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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, December 9, 2016 at 7:23:42 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 (18 articles)
CHINA TIGHTENS GRIP ON HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental
FD HAZMAT TEAM ASSISTS AT WRIGHT COUNTY PROPANE LEAK
Tags: us_IA, public, release, response, propane
WASHINGTON STATE SUING MONSANTO OVER DECADES OF CHEMICAL POLLUTION- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
HEPTANE AND STATIC ELECTRICITY MAY BE CAUSE OF AUBURN HILLS FIRE
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, flammables
EPA MOVES TO BAN USES OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners
CRISPR CREATORS DUKE IT OUT IN U.S. PATENT COURT
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
OHIO FIREFIGHTERS WIN BATTLE FOR CANCER COMPENSATION
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
MALTA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY ORDERED TO PAY ‰?Â233,700 OVER CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: Malta, industrial, follow-up, environmental, pharmaceutical
HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CRANE KNOCKED OVER NEAR SR-56, I-15
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, hydraulic_fluid
MORE THAN 1,000 CHILDREN EVACUATED FROM SCHOOL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN SCIENCE LABORATORY
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
IPHONE ENVY MAY HAVE FELLED GALAXY NOTE7
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, follow-up, environmental, batteries
CHINA‰??S CABINET KICKS OFF THREE-YEAR REVIEW OF HANDLING OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
ENGLISH SCHOOLS FOUNDATION CLOSES SPORTS PITCHES AT FIVE SCHOOLS FOR ‰??CHEMICAL SAFETY TESTING‰??
Tags: Hong_Kong, education, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
ENGINE ROOM FIRES ARE NEVER MERRY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental
AFTER PAULSBORO CRITICISM, RAILROADS ADOPT FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR CHEMICAL SPILL RESPONSE
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, follow-up, response
1 KILLED, 2 INJURED IN ACCIDENT AT DAK PLANT IN CALHOUN COUNTY, SC
Tags: us_SC, industrial, discovery, death, unknown_chemical
FIRE ABOARD CHEMICAL TANKER CAUSES CLOSURE OF HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL
Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
CHEMICAL FIRE CLOSED CRAWFORD COUNTY LANDFILL MONDAY
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
CHINA TIGHTENS GRIP ON HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental
China‰??s highest decision-making body, the State Council, has unveiled a three-year plan to prevent accidents involving hazardous chemicals. The plan was crafted in response to the August 2015 explosion at a hazardous goods storage site in Tianjin that killed 165 people, most of them firefighters.
Over the next three years, municipal and local governments throughout China will identify and audit all sites where hazardous chemicals are made or stored. Under the umbrella of a new group, the State Council Committee for Safe Production, officials will compile a database of the hazardous chemicals in the country.
Under the plan, producers of ammonium nitrate, nitrocellulose, sodium cyanide, and certain other hazardous chemicals will come under special scrutiny. Companies handling hazardous materials near homes will have to relocate to industrial parks. The plan also calls for improved citizens‰?? participation in the planning of facilities that handle hazardous goods.
Countrywide audits will certainly reduce the risk of industrial accidents involving hazardous goods, observes Kai Pflug, president of the Shanghai-based advisory firm Management Consulting - Chemicals. ‰??Hazardous chemicals have been very frequently stored and shipped in ways that were prohibited by Chinese law,‰?? he says.
---------------------------------------------
FD HAZMAT TEAM ASSISTS AT WRIGHT COUNTY PROPANE LEAK
Tags: us_IA, public, release, response, propane
HOLMES ‰?? Residents in Holmes were evacuated north of town for a short period of time after a 12,000-gallon propane tank began leaking a significant amount of vapor, according to Capt. Paul Neeson, of the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
The Region V Hazardous Materials Response Team, part of the Fort Dodge Fire Department, responded to the emergency Thursday afternoon.
A construction crew reportedly damaged piping on the tank, located at North Central Cooperative, 221 Fourth Ave. N.W.
