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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, September 26, 2016 at 6:21:30 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (21 articles)
13-CAR TRAIN DERAILMENT PROMPTS HAZMAT PRECAUTIONS IN WEST EUGENE
Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, flammables
NEW TAKATA AIRBAG DANGER: TRANSPORTATION OF THE REMOVED COMPONENTS
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate, waste
LARGE FIRE ERUPTED ON BOARD OF CHEMICAL TANKER BURGOS OFF VERACRUZ
Tags: Mexico, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
DOH-11 HIT BY FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE
Tags: Philippines, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
3 WORKERS POISONED BY CARBON MONOXIDE IN SEVERN
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL LAB, 3 FIREMEN INJURED
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
ALL THRUWAY LANES REOPENED AFTER TRACTOR TRAILER CRASH NEAR HARRIMAN
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, flammables
NONTOXIC CHEMICAL DYE LEAK CLEANED NEAR NIANTIC
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, dye
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FINED $115,500 FOR LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen
UPDATE: OFFICIALS BUILD DIRT DAM TO CONTAIN SOLVENT SPILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, solvent
HAZMAT INCIDENT CAUSES CONFUSION AND SPECULATION IN HEGINS |
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia, cleaners
SEMI CRASHES CARRYING LOAD OF EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, flammables
HAZMAT INCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 25
Tags: us_NM, transportation, release, response, liquid_oxygen
NEWS NOTES: FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, hydrazine
HAZMAT SCARE AT PROSPER HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, mercury
HAZMAT ACCIDENT REPORTED AT NEW DESIGN ROAD WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, injury, water_treatment
COLERAIN TWP. FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKS TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental
PARADISE PIZZA SHOP IN CHICOPEE CLOSED AFTER CLEANING CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide, cleaners
SMALL FIRE KNOCKED DOWN INSIDE MIT LAB IN CAMBRIDGE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response
FOUR DIE IN EXPLOSION AT WORLD'S LARGEST MDI PRODUCER
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
NJ PROPOSES STRINGENT STANDARD TO CONTROL CANCER-CHEMICAL IN WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
13-CAR TRAIN DERAILMENT PROMPTS HAZMAT PRECAUTIONS IN WEST EUGENE
Tags: us_OR, transportation, release, response, flammables
Thirteen railcars, one of them containing a hazardous, flammable liquid, derailed on a Union Pacific train Sunday, prompting a partial evacuation, detouring traffic well into the night and stalling Amtrak train passengers.
Eugene police and Eugene Springfield Fire personnel were called about 5 p.m. to the Union Pacific tracks behind Zip-O Log Mills on North Garfield Street near its intersection with Roosevelt Boulevard in west Eugene.
They found a black tanker car on its side, with 10 empty centerbeam rail cars behind them, tilted at crazy angles to the left and to the right. One empty grain car and one full grain car also derailed.
---------------------------------------------
NEW TAKATA AIRBAG DANGER: TRANSPORTATION OF THE REMOVED COMPONENTS
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, death, ammonium_nitrate, waste
Last month, 67-year-old Lucila Robles was killed in Quemado, Texas when a tractor trailer failed to negotiate a curve and crashed near the dead woman‰??s home and exploded. The explosion caused the truck to become engulfed in flames, which spread to the home and also to a passing vehicle. Four other victims were also injured in the crash. The truck driver and a passenger managed to escape from the truck before the explosion occurred.
According to police reports, the explosion was so large, that it caused damage to almost a dozen homes in the area, including dislodging doors from hinges and breaking windows. Rubble from the blast, as well as parts of the truck, were found nearly a mile away from the accident site.
What makes this truck crash even more unsettling is what the driver was hauling ‰?? a load of used Takata airbag components. The same material which is involved in the massive airbag recall. The airbag components which were being transported in the truck contained ammonium nitrate, an extremely volatile chemical compound.
