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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 (19 articles)
Date: Mon, 22 May 2017 07:41:32 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 6ACE5014-E6A5-4B1E-8B78-DFBF657F5BBD**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 22, 2017 at 7:41:20 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 (19 articles)
LAB FIRE HIGHLIGHTS ONGOING LANL WASTE PROBLEMS
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, follow-up, injury, radiation, waste
POSSIBLE METH LAB EXPLOSION SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, drugs
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP UNDERWAY AT FORMER ALLIANCE RUBBER PLANT
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
PATERSON MAN SUSTAINS BURNS IN PROPANE-TANK FIRE
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, injury, propane
STATE PLANS TO SET LIMITS FOR CHEMICAL FOUND IN LI GROUNDWATER
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
CHEMICAL SPRAY HELPS DILUTE POLLUTED WATER
Tags: India, public, release, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
SUNSHINE WEST CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER FINED FOR OIL SPILL
Tags: Australia, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste
U.S. CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES DEATH SENTENCE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
LOWER GROWTH IN CO2 EMISSIONS EXPECTED IN CHINA AND INDIA
Tags: China, public, discovery, environmental, carbon_dioxide
CHEMICAL MIX-UP AT DERBY DAVID LLOYD CLUB LEAVES EIGHT NEEDING HOSPITAL CHECKS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, cleaners
21 INJURED WHEN OVERHEAD FIRE EXTINGUISHER POWDER SPEWS AT BROOKLYN GAS STATION
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, dust, fire_extinguisher
TOXIC CHEMICAL FOAM PLUME DISCOVERED AT CAMP GRAYLING AIRFIELD
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
THIS MOM SAYS HER BABY SUFFERED CHEMICAL BURNS FROM AEROSOL SUNSCREEN
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, injury, other_chemical
WILL NEW CALIFORNIA REFINERY SAFETY RULE SAVE LIVES, PREVENT TOXIC RELEASES?
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, petroleum
STUDENTS TREATED AFTER SCHOOL CHEMICAL DRAMA
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, injury, sulphur
HAZMAT CREWS ON WINDSOR STREET IN COLUMBIA
Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, response, cleaners, waste
PRINCIPAL: SOUTH LAKES HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATION WAS DUE TO APPARENT AEROSOL DISCHARGE
Tags: us_VA, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical, illegal
GE WORKERS PAYING PRICE FOR DECADES OF EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS: REPORT
Tags: Canada, industrial, discovery, environmental
STORAGE COMPANY VOPAK FINED FOR CHEMICAL EMISSIONS
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, acetone, benzene, illegal, water_treatment
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LAB FIRE HIGHLIGHTS ONGOING LANL WASTE PROBLEMS
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, follow-up, injury, radiation, waste
On an otherwise uneventful morning in mid-April, three workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory set about cleaning an area on the ground floor of the lab‰??s plutonium building, PF-4, as part of a ‰??facilitywide housekeeping day.‰?? As they emptied unlabeled containers of legacy waste into a plastic bag ‰?? including radioactive and chemically contaminated materials from Cold War-era weapons activities ‰?? a fire ignited.
The incident occurred at one of the lab‰??s most sensitive sites, where the work of producing the grapefruit-sized plutonium cores of nuclear weapons is done. And despite assurances from the lab and the New Mexico Environment Department that the fire was quickly extinguished with only minor injuries, the incident highlighted, once again, a pattern of consistent mismanagement in the maintenance and cleanup of some of the most dangerous materials on Earth.
This pattern of problems also has prompted the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, an independent panel that advises the U.S. Department of Energy and the president, to question whether the facility should continue to operate and handle increasing quantities of plutonium in coming years. On Friday, the board said it will hold a June 7 hearing in Santa Fe to question a number of experts about the lab‰??s ability to safely carry out future nuclear missions at PF-4.
The Department of Energy has said it intends to increase manufacturing of plutonium pits at Los Alamos over the coming decades. Two test pits were built last year, and as many as 50 to 80 pits could be built each year by 2030, a significant ramp up in the presence and handling of highly radioactive plutonium. Under President Donald Trump‰??s budget proposal, scheduled to be released Tuesday, funding for weapons work would increase by $1 billion in the next fiscal year.
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POSSIBLE METH LAB EXPLOSION SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_PA, public, explosion, injury, drugs
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. ‰?? Three people were taken to hospitals early Sunday morning after a suspected meth lab explosion in Fayette County, officials said.
The explosion happened shortly before 3 a.m. at a duplex on South Carnegie Avenue in Connellsville.
The blast blew out a window to a second floor bedroom where a man a woman were. Broken glass and pieces of a mattress were seen on the street outside of the duplex.
