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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (25 articles)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 07:24:35 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: DAA582E8-4A0C-4C46-A3F7-899A27449404**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, December 19, 2016 at 7:24:20 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 (25 articles)
- QUALIFIED CHEMIST USED ILLEGAL CHEMICAL TO MAKE PINK FIREWORK AT HO ME NEAR MOLD
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, illegal
TEXAS CITY LIFTS TAP WATER BAN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL FEAR
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, response, asphalt
2 DEAD AS CHEMICAL TANKER EXPLOSION TRIGGERS PILE-UP ON MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD HIGHWAY
Tags: India, transportation, explosion, death, flammables, gasoline
FIRE REPORTED IN LHS LAB
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
BATTERY FIRE AT TECH CENTER CAUSES ESTIMATED $1 MILLION LOSS TO UC RIVERSIDE SOLAR PROJECT
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, response, batteries, fire_extinguisher
OFFICIAL: TEXAS CITY HAD 3 REPORTS OF DIRTY WATER BEFORE BAN
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, asphalt
LIDL GRAVY GRANULES FOUND TO CONTAIN HARMFUL PAINT THINNER CHEMICAL A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, xylene
CORROSIVE CHEMICAL SPILL ALL CLEANED UP AT PORT OF NAPIER
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
CDP SUSPENDS ALL BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL OPERATIONS TEMPORARILY
Tags: us_AL, education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
HAZMAT SITUATION EVACUATES YMCA IN MOORESVILLE
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, chlorine
ZILLAH AMMONIA LEAK HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL COOPERATION, REGULATORY SHORTCOMINGS IN HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
BURNING HYDROGEN TANK CAPPED AT WAFERTECH IN CAMAS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, fire, response, hydrogen
EPA REVIEW OF NEW CHEMICALS SLOWS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
CHEMICAL FIRE BURNS EMPLOYEE, SCORCHES SURFBOARD MANUFACTURER IN OCEANSIDE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, injury, acetone
WHAT‰??S THAT SMELL? RESIDENTS IN SEAL BEACH, HUNTINGTON BEACH WANT ANSWERS
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, petroleum
BURLINGTON YMCA EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_VT, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
FIRE ERUPTS IN SCHOOL LAB
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A WHIPPED CREAM SHORTAGE IS LOOMING, JUST IN TIME FOR PEAK HOLIDAY PIE
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, death, other_chemical
LOCAL NEWS, FIREFIGHTERS HOT OVER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, formaldehyde
CREWS RESPOND TO SOUTHWEST MIDDLE AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENTALLY SPRAYED
Tags: us_NC, education, release, response, unknown_chemical, irritant
THREE CHEMICAL CLEAN-UPS ACROSS MELBOURNE
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, ferric_chloride, solvent
EPA SEEKS TO FINE CHEMICAL GIANT NEARLY $5M FOR HAWAII CASE
Tags: us_HI, industrial, release, environmental, pesticides, illegal
CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATIONS IN MANTECA
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
WATER IN CORPUS CHRISTI DEEMED UNSAFE DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, other_chemical
HAZMAT SCENE EMPTIES LARGO MEDICAL CENTER CLASSROOM
Tags: us_FL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
- QUALIFIED CHEMIST USED ILLEGAL CHEMICAL TO MAKE PINK FIREWORK AT HOME NEAR MOLD
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical, illegal
AN attempt by a businessman, who is also a qualified chemist, to make a pink firework backfired and landed him in court
Sebastien Jean Claude Dubois, 31, was unimpressed by commercial firework displays and knew that he could do better.
He staged displays at his country home near Mold and bought a particular chemical intending to make a bright pink coloured one for his display on New Year‰??s Eve.
But Mold Crown Court heard how the regulations changed and it become illegal to possess potassium perchlorate without a licence.
Dubois, of Lake Offa, New Brighton ‰?? who owns a number of companies and who is in the process of launching a further business in the United States ‰?? pleaded guilty to possessing the prohibited substance and was given an absolute discharge after a judge described it as an exceptional case.
Judge Rhys Rowlands, who ordered him to pay å£535 costs, said no danger was posed to himself or others in the vicinity and there was no danger of the chemical falling into the wrong hands.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS CITY LIFTS TAP WATER BAN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL FEAR
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, response, asphalt
Tap water in Corpus Christi is safe to drink, the mayor of the Texas city said on Sunday, lifting a four-day ban after a chemical spill that forced most of the Texas city's residents to rely on bottled water while tests were underway.
