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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] DCHAS Chemical Safety Workshops Ð Fall, 2017 schedule Date: Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 10:34:43 AM Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 12, 2017 at 8:27:39 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 (16 articles)
RAMPS CLOSED FOR CHEMICAL CLEAN-UP
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, chlorine, sodium_bicarbonate
[NO TITLE]
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT SPILL CAUSES CLOSURE OF STATE HIGHWAY 27
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, corrosives
MYSTERIOUS YELLOW SUBSTANCE LEAKS INTO FOND DU LAC RIVER
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, other_chemical
WV METRONEWS ‰?? REVISED REPORT, SAME CONCLUSIONS ON FREEDOM INDUSTRIES SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical, other_chemical
NGOS CALL FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROBE INTO US EPA APPOINTEE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL ON MARSH BARTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE AT EXETER
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
CHEMICAL MIX-UP CAUSES POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WALTON
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, water_treatment
REDSTONE ARSENAL CONTINUES WORK ON CHEMICAL CLEANUP PROJECT, CONFIRMED NEIGHBORS ARE SAFE
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, environmental, explosives, pesticides
TRUMP'S TIES TO DOW CHEMICAL PROMPT FOIA SUIT
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
PAPER ON MICROPLASTICS IN FISH IS RETRACTED
Tags: Sweden, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE HAS FIRST LEAK BEFORE FULLY OPERATIONAL
Tags: us_nd, industrial, release, response, environmental
125 EVACUATED FROM GALLO WINERY DUE TO AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, response, ammonia
DANGEROUS LEAK SICKENS UPS DRIVER IN SANTA CLARITA: WHAT WAS IN THAT 5-GALLON BARREL?
Tags: us_ca, transportation, release, injury, corrosives
VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT ARRESTED AFTER TEACHERS DISCOVER EXPLOSIVES IN 13-YEAR-OLD'S LOCKER
Tags: us_va, education, discovery, response, explosives
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN PORTION OF I-22 IN UNION COUNTY
Tags: us_ms, transportation, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
---------------------------------------------
RAMPS CLOSED FOR CHEMICAL CLEAN-UP
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, chlorine, sodium_bicarbonate
Two gallons of chemicals that officials suspect may have fallen from a pool cleaning vehicle forced the closure of the Carmen Drive on- and off-ramps to the 101 Freeway in Camarillo for about three hours Monday night, authorities said.
Someone reported toxic fumes emanating from the location and called Ventura County Fire Department around 11:30 p.m.
Fire crews arrived and found a gallon of chlorine and a gallon of acid, along with some pool-cleaning equipment, on the Carmen Drive overpass, county fire Battalion Chief Robert Szczepanek said.
No one was injured in the incident, he said.
California Highway Patrol officers closed the on- and off-ramps while firefighters cleaned up the spill, assisted by a hazardous materials team from the Oxnard Fire Department, Szczepanek said.
Firefighters used baking soda to neutralize the acid and sprayed water hoses to clear the chlorine from the road, he said.
---------------------------------------------
[NO TITLE]
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A small insulation fire on the roof a tank at the Torrance Refining Company facility did not cause major issues at the refinery ‰?? nor did it release any toxic pollutants, fire officials said Thursday.
The department responded to a reports of a fire on the exterior of a tank at the refinery with 25 firefighters Thursday evening, according to a statement from Steve Treskes, Torrance Fire Department assistant chief.
The responding crew included members of the department‰??s hazardous materials team.
The team monitored the air quality air at the refinery and outside its gates and received no readings of pollutants on their instruments, Treskes said. There was no impact on the neighboring community, he said.
All personnel at the plant were safely accounted for and there were no injuries, he said.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SPILL CAUSES CLOSURE OF STATE HIGHWAY 27
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, corrosives
DARDANELLE ‰?? Russellville Fire Department Hazmat 1 responded to State Highway 27 and Liberty Road in Yell County at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday after a two-vehicle motor vehicle crash with possible chemical spill that caused the highway to be closed from Dardanelle to Liberty Road for a few hours.
Upon arrival, the fire department‰??s Hazmat team found an accident that involved a pickup truck and trailer hauling approximately 1,700 gallons of a hazardous chemical. Crews determined the chemical to be UN3264 Corrosive Liquid (inorganic chromium).
A two-person entry team donned Level B suits entered the hot zone and confirmed an active leak. The leak was stopped and the remaining spill was contained. Approximately 800 gallons was spilled. A Hazmat cleanup company was responding as of press time.
