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From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (14 articles)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2017 06:15:02 -0700
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 17AFFFB3-A1D5-483A-AEBD-4A360464BC27**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, April 3, 2017 at 6:14:52 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 (14 articles)
EPA DENIES PETITION TO BAN CHLORPYRIFOS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
POLLUTED SITES LINGER UNDER U.S. CLEANUP PROGRAM
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE PIPELINE REGULATIONS
Tags: Canada, transportation, follow-up, response, oils
MORE THAN 50 INJURED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL LEAK AT GERMISTON FACTORY
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
STELLAR DAISY SHIP MISSING: CHEMICAL CHANGE IN CARGO MAY HAVE DOOMED FREIGHTER
Tags: Uruguay, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
ARMY FIREFIGHTING CHEMICAL EXPOSURE LEVELS REVISED DOWN BY FEDERAL REGULATOR
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental
RESIDENTS OPPOSE CHEMICAL TREATMENT FOR INVASIVE SPECIES AT CANDLEWOOD LAKE
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
PUNE: NCL LABS UNDERGO SAFETY AUDIT, RS 6-8 CRORE LOSS ESTIMATED POST FIRE
Tags: India, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
DOZY THIEF MAY HAVE MISTAKEN CORROSIVE CHEMICAL FOR DRUGS IN CAMBORNE VEHICLE BREAK-IN
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, cleaners
HOOKER CHEMICAL CORP. ON TACOMA TIDEFLATS CLEANUP PLANNING A MESSY PROCESS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
SMALL CHEMICAL RELEASE REPORTED AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL; NO SHELTER
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
EPA SEEKS TO DELAY CHEMICAL SAFETY RULE FOR SECOND TIME
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental
BILL BANNING ROAD CHEMICAL DIES
Tags: us_CT, transportation, discovery, environmental, corrosives
ARMY CONSIDERING TRUCKING CHEMICAL ARMS WASTE FROM COLORADO TO ARKANSAS
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
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EPA DENIES PETITION TO BAN CHLORPYRIFOS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
The Trump EPA has denied a petition from environmental groups to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Under the Obama Administration, EPA proposed twice to revoke all food tolerances for the organophosphate insecticide. EPA previously said that exposure to chlorpyrifos from food and drinking water poses a human health risk, citing neurotoxicity concerns. Dow AgroSciences, which makes the pesticide, and farmers have been pushing hard to keep chlorpyrifos on the market. They claim that chlorpyrifos is safely used on dozens of crops in the U.S. and that there are no alternatives for many pests. The Trump Administration sided with pesticide and farm groups and reversed EPA‰??s earlier decision. Responding to the petition from environmental groups, EPA says that ‰??the science addressing neurodevelopmental effects remains unresolved,‰?? and further evaluation is warranted. EPA plans to continue evaluating the risks of chlorpyrifos over the next five years. The agency must complete its!
review of all chlorpyrifos uses by Oct. 1, 2022, as part of its routine review of pesticides. Groups that filed the petition are outraged by EPA‰??s about-face move. ‰??EPA‰??s refusal to ban this dangerous pesticide is unconscionable,‰?? says Patti Goldman, an attorney for one of the groups, Earthjustice. ‰??EPA is defying its legal obligation to protect children from unsafe pesticides,‰?? she says. The groups plan to go back to court to challenge EPA‰??s decision.
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POLLUTED SITES LINGER UNDER U.S. CLEANUP PROGRAM
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
Nearly 40 years ago, a dump oozing chemicals in upstate New York triggered a state of emergency, and Love Canal became synonymous with hazardous waste in the U.S. The toxic site made headlines, and hundreds of families were evacuated from a 10-block area surrounding the canal. The plight of the community led Congress to create a federal program called Superfund that pays for cleanup of contaminated sites.
Decades later, government leaders are asking what‰??s taking so long.
‰??Most Americans aren‰??t aware that there are more than 1,300 Superfund sites across the country,‰?? Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt tells C&EN in a statement. Some have been on the Superfund list for almost 40 years, he notes. ‰??That‰??s unacceptable.‰??
One of 114 Superfund sites in New Jersey, former Edgewater manufacturing site Quanta Resources has been on the National Priorities List since 2002.
The 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act, which is commonly referred to as the Superfund law, created a framework for regulating and managing toxic waste sites. The law established liability for companies responsible for hazardous waste contamination. And it levied a tax on chemical and petroleum industries to offset cleanup costs when the firm or companies responsible for the pollution can‰??t be identified or are no longer in business.