The location of the co-op in Wright County is about 42 miles from the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
Upon arrival, the Hazmat team met with officials from the Clarion Fire Department.
---------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON STATE SUING MONSANTO OVER DECADES OF CHEMICAL POLLUTION- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
SEATTLE: Washington on Thursday became the first U.S. state to sue the agrochemical giant Monsanto over pervasive pollution from PCBs, the toxic industrial chemicals that have accumulated in plants, fish and people around the globe for decades.
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the lawsuit at a news conference in downtown Seattle, saying they expect to win hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars from the company.
"It is time to hold the sole U.S. manufacturer of PCBs accountable for the significant harm they have caused to our state," Ferguson said, noting that the chemicals continue to imperil the health of protected salmon and orcas despite the tens of millions of dollars Washington has spent to clean up the pollution. "Monsanto produced PCBs for decades while hiding what they knew about the toxic chemicals' harm to human health and the environment."
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in many industrial and commercial applications, including in paint, coolants, sealants and hydraulic fluids. Monsanto, based in St. Louis, produced them from 1935 until Congress banned them in 1979.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs have been shown to cause a variety of health problems, including cancer in animals as well as effects on the immune, nervous and reproductive systems.
---------------------------------------------
HEPTANE AND STATIC ELECTRICITY MAY BE CAUSE OF AUBURN HILLS FIRE
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, flammables
Auburn Hills, MI ‰?? At 12:50 AM on today‰??s date, Auburn Hills fire personnel were dispatched to a commercial structure fire at LXR Biotech, 1139 Centre. LXR Biotech produces a consumable product at this location. Two employees were working at the location when the fire started. Both employees escaped without injury.
Fire personnel arrived on scene and observed flames through the roof at the rear of the building. The employees reported that heptane, a highly flammable chemical, was stored inside the building and it was on fire. The incident was quickly elevated to a third alarm. Fire personnel from Rochester Hills, Rochester, Orion Twp., Oakland Twp., Troy, Waterford Regional, and Bloomfield Twp. assisted on the scene. Personnel from Independence Twp. and STAR EMS provided coverage in the city during the incident. The Red Cross also responded to the scene to provide hot beverages to firefighters. Auburn Hills police assisted with traffic control.
The Oakland County Hazardous Materials team from MABAS 3201 also responded to the scene. Hazmat personnel tested the air quality in the area and determined that beyond the smoke there was no elevated threat due to the burning chemical. Samples were also taken from the water running off from the fire. It was determined that the chemicals will not have a long term impact on the environment as the high volume of water used to extinguish the fire had diluted the product. Auburn Hills investigators are being assisted by fire investigators
---------------------------------------------
EPA MOVES TO BAN USES OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, cleaners
Trichloroethylene (TCE) would no longer be permitted in aerosol degreasers and stain removers, which are used by dry-cleaning facilities, under a regulation proposed Dec. 7 by EPA.
The action marks the first time in more than 20 years that EPA has tried to use its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to restrict the use of a hazardous chemical.
EPA concluded in 2014 that TCE in spot cleaning agents and aerosol spray degreasers could pose health risks to workers and consumers. TCE is a known human carcinogen, and studies have associated the chemical with neurological, developmental, and immunological toxicity.
The agency‰??s 2014 assessment also found risks associated with the use of TCE in commercial vapor degreasing, but EPA is working on a separate regulation to address those risks. The chemical industry is strongly opposed to restricting that particular use.
TCE is one of the first 10 chemicals that EPA will evaluate for risk under the revised TSCA, which was enacted in June. The agency plans to use its new authorities to assess all remaining uses of the chemical.
‰??For the first time in a generation, we are able to restrict chemicals already in commerce that pose risks to public health and the environment,‰?? says Jim Jones, EPA assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention. ‰??I am confident that the new authority Congress has given us is exactly what we need to finally address these important issues,‰?? he says.
