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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (24 articles)
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2016 07:00:16 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: AABFF468-3FB0-4944-AF21-1D7BD1F96850**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, October 14, 2016 at 6:59:42 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 (24 articles)
PEAK SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS AND ASSOCIATED AUDITORY RISK FROM AN H2‰??AIR ‰??EGG-SPLOSION‰??
Tags: education, discovery, response, hydrogen
CHEMICAL REACTION SPARKS FIRE, TEMPORARY EVACUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 PROBLEMS LEADS AIRLINES TO ADD 'FIRE CONTAINMENT BAGS'
Tags: transportation, discovery, response, batteries
4 WASHINGTONIANS SUE FOR E-CIGARETTE EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, injury, batteries
BOMB SQUAD CALLED AND BRISTOL SCHOOL EVACUATED AFTER EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL DISCOVERED IN SCIENCE LAB
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive
UPDATE: I-71N REOPENS IN CARROLL CO. AFTER CRASH, CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_KY, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
NO ANSWER YET FOR HALLUCINATION SYMPTOMS IN COOS COUNTY
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
UPDATE: LEWISTON HAZMAT SCARE CAUSED BY DOG REPELLENT
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, repellent
NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT IN CHINATOWN APARTMENT BUILDING
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide
MUSKEGON COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM AVOIDS BUDGET CHOPPING BLOCK
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental
EPA EXPEDITES ACTION ON FIVE CHEMICALS
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
CHEMICAL LEAK ON ALASKA AIRLINE FLIGHT LEFT PASSENGERS WITHOUT LUGGAGE
Tags: us_AK, transportation, release, response, formaldehyde
SCIENTISTS IN N.J., GERMANY SUPPORT 'NO SAFE LEVEL' OF TEFLON CHEMICAL IN DRINKING WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
HERE'S WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SMARTPHONE'S BATTERY STARTS SMOKING
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, batteries
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO FIRE AT MUN SCIENCE BUILDING
Tags: Canada, laboratory, fire, response
EXPLOSIVE RECYCLING PLANT FIRE SPURS CALLS FOR CHANGE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium, metals, waste
FATAL ACCIDENT AT PA PLANT LEADS TO FEDERAL FINE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, illegal, petroleum
FAA PROPOSES FOURTH HAZMAT FINE AGAINST AMAZON THIS YEAR
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, response, corrosives
MILL STREET CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED BY EPA
Tags: us_NY, industrial, discovery, environmental, phosgene
TRUCK OVERTURNS, SPILLS CHEMICAL ON U.S. 1 IN ST. AUGUSTINE
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
HAZMAT SITUATION SENDS 3 PINOLE COPS TO THE HOSPITAL
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, ammonia, bleach
11 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE CANCELS CLASSES AT TECH SCHOOL IN SPANISH FORK
Tags: us_UT, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL LEADS TO MAJOR FISH KILL IN COUNTY DOWN RIVER
Tags: Ireland, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical
HESSTON PLANT SAYS COMPANY IS SAFE AND READY TO REOPEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_KS, industrial, follow-up, injury, plastics
---------------------------------------------
PEAK SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS AND ASSOCIATED AUDITORY RISK FROM AN H2‰??AIR ‰??EGG-SPLOSION‰??
Tags: education, discovery, response, hydrogen
The noise level from exploding chemical demonstrations and the effect they could have on audiences, especially young children, needs attention. Auditory risk from H2‰??O2 balloon explosions have been studied, but no studies have been done on H2‰??air ‰??egg-splosions‰??. The peak sound pressure level (SPL) was measured for the first time and compared to the recommended SPL limits and some recently published work. All peak SPL results ended above 125 dB, some greater than 150 dB. The SPL results exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) safe limits of 120 dB for children and 140 dB for adults.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION SPARKS FIRE, TEMPORARY EVACUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
ANGLETON ‰?? A half-mile radius surrounding an 18-wheeler trailer cleaning company in the 28300 block of FM 2004 was evacuated for nearly five hours Thursday after a chemical reaction sparked a fire and threatened a nearby liquid petroleum gas tank.
---------------------------------------------
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 PROBLEMS LEADS AIRLINES TO ADD 'FIRE CONTAINMENT BAGS'
Tags: transportation, discovery, response, batteries
Some airlines are taking extra steps to prevent a disaster in case a passenger's device powered by a lithium ion battery catches fire during flight.
At least three U.S. airlines are adding new fire-suppression equipment to fleets in case a cellphone or laptop battery overheats, catches on fire and can't be extinguished.