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SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE PIPELINE REGULATIONS
Tags: Canada, transportation, follow-up, response, oils
As reported in Canadian Underwriter, the Government of Saskatchewan recently announced steps to improve pipeline regulations after the completion of its investigation into last July‰??s Husky Energy pipeline oil spill. Husky Energy was responsible for an oil spill of 250,000 litres into North Saskatchewan River. Crews discovered the oil leak from a pipeline on July 20th after pressure anomalies were remoted measured in the pipeline. A crew investigated the pressure anomalies and discovered the leak. The spill caused communities downstream, including Battleford and Prince Albert to declare states emergency, and stop taking their drinking water from the river.
(Photo Credit: Cdn. Energy Pipeline Association)
A Saskatchewan government investigation into the incident recently released its findings. The government report concluded that the cause of the spill was mechanical cracking in a buckle in the pipeline. The mechanical cracking was the result of many years of ground movement on the slope that the buckle rested.
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MORE THAN 50 INJURED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL LEAK AT GERMISTON FACTORY
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
At least 50 people have been injured after a suspected chemical leak at a factory in Germiston on the East Rand of Gauteng.
Russel Meiring of ER24 said their paramedics arrived on the scene after receiving a report of a gas explosion.
On arrival‰?? however‰?? it emerged that an apparent chemical leak from a neighbouring factory had forced one business to evacuate its staff.
‰??Local authorities began to close off the road while emergency services set up a triage area‰??‰?? Meiring said.
‰??Upon assessment‰?? paramedics discovered that numerous patients were experiencing difficulty in breathing.‰??
Meiring said the patients were treated for their injuries and were then transported to various hospitals for further treatment.
ER24 earlier tweeted that about 50 people had been injured. Meiring said that number could grow.
‰??The exact number of patients is not yet known‰?? due to the number of services on scene‰??‰?? he said.
---------------------------------------------
STELLAR DAISY SHIP MISSING: CHEMICAL CHANGE IN CARGO MAY HAVE DOOMED FREIGHTER
Tags: Uruguay, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
The giant freighter that mysteriously vanished in the South Pacific may have capsized without warning because of a chemical change in its cargo.
The 266,000 ton South Korean bulk carrier Stellar Daisy disappeared off the coast of Uruguay en route from Brazil to China, hours after issuing a distress signal on Friday.
The ship was carrying 24 people, including 14 Filipinos and eight South Koreans. Two Filipino crew members found floating on life rafts were rescued on Saturday and the search continues for the other 22.
An oil slick detected 2300 miles off the coast indicated that the 1056-foot vessel had probably sunk, according to a statement issued by the Uruguayan Navy.
The Stellar Daisy was reportedly transporting a cargo of iron ore from the Ilha Guaba terminal in Rio de Janeiro to China, where the demand for ore has exploded as the economy grows.
Early reports suggest that the Stellar Daisy, which is classified as a Very Large Ore Carrier, lost stability and quickly sank.
One theory being floated, published in the Shipwreck Log today, is that the ore shifted, causing the vessel to lose balance and capsize.
There have been several documented cases of ships suddenly sinking due to the liquification of iron ore and nickel ore during prolonged movement, such as bumping and shaking that occurs in bad weather.
---------------------------------------------
ARMY FIREFIGHTING CHEMICAL EXPOSURE LEVELS REVISED DOWN BY FEDERAL REGULATOR
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, environmental
Safe exposure limits for toxic firefighting foam chemicals that have contaminated land and water near Army bases across the nation have been dramatically reduced by the federal agency, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
The chemicals perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) are contained in a firefighting foam that was used widely on the Oakey Aviation Base on Queensland's Darling Downs and RAAF Base Williamtown in NSW from the 1980s until 2003.
Last year, the Federal Health Department was widely criticised by residents in those towns when a review of the country's safety standards for the chemical maintained an exposure limit 78 times higher than the level set in the United States, where some towns have experienced similar problems with the chemicals.
Australian standards had dictated a safe level of PFOS in drinking water was 0.5 micrograms per litre, and the safe level of PFOA was 5 micrograms per litre.
But Food Standards today announced humans should not drink water with more than 0.07 micrograms of PFOS per litre or more than 0.56 micrograms per litre of PFOA-contaminated water.
---------------------------------------------
RESIDENTS OPPOSE CHEMICAL TREATMENT FOR INVASIVE SPECIES AT CANDLEWOOD LAKE
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
BROOKFIELD ‰?? Community members expressed a strong preference Sunday for natural ways to combat invasive species in Candlewood Lake.