---------------------------------------------
CRISPR CREATORS DUKE IT OUT IN U.S. PATENT COURT
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
In the biggest science showdown of the year, attorneys defending rival CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing patents faced off at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Va., yesterday. The public hearing attracted a large turnout that spilled into two overflow rooms, with one attendee describing it as a ‰??spectator sport‰?? for patent lawyers and investors.
CRISPR technology is regularly hailed as the biggest biotech breakthrough since the DNA-amplifying PCR method was invented. The tool is sweeping through research labs, making gene editing cheaper and easier than ever. Billions of dollars are at stake in this patent dispute, experts say, given that CRISPR could be applied in agriculture, in medicine, and potentially in other lucrative areas. Companies including Novartis, DuPont, and Bayer are already lining up to acquire licenses from the party they hope will prevail.
The conflict began in April 2014 when the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University was awarded the first of several U.S. patents for CRISPR, even though researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Vienna had filed their own patent applications first. In January 2015, USPTO announced an interference proceeding would pit the Berkeley and Vienna teams against Broad to determine the actual originator of CRISPR.
---------------------------------------------
OHIO FIREFIGHTERS WIN BATTLE FOR CANCER COMPENSATION
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
COLUMBUS, Ohio ‰??
Wednesday was a big day for Ohio firefighters after a decade-long battle.
Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 27, now renamed the Michael Louis Palumbo Act, which will help firefighters battling cancer.
‰??It is a monumental day. It's a very historic day for the firefighters here in the state of Ohio. It's a very good day,‰?? Cincinnati Fire Fighters Union Local 48 President Matt Alter said.
Lawmakers voted to pass the Michael Louis Palumbo Act by a wide margin, giving compensation to firefighters for cancer treatment.
‰??At any given time in the Cincinnati Fire Department, we're probably looking at between six and 12 members, retired members, that are battling a cancer that is directly related to this job,‰?? Alter said.
Norwood Local 445's president said firefighters breath in toxic cancer-causing chemicals every single day, and it‰??s just the nature of the job -- no matter how many precautions they take.
‰??It's just starting to come to light now. It's not only the big manufacturing fires or the chemical companies. We're getting more and more cancers and diseases from these everyday-type fires,‰?? President Bobby Schlachter said.
---------------------------------------------
MALTA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY ORDERED TO PAY ‰?Â233,700 OVER CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: Malta, industrial, follow-up, environmental, pharmaceutical
A pharmaceutical company has been ordered to pay ‰?Â233,702.79 in damages after a court held it reponsible for a 2009 explosion at its Zejtun chemical plant that destroyed machinery belonging to Asfaltar Ltd.
Judge Mark Chetcuti, presiding the First Hall of the Civil Court ordered Crystal Pharma to pay Asfaltar Ltd ‰?Â47,277.79 for damages it suffered and ‰?Â186,475 to Asfaltar's insurers, Elmo Insurance.
The incident occurred on March 3rd 2009 at Crystal Pharma (operating as Solea Pharma at the time) in the Zejtun industrial estate. A contractor, appointed by the defendant to carry out works at the chemical plant, had been asked to manufacture a metal grate to cover a sump.
Chemical overflows and spillages would drain into the sump, which was connected to a larger reservoir located at the far end of the site.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT RESPONDS TO CRANE KNOCKED OVER NEAR SR-56, I-15
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, hydraulic_fluid
A crane carrying over 160 gallons of hydraulic fluid knocked over across a major North County freeway connector, prompting a Sig Alert and a Hazmat response. NBC 7‰??s Astrid Solorzano reports.
---------------------------------------------
MORE THAN 1,000 CHILDREN EVACUATED FROM SCHOOL AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN SCIENCE LABORATORY
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
More than 1,000 children had to be evacuated and a member of staff taken to hospital after a chemical leak in a school science lab.
St Ambrose Barlow RC High in Swinton was put on lock down after the incident shortly after 12.30pm this afternoon.