Police said the man and woman suffered suspected chemical burns and were flown to a Pittsburgh hospital. A third person was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
‰??Catastrophic event. There was glass on the road. There was commotion inside. Our officers went inside, extracted people and began our investigation,‰?? Connellsville police Cpl. Bryan Kendi said.
---------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP UNDERWAY AT FORMER ALLIANCE RUBBER PLANT
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is going to be in town for the next several months, cleaning up the site of the former Alliance Rubber plant.
City Fire Chief Jason Hunt verified that the city, with the assistance of the Ohio EPA, contacted the feds after fire crews responded to a call in mid-October about an unsecured door at a building on the three-and-a-half acre complex located near the corner of Union Avenue and Wayne Street and discovered a significant amount of drums containing unknown liquid substances.
"The U.S. EPA has authorized an initial amount of $250,000 to get the process of removing the hazardous materials from the property. Basically this pays for safety, security, power hookups for an on-site office, housing for the contractors and identification, testing and staging of suspect material," Hunt explained Friday afternoon. "It is estimated that it will take 30 days for them to get an accurate picture of what is there and which type of facility the product needs to be shipped to. At the end of that process, they will ask for the remainder of the funding for disposal and cleanup."
According to Stark County property records, the property is owned by Crest Rubber in Ravenna, which was purchased earlier this year by Universal Polymer and Rubber Ltd. of Middlefield and makes hydraulic and pneumatic seals.
---------------------------------------------
PATERSON MAN SUSTAINS BURNS IN PROPANE-TANK FIRE
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, injury, propane
PATERSON ‰?? A 37-year-old Paterson man sustained multiple injuries when a propane tank caught on fire, and some say exploded, on Sunday afternoon outside his Alabama Avenue home.
The man, identified by family members, as Raafat Gaber, was taken to St. Joseph‰??s Medical Center and is expected to survive his injuries. Deputy Fire Chief Mike Fleming said the injuries involved Gaber‰??s face and hands.
Gaber was getting a propane tank ready for a family barbecue when Nicole Lostaunau, his neighbor, heard something like an explosion.
‰??The tenant and his family were screaming," Lostaunau said. "They said call the Fire Department. I looked outside and there was a small fire.‰??
The fire started just before 1 p.m. in a detached garage behind the three-story building where Lostaunau and some 20 families reside. All evacuated safely, and most weren‰??t home, she said.
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STATE PLANS TO SET LIMITS FOR CHEMICAL FOUND IN LI GROUNDWATER
Tags: us_NY, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
New York State plans to set a drinking water limit for a probable carcinogen that is not regulated federally but has been found in trace amounts throughout Long Island‰??s groundwater supply.
A new 12-person Drinking Water Quality Council is being vetted and its first task will be to examine 1,4-dioxane and make recommendations to the health commissioner as to safe levels allowed in water, said Brad Hutton, deputy commissioner in the state Health Department‰??s Office of Public Health.
‰??We‰??re going to move on an aggressive time frame,‰?? Hutton told Newsday.
The state had been waiting in vain for federal action
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPRAY HELPS DILUTE POLLUTED WATER
Tags: India, public, release, environmental, hydrogen_peroxide
Polluted water that was black and stagnant in the Phalguni downstream the Malavoor vented dam slightly diluted on Sunday following a chemical spray by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
According to Rajashekar Puranik, Environment Officer at the board, about 1,000 litres of hydrogen peroxide was sprayed on the water from 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. on Saturday. It acted as an oxidiser to increase the dissolved oxygen level in the stagnated water making it diluted.
He told presspersons at the dam site on Sunday that as a result of the chemical spray, pollutants in the stagnated water have diluted and its black colour has diminished. A preliminary report from the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, has said that the dissolved oxygen level in the stagnated water was below one mg per litre against the normal 3.5 mg per litre.
Mr. Puranik said that the NITK, the board and the College of Fisheries would submit three reports on the contents in the polluted water to know the reasons for pollution. The reports are expected in three days.
---------------------------------------------
SUNSHINE WEST CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER FINED FOR OIL SPILL
Tags: Australia, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste
A Sunshine West chemical manufacturer has been fined almost $8000 for allowing vegetable oil to spill into the stormwater system.
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) discovered Tri-Tech Chemical Company was responsible for a ‰??yellow-grey liquid‰?? that was reported to be flowing from a drain into a tributary of Kororoit Creek on March 5.
The company has been fined $7773 for breaching the Environment Protection Act 1970.
A two-month investigation led the EPA to pinpoint the Sunshine West chemical manufacturer as the source of the spill after testing water samples at three sites, including one near Normanby Avenue, where the company has its manufacturing plant.
EPA metro manager Dan Hunt said the spill was traced back to a ruptured water pipe that caused contaminated waste to begin to overflow into Normanby Avenue.
---------------------------------------------
U.S. CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES DEATH SENTENCE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The future of the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board is in doubt now that President Donald J. Trump is proposing to abolish the small agency.