Of the some120 attendees at Candlewood Lake Authority‰??s fourth annual ‰??State of Our Lake‰?? event, no one spoke in favor of New Fairfield‰??s proposal to use chemicals to eliminate Eurasian watermilfoil and blue-green algae that have plagued the lake for years.
New Fairfield‰??s Carolyn Rowan encouraged the audience to get involved in her new group, Candlewood Voices, which opposes the town‰??s proposal to use herbicides and algaecides in Town Park Cove and Shelter Harbor Cove.
‰??We will not stop,‰?? she said. ‰??We will not go away, and our voices are growing stronger.‰??
Scott Randall, an opponent of the proposal, started a petition drive that has so far garnered more than 2,600 signatures. He said he is concerned about studies suggesting the chemicals could cause Parkinson‰??s disease, liver disease and other health problems.
‰??I don‰??t want kids swimming in that environment,‰?? he said.
Elected officials from other towns represented on the Candlewood Lake Authority, such as Brookfield and New Milford, spoke out against the proposal. They urged all five lakefront towns, including Danbury, Sherman, and New Fairfield, to work together.
---------------------------------------------
PUNE: NCL LABS UNDERGO SAFETY AUDIT, RS 6-8 CRORE LOSS ESTIMATED POST FIRE
Tags: India, laboratory, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
Summary: Police and a special investigation team, comprising safety officials, senior NCL scientists and industry experts, are probing the matter, but nothing has emerged so far. Initial estimates suggest a loss to be anywhere between Rs 6 and Rs 8 crore. The major fire broke out on March 27, which gutted the 13-month-old Indus Magic Lab. A major fire broke out at NCL on March 27 A major fire broke out at NCL on March 27SAFETY AUDIT of all labs has been initiated at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) after a recent fire gutted a portion of the building. Asked if there were any early leads suggesting the possible reason for fire, the officer said, ‰??We are still investigating the matter.
---------------------------------------------
DOZY THIEF MAY HAVE MISTAKEN CORROSIVE CHEMICAL FOR DRUGS IN CAMBORNE VEHICLE BREAK-IN
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, cleaners
A foolish thief who stole a highly toxic and corrosive chemical during a Camborne vehicle break-in may have mistaken it for recreational drugs, police have said.
Police have sent out a warning to the public after the incident took place overnight between Wednesday, March 15, and Thursday, March 16, at Rosewarne Terrace.
A white Piaggio Porter was broken into by smashing the passenger window and a touring caravan parked next to the vehicle was also raided and subsequently vandalised.
A car radio was stolen along with a potentially dangerous chemical which was being stored in a tub in the caravan.
Detective Constable Rebecca Exley-Deane, said: "Approximately 30 Oxalic tablets were stolen during the vehicle break in and vandalism.
"Oxalic acid, also known as ethanedioic acid, is used as an industrial cleaning agent and regularly used in beekeeping to help eradicate mites as part of hive maintenance and cleaning.
"The corrosive nature and toxicity of the acid means that workers wear full protective gear when working with and handling this chemical.
"In its purest form it is highly toxic due to its bleach-like corrosive properties, both when coming in contact with skin or ingested.
---------------------------------------------
HOOKER CHEMICAL CORP. ON TACOMA TIDEFLATS CLEANUP PLANNING A MESSY PROCESS
Tags: us_WA, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
For decades, the Hooker Chemical Corp. on the Tacoma Tideflats was a prime economic driver of the city. Chemical innovation meant industrial jobs and city prosperity, especially in an era before strong environmental protection.
Architecture legend Stanford White‰??s firm designed some of the proud brick buildings on its 30-acre campus on the Hylebos Waterway. Hundreds worked there. Albert H. Hooker Jr., son of a founder, sat on the City Council.
The plant bought tens of millions of dollars of Tacoma Public Utilities electricity, formulated hundreds of tons a day of chlorine for pulp mills and perchlorethylene for dry cleaners and ramped up production exponentially over nearly eight decades.
It all went away. The plant changed ownership a couple of times, then shut down for good in 2002, blaming high power costs and low product prices. Even its buildings are gone.
Today, what it left has become a topic of fervent debate.
The state Department of Ecology is weighing pollution cleanup possibilities that could cost Occidental, which acquired Hooker (and responsibility for its sites) in 1968, hundreds of millions of dollars.
Decisions made in the coming months will dictate decades of work.