---------------------------------------------
LARGE FIRE ERUPTED ON BOARD OF CHEMICAL TANKER BURGOS OFF VERACRUZ
Tags: Mexico, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
Large fire erupted on board of chemical tanker Burgos off Veracruz, Mexico. The vessel was loaded with 12,000 tons of oil products, en route from Pajaritus to Veracruz, but at approach to the port the cargo in tanks inflamed. The fire spread in several cargo tanks and crew was unable to get control over the flames. The accident was reported to local authorities and at the scene of the accident were dispatched tugs, which poured water over the hull. The chemical tanker Burgos is drifting on 7 nautical miles southeast off Veracruz and firefighters are trying to extinguish the flames and restricting fire area, protecting other tanks.
The local authorities started investigation for the root cause of the fire, but probably might wait the oil product on board to burn out. There is no report for oil spill and environment pollution, but the main task is to keep seaworthiness of the vessel and strength of the hull, as high temperature can cause breaches and crack the vessel.
---------------------------------------------
DOH-11 HIT BY FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE
Tags: Philippines, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Davao City ‰?? A fire razed parts of the Department of Health regional office here in a late night fire Friday.
Assistant Secretary Abdullah Dumama, Jr. said the fire started at around 10:30 pm, with the DOH official, himself, making the 911 call for fire responders.
According to the official, the fire burned down an estimated P30-million in equipment, such as laboratory tools and teleconference equipment, including the newly refurbished office of the regional director.
The Bureau of Fire Protection was still investigating the incident as of press time.
Dumama assured the public that the fire will not disrupt the operations of the agency.
‰??There will be no effect on the services that will be rendered to the public, he said.
Dumama said that the fire burned down the local Commission on Audit (COA) office of the agency, the regional epidemiology surveillance unit, two warehouses, and the laboratories.
According to him, the DOH central office has already sought the regional office‰??s input on what needs to be done to resume any interrupted services.
Dumama also suggested that the agency build a sturdier and more fire-resistant regional office, as its composition of light materials contributed to the spread of the fire in the office.
---------------------------------------------
3 WORKERS POISONED BY CARBON MONOXIDE IN SEVERN
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
SEVERN, MD ‰?? Three men poisoned by carbon monoxide are in area hospitals in serious condition after they worked for hours in an unventilated basement with gas-powered tools. Anne Arundel County Fire officials say the medical emergency call was made shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday at a residence in the 100 block of Lillian Avenue in Severn.
Firefighters found three men with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. One of the patients, a 50-year-old man, was taken to the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center with serious symptoms. A 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old man were taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, also with serious symptoms.
Firefighters searched the residence to ensure that all of the occupants were out of the house. While searching, they found carbon monoxide levels in excess of 1000 parts per million in the basement. Levels above 800 ppm can cause nausea, headache and dizziness after 45 minutes, fire officials said. After one hour of exposure, a victim can become unconscious and death can occur after two to three hours of exposure.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL LAB, 3 FIREMEN INJURED
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
PALGHAR, SEPT 24:
A fire broke out at a chemical laboratory here today, injuring three firemen.
Flames were noticed at the chemical laboratory in Boisar at around 4.30 am after which personnel from MIDC fire station were rushed to the spot, fire brigade officials said.
Three of the firefighters suffered burn injuries while dousing the blaze.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
---------------------------------------------
ALL THRUWAY LANES REOPENED AFTER TRACTOR TRAILER CRASH NEAR HARRIMAN
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, flammables
HARRIMAN ‰?? All lanes of the Thruway near Harriman were finally cleared and reopened 12 hours after a tractor trailer carrying a flammable chemical overturned early Saturday morning.
A tractor trailer traveling southbound on I-87 overturned around 7 a.m. Saturday, just before Exit 16, according to a state police press release. All lanes were closed initially as the Orange County haz-mat team worked to contain leaking vinyl acetate, a flammable chemical.
The driver could not say why he veered left and overturned the tractor trailer, State Police Sgt. John Maasz said.
Woodbury Fire Department assisted at the scene, later joined by West Point and Cornwall fire departments. Miller Environmental Services, contracted by the trucking company, also helped with clean up. There was still a lane closed in each direction at 5:45 p.m., but the scene was cleared and all lanes opened at 7:15 p.m.