Residents of the Gulf of Mexico city were told on Wednesday to stop using tap water for drinking, food preparation and bathing. About 85 percent of Corpus Christi, with a population of about 320,000, was under the restrictions.
An investigation of the leak of up to 24 gallons (91 liters) of an asphalt emulsifier determined the water was safe to use again, Mayor Dan McQueen said at a news conference.
It was not clear if the water supply was ever contaminated by the spill.
---------------------------------------------
2 DEAD AS CHEMICAL TANKER EXPLOSION TRIGGERS PILE-UP ON MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD HIGHWAY
Tags: India, transportation, explosion, death, flammables, gasoline
Two persons were killed and three others injured in a freak accident that involved an explosion in a moving chemical tanker and subsequent pile-up of three vehicles on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway today, causing massive disruption of traffic for hours.
"The incident occurred near a petrol pump at Wadoli village in Palghar district adjoining Mumbai in afternoon when the tanker carrying some inflammable chemical caught fire while moving while a truck rammed into it from behind, causing an explosion," Talasari tehsildar (revenue official) Vishal Doundkar told PTI.
Due to the impact, the affected tanker hit another truck ahead of it while a car collided with the tanker from behind.
The deceased have been identified as Ramesh Khot and Razzak Bapu Gavad who were travelling in the truck that hit the tanker from behind.
The injured persons have been identified as Ajinkya Patil (29), Prachi Patil (50) and Rasika Patil (50), who were travelling in the car.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE REPORTED IN LHS LAB
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LIVINGSTON -- A small fire at Livingston High School Thursday afternoon caused minor damage. The Livingston Volunteer Fire Department was called out around 6:30 p.m. The fire began in a science laboratory after "material from a lab (lesson) was improperly stored after the lab," according to Livingston ISD Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins Operations employees discovered the small fire, helping limit damage to a trash can that will need replacing. The fire was immediately put out and Hawkins said the lab could have been used Friday, if not for the completion of an investigation. Contracted assistance was brought in for cleanup and Hawkins said there will be additional safety training for staff members who are involved with working in the lab area.
---------------------------------------------
BATTERY FIRE AT TECH CENTER CAUSES ESTIMATED $1 MILLION LOSS TO UC RIVERSIDE SOLAR PROJECT
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, response, batteries, fire_extinguisher
An equipment fire at Bourns Technology Center in Riverside early Saturday may have caused $1 million in damage to a solar project involving UC Riverside, fire officials say.
A battery bank that is part of testing for UCR‰??s solar farm caught fire shortly before 5 a.m. at the technology center, in the 1200 block of Columbia Avenue, according to a Riverside Fire Department news release. That location is not on campus.
Firefighters used a dry chemical extinguisher to put out the blaze.
The activation of overhead sprinklers helped contain the fire to one room, fire officials said. But they likely created another challenge that firefighters encountered, Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said: The batteries were arcing, or putting out an electrical discharge.
Fire officials estimated that the fire caused $40,000 in property damage, and said the loss to the project was an estimated $1 million.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIAL: TEXAS CITY HAD 3 REPORTS OF DIRTY WATER BEFORE BAN
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, asphalt
There were three reports of dirty water before the 300,000 residents of Corpus Christi were told not to drink the city's water due to a chemical leak at an asphalt plant, city officials said Saturday, adding that the city hasn't found evidence of water contamination.
Mayor Dan McQueen said he won't know until Sunday whether a ban on drinking, cooking or bathing with tap water will be lifted for the 113,000 people still under the restriction.
McQueen, who took office Tuesday after defeating an incumbent who came under fire for her handling of previous water crises, said there's no indication the chemical leak contaminated the Gulf Coast city's water supply.
---------------------------------------------
LIDL GRAVY GRANULES FOUND TO CONTAIN HARMFUL PAINT THINNER CHEMICAL A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental, xylene
Dangerous levels of a paint thinner chemical have been discovered in Lidl gravy a week before Christmas.
The supermarket is recalling two batches of Kania GravyGranules after they were found to contain xylene, which occurs naturally in petroleum and crude oil, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Exposure to the harmful chemical poses a health risk, causing irritation of the mouth, throat, nose and lungs and in severe cases leading to heart problems, liver and kidney damage and coma, according to Public Health England.
