Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 6:35:50 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 (22 articles)
URANIUM FOUND IN PHOENIX HOUSE, NOT RADIOACTIVE
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, uranium
HAZMAT-SUITED FIREFIGHTERS CHECK ON SPILL
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, bleach, water_treatment
HARVEST CREWS MIGHT BE ALLOWED HAZMAT FUEL EXEMPTIONS
Tags: us_SD, industrial, discovery, response, diesel
HOOSICK FALLS CHEMICAL CONCERNS SPREAD TO AIR
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, ammonia
CITRUS HEIGHTS MAN SUFFERS BURNS IN HONEY OIL LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL CLOSES CORONA ROAD
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
'OXYGEN DEPRIVATION' AT TUALATIN PLANT SENDS 6 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
HEAVY METALS PLANT FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION AT ARCONIC TUESDAY
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, dust, metals
MYSTERIOUS EXPLODING METAL CAME FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN, LAWSUIT SAYS
Tags: us_fl, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals, waste
DUPONT AND CHEMOURS SETTLE PFOA SUITS
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, plastics
FIRE MARSHAL: NITROGEN TANK NOT THE CAUSE OF DEADLY CHEMICAL LEAK AT XYTEX
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, death, nitrogen
TURNS OUT TOXIC CHEMICALS ARE BEING STORED IN OUR DEEPEST OCEAN TRENCHES
Tags: uk, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
UAE RECORDS 31% DROP IN FIRE ACCIDENTS IN 2016 ' MIDDLE EAST CONSTRUCTION NEWS
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, public, follow-up, environmental
STRANGE ODOR IN HOUSTON NOT RELATED TO LYONDELLBASELL...
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, sulphur
HAZMAT TEAMS CLEAN UP CHEMICAL SPILL ON FAR WEST SIDE
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid
ALL LANES REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CRASH ON I-84 IN TOLLAND
Tags: us_CT, transportation, release, response, acids, ammonia, peroxide
GORE TO DROP WATERPROOFING PFCS
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
TWO KILLED IN CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION IN CHINA ' WINFIELD REVIEW
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, calcium_carbide
RECORD CHEMICAL USE 'OF CONCERN' TO SALMON GIANT
Tags: uk, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
HAMBURG AIRPORT EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: Germany, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
ROCHESTER FIREFIGHTERS DEAL WITH TOXIC GAS
Tags: us_MN, transportation, release, response, suicide, waste
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URANIUM FOUND IN PHOENIX HOUSE, NOT RADIOACTIVE
Tags: us_AZ, public, discovery, response, uranium
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -
Hazmat crews say they found no detectable levels of radiation at a Phoenix retirement community Monday after a woman discovered uranium in a lead case.
It happened at the Beatitudes Campus at 16th and Glendale avenues around 7:30 p.m.
According to firefighters, a woman was cleaning out the garage of her deceased father-in-law's retirement home when she found a lead case that had uranium inside, according to Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson Reda Bigler.
The father-in-law was a long-time chemist.
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HAZMAT-SUITED FIREFIGHTERS CHECK ON SPILL
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, bleach, water_treatment
Barrie Fire and Emergency Services were called to the scene of a sodium hydrochloride spill in a storage building at the Bradford Street Wastewater Treatment Plant.
500 litres of the liquid, which is basically bleach but about seven per cent stronger than household bleach, spilled but was contained in the storage building.
Firefighters got the call at 3:41 p.m. Tuesday.
They donned Level A hazmat suits to enter the spill area to ensure it was contained and then used absorbal to help with clean up operations.
"Level A is the highest level of hazmat suit that we have but it is just precautionary," said Samantha Hoffmann, Barrie's Public Fire and Life Safety Officer.
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HARVEST CREWS MIGHT BE ALLOWED HAZMAT FUEL EXEMPTIONS
Tags: us_SD, industrial, discovery, response, diesel
PIERRE | A legislative panel gave its support Tuesday to an exemption for employees of custom harvesters to allow them to haul up to 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel without needing a hazardous materials endorsement.
The House Transportation Committee voted 10-0 to endorse House Bill 1124, submitted by Rep. Lana Greenfield, R-Doland.