The issue has taken on new urgency following incidents of overheating Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones, including one on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month.
---------------------------------------------
4 WASHINGTONIANS SUE FOR E-CIGARETTE EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, injury, batteries
Four Washingtonians filed separate lawsuits against e-cigarette manufacturers Thursday claiming they suffered injuries from e-cigarette battery explosions.
The plaintiffs, from Seattle, Kelso, Vancouver and Spokane, each suffered severe burns when the lithium-ion batteries in their e-cigarette burst.
The battery-powered smoking devices are thought by many to be safer than conventional cigarettes or help people quit smoking, though the FDA has not approved that approach and the substance consumed in e-cigarettes still contain nicotine.
The e-cigarettes in these cases contained lithium-ion batteries -- the same type linked to exploding hover boards and Samsung Galaxy phones in the past year, both of which prompted recalls.
"Lithium-ion batteries have an inherent risk of fire and explosion that is dramatically increased when combined with an e-cigarette's heating element and cylindrical shape," according to a statement put forth by the attorneys ahead of Thursday's lawsuit. "There are different methods to protect against these batteries, but weak regulation and absent testing requirements leave protections up to e-cigarette manufacturers."
---------------------------------------------
BOMB SQUAD CALLED AND BRISTOL SCHOOL EVACUATED AFTER EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL DISCOVERED IN SCIENCE LAB
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, response, picric_acid, time-sensitive
Clifton College and the roads around it have been evacuated and cordoned off after just one test tube with a hazardous chemical inside was discovered at the back of a store room.
A major incident emergency was declared by fire and police after they were contacted just before 3pm today, and a 50m cordon was imposed around the science block of the college in Guthrie Road.
The Army's EOD bomb disposal squad were called and are understood to have arrived shortly after 5pm.
Police and fire service bosses reassured members of the public that it was not a suspicious incident, and the cordon was precautionary.
The emergency services were called by staff after a small amount of the chemical picric acid was discovered dried out in the bottom of a test tube in the school's science block.
Picric acid is not hazardous in its usual liquid state, but if allowed to dry out it becomes highly explosive and unstable if moved abruptly.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: I-71N REOPENS IN CARROLL CO. AFTER CRASH, CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_KY, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CARROLL COUNTY, KY (WAVE) - Northbound Interstate 71 in Carroll County reopened hours after a hazardous materials crash involving a FedEx tractor-trailer and a second big rig early Thursday morning.
Kentucky State Police said the FedEx truck, marked as carrying hazardous materials, began leaking after overturning and being hit by the second tractor trailer. The accident happened about 5:30 a.m. Thursday at the 50 mile marker on I-71N.
Authorities identified one of the chemicals leaking from the FedEx truck as hydrochloric acid.
Complicating the situation was the FedEx truck's entanglement with a cable barrier.
---------------------------------------------
NO ANSWER YET FOR HALLUCINATION SYMPTOMS IN COOS COUNTY
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
COOS COUNTY, Ore. -- Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay has given the all-clear after tending to four patients with hallucinogenic symptoms, but the Coos County Sheriff‰??s Office is still investigating.
This began early Wednesday morning when a woman claimed to see people vandalizing her car. Deputies responded, found nothing, and were called out a few hours later for a similar instance. They then took the woman to the hospital to be monitored.
The deputies and the woman's charge came down with similar symptoms, and were also examined at the hospital.
When the HazMat team was called to examine the situation, they found no evidence of anything that may have caused the symptoms, but there were some medication patches in the residence that the Sheriff‰??s Office thinks may have played a role.
‰??The best we can tell at this point, and this is all speculation, it was some type of contact contamination. The leading candidate for potential is possibly fentanyl, but we won‰??t know until we get more lab work done,‰?? said Sheriff Craig Zanni.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: LEWISTON HAZMAT SCARE CAUSED BY DOG REPELLENT
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, repellent
LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB)- The aerosol irritant that caused seven postal workers in Lewiston to get sick was dog repellent, according to postal inspectors.
The repellent comes in a canister, which started to leak; most postal workers are issued repellent for their safety if they need to deliver mail outside.
A source tells News 4 the affected workers are all doing fine. They were initially taken to the hospital and quarantined while haz-mat crews investigated.
The Niagara County Haz-Mat Unit entered the Lewiston Post Office Wednesday in three two-man teams.
Crews‰?? meters picked up a reading from the repellent in the area where the mail is processed.
They weren‰??t exactly sure what it was, only that it wasn‰??t toxic.