An estimated 1 million pounds of toxic chemicals, dumped by accidents and routine disposal, sit stewing in the soils and groundwater under the land the company still owns. The nonprofit Citizens for a Healthy Bay calls it ‰??by far the worst unaddressed contamination in Commencement Bay.‰??
---------------------------------------------
SMALL CHEMICAL RELEASE REPORTED AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL; NO SHELTER
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
GEISMAR, LA (WAFB) -
A small chemical release has been reported at Westlake Chemical plant in Geismar.
According to Rick Webre with Ascension Parish Emergency Operations Center, a small poly vinyl release was reported. The unit temporarily lost power, causing the release.
No injuries have been reported and no shelter in place is in effect for the community.
---------------------------------------------
EPA SEEKS TO DELAY CHEMICAL SAFETY RULE FOR SECOND TIME
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is attempting to delay implementation of a safety rule for chemical plants for the second time this month.
Administrator Scott Pruitt this week signed an order seeking a delay in the safety standards until at least 2019. Earlier this month, he ordered a pause in the implementation of the rule until at least this summer.
The agency said the delay will allow it to review the legality of the rule and also consider objections raised against it by industry groups.
‰??We want to prevent regulation created for the sake of regulation by the previous administration,‰?? Pruitt said in a statement.
Any new rule ‰??should make chemical facilities safer, without compromising our national security. And, any new ‰?| requirements should be developed in accordance with the explicit mandate granted to EPA by Congress.‰??
The Obama administration introduced the new rule in December, expanding emergency coordination requirements for chemical manufacturers under the EPA‰??s Risk Management Plan program for those facilities.
The rule came in part due to a 2013 explosion at a chemical plant in West Texas that killed 15. It would require companies to prepare for potential accidents by better communicating with communities and first responders, and expanding investigative and auditing powers for regulators.
Chemical companies, though, objected to the rule. After Pruitt‰??s confirmation to be be head of the EPA, industry groups wrote him a letter saying the regulation does little to help public safety and instead ‰??raises significant security concerns and compliance issues that will cause irreparable harm to the coalition members.‰??
Two weeks later, Pruitt paused implementation of the rule until this summer. The EPA announced on Friday that he kicked off a rulemaking process that could delay the regulation for up to two years.
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BILL BANNING ROAD CHEMICAL DIES
Tags: us_CT, transportation, discovery, environmental, corrosives
HARTFORD ‰?? A bill that would have required state road crews to use natural alternatives to the magnesium chloride, the effective ice melt that has resulted in complaints that it corrodes truck and car bodies, died Friday when the legislative Transportation Committee failed to act on the measure.
Rep. Antonio Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, chairman of the committee, said he declined to bring it up for a committee vote because magnesium chloride has been effective in prepping state highways before snow storms.
‰??The bottom line is safety,‰?? Guerrera said in a brief interview after the brief committee meeting. ‰??This stuff works. We‰??ve seen it in the last two or three snow storms we‰??ve had in the state of Connecticut, with the temperatures dropping and so forth. When the temperature drops, it works.‰??
While motorists and the trucking industry have complained about the corrosive effects of the chemical, experts have said the effects are negligible, while the melting capabilities are obvious. ‰??You may have to wash your car a little more often,‰?? Guerrera said. ‰??Once a snow storm hits, wash it twice that week, or whatever it may be. But that will get rid of that stuff from the bottom of your car.‰??
According to a staff assessment of the bill, the DOT spends about $780,000 a year for the chemical. The bill, which unanimously passed the Environment Committee before being referred to the transportation panel, would have required the DOT, in consultation with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, to phase out the use of the chemical by July 1, 2022.
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ARMY CONSIDERING TRUCKING CHEMICAL ARMS WASTE FROM COLORADO TO ARKANSAS
Tags: us_CO, industrial, discovery, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
DENVER ‰?? The U.S. Army is considering trucking hazardous wastewater from a chemical weapons destruction plant in Colorado to another state because the plant isn't yet fully operational.
Incinerators in Texas and Arkansas are under consideration to destroy up to 250,000 gallons of wastewater from the Pueblo Chemical Depot, but officials couldn't immediately provide the exact locations Thursday.
The southern Colorado plant is dismantling and neutralizing shells containing mustard agent but can't yet process the wastewater and is running out of storage space, officials said.
The waste is primarily saltwater but could irritate human skin because it contains a caustic chemical used to neutralize the mustard. Officials said the wastewater contains no mustard agent.
The highly automated, $4.5 billion plant is destroying about 780,000 shells filled with 2,500 tons of mustard agent under an international treaty. It's the largest remaining stockpile of chemical weapons in the U.S.
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