CSB is the world‰??s only independent body dedicated to investigating chemical-related industrial accidents to find their root causes and, in hopes of preventing similar incidents, pass this information on to companies, regulators, workers, and communities.
Trump‰??s plan to eliminate CSB by defunding it, announced in March, has generated an outpouring of support for the board. The backing comes mainly from residents living near large U.S. industrial plants and refineries, unions, local officials, and safety experts. Several companies that have been investigated by CSB as well as the American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry trade association, are tight-lipped and reluctant to comment on the impact of the proposed elimination of the board.
Ultimately, the fate of CSB will turn on whether Congress decides to provide funding for it. The board took on several of its most significant investigations, including into the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, at the behest of lawmakers. Members of Congress have not yet indicated whether they will support CSB‰??s continued existence. Lawmakers funded CSB for $11 million this year.
---------------------------------------------
LOWER GROWTH IN CO2 EMISSIONS EXPECTED IN CHINA AND INDIA
Tags: China, public, discovery, environmental, carbon_dioxide
China and India are lowering their use of coal and are likely to cut their projected emissions of carbon dioxide, says a new analysis.
By 2030, both nations are now expected to have CO2 emissions below the levels they pledged to in the Paris Agreement on climate change, says the analysis by Climate Action Tracker. This consortium of three research organizations keeps tabs on countries‰?? progress toward limiting their greenhouse gas emissions.
China‰??s consumption of coal declined slowly between 2013 and 2016, and this trend is expected to continue, the analysis says. India, meanwhile, in 2016 announced cancellation of plans to build several huge coal-fired power plants. This change will significantly slow India‰??s anticipated CO2 emissions growth during the next decade, the analysis concludes.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL MIX-UP AT DERBY DAVID LLOYD CLUB LEAVES EIGHT NEEDING HOSPITAL CHECKS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, cleaners
Eight people were taken to hospital for "precautionary checks" after cleaning chemicals were incorrectly mixed at a health club.
Staff members and a family of four were taken to hospital from the David Lloyd club at Pride Park in Derby.
A spokesman for the club said it had reopened after the incident on Saturday morning, but the pool remained closed.
A Derbyshire fire service spokesman said workers at the pool area "had incorrectly mixed chemicals".
"Seven people who were in the pool or the area, plus one maintenance worker were conveyed to hospital for precautionary checks," the fire spokesman said.
A David Lloyd Clubs spokesman said: "We have very strict health and safety policies in place to ensure the safety of our members and team, and will be launching a full investigation to understand how this incident happened."
---------------------------------------------
21 INJURED WHEN OVERHEAD FIRE EXTINGUISHER POWDER SPEWS AT BROOKLYN GAS STATION
Tags: us_NY, public, release, injury, dust, fire_extinguisher
The accidental discharge of an overhead fire extinguisher at a gas station injured 21 people in Canarsie on Saturday, the FDNY said.
Authorities responded to the hazmat situation at a BP gas station at Foster Avenue and East 80th Street.
Overhead Fire Extinguisher Hurts 21 at Brooklyn Gas Station
A gray powder covered cars at the station.
Ten people were taken to the hospital, and 11 declined treatment, firefighters said.
---------------------------------------------
TOXIC CHEMICAL FOAM PLUME DISCOVERED AT CAMP GRAYLING AIRFIELD
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
GRAYLING, MI -- The Michigan National Guard will test residential drinking wells near Camp Grayling this summer after groundwater testing turned up a plume of toxic fluorocarbons possibly migrating toward the Au Sable River.
Roughly 100 homes with private wells located west and south of the Grayling Army Airfield are at risk for contamination from perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also known as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), detected at concentrations above the federal health advisory level in five monitoring wells along the airfield perimeter.
Sampling rounds in October, December and March have turned up successively higher concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctyl sulfonate (PFOS), emerging contaminants of concern which are tied to thyroid, kidney, liver, reproductive and other health problems.
March testing found PFOS at 801 parts-per-trillion (ppt) and PFOA at 740-ppt at a well along W. North Down River Road across from the city police and fire departments, which is roughly 10 times above the Environmental Protection Agency's dual 70-ppt health advisory level for PFOS & PFOA
---------------------------------------------
THIS MOM SAYS HER BABY SUFFERED CHEMICAL BURNS FROM AEROSOL SUNSCREEN
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, injury, other_chemical
Canadian mother Rebecca Cannon covered her daughter in aerosol sunscreen to protect her from the sun. But 14-month-old Kyla still suffered from serious burns‰??just not the kind Cannon was worried about.