The Russellville Fire Department worked the mutual-aid incident in conjunction with Yell County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), members of Dardanelle Rural Fire Department, Arkansas State Police (ASP), Arkansas Highway Police and other Dardanelle and Yell County law enforcement agencies.
---------------------------------------------
MYSTERIOUS YELLOW SUBSTANCE LEAKS INTO FOND DU LAC RIVER
Tags: us_WI, public, release, response, other_chemical
OND DU LAC, Wis. -
Crews in Fond du Lac were called out to the Fond du Lac River Thursday after yellow paint leaked into the water from the Fond du Lac County Highway Garage.
Fond du Lac Fire Rescue says a report came in regarding a ‰??yellow cloud‰?? by the bridge over the Fond du Lac River by Western Avenue.
---------------------------------------------
WV METRONEWS ‰?? REVISED REPORT, SAME CONCLUSIONS ON FREEDOM INDUSTRIES SPILL
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical, other_chemical
CHARLESTON, W.Va. ‰?? More than eight months after its initial report, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released a revised version of its report on the 2014 Elk River chemical spill.
The agency released its first report in September 2016, and identified several issues relating to the chemical leak at the Freedom Industries facility in Charleston.
Chemicals contaminated the West Virginia American Water Company‰??s Kanawha Valley Plant, which is 1.5 miles downstream from the spill.
More than 300,000 residents from nine West Virginia counties were affected by the event.
There were changes made to the original report after receiving written comments following a public meeting in September.
The investigation was modified to add additional information. One section regards the tanks at the Freedom Industries facility. The CSB partnered with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to obtain a sample from storage containers that it was previously unable to gather in January 2014.
---------------------------------------------
NGOS CALL FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROBE INTO US EPA APPOINTEE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
A group of NGOs has written to US EPA administrator Scott Pruitt to voice concern about the appointment of American Chemistry Council (ACC) staffer Nancy Beck to a senior agency role, and to demand an investigation into potential conflicts of interest.
The group says Dr Beck's history of "attempting to shape government policies on science and risk assessment for the financial benefit of chemical companies" raises ethical concerns under federal conflict-of-interest rules.
And it questions whether she would use her position as deputy assistant administrator at the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) to reshape the proposed framework rules under the new TSCA so they align with ACC recommendations.
An objective ethics review, the NGOs say, would require Dr Beck's recusal from certain issues. These include participating in any matters directly affecting the US chemical industry on which she has taken an advocacy position in the past, as well as from any chemical-specific proceedings targeting "a discrete and identifiable subset of ACC members".
---------------------------------------------
LARGE CHEMICAL SPILL ON MARSH BARTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE AT EXETER
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
Firefighters cleared 100 litres of spilled chemicals in Marsh Barton Industrial Estate in Exeter on Thursday morning.
Two fire engines from Exeter, as well as an environmental protection unit from Newton Abbot went to the scene where 100 litres of Sodium Hydroxide had spilled from a delivery lorry on Yeoford Way at 9.40am.
Sodium hydroxide can cause severe chemical burns.
A fire spokesperson said: "The crew used 2 breathing apparatus wearers and environmental protection equipment to remove the pallet from the van to gain access to the leaking drum. The drum contained 200 litres of the chemical and had a substantial leak. Crews contained the leak and spilled chemical using another drum to cover the leaking drum.
"Approximately 100 litres had spilled onto the lorry and roadway and the spillage was contained by the fire crew using sand as well as the above equipment. A specialist company was contacted to attend and clear up the spill entirely, Environmental Agency was also contacted to attend and provide the crews with relevant advice."
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL MIX-UP CAUSES POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WALTON
Tags: us_NY, education, release, response, water_treatment
A delivery vehicle emptied its contents into the wrong tank at the Walton Wastewater Treatment Plant today, creating a chemical reaction that could produce potentially harmful gases, Walton Central School District officials said they were told by authorities.
The Delaware County hazardous materials team estimated a 6-8 hour cleanup time, with a completion projected at between 8 and 10 p.m., a media release from the school district said, and officials recommended residents remain indoors with windows and doors closed.
The school district has canceled after-school activities and arranged for students and staff to leave, the release said.
At the time of the accident, emergency personnel advised school officials that prevailing winds would carry any gases away from the schools, the release said, and there was no risk to students or staff.
But later, emergency personnel reassessed the situation based on National Weather Service predictions that prevailing winds could change direction.
