| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2016 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Alternative Careers in chemistry Date: Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 5:37:55 PM Author: NEAL LANGERMAN <neal**At_Symbol_Here**CHEMICAL-SAFETY.COM> |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Upper limit of pH hazards Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2016 14:49:00 +0000 Author: "Stuart, Ralph" |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, October 31, 2016 at 7:34:52 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 (9 articles)
FOURTH PERSON DIES AFTER BLAST AT GERMAN CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
STUDY: FIREFIGHTERS FACE BATTLES WITH CANCER MORE THAN PUBLIC AS A WHOLE
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental
MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER FUMES FILL ANAHEIM RESTAURANT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, cleaners
LOCKPORT COMPANY TO PAY $140,000 FOR MISHANDLING DEADLY PHOSGENE GAS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal, phosgene
WEAVERVILLE TRANSFER STATION CLOSED DUE TO HAZMAT SPILL
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste
MICHIGAN ISSUES EMERGENCY RULES TO CLEAN UP TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, toxics
CHLORINE GAS RELEASED IN KANSAS DISTILLERY CHEMICAL MIX-UP
Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, injury, bleach, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
TWO PEOPLE RECOVERING FOLLOWING HAZMAT SITUATION IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON
Tags: us_sc, public, release, injury, cleaning_chemicals
SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER LIFTED AFTER CHEMICAL LIME SPILL
Tags: us_oh, transportation, release, response, dust
---------------------------------------------
FOURTH PERSON DIES AFTER BLAST AT GERMAN CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
BERLIN (AP) ?? Chemical giant BASF says another person has died from injuries sustained in an explosion at its plant in southwest Germany earlier this month, raising the death toll to four.
BASF said in a statement Saturday that a firefighter for the company died more than a week after the explosion at the plant near Ludwigshafen.
Two firefighters and a sailor on a nearby boat also died in the Oct. 17 explosion, which injured dozens of people.
The chemical company said earlier this week that the blast was likely caused by a contractor cutting the wrong pipeline.
---------------------------------------------
STUDY: FIREFIGHTERS FACE BATTLES WITH CANCER MORE THAN PUBLIC AS A WHOLE
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental
APPLE VALLEY ?? While residents continue to praise firefighters for risking their lives battling the recent Pilot and Bluecut fires, many first responders are battling another danger.
Research found that 68 percent of firefighters develop cancer compared to about 22 percent of the general population, no matter the race or gender, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
??Years ago, a firefighter would fight a structure fire and deal mostly with burning wood,?? Chief Sid Hultquist, with the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, told the Daily Press. ??Today, our men and women are dealing with all types of burning materials that emit toxic inhalants.??
Hultquist said even with breathing and body protection, many carcinogens enter the body through the skin, especially in the exposed neck area.
??Not only are we dealing with burning material from a structure fire, we also have to deal with burning chemicals and also contaminants from drug labs,?? Hultquist said. ??When we go into a fire, we now have to battle more than just the fire.??
---------------------------------------------
MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER FUMES FILL ANAHEIM RESTAURANT
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, cleaners
ANAHEIM ?? A restaurant near Honda Center and Angel Stadium was evacuated after cleaning crews incorrectly mixed together chemicals that lead to noxious fumes on Friday afternoon.
Officers were called out shortly before 2 p.m. to JT Schmid??s Restaurant & Brewery on Katella Avenue, after some workers reported being sickened by fumes, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department.
The contracted cleaners put the wrong chemical into a toilet and it caused a reaction, Wyatt said. The restaurant, which was open for business, was evacuated while HazMat crews cleared out the chemicals.
Six people were exposed to the fumes but only one was hospitalized. Two others did not want to be taken to a hospital while the other three showed no signs of discomfort. It was immediately unknown what the chemicals were.
---------------------------------------------
LOCKPORT COMPANY TO PAY $140,000 FOR MISHANDLING DEADLY PHOSGENE GAS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal, phosgene
A Lockport chemical company was cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violating the Clean Air Act in connection with its use and storage of phosgene gas, federal environmental officials reported.
Twin Lakes Chemical Inc., a chemical manufacturer, had 32,000 pounds of deadly phosgene gas at its Mill Street location when EPA officials conducted a recent inspection there, the EPA reported. Phosgene is used in the manufacture of plastics and pesticides. It is a toxic industrial chemical that is lethal at room temperature, the EPA said.
Federal investigators found that Twin Lakes didn't comply with identifying hazards and failed to "adequately support, secure and label phosgene equipment and pipes." It also failed to adhere to requirements governing equipment safety.
Officials said the company addressed the violations before settling the matter with the EPA. The company certified it's now in compliance with the Clean Air Act.
ADVERTISEMENT
The settlement includes Twin Lakes paying a $40,000 penalty for the violations and an estimated $100,000 payment to purchase hazardous materials equipment for the Lockport Fire Department.