‰??It wasn‰??t sprayed. In other words, no one accidentally or intentionally or inadvertently caused this to happen,‰?? said postal inspector, Raymond Williams.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES REPORTED AFTER HAZMAT INCIDENT IN CHINATOWN APARTMENT BUILDING
Tags: us_IL, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide
No injuries were reported Thursday morning after high levels of carbon monoxide were detected in a Chinatown apartment building.
Shortly after 5 a.m., firefighters were going door-to-door in approximately 100 units in the seven-story building in the 2200 block of South Princeton, trying to confirm the source of the high carbon monoxide reading, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Fire officials said the leak may have happened because of a new heating unit.
Peak carbon monoxide readings were reported at 130 parts per million and a Level 2 HazMat response was called, fire officials said. The department‰??s Mobile Ventilation Unit worked to vent the building and all heating in the unit was shut down.
---------------------------------------------
MUSKEGON COUNTY HAZMAT TEAM AVOIDS BUDGET CHOPPING BLOCK
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental
MUSKEGON, Mich. ‰?? The hazmat team in Muskegon County was nearly disbanded following a county budget crisis.
Muskegon County currently provides hazmat support to 13 other counties. If the team had been disbanded, the county would have to rely on other counties to respond to hazmat calls.
"In those certain situations where chemicals are released, biological substances are found, these guys can come out with advanced equipment and tell us what the substance is," said Sgt. Dan Stout, the emergency manager for Muskegon County.
The county funds part of the hazmat program with the rest coming from federal grants. It costs $80,000 a year to fund the program, and up until a few weeks ago, they were $45,000 short.
To make up the deficit, a majority of commissioners elected to donate their annual pay raises to help fund the team.
---------------------------------------------
EPA EXPEDITES ACTION ON FIVE CHEMICALS
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
EPA is taking quick action to reduce exposure to five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals. Rather than conducting a full risk evaluation for the chemicals, the agency will immediately work to identify where they are used and how to limit the public‰??s exposure. The move marks the agency‰??s first major step to control such chemicals as required under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The new TSCA, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, was signed into law in June. It gave EPA sweeping new authorities to control chemicals that people are exposed to everyday. PBT chemicals are known to be some of the worst for the environment and public health.
‰??The threats from persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals are well documented,‰?? says Jim Jones, assistant administrator in EPA‰??s Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention. ‰??The new law directs us to expedite action to reduce risks for these chemicals, rather than spending more time evaluating them.‰??
The following five chemicals will get swift action:
‰?¢ Decabromodiphenyl ethers (DecaBDE), a flame retardant
‰?¢ Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), found in rubber and lubricants and used as a solvent
‰?¢ Pentachlorothio-phenol (PCTP), a chemical that softens rubber
‰?¢ Tris(4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate, a flame retardant
‰?¢ 2,4,6-Tris(tert-butyl)phenol, a fuel or lubricant additive
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK ON ALASKA AIRLINE FLIGHT LEFT PASSENGERS WITHOUT LUGGAGE
Tags: us_AK, transportation, release, response, formaldehyde
A passenger had checked in two closed buckets filled with fish and a chemical called formaldehyde on board an Alaska Airlines flight, without alerting customer service agents to the hazardous chemical.
Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories as well as industrial disinfectants.
Reports suggest that one of the buckets may not have been sealed properly and leaked into the cargo hold.
The incident occurred on Friday on a flight from Barrow to Fairbanks.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENTISTS IN N.J., GERMANY SUPPORT 'NO SAFE LEVEL' OF TEFLON CHEMICAL IN DRINKING WATER
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
PFOA, a carcinogenic chemical formerly used to make DuPont's Teflon, contaminates drinking water for at least 7 million Americans and is in virtually everyone‰??s blood.
The Environmental Protection Agency has failed to set a legal drinking water limit for PFOA, but last spring significantly lowered the unenforceable health advisory level. Now, new health assessments from government scientists in New Jersey and Germany show that the EPA's research is flawed, its health advisory is still far too weak and there may effectively be no safe level of PFOA in drinking water.
In June, a month after the EPA lowered its advisory level, the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute proposed what it calls a health-based maximum contaminant level for PFOA in water of 14 parts per trillion, or ppt ‰?? five times lower than the EPA health advisory of 70 ppt. (The EPA advisory level is for the combined level of PFOA and the related chemical PFOS, formerly an ingredient in 3M's Scotchgard.) If New Jersey legislators adopt the recommendation as a drinking water standard, it will be the only legal limit on PFOA in the nation.