Based on the revised information, after-school activities at were canceled and all faculty and staff were released as soon as students had safely left the building, the release said. Walton school officials also adjusted bus routes that could venture near the treatment facility.
---------------------------------------------
REDSTONE ARSENAL CONTINUES WORK ON CHEMICAL CLEANUP PROJECT, CONFIRMED NEIGHBORS ARE SAFE
Tags: us_AL, public, discovery, environmental, explosives, pesticides
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. ‰?? While Redstone Arsenal works through their environmental clean up efforts, they are working to keep the community updated on the project‰??s progress.
Environmental restoration crews are working diligently to dig up some soil and ground water for the installation‰??s environmental clean up.
‰??We‰??ve got a little bit of everything out here, some pesticides,‰?? Terry Delapaz, Chief of the Installation Restoration Branch, said.
Our crews saw one of the sites on Thursday. It was a former German POW camp from World War II. To look at it, a passerby would never know anything was buried below the fields. That‰??s why the testers rely so heavily on historical data for the clean-up.
‰??You have to start there because if you don‰??t even know where to look, then you‰??re lost,‰?? Delapaz said.
For this site, they‰??re cleaning up the remnants of ‰??goop.‰??
‰??It‰??s like a napalm kind of petroleum-type of material used for chemical weapons that would have been used back in the Korean War,‰?? Delapaz said.
---------------------------------------------
TRUMP'S TIES TO DOW CHEMICAL PROMPT FOIA SUIT
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) ‰?? Environmentalists sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in federal court Wednesday, saying the agency refused to provide requested documents relating to the relationship between regulators and the pesticide manufacturer Dow Chemical.
The Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the EPA, saying the agency is illegally withholding documents that relate to its decision not to revoke chlorpyrifos despite its scientists finding it‰??s a human health hazard.
‰??PANNA seeks these communications as part of its public education and advocacy to reverse EPA‰??s decision not to revoke chlorpyrifos tolerances,‰?? the organization says in the complaint. ‰??EPA has failed to respond to PANNA‰??s FOIA requests within the time required by law and is unlawfully withholding the information sought by PANNA.‰??
The controversy over chlorpyrifos dates back to 2007, when the Natural Resources Defense Council and PANNA jointly filed a petition with the EPA asking the agency to consider banning the pesticide in light of mounting evidence it presents a hazard to human health in general and childhood development in particular.
Several studies show that even low doses of chlorpyrifos can have adverse impacts on infants‰?? cognitive and emotional development. Large doses can cause acute toxicity in exposed individuals, and studies demonstrate that agricultural workers with frequent exposure to the pesticide have developed serious lung ailments, including wheeze and cancer.
---------------------------------------------
PAPER ON MICROPLASTICS IN FISH IS RETRACTED
Tags: Sweden, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Last June, C&EN covered a paper in Science showing that polystyrene microplastics from personal care products ingested by perch could ‰??inhibit hatching, stunt growth, and boost predation‰?? of the fish (2016, DOI: 10.1126/science.aad8828). The paper has now been retracted.
After Oona L̦nnstedt and Peter Ekl̦v of Uppsala University published the study, seven researchers filed a complaint with Uppsala, claiming missing data, statistical design and analysis problems, and discrepancies between how the researchers said they carried out the study and eyewitness accounts of the experiments.
A university-convened panel of researchers concluded on Aug. 31 that no evidence of research misconduct existed. At about the same time, L̦nnstedt and Ekl̦v reported that a computer containing data from the study had been stolen and there was no backup.
The university also asked Sweden‰??s Central Ethical Review Board to consider the complaint. On April 21, the board decided that the authors‰?? responses to questions were deficient and contradictory, that they had failed to get required animal ethics approval, that the data loss suggested the research had not been conducted to the reported extent, that Science should not have accepted the paper, that the Uppsala panel appeared to have missed evidence of research misconduct, and that the authors were ‰??guilty of scientific dishonesty.‰?? Science retracted the paper on May 3.
---------------------------------------------
DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE HAS FIRST LEAK BEFORE FULLY OPERATIONAL
Tags: us_nd, industrial, release, response, environmental
The Dakota Access pipeline has suffered its first leak, outraging indigenous groups who have long warned that the project poses a threat to the environment.
The $3.8bn oil pipeline, which sparked international protests last year and is not yet fully operational, spilled 84 gallons of crude oil at a South Dakota pump station, according to government regulators.