---------------------------------------------
CORROSIVE CHEMICAL SPILL ALL CLEANED UP AT PORT OF NAPIER
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
An area of Napier Port has been cleaned up after a chemical spill.
A small amount of sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, was found outside a container at the port about 8.20am today, a Fire Service spokesman says.
There was no danger to the public because the spill was in a secure area of the port.
Napier Port said it continued to operate as normal outside the exclusion zone.
"A white substance found on the exterior of four containers unloaded from a ship this morning was confirmed to be a small quantity of sodium hydroxide, a corrosive and potentially flammable chemical," a spokesman says.
---------------------------------------------
CDP SUSPENDS ALL BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL OPERATIONS TEMPORARILY
Tags: us_AL, education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A federal training facility in Anniston has temporarily suspended all chemical and biological operations, according to a statement given to students who trained there.
The announcement comes as officials investigate a mistake that led to first-responders training with a lethal rather than a non-lethal version of the toxic compound ricin.
‰??The ongoing evaluation of the safety culture in place at the facility will ensure it is strong, and that our processes, procedures and management will continue to ensure the safety of the students and employees,‰?? the statement read.
The Center for Domestic Preparedness at McClellan trains firefighters, emergency medical staff and other first responders from local agencies around the country to deal with disasters and attacks involving chemical and biological agents.
Officials with the Anniston center acknowledged in November that the CDP had been using the lethal strain of ricin since 2011.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SITUATION EVACUATES YMCA IN MOORESVILLE
Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, chlorine
MOORESVILLE, NC (WBTV) -
A YMCA in Mooresville had to be evacuated Saturday morning due to a hazmat situation.
Around 9 a.m. the YMCA experienced a chlorine issue with their swimming pool. The issue caused some people to experience symptoms.
When officials arrived they evacuated 260 people from the building.
The building is now deemed safe again.
The people who had already left the YMCA were contacted about the situation and how to take care of it.
---------------------------------------------
ZILLAH AMMONIA LEAK HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL COOPERATION, REGULATORY SHORTCOMINGS IN HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
Wednesday‰??s ammonia leak at a Zillah fruit warehouse sent ripples of alarm across the Yakima Valley, causing many residents to suddenly see the area‰??s ubiquitous packing houses as potential threats.
While there appear to be some regulatory blind spots in facility safety inspections, local emergency responders say they‰??re confident in the Valley‰??s preparedness to contain any such incident ‰?? as they did, quickly and effectively, after the leak at Stadelman Fruit.
‰??Keep in mind, our major threats in Yakima County are, No. 1, wildland fires; No. 2, floods; No. 3, winter storms,‰?? said Scott Miller, director of the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management. ‰??Major hazmat spills are extremely rare. ... We are prepared for those.‰??
According to Environmental Protection Agency data, the last major ammonia spill in Yakima County was in 2008 at Congdon Packing Co. The leak lasted for an hour; no one was hospitalized.
---------------------------------------------
BURNING HYDROGEN TANK CAPPED AT WAFERTECH IN CAMAS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, fire, response, hydrogen
Flames erupting from a tank containing hydrogen, a highly explosive gas, caused some tense moments in Camas on Saturday afternoon.
The fire was reported at 1:48 p.m. at WaferTech, 5509 N.W. Parker St., near the western edge of Camas. Firefighters from Camas-Washougal and Vancouver responded to the fire, alongside a hazmat team from Linde Inc., the industrial gas supplier that owns the tank.
Crews reportedly arrived and sprayed the nearly 3,000-gallon tank with large-diameter jets of water in order to keep the tank cool. The tank vented, releasing what fire officials called a ‰??large cloud of hydrogen vapor.‰?? The venting gas was not ignited.
With the tank vented and depressurized, crews were then able to cap the tank at approximately 2:45 p.m.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Nobody was reported injured. WaferTech spokesperson Christa Hammack said fewer than 20 employees in nearby buildings were evacuated.
WaferTech, a maker of custom integrated circuits, uses hydrogen in its manufacturing process. Several large tanks are visible from the northern part of the WaferTech property along Northwest Lake Road. Hammack said its possible the incident could set back production slightly.