---------------------------------------------
HERE'S WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SMARTPHONE'S BATTERY STARTS SMOKING
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, batteries
As more and more reports of failing Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices crop up, so, too, do videos of smoking smartphones ‰?? a terrifying sight for the vast majority of users.
What you'll notice in some of these videos is the sight of people handling the failing device as thought it's a hot plate of pasta instead of a very dangerous battery that could explode at any moment.
So what should you do if your Note7 (or any other mobile device powered by a lithium ion battery) starts smoking? We asked a couple of the top experts and their answers are, in some cases, obvious ‰?? others were quite surprising.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO FIRE AT MUN SCIENCE BUILDING
Tags: Canada, laboratory, fire, response
A fire in a laboratory in the science building at Memorial University had firefighters from the St. John‰??s Regional fire department respond to the campus late Wednesday night.
SJRFD Platoon chief Rick Mackey said the fire had been mostly extinguished by the lone occupant of the lab when they arrived on scene and there were no injuries.
He also added that no chemicals were involved in the incident.
Seven trucks from the fire department responded to the call which came in at 10:34 p.m.
Damage was confined to the room where the fire originated.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSIVE RECYCLING PLANT FIRE SPURS CALLS FOR CHANGE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, magnesium, metals, waste
In the early morning hours of June 14, a fire engulfed a scrap metal recycling yard in Maywood and threatened homes.
Police and deputies went door to door, ordering everyone out. Firefighters converged. The flames grew. Explosions lit up the predawn darkness.
Water intended to douse the flames had the opposite effect. The water caused a chemical reaction with a culprit inside the warehouse ‰?? magnesium. The chemical reactions caused explosions that knocked down power lines, killed power to the neighborhood and threatened the lives of residents and first responders.
---------------------------------------------
FATAL ACCIDENT AT PA PLANT LEADS TO FEDERAL FINE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, illegal, petroleum
PORT ARTHUR ‰?? From U.S. Attorney's Office - The Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney‰??s Office for the Eastern District of Texas and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that four Texas companies pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a total of $3.5 million dollars for criminal violations of the Clean Air Act at two oil and chemical processing facilities in Texas.
The Information filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas charges KTX Limited and KTX Properties Inc., with negligently releasing hazardous air pollutants after a tank explosion at their chemical and petroleum processing facility located in Port Arthur, Texas on March 31, 2011. The explosion killed one worker at the plant and severely injured two others.
According to the factual basis of the plea agreement, KTX Limited and KTX Properties Inc, authorized two contract workers to perform welding or ‰??hot work‰?? on piping connected to a tank at their Port Arthur, Texas, facility. Prior to beginning the welding, the defendants falsified the ‰??hot work‰?? permit issued to the workers and failed to properly drain, isolate and decontaminate the tank and connecting equipment as required by Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) regulations. As a result, the welding work ignited vapors causing the tank to explode and release hazardous air pollutants to the environment. Because the defendants had failed to properly inspect and maintain the tank pursuant to generally accepted industry standards, the exploding tank collapsed spilling burning product which severely injured two workers. A third worker was killed when the rails and ladder from the collapsing tank fell on his head.
---------------------------------------------
FAA PROPOSES FOURTH HAZMAT FINE AGAINST AMAZON THIS YEAR
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, response, corrosives
FAA has proposed a $78,000 civil penalty against Seattle-based Amazon for allegedly violating US hazardous materials regulations, the fourth time this year FAA has alleged the online retail giant has violated hazmat rules.
Regarding the latest proposed penalty, FAA alleged that Amazon offered FedEx Express ‰??an undeclared shipment containing a flammable liquid for air transportation‰?? from Ruskin, Florida to Algonquin, Illinois on Aug. 7, 2015.
According to FAA, ‰??the package held two 14-ounce bottles of ethanol-based Clubman Jeris Hair Tonic. Workers in FedEx‰??s Cary, Illinois, sort facility discovered the box was leaking.‰??
FAA alleged ‰??the shipment was not properly packaged, marked and labeled as containing hazardous material‰?? and that ‰??Amazon did not provide shipping papers indicating the amount, type and hazardous nature of the material inside, and did not provide required emergency response information with the shipment.‰??
In June, FAA proposed three hazmat fines against Amazon, including a $350,000 fine for shipping what FAA described as ‰??a corrosive drain cleaner‰?? via United Parcel Service (UPS) that was allegedly not properly packaged and leaked.