Life on the Keystone XL route: where opponents fear the ‰??black snake‰??
Read more
Although state officials said the 6 April leak was contained and quickly cleaned, critics of the project said the spill, which occurred as the pipeline is in the final stages of preparing to transport oil, raises fresh concerns about the potential hazards to waterways and Native American sites.
‰??They keep telling everybody that it is state of the art, that leaks won‰??t happen, that nothing can go wrong,‰?? said Jan Hasselman, a lawyer for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has been fighting the project for years. ‰??It‰??s always been false. They haven‰??t even turned the thing on and it‰??s shown to be false.‰??
---------------------------------------------
125 EVACUATED FROM GALLO WINERY DUE TO AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, response, ammonia
About 125 workers at the E.J. Gallo winery at Olive and Clovis avenue were evacuated Wednesday morning after a worker cut an ammonia line, the Fresno Fire Department reported.
The accident occurred about 8 a.m. A hazmat unit responded.
Richard Cabral, a spokesman for the fire department, said firefighters swiftly reduced the ammonia leak to a level within safety guidelines.
Firefighters worked to fully stop the leak, which forced the closure of Olive Avenue between Fowler and Clovis avenues.
One firefighter sustained a minor injury from the ammonia line, Cabral said.
---------------------------------------------
DANGEROUS LEAK SICKENS UPS DRIVER IN SANTA CLARITA: WHAT WAS IN THAT 5-GALLON BARREL?
Tags: us_ca, transportation, release, injury, corrosives
A UPS driver was sickened Wednesday by a corrosive material leaking from a 5-gallon barrel he was moving in a College of the Canyons parking lot in Santa Clarita.
The worker became ill around noon in the 26000 block Rockwell Canyon Road, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Richard Licon.
‰??(The UPS driver) was moving around the barrel filled with a corrosive when he started having an irritation to his eyes and then suffered nausea,‰?? Licon said. ‰??We responded with 24 firefighters, paramedics and we were joined by L.A. County Health and Hazmat.‰??
The area was evacuated and the driver taken to a hospital for treatment, Licon said.
The hazardous materials team remained at the scene to help UPS take care of the barrel of corrosives, Licon said.
---------------------------------------------
VIRGINIA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT ARRESTED AFTER TEACHERS DISCOVER EXPLOSIVES IN 13-YEAR-OLD'S LOCKER
Tags: us_va, education, discovery, response, explosives
A 13-year-old middle school student in Virginia Beach was arrested after teacher's discovered chemical explosive devices inside a locker.
The Landstown Middle School student was charged with two felony counts of possessing bomb-making materials Thursday, WTKR reports. The boy was arrested and had to spend the weekend at a juvenile detention center.
School administrators were made aware of the explosives when a teacher told a school resource officer about the possible devices inside the locker. The school then notified the Virginia Beach police and fire department.
Investigators told WTKR they do not believe the student had "any malicious intent for the explosives or intended to harm anyone." Students described the boy who was arrested as an honors student who is ‰??really, really smart,‰?? and was always building things.
In addition to the two felony charges, the teenage boy could also be expelled from the school for his actions.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN PORTION OF I-22 IN UNION COUNTY
Tags: us_ms, transportation, release, response, hydrogen_peroxide
UNION CO., Miss. (WCBI) ‰?? It was about 7 :20 am Wednesday morning when a tanker truck left the roadway, overturning in the median of I-22.
Hydrogen peroxide vapor was visible, and dangerous, because of its concentrated form.
‰??He‰??s hauling approximately 4,5oo gallons of hydrogen peroxide at a 50 percent ratio, which is a pretty stout mixture of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide at this mixture can burn your skin, infect your lungs, where you can‰??t breathe and can put eyes out,‰?? said Curt Clayton, director of Union County Emergency Management Agency.
Clayton helped coordinate the response and cleanup. As soon as authorities determined that neither the truck‰??s driver, nor anyone else was injured, firefighters began dousing the leaking chemical with water to dilute it.
In the meantime, authorities shut down all four lanes of I-22 between Glenfield and Myrtle as environmental experts came up with a game plan to clean up the spill, offload the chemical into another tanker, and open the roadway.
‰??This is a major thoroughfare, a lot of economics involved in this, we are going to try and get this highway open as soon as possible for the citizens, and traveling public,‰?? said Ernie Shirley, with Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Traffic was diverted onto Highway 178. The two-lane highway is not built to handle a large influx of vehicles.
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