---------------------------------------------
EPA REVIEW OF NEW CHEMICALS SLOWS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
It‰??s been six months since Congress made major changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the law that governs the use of chemicals in industrial and household products in the U.S. One unanticipated outcome of the overhaul is a backlog of new chemicals waiting to be reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Chemical manufacturers are up in arms about the delays, claiming EPA‰??s slowness is impeding their innovation. Some sectors, for example paints and coatings, are threatening to move their businesses overseas because of increased U.S. regulatory burdens from the updated law.
At issue is EPA‰??s handling of new chemicals under the revised TSCA. The law requires EPA to determine that a new chemical is unlikely to pose a risk to human health and the environment before it enters the marketplace. Under the old statute, EPA did not have to make such a determination.
The new law also gives EPA authority to request additional toxicity data from manufacturers if the agency determines that it has insufficient information to assess whether a new chemical poses a risk to human health or the environment.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE BURNS EMPLOYEE, SCORCHES SURFBOARD MANUFACTURER IN OCEANSIDE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, injury, acetone
A chemical compound burst into flames as employees worked with it, sparking a fire that gutted a shop that manufactures surfboards Friday, injuring one person in Oceanside.
The fire at Global Glassing Inc. in the 3200 block of Production Avenue erupted shortly after 11:30 a.m., near the Oceanside Municipal Airport. According to Oceanside fire department officials, it caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Crews arrived to find heavy flames issuing from rear roll-up doors at the business, Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence said. Within several minutes, the roof over the burning part of the structure collapsed and the blaze began spreading more rapidly.
‰??At this point, fire crews determined that there was no way to fight the increasing volume of fire inside the involved unit and pulled all personnel outside to begin defensive operations designed to limit the spread to the other businesses in the L-shaped building,‰?? Lawrence said.
It took crews from Oceanside and several neighboring areas nearly an hour to gain the upper hand on the blaze, which destroyed the unit in which it originated and damaged two others ‰?? a second surfboard shop and a smog-testing business.
A Global Glassing employee reported that a crew at the facility was using acetone when it ‰??flashed,‰?? catching the immediate surrounding area on fire, Lawrence said.
Another worker tried in vain to extinguish the flames, suffering burns to his face. He drove himself to a local hospital rather than seek treatment from personnel at the scene. Due to the presence of acetone, resin and other chemicals in the charred building, hazardous materials teams from Camp Pendleton and the city and county of San Diego were called in to evaluate the damaged areas and runoff.
---------------------------------------------
WHAT‰??S THAT SMELL? RESIDENTS IN SEAL BEACH, HUNTINGTON BEACH WANT ANSWERS
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, petroleum
Periodically and unpredictably, mysterious chemical-like fumes drift into Rhonda Wainwright‰??s home not far from Huntington Beach‰??s Central Park.
The noxious odors have induced headaches, burning of the eyes and throat, nosebleeds and vomiting, she says. Even her dog and two cats have retched during the malodorous episodes that ‰??about knocks you on your knees,‰?? said Wainwright.
Roughly 6 miles away in coastal Seal Beach, resident Susan Perrell reports suffering similar foul odors. Perrell, an environmental adviser to an oil and gas company, also describes a petroleum-like stench that can be intense enough to ‰??knock you over.‰??
Their experiences are far from isolated.
Last month, air-quality regulators saw a spike in such complaints in the Huntington Beach and Seal Beach areas. Over several consecutive days, the South Coast Air Quality Management District fielded dozens of calls involving ‰??a nasty egg odor (or a) petroleum odor,‰?? said agency spokesman Sam Atwood.
Residents also have lodged complaints with fire officials, the gas company and others, seeking help in pinpointing the source of the smells, which many say have increased in frequency and intensity over the past two years.
---------------------------------------------
BURLINGTON YMCA EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_VT, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A leak of potentially dangerous chemicals Friday morning prompted the evacuation of the YMCA in downtown Burlington, according to Burlington Fire Department officials.
Burlington Deputy Fire Chief Aaron Collette identified the material as hydrochloric acid, and said the building's occupants had been moved to the Y Annex in the old Ethan Allen Club building on College Street.
The building's occupants included members of the YMCA's fitness club and children who attended daycare there, as well as staff. All were safe and warm, Collette said.
Temperatures hovered close to zero downtown Friday morning.
A facilities worker noticed the leak around 8 a.m. while doing morning rounds, said YMCA spokesman Doug Bishop. The worker found the pool of chemicals in a pump maintenance room. Only maintenance staff has access to the room, Bishop said.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE ERUPTS IN SCHOOL LAB
Tags: Pakistan, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Science laboratory of a government high school in Civil colony area was gutted down due to blaze caused by chemicals in the lab.