The school will reopen as normal on Thursday.
Emergency services, including three fire engines, an environmental protection unit and paramedics attended and cordoned off the school after the spillage of the unknown chemical in a prep room in the school‰??s science department.
Firefighters, many wearing hazard suits and breathing apparatus, entered the building and successfully managed to contain the spill to one room.
No pupils were present at the time of the leak.
---------------------------------------------
IPHONE ENVY MAY HAVE FELLED GALAXY NOTE7
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, follow-up, environmental, batteries
Samsung's desire to match the iPhone 7 Plus led it to implement an aggressive design and manufacturing approach that led to problems with its Galaxy Note7 -- including some instances of the smartphones bursting into flames -- and eventually its global recall, Instrumental reported last week.
Instrumental engineers tore down a Galaxy Note7, and found "evidence in the design of an intellectual tension between safety and pushing the boundaries," CEO Anna Shedletsky revealed.
Samsung engineers "designed out all of the margin in the thickness of the battery," she noted.
It "sits within a CNC-machined pocket -- a costly choice likely made to protect it from being poked by other internal components," Shedletsky speculated.
"For something that is innovative and new, you design the best tests that you can think of, and validate that the design is OK through that testing," she said.
However, battery testing "takes a notoriously long time, and thousands of batteries need to be tested to get significant results," Shedletsky pointed out. "It's possible that Samsung's innovative battery manufacturing process was changing throughout development, and that the newest versions of the batteries weren't tested with he same rigor as the first samples."
---------------------------------------------
CHINA‰??S CABINET KICKS OFF THREE-YEAR REVIEW OF HANDLING OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
China has announced a three-year nationwide inspection of the handling of dangerous chemicals following a series of deadly accidents that claimed hundreds of lives.
The government plan calls for a clear delineation of responsibilities among regulators and greater accountability to help ensure public safety.
Deadly Tianjin warehouse explosion: review leads to China moving 10 chemical plants
The survey will evaluate the risks of dangerous chemicals during their production, storage, transport use and disposal and draw up a risk distribution map before March 2018, according to a plan released by the State Council on Tuesday.
Hazardous chemicals like ammonium nitrate, nitrocellulose and sodium cyanide will be on a special watch list, while broader information on other chemicals will be shared among regulators.
The plan calls for dedicated industrial zones where chemicals can be produced or stored, and to set up an integrated platform to reduce risks, manage safety and environmental protection, and coordinate rescue efforts.
---------------------------------------------
ENGLISH SCHOOLS FOUNDATION CLOSES SPORTS PITCHES AT FIVE SCHOOLS FOR ‰??CHEMICAL SAFETY TESTING‰??
Tags: Hong_Kong, education, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
Five Hong Kong schools run by the English Schools Foundation have closed their artificial sports pitches due to safety concerns over chemicals exceeding international health standards, the Post has learnt.
The ESF yesterday would not confirm the reason for keeping students away from the rubber-crumb, artificial pitches at Discovery College, King George V School, Renaissance College, Sha Tin College and South Island School, saying only that they were closed to ‰??allow for ongoing safety testing and investigation‰??.
But a source told the Post: ‰??The pitches are being tested due to safety concerns over chemicals exceeding international health standards.
‰??The problem is there are so many different standards.‰??
The ESF said no other pitches at its schools would be closed, and there was no suggestion that any other pitches across Hong Kong might be affected.
---------------------------------------------
ENGINE ROOM FIRES ARE NEVER MERRY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental
Engine room fires account for up to 50 percent of all fires on vessels with 70 percent of those engine room fires being caused by leaks from pressurized systems. Just this week, the chemical tanker Jo Kiri was inbound for a terminal in the Houston area when smoke was reported in the engine room. The Houston ship channel was blocked for about an hour before the vessel was moved to a berth.
