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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (9 articles)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2017 08:00:04 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: E0FA510A-3527-48E1-B47A-905A8B4B9B64**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, March 27, 2017 at 7:58:52 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (9 articles)
UZ STUDENT DIES IN FREAK ACCIDENT ‰?? NEHANDA RADIO
Tags: Zimbabwe, laboratory, fire, death, flammable
CALLS FOR ANSWERS OVER A55 CHEMICAL SPILL CONTINUE ONE YEAR AFTER CHAOS CAME TO CARRIAGEWAY
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, follow-up, response, ferric_chloride
GFR CLEARS UF CHEMISTRY BUILDING OF POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
GREEN CHEMISTRY IS KEY TO REDUCING WASTE AND IMPROVING SUSTAINABLITY
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO TRUMP PLAN TO CLOSE CHEMICAL SAFETY AGENCY
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
EDITORIAL: CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD VITAL TO JERSEY
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental
REGIONAL HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO SPILL
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
THE AIR FRESHENER HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
CHEMICAL LEAK SENDS 4 TO HOSPITAL: HARFORD OFFICIALS
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, hydrogen_peroxide
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UZ STUDENT DIES IN FREAK ACCIDENT ‰?? NEHANDA RADIO
Tags: Zimbabwe, laboratory, fire, death, flammable
PSMI yesterday confirmed the incident and when the Daily News on Sunday crew visited the premises where the accident happened, employees were still to come to terms with the sudden death of the young man who was said to be exceptional in his studies and work.
It has been established that Tsuro was working on a procedure he had done so many times before.
PSMI official Yeukai Mugabe confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the tragedy saying her organisation has been left shocked because they operate in an environment with high levels of safety procedures.
‰??The unfortunate accident happened on Monday, March 20, 2017 when the student was staining a tuberculosis sample at a sink in the laboratory.
‰??Emmanuel was doing a ZN staining for TB (normal standard tests within microbiology) when fire broke out. The test involves heating a slide flooded with carbol fuchsin.
‰??After heating the slide, a fire broke out and his lab coat caught fire. He ran out of the microbiology room to the stairs leading to the exit and he was rescued by one of his colleagues who managed to block him and thus allowing the others who were pursuing him to put out the fire.
‰??The accident came as a shock to the PSMI family since Emmanuel was one of our best students on attachment and was so used to the staining procedures. The previous day, he had done about 50 samples of the same procedure,‰?? said Mugabe.
According PSMI, soon after the accident, Tsuro was rushed to West End Hospital where he was stabilised and transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital which has a special burns unit where he was admitted until his death on Friday.
Added Mugabe: ‰??It is indeed a deep loss not only to the Tsuro family but also the PSMI family and the nation at large since Emmanuel was a hardworking, dedicated and high-performing student.
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CALLS FOR ANSWERS OVER A55 CHEMICAL SPILL CONTINUE ONE YEAR AFTER CHAOS CAME TO CARRIAGEWAY
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, follow-up, response, ferric_chloride
No answers or explanations have emerged from an investigation into a chemical spill which caused chaos on the A55 more than a year ago.
The carriageway was brought to a standstill for 10 hours when a tanker containing up to 27,000 litres of ferric chloride spilled some of its load onto the road on March 22 last year.
Between the spill and the clean-up operation, it was more than 43 hours until all lanes of the A55 were reopened between Junction 22 at the promenade in Old Colwyn and Junction 23 at Abergele Road.
At the time, amid concern about the apparent failure of the authorities to take control of the situation, politicians called for an investigation into how it happened and how similar incidents could be better handled in future.
Since then, there have been no answers or explanations, as a series of organisations deny responsibility for the probe and politicians continue to demand answers.
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GFR CLEARS UF CHEMISTRY BUILDING OF POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
The Chemistry Lab Building was cleared for a chemical leak after a student discovered an open container with a potentially explosive liquid Saturday afternoon, officials said.
Steven Locicero, a UF chemistry graduate student, was working in a lab Saturday afternoon when he saw a damaged container of trichlorosilane, a chemical that could explode if exposed to water. He said he was concerned the exposed chemical could be a danger and reported the chemical at about 5:20 p.m.
‰??I just wanted to be sure it was safe,‰?? the 28-year-old said.
University Police shut down Buckman Drive for more than an hour until 6:45 p.m. and blocked off foot traffic near the building.
Lt. Kristy Sasser said UPD assisted Gainesville Fire Rescue and evacuated the lab building.
GFR District Chief Joseph Hillhouse said Locicero placed the container in an over-pack container, which would block any leaks, before he evacuated the building.
‰??(The chemical) doesn‰??t play well with others, and we have to be safe about this,‰?? Hillhouse said.
The hazardous materials team went into the building and used air monitoring devices to see if the chemical was airborne but did not detect anything, Hillhouse said. He said the container could have erupted at any time, and the chemical may have already dissipated.
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GREEN CHEMISTRY IS KEY TO REDUCING WASTE AND IMPROVING SUSTAINABLITY
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
The development and evolution of the chemical industry is directly responsible for many of the technological advancements that have emerged since the late 19th century.