---------------------------------------------
MILL STREET CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED BY EPA
Tags: us_NY, industrial, discovery, environmental, phosgene
A Mill Street chemical company has been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for violations of the Clean Air Act governing chemical safety and risk management.
Twin Lakes Chemical, Inc., agreed to pay a $40,000 fine for the violations and will spend an additional $100,000 to purchase hazardous materials equipment for the Lockport Fire Department.
At the time of the EPA's inspection of Twin Lakes Chemical, 520 Mill St., the company was using and storing 32,000 pounds of phosgene, a press release from the EPA said.
Phosgene is a toxic industrial compound used to make pesticides and plastics. At room temperature, it is a deadly gas.
The EPA charged Twin Lakes Chemical with several violations, including failing to adequately support, secure and label the phosgene equipment and pipes, as well as failing to comply with hazard identification and equipment safety requirements.
All of the violations were addressed by the company prior to their settlement, the press release added.
---------------------------------------------
TRUCK OVERTURNS, SPILLS CHEMICAL ON U.S. 1 IN ST. AUGUSTINE
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
Lanes have also been cleared after a wreck on U.S. 1, where a truck overturned, said Mark Samson, St. Augustine Police Department spokesman.
In that wreck, 80 gallons of sodium hydrochlorite spilled near U.S. 1 and Matanzas Avenue, according to St. Johns County Fire Rescue.
No injuries were reported, and the ‰??spill was mitigated‰?? in about 2 1/2 hours, according to fire rescue.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SITUATION SENDS 3 PINOLE COPS TO THE HOSPITAL
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, ammonia, bleach
PINOLE, Calif. (KGO) -- Three Pinole police officers are recovering morning from a hazmat incident that began Monday night near a Big 5 Sporting Goods store.
The store is located on Fitzgerald Drive.
Firefighters say five gallons of ammonia and seven pints of bleach spilled in a car.
Officers were checking out the car when they started having trouble breathing. They went to the hospital but have since been released.
It's not clear why the car was transporting the products.
Hazmat teams did safely dispose of them.
---------------------------------------------
11 HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL EXPOSURE CANCELS CLASSES AT TECH SCHOOL IN SPANISH FORK
Tags: us_UT, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
(KUTV) Eleven students were transported to the hospital after possible chemical exposure at Mountainland Applied Technology College Monday morning, police say.
Students in the cosmetology and dental portion of the school began to complain of nausea and lightheadedness. One student passed out, according to the Director of Public Relations, Mark Middlebrook.
Spanish Fork Fire Department and the local gas company cleared the school with no indication of carbon monoxide.
School officials canceled afternoon classes, but classes will resume this evening.
Spanish Fork Police said the cause of the incident may have been cleaning supplies mixing with other chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL LEADS TO MAJOR FISH KILL IN COUNTY DOWN RIVER
Tags: Ireland, public, release, environmental, unknown_chemical
Accidental discharge from a treatment works caused the deaths of more than 1,600 fish in a river near Newcastle, County Down, NI Water has said.
It said the "pollution incident" affected the Annsborough River on Saturday afternoon and the cause was identified and rectified shortly after.
The chemical spillage has been cleaned up and there is no further risk to the river, the company said.
NI Water said it would continue to work with the Environment Agency.
The Annsborough River is a tributary of the Carrigs River. which runs from Castlewellan through the village of Maghera and into Dundrum Bay.
The incident was reported to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) pollution hotline on Saturday.
---------------------------------------------
HESSTON PLANT SAYS COMPANY IS SAFE AND READY TO REOPEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_KS, industrial, follow-up, injury, plastics
HESSTON, Kan. (KWCH) The plastics plant GVL Poly in Hesston wants employees to know, it is safe to go back to work. A chemical spill at the plant on Thursday sent six employees to the hospital, and an incident Friday forced the plant to shut down again.
The company held a meeting for all employees Monday morning, explaining how it knows the environment is safe.
One employee who got sick Thursday is already back at work. He says he‰??s doing well, and that hearing from the Hesston Fire Chief and GVL CEO made him feel good about coming back to work.
GVL says a seal on a piece of equipment failed Thursday, spilling about five gallons of a chemical called ‰??isocynate.‰?? Employee Trent Catilla works next to the container. He says he started getting dizzy, then threw up.
‰??I got real weak couldn't feel my legs and I about passed out. My co- workers caught me, brought me outside, and sat me outside in a chair. From that point I stopped breathing. I couldn't breathe, couldn't catch my breath. It was the scariest thing I've ever felt in my life,‰?? Catilla said.
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