---------------------------------------------
NONTOXIC CHEMICAL DYE LEAK CLEANED NEAR NIANTIC
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, dye
NIANTIC -- A chemical dye from the Buckeye Natural Gas terminal spilled into Long Point Slough near the intersection of Meridian and Bruce roads, just north of Niantic, about 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, with assistance from Macon County Emergency Management Agency, determined the substance was nontoxic, said a news release from the Macon County Sheriff‰??s Office.
The substance is used to assist in locating any potential leaks in the pipeline and for preventative maintenance, the release said. There is no health hazard to human or animal life.
---------------------------------------------
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FINED $115,500 FOR LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen
The University of Hawaii faces a total $115,500 fine for 15 workplace safety violations after a laboratory explosion in March on the university‰??s Manoa campus. Postdoctoral researcher Thea Ekins-Coward, who worked for the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, lost one of her arms in the explosion.
Ekins-Coward was preparing a gas mixture of 55% hydrogen, 38% oxygen, and 7% carbon dioxide when an electrostatic discharge likely ignited the mixture, according to an investigation report issued in July by the University of California Center for Laboratory Safety. The gas mixture was to be used to feed bacteria to produce biofuels and bioplastics. The gases were combined in a 49-L steel tank designed for compressed air and not electrically grounded.
The safety violations cited by the Hawaii Occupational Safety & Health Division (HIOSH) include failing to do the following: reduce employee exposure to potential explosion and fire hazards, ensure safety practices were followed, perform periodic inspections to identify hazards, ensure employees wore appropriate personal protective equipment, make use of standard operating procedures, and require suitable exits from the laboratory.
HIOSH labeled all 15 violations as ‰??serious‰?? and assessed the maximum state penalty of $7,700 to each. The university must fix the violations by Oct. 21.
The university ‰??will be requesting an informal conference with HIOSH to clarify the citations and discuss adjustments of the citations, as provided for in the HIOSH citations process,‰?? according to a statement from the university. ‰??Safety officers and leadership have been working diligently to further strengthen the culture of safety on the Manoa campus and foster an environment where hazard recognition and risk assessment are the standard of care for all activities,‰?? the statement adds.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: OFFICIALS BUILD DIRT DAM TO CONTAIN SOLVENT SPILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, solvent
The Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management, City of Beaumont Office of Emergency Management, Beaumont Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were on the scene of a solvent spill that led to a shelter in place order for about 100 households west of Beaumont.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will continue to monitor air and water quality as well as oversee cleanup in the Willow Marsh Bayou.
The solvent product was identified as a "premium solvent mixture with a heavy aromatic."
People are asked to stay away from Willow Marsh Bayou as cleanup continues.
Update: 1:30 p.m.: Officials have confirmed that a dirt dam has been built across Willow Marsh Bayou south of Brooks Road to prevent the flow of the spill to any other areas.
Officials said spill booms have been placed across the bayou in multiple locations to slow the flow of the product and contain it.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT INCIDENT CAUSES CONFUSION AND SPECULATION IN HEGINS |
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, ammonia, cleaners
HEGINS ‰?? The 600 block of Chestnut Street in Hegins was in a bit of a frenzy Sunday evening.
Emergency personnel were on the scene of a hazmat incident at 633 Chestnut Street, the site of the former Hegins Manufacturing, now a private residence.
According to fire personnel, they arrived on scene just before 6 p.m. and weren‰??t sure exactly what they were dealing with.
‰??The incident involved a 55-gallon drum of some type of chemical which was leaking in the basement of the building,‰?? said Hegins Valley Fire-Rescue Chief Doug Williams, during a phone interview Monday morning. ‰??He said there was a strong odor of ammonia and there was definitely ammonia present in the drum. What exactly the chemical was used for still hasn‰??t been determined. It could have been some type of floor cleaner from the days of the factory.‰??
Williams said the homeowners, who weren‰??t identified, claim the drum has been in the basement since they bought the property.
Williams said the drum was very rusty.
---------------------------------------------
SEMI CRASHES CARRYING LOAD OF EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, flammables
U.S. Route 35 in Jackson County is now reopened following a dangerous incident that occurred after a tanker semi truck carrying a load of toxic and hazardous chemicals crashed earlier this week.
