) - Saturday morning, first responders were called to the scene of a chemical leak at the 7-Eleven on Kenmore Ave in Tonawanda.
Fire Chief John Lauck of Ellwood Fire District 1, said two people were inside the 7-Eleven when they reported a strong odor. They began going in and out of consciousness and were taken the hospital where they are now being treated.
Two blocks north of store were evacuated for safety precautions, but people have since been told it is now safe to return home.
Town of Tonawanda, Clarence Fire, EMT's and Hazmat were all initial responders.
---------------------------------------------
EPA ORDER TO PROTECT HOMES IN WASHINGTON, MO., FROM CHEMICAL VAPORS
Tags: us_MO, industrial, discovery, response, solvent
WASHINGTON, MO. - WASHINGTON, MO - The EPA is warning people who live in central Washington, MO of the possibility of contaminated soil and shallow groundwater.
The organization said 25 homes could be eligible to have free protective vapor mitigation systems installed. This is part of an order issued to SV Land, LLC, where industrial chemical solvents polluted soil and shallow groundwater.
The EPA said a polluted groundwater plume could have a negative impact in nearby areas, which includes residential properties. The organization went on to say that the contamination came from the solvents the Sporlan Valve Company used.
The EPA contacted the owners of the areas that were potentially affected and assured them that any work that must be done to solve the issue will be at no cost to the homeowners.
---------------------------------------------
FRACKING AIR POLLUTION STUDY RETRACTED
Tags: us_OH, public, release, environmental, natural_gas
Because of calculation errors, researchers have retracted a 2015 study showing that airborne pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) near fracking sites in Ohio posed elevated cancer risk to area residents and workers. In a new paper, the team reports corrected PAH values that are about 0.4% of those originally reported. In contrast to the original study‰??s conclusions, the researchers estimate that exposure to these PAH levels does not exceed the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s acceptable risk levels for cancer (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b02762).
PAHs are found in fossil fuels, so they can be released into the air through natural gas extraction, and they are also produced when the fuels are burned, such as in truck exhaust near fracking sites. Because they are linked with cancer and respiratory illness, Kim A. Anderson of Oregon State University and her collaborators set out in winter 2014 to measure their airborne concentrations in Carroll County, Ohio, an area with high fracking activity. They deployed passive air samplers made of low-density polyethylene strips to absorb PAHs in the air for several weeks on the private properties of 23 volunteers. (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/es506095e).
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVERS TO CALL FIRE DEPT.
Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
Operators of a garbage truck in Hermon called for help today when they began to feel ill.
Firefighters tell us an unknown chemical reaction in the trash sent fumes into the cab of the truck.
The driver and passenger called for assistance and were checked and cleared by EMS.
Jason Jordan of the Hermon Fire Dept. would like to remind people to be careful of what they throw away, ‰??For folks who put out trash please understand folks that not everything that goes in a trash can belongs in a trash can. So that if it needs to be properly disposed of and you‰??re unsure what it is call your local trash facility and ask them what to do with it and they will be happy to explain to you how to properly dispose of the materials that you‰??re trying to get rid of.‰??
Common problem items include paint products, cleaning chemicals, lubricants and car batteries.
Firefighters escorted the truck to a safe dumping location.
---------------------------------------------
7 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL SEEPS INTO WAUSAU VA CLINIC VENITLATION SYSTEM
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW)-- 7 people were hospitalized after fumes from a chemical sealant seeped into the ventilation system at the Wausau Veteran's Affairs outpatient clinic Friday morning, according to VA Public Affairs Officer Matthew Gowan.
All Seven people were employees of the clinic.
Each was treated for minor inhalation issues at a local hospital and later discharged.
Battalion Chief Allan Antolik tells NewsChannel 7 the Wausau Fire Department responded around 11 a.m. and evacuated the building after several people reported having trouble breathing.
Antolik says a work crew was spraying concrete sealer outside of the building and the fumes spread into the ventilation system.
