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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (15 articles)
Date: Mon, 8 May 2017 06:41:14 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: A77B4DA2-8B1D-48FB-9602-3C7BFEA45EF7**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 8, 2017 at 6:41:02 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 (15 articles)
COLORADO HOME EXPLOSION FROM ANADARKO PIPE TO GET SAFETY PROBE
Tags: us_CO, transportation, follow-up, death, natural_gas
SOUTH YARRA CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS WILLIAMS ROAD
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, ethanol, flammables
CHEMICAL LEAK: COPS DETECT LEAKAGE IN 5 BARRELS
Tags: India, industrial, release, response, pharmaceutical
BENGALURU: BELLANDUR LAKE CATCHES FIRE AGAIN ‰?? NORMANGEE STAR
Tags: India, industrial, fire, environmental, waste
CREWS BATTLE STRUCTURE FIRE ON CENTINELA AVENUE IN MAR VISTA
Tags: us_CA, public, fire, response, pool_chemicals
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SUES EXXONMOBIL FOR 2015 REFINERY EXPLOSION RECORDS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
DELHI GAS LEAK: 200 SCHOOLGIRLS IN HOSPITAL
Tags: India, industrial, release, injury, pesticides
POTENTIAL PESTICIDE EXPOSURE REPORTED SOUTHWEST OF BAKERSFIELD
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
2 CHEMOURS WORKERS TREATED AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, injury, plastics
DOLPHIN BREATH HOLDS CHEMICAL CLUES TO DISEASE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response, oils
$1 MILLION WORTH OF ELEPHANT TRANQUILIZER CARFENTANIL REMOVED FROM HOME
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab
OAKLAND FIRM CITED FOR CORRODED VATS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, toxics
37 INJURED IN BLAST AT CHEMICAL RECYCLING PLANT IN SPAIN ‰?? NEWS ‰?? THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA NEWSPAPER
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
USA SUES EXXON FOR INFO ON REFINERY EXPLOSION & FIRE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, flammables
NIH WILL LIMIT SCIENTISTS' GRANTS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
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COLORADO HOME EXPLOSION FROM ANADARKO PIPE TO GET SAFETY PROBE
Tags: us_CO, transportation, follow-up, death, natural_gas
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board will examine a pipeline explosion in a Denver suburb that killed two people last month, the agency said May 5.
The Denver Post reported residents Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin were killed and Martinez‰??s wife, Erin Martinez, was severely injured April 17 when a natural gas line near their home leaked gas into their basement, causing an explosion that leveled the house.
The CSB said it would send investigators from its Western Regional Office in Denver to investigate a home that exploded in Firestone, Colo. The board‰??s probe brings federal attention to an issue largely regulated at the state level.
The CSB cannot issue fines or citations, but the board‰??s work could help oil and gas operators as well as state and local governments learn more about preventing similar explosions and how widespread the risk is in local communities.
The Post reported local authorities believe the explosion started via a 1-inch-diameter gas line that was cut near the home and led to an oil and gas well nearby owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
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SOUTH YARRA CHEMICAL LEAK SHUTS WILLIAMS ROAD
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, ethanol, flammables
A MASSIVE chemical spill in South Yarra will continue to cause major traffic delays this evening as firefighters work to clean up more than 200 litres of ethanol.
A truck carrying the highly flammable chemical clipped a tree branch on Williams Road, near the Yarra River, shortly before 8.30am this morning.
More than 200 litres of ethanol is leaking. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Firefighters open the truck to find it loaded up with chemicals. Picture: Nicole Garmston
MFB spokesman Steve Moore said the vehicle responsible for cleaning up what remains of the chemical has just arrived at the scene.
‰??They will pump what‰??s left of the chemical out of the broken drums to put into decanting containers,‰?? he said.
‰??The clean up is still underway and the area will remain closed for sometime yet.‰??