....
According to Jackson County EMA Director Robert E. Czechlewski, Harris was transporting 35,000 pounds of a chemical called ‰??Vinylpyridine‰??.
‰??The chemical, Vinylpyridine, is extremely hazardous, toxic and flammable,‰?? explained Czechlewski. ‰??The chemical was transferred to another tanker truck, but after cleanup it was discovered that a little bit of the chemical had spilled into the soil. Ohio EPA will be advising as crews dig up the soil where the little bit of chemical was found.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT INCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 25
Tags: us_NM, transportation, release, response, liquid_oxygen
Around 8 a.m. Thursday, New Mexico State Police handled a hazmat incident on Interstate 25 at mile marker 257 northbound involving a commercial vehicle leaking liquid oxygen.
A State Police officer on patrol noticed the vehicle leaking fluid and initiated a traffic stop. After initial contact, both northbound and southbound I-25 lanes were closed as a precaution due to the potentially hazardous chemical.
Officers determined the cause for the leak was an issue with a safety valve on the commercial vehicle. A hazmat crew arrived and the chemicals were removed and the scene was rendered safe.
Three responding State Police officers were treated for inhalation of the substance and all officers have been released.
---------------------------------------------
NEWS NOTES: FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, release, response, hydrazine
Firefighters responded to a hazardous materials incident on Wednesday, September 14, at 7 a.m. at R&L Carriers, a shipping company located at 30 Industrial Drive. A container of hydrazine hydrate ‰?? a flammable and highly toxic liquid used as a foaming agent and as a rocket propellant ‰?? was accidentally overturned by a forklift in one of the shipping bays. Workers immediately evacuated the facility and called 911.
Fire Chief Charles Doody said firefighters recognized the seriousness of the hazard, isolated the area, and called for a Tier 2 hazardous materials response. Approximately 20 state hazmat technicians and 10 Canton firefighters worked for five hours to upright the tank and stop the leak. A private company was called in to do the clean up. There were no injuries and it did not pose a danger to the abutting properties or residents. The business was allowed to resume once the cleanup was done.
The state Department of Environmental Protection was also on scene to address any possible impacts to the environment. Doody reported that there were no environmental problems from the incident.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SCARE AT PROSPER HIGH SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, education, release, response, mercury
There was a hazmat scare at Prosper High School Thursday afternoon.
Officials said a bottle of mercury broke open during a science class.
Hazardous materials crews arrived and quickly started the decontamination process in school restrooms for approximately 30 people.
"It was a good example of the Prosper School District working with Prosper Fire," said Prosper Fire Chief Ronnie Tucker. "Of course, we can learn things from it. We'll have a critique, but I'm very satisfied with the length of time."
Grand Prairie Teen Missing, May Be With Former Teacher
A cleaning crew will work on the classroom overnight, but Tucker said the school will be open Friday.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT ACCIDENT REPORTED AT NEW DESIGN ROAD WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_MD, transportation, release, injury, water_treatment
Hazmat crews from Frederick County and Fort Detrick were dispatched to the county's New Design Road Water Treatment Plant after a driver was injured during a delivery of acid materials, said Chip Jewell, director of the Frederick County Division of Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services.
According to Jewell, crews responded around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday after a valve failed on a tanker truck filled with hazardous materials, spraying the driver with acid.
Responders included units from the Carroll Manor Fire Co., Upper Montgomery County Fire Co. and a unit from the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.
Hazmat teams from both Frederick County and Fort Detrick were deployed, which is standard for incidents involving hazardous materials, Jewell said.
---------------------------------------------
COLERAIN TWP. FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKS TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS FROM CANCER
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental
COLERAIN TWP, Ohio -- When firefighters wade into burning buildings, they face more than the immediate risk of being seared by flames or injured by part of a collapsing structure -- they also expose themselves to invisible dangers that can take years to make themselves known.
Studies show that battling flames, smoke and soot every day can eventually wreak havoc on a firefighter‰??s health and increase the risk of developing cancer; researchers say that firefighters face the greatest risk of developing cancers related to the digestive, oral, urinary and respiratory systems.