Custom harvesters usually have their own combines and work freelance to harvest crops for farmers ' usually for the same farm each harvest season. Machines have increased in size, and fuel isn't readily available in some parts of rural South Dakota, Greenfield said. She added that harvesting could finish faster with the exemption.
Bruce Nelson, a harvester from Clark, said crews use 'a lot of foreign help' who aren't eligible for hazmat endorsements. He said Kansas has approved it and North Dakota is proceeding toward it.
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HOOSICK FALLS CHEMICAL CONCERNS SPREAD TO AIR
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
HOOSICK FALLS - There are more chemicals people in Hoosick Falls have to worry about. Honeywell found volatile organic compounds or VOCs while looking for sources of PFOA contamination.
Thirty-nine homes in the John Street area are being monitored for these VOC vapors. NewsChannel 13 knew about this contamination last week, but Tuesday night is the first time residents will get to ask experts questions about the dangerous chemicals.
If it's not the water, it could be the air in your house making you sick in Hoosick Falls.
Just as Vonda Grogan of First Street thought her PFOA nightmare was winding down, she got a call about VOCs from her brother.
"He called me up last night. He told me 'So we got more problems.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'Well I got a letter saying they're going to be doing more work and they're going to have to take care of some issues.' He said, 'I don't know what they mean,'" explained Grogan.
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HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UNKNOWN CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical, ammonia
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -
Emergency crews quickly sprang into action to clean up a chemical spill in Whitehaven.
Just before 1 a.m., a truck spilled an unknown chemical near a construction site near the intersection of Alcy Road and Elvis Presley Boulevard.
Though emergency crews said the chemical was not dangerous and posed no immediate threat to people in the area, the chemical gave off a strong smell of ammonia.
Hazmat crews worked carefully to clean up the substance and put it into blue barrels. Memphis Fire Department blocked the intersection as hazmat teams took the barrels from the area.
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CITRUS HEIGHTS MAN SUFFERS BURNS IN HONEY OIL LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, clandestine_lab
A Citrus Heights man suffered burns Tuesday afternoon in what police said was an explosion of a honey-oil lab at a residence.
Citrus Heights police received several calls about 2:50 p.m. reporting smoke coming from a duplex in the 5800 block of Sperry Drive. As officers were responding to the home, the sole occupant of the duplex ran outside suffering from burns sustained in a fire that resulted from a small chemical explosion, according to a Police Department news release.
During the investigation, officers determined that the occupant, 49-year-old David Aaron Jantz, was attempting a chemical solvent extraction of butane to manufacture hash oil from marijuana, police said.
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HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL CLOSES CORONA ROAD
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
A cleaning material spill prompted the closure of a Corona street on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 14, a fire official said.
The driver of a box truck was traveling in the area of Alcoa Circle and Rincon Street when he realized that the 330 gallon bin of Nitric Acid he was carrying was leaking, said Corona Fire spokesman John Deyoe.
Deyoe said the chemical is commonly utilized for cleaning purposes.
He said Rincon Street was closed off from Auburndale Street to Lincoln Avenue. Nearby businesses were evacuated for operational safety as crews attempted to start a cleanup.
Deyoe stressed that no one was in any danger as a result of the spill.
Crews had used a forklift to lift the bin of Nitric Acid off the truck and were trying to find a way to mitigate the leak before starting a decontamination operation.
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'OXYGEN DEPRIVATION' AT TUALATIN PLANT SENDS 6 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
TUALATIN, Ore. -- Six people were sent to nearby hospitals after a reported mechanical problem created "oxygen deprivation" about 4 a.m. Tuesday inside Lam Research.
All six people were released from hospitals within a few hours. They were not exposed to a toxic chemical, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.
The cause was initially thought to be a leak of sulfur hexaflouride, an odorless gas. However, TVF&R later said an unidentified external smell was the likely cause of employee discomfort.
The workers at the semiconductor plant at 11361 SW Leveton Drive who were taken to hospitals complained of upper respiratory issues, including runny noses, coughing and wheezing.
A hazmat team was dispatched to the scene. Lam said the odor was not coming from their facility and is currently working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to investigate the source of the smell.
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HEAVY METALS PLANT FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION AT ARCONIC TUESDAY
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, dust, metals
WHITEHALL, MI - A heavy metals fire in a dust collector prompted the evacuation of a plant at Arconic early Tuesday morning.