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CHEMICAL LEAK: COPS DETECT LEAKAGE IN 5 BARRELS
Tags: India, industrial, release, response, pharmaceutical
NEW DELHI: A special team of national disaster relief force has sanitized the site of chemical leakage in south east Delhi on Saturday evening.
They say the leak was reported from at least 4-5 barrels. Each barrel is of 20 liters. The team has also seized 80 barrels of the chemical from the loaded container from Sonipat
The chemical, Chloromethylpyridine (60%) was imported from a pharmaceutical company in Jiangsu province of China in a container.
"The importer was identified as on HIM logistics. The cargo was to be shipped to a firm in sector 46 of Sonipat which makes crop protection stuff.
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BENGALURU: BELLANDUR LAKE CATCHES FIRE AGAIN ‰?? NORMANGEE STAR
Tags: India, industrial, fire, environmental, waste
The highly polluted Bellandur lake earlier on February 17 caught fire due to toxic effluents in it.
In February this year, the lake burst into flames for almost 4 hours, causing drivers to swerve dangerously on road. According to reports, the reason of fire could be similar to the previous one, with tons of waste materials being disposed at the lake surrounded by weeds and dried grass. The fire-fighting units took four hours to disperse the flames emerging from the river. Surrounding factories were also allegedly deposing chemicals in the water.
Just removal of weeds from the lake is likely to cost a little over Rs 3 crores and over three months.
Slamming the local civic bodies for inaction, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had last month banned dumping of any kind of municipal solid waste around the lake.
Thick cloud of white smoke persisted in the air around Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru after the blaze in a garbage mound around it even on February 16. Under its watch, sewage treatment plants would also be setup to check the release of chemical affluents in the waterbodies of Bengaluru.
On April 19, the NGT had called for immediate shutting down of polluting industries near the Bellandur lake and asked the BDA to undertake cleaning.
Yesterday, auto firm Bosch received a notice from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to temporarily cease operations at its plant at Adugodi, Bengaluru.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS BATTLE STRUCTURE FIRE ON CENTINELA AVENUE IN MAR VISTA
Tags: us_CA, public, fire, response, pool_chemicals
MAR VISTA (FOX 11 / CNS) - A building in Mar Vista housing seven businesses went up in flames Sunday, snarling traffic and possibly causing a power outage the left more than 900 people without power.
The fire was reported just before noon at 3519 Centinela Ave., near Palms Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
The seven businesses share a common attic, Humphrey said.
The department called the fire a "major emergency,'' and dispatched 119 firefighters to the scene, Humphrey added. The stubborn flames inside the 9,200 square foot block row of businesses took about 95 minutes to knockdown.
The building was 69 years-old, Humphrey continued.
One of the companies included a a swimming pool chemical supply company, according to the fire department.
About 945 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers lost power in the aftermath of the blaze, according to utility spokeswoman Ellen Chang.
It's unclear at this point if the outage was caused by the fire, Chang said. Repair crews are at the scene and trying to determine the cause of the power failure. There's no word yet on how long it will take to restore power to the LADWP customers, she added.
---------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SUES EXXONMOBIL FOR 2015 REFINERY EXPLOSION RECORDS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking answers to many of the same questions residents have long asked about serious safety issues at the Torrance refinery in the wake of a February 2015 explosion.
The 34-page legal brief, filed in U.S. District Court last week against former refinery owner ExxonMobil, provides new details on a March 2015 fire and September 2015 hydrofluoric acid leak that occurred in the wake of the blast.
Moreover, the petition suggests the investigative direction authorities are taking in their probe to uncover possible safety, operational, maintenance and financial issues that may have contributed to the near catastrophic disaster.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which issued its final report on the blast last week despite the many unanswered questions, has said the 1.7-magnitude explosion almost caused a catastrophic release of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid that could have killed or injured thousands in the nearby densely populated residential neighborhoods.