The fire department ventilated the building and used a meter to check for chemical levels.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION AT JURONG GAS FIRM, 9 MONTHS AFTER ANOTHER BLAST THERE KILLED A WOMAN, SINGAPORE NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Singapore, industrial, explosion, response, oxygen
SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - A blast occurred on Friday morning (Aug 5) at Leeden National Oxygen, a gas manufacturing firm, in Jurong.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the incident on the company‰??s Shipyard Road premises at about 7.40am.
No one was injured.
The SCDF sent a fire engine, three Red Rhinos, an unmanned fire-fighting machine and three support vehicles.
A fire following the blast was extinguished by the company‰??s in-house Company Emergency Response Team before the SCDF team arrived.
---------------------------------------------
MAN JAILED OVER DRUGS LAB EXPLOSION AT GLASGOW FLAT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, explosion, injury, drugs
A man whose home-made drug lab exploded - injuring people and causing å£1m of damage to a Glasgow tenement - has been jailed for six years and four months.
Scott Peden, 30, was bidding to make a super-strength form of cannabis at the flat in Tollcross when the equipment caught fire and blew up on 21 March.
Several people were badly injured and a dog and cat were killed.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Peden admitted culpable and reckless conduct and producing a controlled drug.
---------------------------------------------
EU CRITERIA ON ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS INSUFFICIENT, WARNS CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ‰?? EURACTIV.COM
Tags: Belgium, industrial, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
The European Commission‰??s draft criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors in pesticides and biocides are ‰??not sufficient‰?? to protect people and the environment, the European chemical industry has warned.
Trade association Cefic published this week (3 August) its analysis on the Commission‰??s draft legal acts defining the criteria for the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals.
In June, the executive presented a long-awaited science-based set of criteria for identifying substances with endocrine disrupting properties in plant protection products and biocides (See background).
---------------------------------------------
UPDATED: CHLORINE LEAK IN STEADY BROOK CONTAINED WITHOUT INCIDENT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, chlorine
The Town of Steady Brook has a lot of things to look at after a leak occurred Friday morning in the chlorination building serving the town‰??s water supply at the top of Marble Mountain.
‰??That chlorine building is not really in the best spot it could be in for the benefit of the town and for the safety of the people,‰?? said Mayor Peter Rowsell after the leak had been contained.
A town employee discovered the leak while he was conducting routine maintenance at the facility, and the Steady Brook Little Rapids Regional Fire Service was called in.
Once the local department assessed the situation and knew exactly what was happening, a call was made to the Corner Brook Fire Department, which dispatched its hazmat unit to the scene.
---------------------------------------------
LAFAYETTE FIRE DEPARTMENT, HAZMAT CREWS CALLED TO INCIDENT AT RESEARCH LAB
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, release, response, batteries
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) ‰?? A Purdue research lab in Lafayette was evacuated Friday afternoon after a room filled with smoke.
Both fire and hazmat crews were called to the Maha Fluid Power Research lab in the 1500 block of Kepner Drive.
Lafayette Fire Department Captain Joseph Barker said a large battery overheated in a cabinet and gases from the battery filled the room.
The hazmat team will dispose of the battery.
No one was injured in the incident.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL COMPANY DIDN'T PROTECT WORKERS FROM FLAMMABLE GAS, OSHA SAYS
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal, plastics
WEST DEPTFORD TWP. ‰?? Chemical manufacturer Solvay Specialty Polymers has been fined $115,00 for exposing its employees to dangerous chemicals and violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations.
The company was cited for eight serious safety violations and three repeat violations after a Feb. 6 inspection that focused on Solvay's vinylidene fluoride manufacturing, OSHA announced Thursday. These include failing to have complete safety information for equipment; failing to review operating procedures, inspect and test equipment; and failing to follow established procedures to manage changes to chemicals, technology and equipment.
Vinylidene fluoride is a liquefied flammable gas that can cause severe health risks, Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's Marlton Area office said in a written release.
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