According to the administration of the school, the fire erupted in the science laboratory of the school due to chemical reaction.
The fire engulfed the whole laboratory within no time damaging all the properties there. However, the students were evacuated and no human loss was reported.
Fire fighters of the Rescue 1122 team extinguished the fire.
---------------------------------------------
A WHIPPED CREAM SHORTAGE IS LOOMING, JUST IN TIME FOR PEAK HOLIDAY PIE
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, death, other_chemical
c) 2016, å• BUSINESS, FEATURES, FOOD å• Dec 15, 2016 - 6:20 AM
If it is the season of pumpkin and pecan pies, and of frothy drinks garnished with cinnamon or peppermint, then it is also the season of whipped cream dispensed in fat squirts.
But the supply of canned whipped creams, kept fluffy with nitrous oxide gas, will be leaner this year, manufacturers warned recently.
Conagra Foods, the makers of the popular Reddi-wip whipped cream, told the Boston Globe in a statement that the full stocks of Reddi-wip will be "up and running by February." Meanwhile, the manufacturers encouraged whipped cream fans to "stock up early" during this "peak holiday season."
A tragic accident in August triggered the whipped cream shortage. Two gas tankers, as well as a nitrous oxide holding tank, exploded at a loading dock in an Airgas chemical plant in Florida. The explosion killed one worker. A Florida State Fire Marshal told Fox 10 the body of the Airgas employee was found some 50 to 75 feet from the loading bay. Airgas confirmed to the Pensacola News Journal that an employee had died, but did not release the name of the victim.
As the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health notes, the gas itself is "not combustible but enhances combustion of other substances."
The accident curbed nitrous oxide production. Airgas, which bills itself as the largest North American producer of the gas, supplies nitrous oxide to several customers, including Conagra and medical clients.
---------------------------------------------
LOCAL NEWS, FIREFIGHTERS HOT OVER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, formaldehyde
A recent chemical spill incident has upset some Paradise Valley firefighters, who voiced their concerns to the Paradise Valley Fire Commission Tuesday night.
Boundary County residents, residing at 265 Uplander Rd, in the Paradise Valley area, contacted law enforcement last Monday night to report a class two hazardous spill, involving the chemical formaldehyde.
The incident began on Dec. 5, with Idaho State police, Boundary County Sheriff‰??s Office, Paradise Valley Fire District, Boundary Ambulance and Boundary County Emergency Management arriving on scene at about 8:15 p.m., and ending late Tuesday afternoon with the homeowners re-entering the residence.
Upon arrival, authorities confirmed that approximately one gallon of formaldehyde had been spilled in the basement.
The exact amount is unknown. Homeowners were evacuated by Paradise Valley Fire District Incident Commander Josh Wortley and a minor child in the home was reportedly treated by Boundary Ambulance for chemical burns, due to walking through the puddle of formaldehyde with only his socks on, according to Wortley
The concerns expressed at Tuesday night‰??s meeting were regarding how the incident was handled by the county‰??s emergency management, after the decision was made to send two firefighters into the basement of the contaminated residence without the proper gear ‰?? which would be a Level B, vapor-resistant suit ‰?? and, in so doing, exposed two firefighters to the chemical formaldehyde, along with three other firefighters on the outside, who had also been exposed from the vapors emitting from the residence, according to Paradise Valley firefighters.
Some firefighters expressed to the Commission that they will not respond to calls until their turnout gear is replaced.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO SOUTHWEST MIDDLE AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENTALLY SPRAYED
Tags: us_NC, education, release, response, unknown_chemical, irritant
HIGH POINT --Emergency crews responded to an incident at Southwest Guilford Middle School in High Point on Thursday afternoon after an unknown substance affected more than 30 students.
Guilford County Schools said the situation started in a seventh grade Spanish classroom. The unidentifiable irritant spread to the hallway when students opened the door during class change.
"As far as what that chemical is, or whatever was sprayed right now we do not know,‰?? said Tim Wright, deputy chief with the High Point Fire Department. "We don't think it was malicious type thing."
Wright said a total of 37 students complained of throat irritation. They were taken to a classroom for monitoring by Guilford County EMS.
"It's been the type of thing that it appears with time, it just wares off the irritation part,‰?? Wright said. "It appears like whatever it was, was not anything highly toxic."