That engine room fires are so prevalent should come as no surprise as engine rooms contain all sides of the fire triangle in abundance - namely, the fuel and lubricants, the air containing oxygen that is being forced into the engine room in great quantities to supply the engines and of course the heat that is associated with engine rooms and machinery.
It's when these sides of the fire triangle are allowed to interact, such as the fuel leak on the dredge Arco Avon that came in contact with sparks from a grinding wheel in August 2015 that bad things happen. Bad things such as fire, that is! This was additionally seen on Gunde Maersk in December 2015 when a leaking o-ring sprayed pressurized fuel onto a hot exhaust manifold.
Remember, the three sides of the fire triangle can coexist, as long as one side is adequately segregated from the others.
---------------------------------------------
AFTER PAULSBORO CRITICISM, RAILROADS ADOPT FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR CHEMICAL SPILL RESPONSE
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, follow-up, response
WASHINGTON -- Freight railroads have agreed to rely exclusively on federal safety response recommendations, rather than their own guidelines for accidents involving dangerous chemicals, drawing praise from New Jersey lawmakers who sought that change after a Conrail derailment caused a toxic spill in Paulsboro in 2012.
The shift, the lawmakers said, will help eliminate confusion that might result from differences in federal recommendations and railroad protocols, and ensure that federal standards are used in the event of spills. The guidelines give emergency responders information about fire risks, immediate steps to respond to a spill and evacuation distances, among other information.
‰??When a train accident happens and every second counts, it makes no sense to have two sets of emergency response information on board ‰?? especially if that information is contradictory,‰?? said Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.). ‰??At best, it‰??s confusing for first responders. At worst, less protective information could result in serious consequences for public health and human life."
---------------------------------------------
1 KILLED, 2 INJURED IN ACCIDENT AT DAK PLANT IN CALHOUN COUNTY, SC
Tags: us_SC, industrial, discovery, death, unknown_chemical
CALHOUN COUNTY, SC
A Columbia man was killed and two others injured in an accident at a Calhoun County chemical plant Tuesday, officials said.
The accident happened around 12:15 p.m. at the DAK Americas plant on K Avenue, according to Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth. The man killed in the accident was identified as Alton Zeigler, 63, of Columbia. An autopsy is pending.
Site manager Mark Leonhardt said three employees were performing annual maintenance on a polymer pump. He couldn‰??t provide specifics on the incident or confirm if an explosion occurred.
‰??We have a very good safety record,‰?? Leonhardt said. ‰??This is just a very, very unfortunate incident. We‰??re all just heartbroken by this.‰??
---------------------------------------------
FIRE ABOARD CHEMICAL TANKER CAUSES CLOSURE OF HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL
Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
The Houston Ship Channel, one of the world‰??s busiest waterways, was closed for an hour on Monday when a fire broke out on a chemical tanker, according to Reuters.
The 2003-built Jo Kiri, operated by Norwegian firm Jo Tankers, reported fire in its engine room while on its way north to the Vopak terminal in the Port of Houston.
It blocked traffic in the channel until it could be safely moved to a berth. No injuries or spillages were reported from the incident.
The vessel, which usually carries cargo of petrochemicals, was near Eagle Point when the fire happened.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE CLOSED CRAWFORD COUNTY LANDFILL MONDAY
Tags: us_OH, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
BUCYRUS - A chemical fire Monday morning at the Crawford County Sanitary Landfill closed the 5128 Lincoln Highway East facility for the day, according to Whetstone Township Fire Chief Mike Motter.
The landfill was re-opened Tuesday, according to an employee at the site. No one was injured.
Motter said fires at a landfill are not uncommon and usually stem from a hot load dumped at a site, but Monday's fire was calcium oxide or lime, that was dumped. The fire spread over about one-third of an acre at the landfill.
"When we arrived at the landfill, trash in the bin was openly burning," said Motter. Employees were trying to smother it, he added.
"It (calcium oxide) reacts with the ground and it started a fire," he said.
A third-party contractor was hired to come in and deal with it, Motter said.
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