??Chemical facilities are required to establish risk management plans in order to prevent and prepare for chemical accidents," said Judith A. Enck, EPA's Regional Administrator. ??By taking steps, such as properly labeling chemicals, properly training employees, and providing employee emergency health care, chemical facilities can protect the communities where they are located.??
---------------------------------------------
WEAVERVILLE TRANSFER STATION CLOSED DUE TO HAZMAT SPILL
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste
After a hazardous material spill was detected on the tipping floor, the Weaverville transfer station was closed to both the public and county workers Friday afternoon, Oct. 28, until further notice while a hazmat clean-up crew is brought in to deal with the situation.
Normally closed on Sundays and Mondays, the facility is not expected to reopen until Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the earliest. Customers are advised to check first before heading in to use the facility on Tuesday.
Trinity County Deputy Director of Solid Waste Diane Rader said the tipping floor crew detected fumes Friday afternoon and reported a hazmat spill to the county Environmental Health Department/Local Enforcement Agency that ordered the closure. Cal Fire crews also responded and cleared all personnel from the area.
An investigation is under way to determine the exact nature and cause of the spill.
---------------------------------------------
MICHIGAN ISSUES EMERGENCY RULES TO CLEAN UP TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, response, toxics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) ?? Michigan's environmental protection department has created stricter exposure criteria for a toxic chemical, citing concerns about a dangerous chemical plume that has been spreading underneath Ann Arbor and Scio Township for decades.
The state Department of Environmental Quality issued a "finding of emergency" Thursday that establishes a lower threshold to initiate a chemical cleanup than rules created in 2002. The emergency is effective immediately and will last for six months.
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor said Thursday that the city intends to go to court to work out cleanup at the former Gelman Sciences site. He said the new standards enable the city to take important steps.
Department director Heidi Grether says the move was prompted by concern that vapors from a chemical called 1,4-Dioxane could intrude into nearby residences. She says there isn't a severe threat currently.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE GAS RELEASED IN KANSAS DISTILLERY CHEMICAL MIX-UP
Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, injury, bleach, chlorine, sulfuric_acid
An accident at a distillery in Atchison, Kan., that released a cloud of chlorine gas was apparently caused by a chemical safety textbook example of what not to do: mixing sulfuric acid with sodium hypochlorite.
The U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board is probing the incident and is expected to make a final determination of the cause.
The accident occurred on Oct. 21 at MGP, which describes itself as a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits and specialty wheat proteins and starches. It produces alcohol used for vodkas, gins, bourbons, and whiskeys. The company employs approximately 270 people.
A supplier was delivering sulfuric acid to the facility, explains Trey Cocking, Atchison city manager, ??and instead of putting the acid into the sulfuric acid tank, it went into the sodium hypochlorite tank. That led to a reaction.?? When sodium hypochlorite is mixed with acid, chlorine gas is produced.
Residents near the distillery began to smell a strong odor of chlorine and a thick fog emanated from the plant, sweeping over the town of 11,000, according to news accounts. Those living north of the plant in the area of the plume were told to shelter in place. At one point, authorities considered evacuating the entire city. More than 135 people complained of burning lungs and difficulty in breathing and were treated at area hospitals, Cocking says. Only one person was admitted and has been released, he adds.
Three company employees plus the truck driver delivering the acid required medical attention. In addition, 27 city employees have sought medical attention, including police, fire, and public works city staff.
---------------------------------------------
TWO PEOPLE RECOVERING FOLLOWING HAZMAT SITUATION IN DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON
Tags: us_sc, public, release, injury, cleaning_chemicals
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) ?? Two employees of a downtown Charleston business are recovering following a hazmat situation Thursday evening.
hazmat-situation-charlestonCharleston Fire and Haz-Mat crew responded to Walgreens at King and Calhoun Streets on October 27.
Two employees were working in the store and mixed multiple cleaning chemicals and then started to feel ill, according to the Charleston Fire Department. We??re told the store was evacuated and medics transported both victims to a local hospital.
---------------------------------------------
SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER LIFTED AFTER CHEMICAL LIME SPILL
Tags: us_oh, transportation, release, response, dust
WEST CHESTER ?? Officials in a Cincinnati-area township have lifted a shelter-in-place order after a chemical lime spill.
West Chester Township officials say 60,000 pounds of lime spilled shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday at Superior Environmental Solutions.
The spill created a dust cloud and township officials advised residents to stay indoors because lime can cause skin and eye irritation and respiratory problems. Officials also recommended that people in the area shut their doors and windows and turn off their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Some nearby businesses were evacuated as a precaution.
Firefighters used water on the lime to turn it into steam and the scene was cleared several hours later.
---------------------------------------------
---
This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.
For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post