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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2016 08:03:30 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: F382F1B6-FF8F-4558-BB63-4D71DFD592E2**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, November 18, 2016 at 8:03:18 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 (13 articles)
HAZMAT SITUATION REPORTED AT SCHOOL IN INWOOD
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, copper_sulphate
HAZMAT RESPONSE IN NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydrogen_sulfide
GOVERNMENT PLANNING NEW EXAMINATION TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF GALAXY NOTE 7 FIRES
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, batteries
DA: NO EVIDENCE JUVENILES HAD MEANS TO PULL OFF BOMB PLOT
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, bomb, mustard_gas
STRONG CHEMICAL ODOR ON EAST SIDE WAS NON-TOXIC, FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, solvent, styrene
SHELL FACES $133,000 PENALTY FOR SMELLY CHEMICAL RELEASE IN ANACORTES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, response, benzene, illegal
THE NATION'S FASTEST GROWING NEWSPAPER
Tags: Philippines, public, explosion, response, explosives
FOUR WORKERS AWARDED $16 MILLION BY JURY IN SECOND WILLIAMS OLEFINS PLANT EXPLOSION CASE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death, petroleum
MCALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO REFRIGERATOR LEAK IN HEB
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
FIREFIGHTERS STILL TAPPING OUT HOT SPOTS AT RECYCLING CENTER NEAR NRG PARK
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, metals, waste
AMY'S KITCHEN BUILDING EVACUATED AFTER REALEASE OF DISINFECTANT CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, bleach, sodium_hydroxide
NO CAUSE FOR HUGE FIRE AT HOUSTON CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE IN MAY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response
WAL-MART RATES HIGHEST ON CHEMICAL-DISCLOSURE REPORT CARD; COSTCO, AMAZON EARN 'F' GRADES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics
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HAZMAT SITUATION REPORTED AT SCHOOL IN INWOOD
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, copper_sulphate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) ‰?? More than two dozen people were decontaminated after possible exposure to hazardous materials at an Inwood school Thursday.
There was concern several students were exposed to copper sulfate at the Northeastern Academy school on 215th Street near Park Terrace East, according to the Office of Emergency Management.
The incident took place just before noon Thursday.
A total of 27 people were decontaminated at the scene and the streets and school have since reopened.
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HAZMAT RESPONSE IN NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydrogen_sulfide
Firefighters and emergency responded to the scene of a hazardous materials incident in Newton, Massachusetts on Thursday morning.
Newton Fire said at 9:40 a.m. that they responded to Walnut Street in Newtonville Square for a hazmat incident at Bank of America. A Tier 1 hazmat response has been requested.
Original tests showed high levels of hydrogen sulfide, which prompted emergency crews to evacuate the building.
There were about six employees inside at the time and are all reported safe.
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GOVERNMENT PLANNING NEW EXAMINATION TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF GALAXY NOTE 7 FIRES
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, batteries
Previous examination was criticized as being hasty and incomplete, determining that fire wasn‰??t caused by product flaw
The South Korean government has resolved to carry out a new examination of the first replacement model of Samsung Electronics‰?? Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that caught on fire. The government has been sharply criticized for hastily concluding during the first examination that the fire did not result from a product flaw.
‰??Today, Samsung Electronics gave us the first Galaxy Note 7 replacement model that caught on fire on Oct. 2. We will be once again inspecting the phone and using all available methods to explore every possible defect,‰?? the Korea Testing Laboratory, which is affiliated with South Korea‰??s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced on Nov. 17.
On Oct. 4 and 5, immediately after the accident, Samsung Electronics asked the Korea Testing Laboratory to carry out a ‰??non-destructive comparative assessment‰?? of the phone. After just two days, the laboratory concluded from a visual inspection and from X-ray and CT scans that it had ‰??detected signs presumably caused by external impact or pressure.‰?? But after replacement phones continued to catch fire even afterward, this examination was criticized for being hasty and inaccurate.
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DA: NO EVIDENCE JUVENILES HAD MEANS TO PULL OFF BOMB PLOT
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, bomb, mustard_gas
The Humboldt County District Attorney‰??s office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against two 15-year-olds accused of plotting the bombing of a Fortuna High School assembly.
‰??To date, the investigation has yielded no evidence that either juvenile had the means to create an item that could be a hazard ‰?? one individual possessed approximately 2 grams ([less than] .1 ounces) of sulfur, a readily available legal product with a variety of uses,‰?? a press release from the office states. ‰??Further, there is insufficient evidence to indicate the two juveniles conspired to commit an attack.‰??
Both findings are in direct conflict with statements from Fortuna Police Chief Bill Dobberstein on Nov. 11, the day after police thwarted the alleged plot. The chief told the Journal and other media outlets that one of the juveniles was found to be in possession of ‰??several components for making some kind of toxic chemical gas explosion devices‰?? but were missing a ‰??key ingredient‰?? that police believed was stashed somewhere on campus. Dobberstein said it appeared the students were planning on making multiple explosive devices with a substance akin to homemade mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, to detonate them at an all-school assembly that day.