---------------------------------------------
THREE CHEMICAL CLEAN-UPS ACROSS MELBOURNE
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, ferric_chloride, solvent
Hazmats crews in Melbourne have been kept busy cleaning up three separate chemical incidents around the city.
An illegally dumped collection of chemicals was found in unmarked bags in Thomastown on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes on Lockwood Grove.
The chemicals were sent off to Victoria Police's forensic unit to identify.
In another part of Thomastown, a factory had to be evacuated after an explosion on Thursday afternoon sparked a fire that caused extensive damage.
The factory contained a high fuel load, including solvents and chemicals, so the 24 occupants had to rush to safety.
The cause of the blast and resulting fire is being investigated by the MFB Fire Investigation unit and Worksafe was notified.
Clean-up crews also had to handle litres of a potentially dangerous chemical spilled at the port of Melbourne on Wednesday night.
An exclusion zone was put in place after 10 to 20 litres of a chemical called ferric chloride solution spilled from a barrel at a container site at DP World before 7pm on Wednesday.
It took more than four hours for firefighters to contain, the MFB said, adding there were no injuries and it posed no threat to the public.
---------------------------------------------
EPA SEEKS TO FINE CHEMICAL GIANT NEARLY $5M FOR HAWAII CASE
Tags: us_HI, industrial, release, environmental, pesticides, illegal
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it's seeking nearly $5 million in fines against a unit of the Swiss chemical giant Syngenta for the company's alleged violations of pesticide regulations in Hawaii.
The violations allegedly occurred on Jan. 20 at Syngenta Seeds' crop research farm on Kauai where workers entered a field recently sprayed with a restricted insecticide. The EPA said 10 workers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Syngenta failed to tell the workers to avoid the fields, and then allowed them to enter the fields without protective gear, the agency said. Further, the EPA said Syngenta failed to provide adequate decontamination supplies at the farm and supply prompt transportation for emergency medical care.
The incident occurred when a state agriculture department inspector was at the farm. The state investigated and referred the case to the EPA.
Syngenta said in a statement that it takes responsibility for the matter and no workers were injured.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES EVACUATIONS IN MANTECA
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
MANTECA (CBS13) ‰?? Mandatory evacuations were ordered after a large chemical spill was reported in the city of Manteca.
The spill happened in the area of Bessemer Avenue and Carnegie Street ‰?? just north of highway 120. A forklift is said to have punctured a container of hydrochloric acid.
Evacuations are in place in the nearby areas of Industrial Park, South Main Street, Yosemite Avenue and Powers Avenue, according to Manteca Police Department spokesperson Marci Jones.
‰??They‰??re trying to stabilize the area‰?|and asking everyone to shelter in place,‰?? said an official on the scene.
People living in surrounding areas are urged to close all windows and doors while the spill is cleaned up.
Nearby Manteca High School and Lincoln Elementary School are also closed as a result of the spill.
---------------------------------------------
WATER IN CORPUS CHRISTI DEEMED UNSAFE DUE TO CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, other_chemical
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (KTRK) -- Nearly 300,000 residents in Corpus Christi have been asked to stop using tap water after a chemical was discovered in the supply.
Late Thursday, city officials announced that three locations were declared safe. Those areas include: Calallen, Flour Bluff and Padre Island.
The chemical, an asphalt emulsifier, spilled into the system from a company operating at one of the Valero refineries, officials said.
....There is question as to whether the spill happened because of a faulty back-flow preventer or if one was in use.
"That's the question we all would like asked," said Kim Womak with the city of Corpus Christi. "When we went onsite yesterday, there was not one."
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SCENE EMPTIES LARGO MEDICAL CENTER CLASSROOM
Tags: us_FL, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical
LARGO (FOX 13) - Ten people at the Jersey College School of Nursing were evacuated from a room at Largo Medical Center after a hazmat situation Thursday afternoon.
The all-clear was given several hours later, without any threat to patients at the hospital.
It was around 1:30 p.m. when 10 people in the classroom complained of eye irritation. They left the room while hazmat crews investigated the room, which is leased from the hospital.
Nine of the 10 students refused treatment, while the last is being evaluated at the hospital.
"We do not know what the cause was. We had gas meters, monitors inside the hospital, and they did not pick up any adverse air," firefighter Cody Johnson offered.
Firefighters say there was never any danger to patients at the hospital.
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