About 30 employees were evacuated from plant No. 4 after the fire was discovered just after 6 a.m. Feb. 14, said White Lake Fire Authority Chief Gregory M. Holman. The plant, formerly Alcoa, is located at 555 Benston Road in Whitehall.
White Lake firefighters, assisted by Montague firefighters, extinguished the fire with a dry chemical powder, Holman said. Because the fire was burning at such high temperatures - estimated at between 1,800 and 2,000 degrees - spraying water on it could have caused an explosion, he said.
The fire, discovered by employees, occurred when a spark ignited titanium, copper and brass particles collected in a large dust collection system, Holman said. Such fires occur a couple of times a year and the plant keeps the dry chemical for fire suppression on site, he said.
The chemical creates a "blanket" that smothers the fire, but the process takes time, he said. Firefighters were on scene about 2 1/2 hours, during which that section of the plant was not operating, he said. Normal plant operations resumed once the fire department cleared, Holman said.
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MYSTERIOUS EXPLODING METAL CAME FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN, LAWSUIT SAYS
Tags: us_fl, industrial, follow-up, injury, metals, waste
mysterious metal that exploded at a West Orlando recycling plant came from Lockheed Martin's secure defense manufacturing plant, according to a new lawsuit.
Vincent Maynard, an employee at Brothers Scrap Metal, suffered severe burns to his arms and hands in an explosion on Dec. 1, 2014. Maynard is now suing Lockheed. A spokesman for Lockheed Martin said the company doesn't comment on litigation.
'It appears this was not your typical piece of metal,' said Maynard's attorney, J. Scott Murphy. 'It appears to have been a high-grade mixture of metals that was used in a military government operation.'
It's not the first time that explosions have occurred at metal processing facilities, but the circumstances surrounding the Brothers incident are somewhat unique.
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DUPONT AND CHEMOURS SETTLE PFOA SUITS
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, plastics
DuPont and Chemours have agreed to pay $670 million to settle 3,550 lawsuits in Ohio and West Virginia by residents who say they were sickened by drinking water contaminated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) released from a former DuPont plant in Parkersburg, W. Va.
DuPont and Chemours, a DuPont spin-off that now owns the plant, will each pay $335 million of the settlement. In addition, Chemours will pay up to $25 million over each of the next five years for any future liabilities from PFOA, a processing aid used until 2015 to make fluoropolymers such as Teflon. DuPont will cover future liabilities up to an additional $25 million per year.
The settlement comes at a pivotal moment for DuPont, which is about to merge with Dow Chemical and subsequently split into three distinct companies. Fears that liabilities for the Ohio Valley PFOA cases could reach as much as $5 billion and disrupt merger plans appear to have been put aside with the $670 million settlement.
To date, seven of the 3,550 PFOA cases have gone to trial. Three of them yielded nearly $20 million in total jury awards to plaintiffs. Three cases were settled for an undisclosed amount and one was dropped. The last trial, completed in January, awarded Kenneth Vigneron, who had testicular cancer, $12.5 million. DuPont has appealed that award and the two others.
A spokesman for Keep Your Promises DuPont, a group formed by Ohio Valley residents to advocate for people exposed to PFOA, welcomed the settlement but cautioned that 'no checks have been written and no compensation has been paid.' Plaintiffs must still approve the settlement.
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FIRE MARSHAL: NITROGEN TANK NOT THE CAUSE OF DEADLY CHEMICAL LEAK AT XYTEX
Tags: us_GA, public, follow-up, death, nitrogen
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The state fire marshal does not believe a nitrogen tank caused a deadly chemical leak at Xytex. The nitrogen leak claimed the life of a Richmond County deputy, injured two others, and left a Xytex employee in critical condition.
The nitrogen tank did not have a permit and was never inspected but according to the fire marshal the tank did not cause the nitrogen leak.
Instead,investigators believe something went wrong with the system on the inside connected to the tank.
Xytex's website states it installed a tank, temperature monitoring, and building security system in 2011. Anita Wylds wrote this endorsement for the system called tutela. She's the special projects coordinator at Xytex. She is also the employee deputies say ran into the building to turn off a valve during the nitrogen leak. Sgt. Greg Meagher lost his life trying to rescue her.