Further, Dobberstein said it appeared the students had been planning a ‰??mass casualty event‰?? for some time and targeting ‰??when there was going to be a large gathering of students and teachers in one place.‰??
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STRONG CHEMICAL ODOR ON EAST SIDE WAS NON-TOXIC, FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, solvent, styrene
A strong paint thinner smell on the East Side Wednesday brought out the hazardous incident team, but the chemical was non-toxic and no illnesses or injuries were reported.
The incident started at about 12:40 p.m. in the 800 block of East Johnson Street, the Madison Fire Department said.
"Someone smelled a vapor comparable to paint thinner coming from a storm drain," said spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. "Area business owners said the smell was also permeating into their basements."
A white haze that was unidentifiable on monitoring equipment was seen coming out of a storm sewer drain, so firefighters called in the hazardous incident team.
"Air samples identified the chemical as styrene," Schuster said. "The level of styrene in the air, including in the basements, was not harmful."
The styrene was traced to a company that was lining sewers in the neighborhood; the chemical is a component of the work.
---------------------------------------------
SHELL FACES $133,000 PENALTY FOR SMELLY CHEMICAL RELEASE IN ANACORTES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, response, benzene, illegal
ANACORTES, Wash. ‰?? Shell Puget Sound Refinery faces a $133,000 penalty for a 2015 chemical release that prompted complaints from people living near the Anacortes facility.
The Northwest Clean Air Agency, which enforces air quality regulations, on Wednesday also found the refinery failed to follow certain practices to minimize emissions.
In a statement, Shell says that while it regrets this odor incident, the company took immediate steps to minimize the impact. It says it values the safety of employees and the community.
The agency alleged in April that Shell did not follow shutdown and decontamination procedures while cleaning the refinery‰??s east flare system. It says the refinery released certain chemicals, including benzene, into the atmosphere.
Winds carried those chemicals, and hundreds reported symptoms such as headaches and nausea. Many complaints came from people living in La Conner, or working and living on the Swinomish Reservation.
---------------------------------------------
THE NATION'S FASTEST GROWING NEWSPAPER
Tags: Philippines, public, explosion, response, explosives
CAMP GENERAL SIMEON OLA, Legazpi City ‰?? Portions of the Masbate Police Provincial Office (PPO) were burned down during an early morning fire at the old building of the police‰?? office, early morning of Tuesday.
Senior Inspector Malu Calubaquib, spokeswoman of the Police Regional Office 5 (PRO-5) said that the fire started at around 1:30 a.m that razed to the ground the old building occupying the offices of Provincial Intelligence Branch, (PIB), Police Community Relation Branch (PCRB), Provincial Supply Section, Provincial Internal Affair Service (PIAS), Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), Provincial Crime Laboratory Office (PCLO) and NAPOLCOM.
A series of explosions were also heard during the fire, which Calubaquib said was due to the ammos and explosives that were inside the Crime Laboratory.
Calubaquib said that no one hurt during the incident, while the cause of damage still undetermined as of press time though two people were said to be injured.
Initial investigations disclosed that faulty electrical wiring may be the cause of the fire while assessment is still on-going to determine if all the stored pieces of evidences were affected.
---------------------------------------------
FOUR WORKERS AWARDED $16 MILLION BY JURY IN SECOND WILLIAMS OLEFINS PLANT EXPLOSION CASE
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, death, petroleum
On the morning of June 13, 2013, a massive explosion rocked Geismar, La. As many as 600 workers were at the Williams Geismar Olefins chemical facility when an explosion occurred just after 8:30 a.m. Two employees died and another 167 reported injuries, many of them serious. The explosion started a large fire, and people as far away as 2 miles were ordered to shelter in place.
A jury in Iberville Parish, La, on Nov. 15 found that plant owners and operators ‰??were negligent with respect to the cause of the June 13, 2013 incident.‰?? The jury decided in favor of four workers injured in the explosion, reaching a combined $16.1 million verdict for the workers. Saudi-based Sabic Petrochemicals, which owns a 1/6th stake in the facility, was added as a co-defendant in the case and was assigned 16 percent of the liability. Other defendants included Williams Olefins and its parent company ‰?? which was assigned 83.6 percent of the fault ‰?? as well as plant official Parker Tucker and plant supervisor Larry Bayer, who each were assigned .2 percent of the fault.
The case is the second of many. In the first case, four workers were awarded a total of $13.6 million in damages by an Iberville Parish jury on Sept. 26. The jury determined that Williams' Oklahoma-based parent company was 95 percent responsible for the explosion and Williams Olefins was 3 percent to blame. The jury also determined that Tucker and Bayer each were responsible for 1 percent of the blame.