---------------------------------------------
DELHI GAS LEAK: 200 SCHOOLGIRLS IN HOSPITAL
Tags: India, industrial, release, injury, pesticides
At least 200 schoolgirls have been hospitalised in the Indian capital Delhi after a gas leak from a container depot, police have said.
The pupils had complained of irritation to their eyes and throats.
The gas is believed to be chloromethyl pyridine, a chemical used to manufacture pesticides and insecticides.
While the school in the Tughlakabad area was fully vacated, the children are not believed to be at serious risk.
Delhi Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said two fire engines, a hazmat (hazardous materials) van and rescue teams had been sent to the government-run girls' school.
"Students and staff members of Rani Jhansi school were evacuated, and the entire area has been cordoned off," he said.
---------------------------------------------
POTENTIAL PESTICIDE EXPOSURE REPORTED SOUTHWEST OF BAKERSFIELD
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
UPDATE (10:16 a.m.): The KCFD says one person has been hospitalized and a dozen people were exposed to a pesticide Friday morning.
About 50-60 people were working in a field in the area of 20101 Copus Road when they smelled a chemical. Some people started feeling dizzy, having nausea and were vomiting.
KCFD, the health department and a HazMat team arrived and started to decontaminate people. KCFD says about 30-40 left before crews showed up to the scene. Twelve people were decontaminated and one was washed down, cleaned and taken to a hospital.
Environmental health and agriculture department is investigating the situation.
======
The Kern County Fire Department, the health department and a hazmat team are responding to reports of people being exposed to chemicals southwest of Bakersfield on Friday morning.
According to Kern County Fire officials, multiple people reported being exposed to chemicals on Copus Road. It's not known what exactly the substance is.
Public health officials say they've notified local hospitals of the potential exposure situation.
---------------------------------------------
2 CHEMOURS WORKERS TREATED AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, release, injury, plastics
WASHINGTON, W,Va - Two Chemours employees were taken to Camden Clark Medical Center this morning after being exposed to a harmful chemical.
In a news release, Chemours says the two mechanics were exposed to the chemical Perfluoroisobutylene, or PFIB, after a release of a trace amount of the colorless gas.
It happened about 8:45 a.m., and the workers, who weren't identified, were taken to the plant's on-side medical facility for decontamination and evaluation.
They were later taken by ambulance to Camden Clark Medical Center for further monitoring.
Chemours says the unit where the leak occurred was quickly contained and that there were no further releases.
Chemours says PFIB is a byproduct in the manufacturing process of Hexafluoropropylene, which is used to make a variety of Fluoropolymer products
---------------------------------------------
DOLPHIN BREATH HOLDS CHEMICAL CLUES TO DISEASE
Tags: laboratory, discovery, response, oils
Certain molecules in the breath of dolphins exposed to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill correlate with signs of respiratory illness, a new study shows. The findings give researchers a set of biomarkers that could help assess the health of wild dolphins and other marine mammals using relatively noninvasive breath analysis (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b06482).
During veterinary exams on dolphins, marine biologists often take small samples of blood and use ultrasound to check for lung illness or pregnancy. But dolphins, like humans, also exhale metabolites that can tell us about their health, and analyzing them could offer a less invasive monitoring tool, says Cristina E. Davis of the University of California, Davis. She and her colleagues have developed a Breathalyzer-type device that can capture compounds in dolphins‰?? breath for analysis. Before researchers can make a diagnosis based on breath alone, however, they need more information on how compounds in dolphin breath relate to dolphin health.
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$1 MILLION WORTH OF ELEPHANT TRANQUILIZER CARFENTANIL REMOVED FROM HOME
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Lab was called Wednesday to a townhome in Unity Township after the powerful elephant tranquilizer carfentanil was found.
Investigators were tipped off when postal inspectors noticed the drug, which is considered 10,000 times more powerful than morphine, had been sent to the home on Whitney Court Drive.
A dose of carfentanil as small as a grain of sand can be deadly, which is why the hazmat team was needed to remove it from the home.