According to Xytex, it experienced a pressure surge around 3pm the day of the accident. The alarm went off at 3:26pm. However, there may have been a sign of a problem brewing earlier in the day. Records show the alarm at Xytex went off three times the day of the accident. Twice after the leak but once before it. At 1:43pm, an hour and seventeen before Xytex says the pressure surge took place, the alarm went off. Dispatch cleared that alarm call just eight minutes later. We are still waiting to get more information about the call.
Xytex is still under orders prohibiting use of either nitrogen tank. The fire marshal issued those orders after learning neither the company nor the nitrogen supplier had permits or inspections on the two tanks here. OSHA and the fire marshal are still investigating.
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TURNS OUT TOXIC CHEMICALS ARE BEING STORED IN OUR DEEPEST OCEAN TRENCHES
Tags: uk, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Even the deepest most remote parts of the ocean can't escape our foolishness.
Scientist have found a large amount of banned chemicals in the fatty tissue of crustaceans that live in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana and Kermadec trenches.
Though the locations are 10 kilometres (six miles) deep and far from land, researchers from Newcastle University in the U.K. identified traces of prohibited chemicals once used as fire retardants in the tiny amphipods.
Using deep sea landers to recover the samples, one of the chemicals scientists found were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs were banned in the U.S. in 1979 and no longer imported into Australia from 1975, amid environmental and health fears.
The report claims that around 1.3 million tonnes of PCB was created between the 1930s and the 1970s, with about 65 percent of that contained in landfills and electrical equipment. A further 35 percent may be stuck on the coast and in the ocean.
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UAE RECORDS 31% DROP IN FIRE ACCIDENTS IN 2016 ' MIDDLE EAST CONSTRUCTION NEWS
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, public, follow-up, environmental
The UAE Ministry of Interior has recorded a 31% drop in fire accidents in buildings and establishments in 2016, compared to the previous year, a senior official has said.
Fire accidents dropped from 3,388 in 2015 to 2,352 in 2016, thanks to the timely response by civil services, alertness and the introduction of modern fire-prevention technology, said Major General Jassem Mohammed Al Marzouqi, general commander of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior.
He added that qualified firefighters, sustained public awareness campaigns and intensified efforts to meet challenges, guided by an integrated and coordinated doctrine also played a major role in reducing the numbers.
'Fatalities from fires also declined from 23 in 2015 to 16 in 2016, a decrease of 52 percent,' Major General Marzouqi noted, adding that fires at households went down by 7% in 2016, when compared to 2015.
Figures released by the Ministry of Interior showed that civil defence inspectors had visited and inspected 4,167 buildings and establishments in the first half of 2016.
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STRANGE ODOR IN HOUSTON NOT RELATED TO LYONDELLBASELL...
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, sulphur
HOUSTON - The strange odor that swept through the heart of Houston on Monday morning is no longer believed to be related to an incident at a facility in Channelview, according to officials.
The sulfur-like smell was first reported about 10 a.m. in the downtown area of Houston and spread west along the Interstate 10 corridor.
"We never really had a concern because our air quality monitoring never showed it was a public health issue, but we are still monitoring cause it was definitely a cause for concern, and we're still trying to identify the source," said Houston Fire Department Captain Ruy Lozano.
Officials at the Houston Fire Department originally reported that the odor was related to a chemical release the LyondellBasell facility, 15 miles east of the city.
However, a statement from LyondellBasell reported there was a release of oil from a piece of equipment used to control temperature. That oil was contained and never traveled offsite, according to the statement.
'We understand there are reports of an odor around downtown Houston,' the company said in a statement. 'At this time, it does not appear that the events are connected.'
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HAZMAT TEAMS CLEAN UP CHEMICAL SPILL ON FAR WEST SIDE
Tags: us_WI, public, release, injury, chlorine, hydrochloric_acid
MADISON, Wis. - The Madison Fire Department's Hazardous Incident Team had to clean up a chemical spill Friday after a maintenance worker accidentally mixed two chemicals together.
The incident happened in the 300 block of Samuel Drive on the city's far west side about 2 p.m. Friday.
According to the fire department, the worker accidentally mixed together muriatic acid and chlorine in a pump room of an apartment complex.
When the worker realized his mistake, he carried the 30-gallon container out to a parking lot, but the employee became ill and was taken to the hospital by a co-worker.