"The majority of these cancers can be caused by the chemical mix that they‰??re exposed to in the air at the fire scene," said Erin Haynes, an environmental health professor at UC. "And then when they go back and put the fire out."
That‰??s why the Colerain Township Fire Department takes special measures to reduce the risk of exposure to cancer-causing contaminants for its firefighters.
---------------------------------------------
PARADISE PIZZA SHOP IN CHICOPEE CLOSED AFTER CLEANING CHEMICALS CAUSE HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide, cleaners
CHICOPEE ‰?? Paradise Pizza is closed and the building's three upstairs tenants have found temporary shelter elsewhere after a cleaning incident gone awry prompted a hazmat response on Exchange Street on Wednesday night.
Chicopee Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Crevier told MassLive the town's Board of Health will inspect 140 Exchange St. this morning to evaluate the space. It is not yet known when and whether the shop will reopen. The upstairs tenants ‰?? a couple and a small child ‰?? have not yet returned to their home above the store.
Around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Chicopee Fire Department responded to the location, finding a "chemical reaction" underway, producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
Employees of the store had been cleaning grease-covered grates from inside a pizza oven ventilation pipe, using a caustic cleaner containing sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and sodium chloride, when the reaction started.
Things got out of hand quickly, Crevier said, and when he arrived in a fire engine with three other firefighters, he realized the situation was beyond his scope and called in a full Hazmat team.
---------------------------------------------
SMALL FIRE KNOCKED DOWN INSIDE MIT LAB IN CAMBRIDGE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response
A small fire broke out in an MIT lab on the 100-block of Albany Street around 11:06 a.m. Thursday, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. Firefighters were able to knock it down within a half hour, and there were no reported injuries.
The fire was not chemical-related, according to Cambridge Assistant Fire Chief Gerry Mahoney. The lab was conducting an experiment that involved salts, and the fire itself was caused from the electrical wiring feeding the device being used. The fire was quickly contained and knocked down by 11:40 a.m., Mahoney said.
The area was closed to traffic for a short period of time while firefighters responded. The area has since been cleared.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR DIE IN EXPLOSION AT WORLD'S LARGEST MDI PRODUCER
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
China‰??s Wanhua Chemical Group Co. Ltd. announced that an explosion occurred on Sept 20 at its 600,000-metric-ton-per-annum MDI facility in Yantai, Shandong province, and caused four deaths and four injuries.
The publicly traded company said in a statement that the eight people were immediately sent to the hospital after the incident, which happened at 17:22 local time during a shutdown of the plant for regular maintenance.
On the same day, a report released by Greenpeace said 199 people died in accidents related to the production, storage and transportation of chemicals in China during the first eight months of this year. More than 400 were injured.
Explosions were the cause of two of five deaths, according to the report.
The Greenpeace report also highlighted that many chemical plants in China are located in densely populated areas and near important natural resources.
---------------------------------------------
NJ PROPOSES STRINGENT STANDARD TO CONTROL CANCER-CHEMICAL IN WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A New Jersey agency has proposed adopting what would be the most stringent standard in the nation to control levels of a cancer-causing chemical linked to an array of health problems and which is prevalent in drinking water systems across the state.
The chemical, commonly called PFOA or C8, has been used in the manufacture of stain-resistant carpets, waterproof clothing, non-stick cooking pans and other products that make life less messy. It has spread so far through the environment that it can be found everywhere from the fish in the Delaware River to polar bears in the Arctic.
It has also become the subject of thousands of lawsuits.
RELATED: Lawmakers seek answers on cancer-causing chemical in water
ALSO: Did you know tap water has many chemicals in it?
The state‰??s Drinking Water Quality Institute on Thursday proposed the new standard, which if adopted would require water utilities to treat water to reduce the amount of PFOA reaching taps.
‰??The institute is taking a pretty aggressive approach on PFOA,‰?? said Howard Woods Jr., a private consultant to water utilities and former water company executive. ‰??It‰??s a good idea. The institute is deliberate and not rash. The stuff is all over the place.‰??
Smaller water utilities, including some in North Jersey, have said the extra treatment would be a major financial hit.
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