Police confirmed that children and youth services are also involved in this case because a child was lives at tje address.
A total of 5 grams of carfentanil was found inside the home, police said.
Police had to wear hazmat suits to avoid contact with the drug, due to its potency.
---------------------------------------------
OAKLAND FIRM CITED FOR CORRODED VATS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, toxics
OAKLAND ‰?? A business near Jack London Square with a long history of recklessly handling toxic chemicals used in its electroplating business is back in law enforcement‰??s crosshairs.
Investigators found thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals stored in leaking tanks and seeping into the ground last month at E-D Coat property on Fourth Street. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control led the multi-agency search of the site April 19.
The Alameda County District Attorney‰??s office found the site in a similar state five years earlier.
‰??When we saw the condition of the tanks, we knew we had to take action. It is crucial the property be cleaned up,‰?? Hansen Pang, chief investigator for Department of Toxic Substances Control‰??s Office of Criminal Investigations, said in a statement.
Five days later, the owners of E-D Coat were ordered to clean up the site. They face possible fines of $25,000 daily if they do not immediately comply with a response and plans saying who will do the cleanup and how.
---------------------------------------------
37 INJURED IN BLAST AT CHEMICAL RECYCLING PLANT IN SPAIN ‰?? NEWS ‰?? THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA NEWSPAPER
Tags: Spain, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
Several explosions ripped through a recycling site for hazardous chemical waste near Madrid on Thursday, injuring 37 people, three of them seriously, and forcing the evacuation of nearby schools, officials said.
The blast in Arganda del Rey sent up a huge column of black smoke, but emergency services said several air quality measuring stations in the area showed normal readings, easing concerns about toxic pollution.
Thirty-seven people were injured in the blasts and fire at the plant, the Arganda del Rey city hall said in a statement.
Firefighters said three of the injured were in serious condition, two for burns and one with a fractured pelvis.
It was unclear whether the injured were all workers at the plant.
Madrid‰??s emergency services centre said on Twitter there had been ‰??several explosions‰?? at the site about 30 kilometres (20 miles) southeast of the Spanish capital.
The authorities are investigating the cause of the blasts.
---------------------------------------------
USA SUES EXXON FOR INFO ON REFINERY EXPLOSION & FIRE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, flammables
LOS ANGELES (CN) ‰?? Federal prosecutors have sued Exxon Mobil to enforce compliance with subpoenas in the investigation of a 2015 explosion at its oil refinery in Southern California, which injured workers, destroyed property and released hazardous gases.
The United States asked the Federal Court on Tuesday to enforce compliance with subpoenas from the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board against Exxon Mobil Oil.
The February 2015 explosion and fire in Torrance released flammable hydrocarbons, ‰??injured multiple workers and caused substantial property damage,‰?? the government says in the complaint.
The blast came in a fluid catalytic cracking unit after exhaust particulates unevenly accumulated on expander turbine blades. The imbalance caused the turbine to shut down. Flammable fuels in a main column then flowed into a reactor, regenerator and electrostatic precipitator, where they ignited.
The explosion rocked surrounding areas with the force of a 1.7 magnitude earthquake, tore a hole in the side of the precipitator and sent ash filled with metals, fiberglass and glass wool into nearby neighborhoods.
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NIH WILL LIMIT SCIENTISTS' GRANTS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
Scientists will be restricted in the number of grants they can receive from the National Institutes of Health under a new policy the agency released this week.
The move is an attempt to spread the wealth to more scientists in the current hypercompetitive research environment, where grant award rates hover around their lowest level in history. The agency estimates the move will free up 1,600 grants to help early- and mid-career scientists, who have been finding it harder to get grants in recent years.
The new Grant Support Index will assign a number value to each grant an investigator has on the basis of the type of research, type of award, and responsibilities, explains Lawrence Tabak, NIH‰??s principal deputy director. He says the index is an attempt to estimate how much bandwidth each investigator has to continue doing high-quality research.
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