However, it was not until the 1980s that the environment became a priority for the chemical industry. This was prompted largely by stricter environmental regulations and a need to address the sector‰??s poor reputation, particularly due to pollution and industrial accidents.
But the industry is now rapidly improving, and this changing mindset has provided the backdrop for the emergence of green chemistry.
What is green chemistry?
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in almost every industry and chemistry is no different.
Green chemistry aims to minimise the environmental impact of the chemical industry. This includes shifting away from oil to renewable sources where possible.
Green chemistry also prioritises safety, improving energy efficiency and, most importantly, minimising (and ideally) eliminating toxic waste from the very beginning.
Important examples of green chemistry include: phasing out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigerants, which have played a role in creating the ozone hole; developing more efficient ways of making pharmaceuticals, including the well-known painkiller ibuprofen and chemotherapy drug Taxol; and developing cheaper, more efficient solar cells.
The need to adapt
Making chemical compounds, particularly organic molecules (composed predominantly of carbon and hydrogen atoms), is the basis of vast multinational industries from perfumes to plastics, farming to fabric, and dyes to drugs.
In a perfect world, these would be prepared from inexpensive, renewable sources in one practical, efficient, safe and environmentally benign chemical reaction. Unfortunately, with the exception of the chemical processes found in nature, the majority of chemical processes are not completely efficient, require multiple reaction steps and generate hazardous byproducts.
While in the past traditional waste management strategies focused only on the disposal of toxic byproducts, today efforts have shifted to eliminating waste from the outset by making chemical reactions more efficient.
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OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO TRUMP PLAN TO CLOSE CHEMICAL SAFETY AGENCY
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
US chemistry groups join industry to warn against elimination of the Chemical Safety Board
US chemistry organisations and the chemical industry have come together to oppose President Donald Trump‰??s elimination of the only agency charged with carrying out independent investigations of industrial chemical accidents. In his budget blueprint for 2018, released earlier this month, Trump proposed ending funding for the $11 million (å£9 million) Chemical Safety Board (CSB) that has run for almost two decades.
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EDITORIAL: CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD VITAL TO JERSEY
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, discovery, environmental
In industrial-rich New Jersey, dangerous chemicals and hazardous materials have long been an ever-present danger. That‰??s why it is disturbing that a key federal agency so vigilant in investigating chemical accidents and so involved in helping set safety protocols in response to such events is now on the chopping block in President Donald Trump‰??s 62-page ‰??budget blueprint.‰??
As Staff Writer Scott Fallon reported, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is among 20 federal entities that the Trump administration has targeted for elimination. In a way, this would feel like almost a personal attack on New Jersey, given all the good work the board has done in the state, and given that the devastating 1995 Napp Technologies explosion helped lead to the board‰??s creation.
That catastrophic event in the heart of Lodi, in which 10,000 pounds of chemicals exploded, killed five people and injured 41 others. Burning debris rained down on the neighborhood and more than 400 people had to be evacuated. It was in the aftermath of that tragedy that Sen. Frank Lautenberg began pushing for the safety board, which had technically existed for five years, to be funded.
In recent years, the board‰??s 40-member staff has been tasked with examining some of the worst workplace disasters in the country, from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire in 2010 to the 2013 West Fertilizer explosion in Texas that killed 15 people, including 12 firefighters.
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REGIONAL HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO SPILL
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
SOUTHWICK, Mass. (The Westfield News) ‰?? Around 12:15 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the Southwick Fire Department received a call that there was a possible mercury spill inside a home on Knollwood Rd.
Before arriving on scene, the fire department called the District Four Regional Hazmat Team, who handles situations like mercury spills. The fourth regional hazmat team consists of firefighters throughout Western Massachusetts.
According to Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson, the homeowner was doing renovations on the house and discovered the possible chemical.
Once entering the home, the hazmat team mitigated the area of the floor where the spill was located. Some of the carpeting was cut out in order to retrieve the entirety of the spill, and then neutralizers were added to the process.
Anderson said that the cause was most likely due to an old mercury thermometer that could have gotten trapped in the plumbing, before the current residents lived in the house.
---------------------------------------------
THE AIR FRESHENER HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
VINELAND, N.J. (AP) ‰?? Officials say a particularly pungent air freshener caused a hazmat scare that prompted the closure and evacuation of a New Jersey high school.
NJ.com reports the incident began around 11:30 a.m. yesterday when students at Vineland High School South Campus reported a chemical smell emanating from a second floor lab.
The fire chief says a team was dispatched to the school for a possible hazmat situation after more students started complaining of respiratory distress.
But a good look around turned up an air freshener on the floor below the lab that used patchouli oil.
Its vapors made its way into the building‰??s air ducts.
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CHEMICAL LEAK SENDS 4 TO HOSPITAL: HARFORD OFFICIALS
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, hydrogen_peroxide
BELCAMP, MD ‰?? Four people were hospitalized following a hazmat call in Harford County Friday afternoon, officials said.
A hydrogen peroxide leak was reported in the 1300 block of Brass Mill Road in Belcamp at 4 p.m., according to Jenn Chenworth, spokeswoman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.
Ten people reported having respiratory symptoms and were evaluated, Chenworth said. None of their situations was believed to be life-threatening, she reported.
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