The fire department closed off the street while crews went into the garage to neutralize the chemicals and flush out the parking lot with water. The process continued until chemical readings dropped and air quality levels returned to normal.
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ALL LANES REOPENED AFTER HAZMAT CRASH ON I-84 IN TOLLAND
Tags: us_CT, transportation, release, response, acids, ammonia, peroxide
Both sides of I-84 in Tolland were closed to traffic and nearby homes were evacuated when the truck rolled over at about 7 p.m. Sunday. The westbound lanes reopened earlier on Monday, but all eastbound lanes were reopened of 9:30 p.m. Monday
Environmental officials say the vehicle was carrying a mixed load of chemicals, including acids, peroxides and ammonia solutions.
The cleanup was complicated because the truck rolled down a steep 30-foot embankment and because of the weather.
The driver was cited for driving too fast for the icy and slushy road conditions.
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GORE TO DROP WATERPROOFING PFCS
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
Bowing to pressure from activist groups, Gore Fabrics says it is working to eliminate perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) of environmental concern from its products. Gore supplies water-resistant fabrics to many leading outdoor apparel makers, including Patagonia and The North Face.
High-performance outerwear is commonly coated with a PFC-based barrier to improve water resistance. But those coatings can wear off and escape into the environment.
Greenpeace and other environmental groups have targeted PFCs, a large family of chemicals, because they persist in the environment and have been found in arctic polar bears' livers and human blood. Some PFCs have been shown to have negative health effects.
Although it is not clear what proportion of PFCs found in the environment come from water-resistant clothing, Greenpeace has been campaigning since 2012 to get outdoor apparel makers to stop using the coatings and switch to alternatives.
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TWO KILLED IN CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION IN CHINA ' WINFIELD REVIEW
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, calcium_carbide
Two persons were killed and eight others injured today in a chemical factory blast in China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The regional work safety administration said the explosion took place at one of the calcium carbide furnaces of the Yihua chemical plant.
The reason of the blast is yet to be ascertained.
The explosion in the plant in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture left two persons dead and three in serious condition. Five persons sustained minor injuries.
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RECORD CHEMICAL USE 'OF CONCERN' TO SALMON GIANT
Tags: uk, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
The world's largest salmon farmer has expressed 'concern' over the use of chemicals to fight disease after a record 20m litres of hydrogen peroxide ' a substance harmful to fish ' were dumped into coastal waters around Scotland.
More than 160 farms resorted to the chemical in 2015 to tackle parasites such as sea lice, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
Enough hydrogen peroxide was used to fill eight Olympic-size swimming pools, including more than 1m litres at a site operated by Marine Harvest, the Norwegian-owned firm.
On Friday, Marine Harvest said it is 'concerned' by the industry's 'increased use of medicines' to tackle parasites, which it said have flourished in recent years due to warmer coastal waters. The multibillion-pound firm said it‰?|
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HAMBURG AIRPORT EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: Germany, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Fifty people are said to have been taken to hospital after a chemical leak spread through Hamburg Airport.
Members of the public were treated for breathing problems and burning eyes by paramedics at the scene.
The German airport is on lockdown amid fears that the leak spread through the air conditioning system, with passengers and crews waiting in the building's car park in temperatures of -4C while the situation is resolved.
All flights were halted for several hours due to the evacuation, airport spokeswoman Karen Stein said to Associated Press. The cause of the incident is currently unknown.
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ROCHESTER FIREFIGHTERS DEAL WITH TOXIC GAS
Tags: us_MN, transportation, release, response, suicide, waste
ROCHESTER, Minn. ' A HAZMAT team was called out after an apparent suicide attempt.
Rochester law enforcement had been on the lookout for a vehicle after getting a 911 call around 9:30 pm Saturday about a suicidal subject. The vehicle was located around 4:15 am Sunday at Sunrise Trailer Park in the 7600 block of Highway 63 North.
Olmsted County Sheriff's deputies removed an awake female from the car. The Rochester Fire Department was called to deal with household chemicals that had been mixed in a pail to create a toxic gas. Two engines, the HAZMAT team and a battalion chief responded.
Firefighters wearing SCUBA gear used gas detectors and chemical testing paper to assess the situation and found no continuing danger. Fire crews arranged for the containment and disposal of the chemicals in the pail.
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