‰??Williams Companies Inc. cannot accept fault for the Geismar plant explosion without taking full responsibility for it, and that means providing full compensation to the workers they hurt,‰?? said plaintiffs‰?? attorney Kurt Arnold. ‰??Williams has made too many reckless choices that led to this explosion. They don't get to decide our client's futures. Twice they've left it up to a jury to decide what is reasonable, and juries have awarded a combined $30 million for the first eight workers who have taken their case to trial.‰??
---------------------------------------------
MCALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO REFRIGERATOR LEAK IN HEB
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
MCALLEN - A hazmat team responded to a refrigerator leak at a McAllen H-E-B Wednesday afternoon.
Multiple crews arrived at the store located on 10th and Fern Street after people complained they had a tough time breathing.
Fire crews later determined there was a refrigerator leak. The deputy chief of the McAllen Fire Department said the scene is under control and someone is already fixing the leak.
Two people were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS STILL TAPPING OUT HOT SPOTS AT RECYCLING CENTER NEAR NRG PARK
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, metals, waste
HOUSTON - The Houston Fire Department early Thursday continued to spray water on hot spots following Wednesday's massive fire at a recycling center near NRG Park.
Hazmat teams were on scene all night.
HFD responded Wednesday afternoon to the Holmes Recycling Center at 2820 Holmes Road near Highway 288.
Many people feared the possibility of hazardous materials burning because of the large plume of smoke, but the HFD hazmat team said the fire has no threat to the environment or surrounding community.
The smoke could be seen from several miles away.
"So far there‰??s no immediate threat, there‰??s no reason to shelter in place, there‰??s no reason right now to evacuate," said Ruy Lozana, Senior Captain for HFD. "Right now it‰??s all in normal range it‰??s just going to be a long night for firefighters."
The owner of the recycling center says all kinds of metals are recycled there including copper and aluminum.
Lozana said because it is a metal recycling shop, there are a lot of cars crushed with residual fluids that are causing the smell and darker burn in the smoke.
---------------------------------------------
AMY'S KITCHEN BUILDING EVACUATED AFTER REALEASE OF DISINFECTANT CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, bleach, sodium_hydroxide
SANTA ROSA -- The Santa Rosa Fire Department is investigating the release of chemicals that caused the evacuation of two dozen employees of a frozen food company Tuesday morning.
Firefighters responded to a 9:45 a.m. hazardous materials alarm at Amy's Kitchen at 3000 Dutton Ave., Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said.
About two dozen employees had already evacuated the building when firefighters arrived, and evacuations in the surrounding area were ordered, Lowenthal said.
Several pipes used to transport pressurized chemicals in the building had failed and sprayed a mist or fog, Lowenthal said.
Firefighters narrowed the cause of the hazardous materials incident to sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite, which are used to disinfect kitchen equipment, according to Lowenthal.
A hazmat team wore specialized chemical resistant suits, entered the building and shut down the systems supplying the air under pressure to the chemical piping. The chemical flow was contained to the building, Lowenthal said.
---------------------------------------------
NO CAUSE FOR HUGE FIRE AT HOUSTON CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE IN MAY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, response
HOUSTON (AP) ‰?? Houston's fire chief says investigators haven't been able to determine what caused a blaze earlier this year that ignited a chemical warehouse, leading to explosions and hazardous runoff.
The Houston Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2f4EEjP">http://bit.ly/2f4EEjP ) the city's interim fire chief, Rodney West, has told a city council committee the fire May 5 began in a garage at a home adjacent to the Custom Packaging & Filling warehouse but not enough evidence was left behind for investigators to find a cause. The homeowner had worked on cars in the garage.
West says more than 40,000 pounds of hazardous chemicals were stored at the site.
Towering plumes of thick billowing smoke could be seen for miles, hundreds of students were evacuated from a nearby school and nearly 200 firefighters responded.
---------------------------------------------
WAL-MART RATES HIGHEST ON CHEMICAL-DISCLOSURE REPORT CARD; COSTCO, AMAZON EARN 'F' GRADES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, toxics
Here's one area where Wal-Mart Stores is handily beating Amazon.com: telling shoppers what ingredients are in the products they're buying.
That's the conclusion of a scorecard that ranks major retailers' policies on harmful chemicals. Wal-Mart holds the top spot, followed by Target Corp. Amazon occupies last place in the study, which is scheduled to be released Wednesday.
The report by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a Washington-based coalition that advocates the use of more healthful products, ranked the 11 biggest merchants on a 130-point scale. The scores are based on 13 metrics, including ingredient disclosure, credible safety screening and efforts to find safer alternatives.
"Our policy is really to encourage a race to the top among leading retailers," said Mike Schade, who leads the group's retail campaign and co-wrote the report. "It's more critical now than ever for big retailers, companies like Amazon and Costco, to use their multibillion-dollar purchasing power to drive toxic chemicals out of consumer products."
Consumers, retailers and manufacturers are all taking a closer look at what goes into the products they buy, sell and make as evolving science points to harm even from small exposures of some chemicals and techniques. That's prompted the two largest U.S. retailers, Wal-Mart and Target, to introduce programs in the past three years to minimize the use of toxic ingredients in the products they offer.
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