Cannon had purchased an aerosol can of Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen (SPF 50). The product is labeled as "tear-free" and OK to use on children over the age of six months. Cannon said she followed the instructions‰??spraying the sunblock onto her hands before applying it to her daughter's face. But something still went wrong. Kyla developed what look like second-degree chemical burns on her face after wearing the sunscreen. Cannon claims that the burns came from the product itself‰??not the sun.
"[I] want everyone to know Kyla is back home after another hospital trip this morning," Cannon wrote in a Facebook post. "Please watch and be careful when using aerosol sunscreen!" Cannon also reassured her Facebook followers that Kyla was recovering‰??and doing so with a smile on her face. "We work diligently to provide high-quality Banana Boat sun protection products and we are greatly concerned when any person encounters a reaction using our products," Edgewell Personal Care, the company that produces Banana Boat sunscreen, said in a statement responding to Cannon's claims. "We have spoken with the consumer and asked for the product so that our quality assurance team can look into this further."
---------------------------------------------
WILL NEW CALIFORNIA REFINERY SAFETY RULE SAVE LIVES, PREVENT TOXIC RELEASES?
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, petroleum
OAKLAND >> A landmark California safety rule to prevent oil refinery fires, explosions and chemical releases was adopted by a state board this week, nearly five years after a big Chevron fire in Richmond fueled calls for the tougher measures.
Oil companies will be required to use the safest equipment, and production line workers ‰?? not just bosses ‰?? will have authority to shut down units they deem unsafe, under the new rule adopted Thursday.
‰??This is the most protective regulation in the nation for the safety and health of refinery workers and surrounding communities,‰?? said Christine Baker, director of the California Department of Industrial Relations.
The department‰??s Cal/OSHA standards board, meeting in Oakland, unanimously adopted the rule. The measure was developed over years of public meetings with refiners, plant neighbors, unions, and environmental groups.
‰??This rule will save lives,‰?? said Greg Karras, a senior scientist with Communities for a Better Environment, a statewide group advocating for safer and cleaner refineries.
An oil trade group said it worries the timing and implementation of the rule could impose an economic burden on refineries, which make the fuel that runs California‰??s cars, trucks and planes.
---------------------------------------------
STUDENTS TREATED AFTER SCHOOL CHEMICAL DRAMA
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, injury, sulphur
UPDATE: Twenty-four students and a teacher were treated by paramedics after a chemical incident at a Darling Downs school.
Emergency services were called to Millmerran P -10 State School just after 10am to reports of the chemical incident as a result of a science experiment involving the use of sulphur gas.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services entered the school in breathing apparatus and conducted atmospheric testing before ventilating the area.
A Department of Education and Training spokesperson said the incident took place in a science laboratory and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services was called as a precaution.
"Firefighters conducted atmospheric testing and did not detect any dangerous chemicals in the classroom," the spokesperson said.
They said the parents of all students were contacted and the affected area was ventilated with large fans to avoid further safety concerns or disruptions.
Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Glen Barron said the teenagers were all taken to Millmerran Health Service in a stable condition, with many returning to school the same day.
"A couple of the children had been affected by some fumes, so off-gasses from one of their science experiments," he said.
"So we attended to that and as it progressed we gradually had more students who presented with some minor symptoms."
Mr Barron said symptoms included nausea and light headedness and one girl was treated for pre-existing asthma.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS ON WINDSOR STREET IN COLUMBIA
Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, response, cleaners, waste
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Columbia Fire Department confirms there was a small chemical reaction in the 1500 block of Windsor street.
According to CFD, members of Columbia's Solid Waste Department found a trash bag with light smoke coming from it.
The hazardous materials truck (hazmat) was requested for the call.
Crews found the trash bag with light, white smoke coming from it. Firefighters used specialized protective gear and determined the smoke was caused by a mixing of two household chemicals. A toilet bowl cleaner and another household cleaner had spilled from their containers and mixed in the bottom of the bag.
Crews applied an absorbing, neutralizing agent to the liquid and safely disposed of it.
Five units from the Columbia Fire Department responded to this call. There were no reported injuries.
---------------------------------------------
PRINCIPAL: SOUTH LAKES HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATION WAS DUE TO APPARENT AEROSOL DISCHARGE
Tags: us_VA, education, release, injury, unknown_chemical, illegal
Students and staff at South Lakes High School were evacuated Thursday morning after a chemical scare that administration says may result in criminal charges.
In a statement Thursday afternoon, Principal Kim Retzer said the evacuation just after 10 a.m. was prompted after ‰??some type of aerosol was apparently discharged in the hallway in the vicinity of the library.‰??
‰??As a precaution, five students and one teacher were taken to Reston Hospital for treatment. They have all been released. Others affected by the spray were treated at the scene. The fire department quickly responded and we were allowed to return to the building about 50 minutes later to resume normal operations. The fire department and hazmat team determined that the odor was not related to our on-going construction.‰??
Retzer said her office, with the assistance of a school resource officer and the Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Safety and Security, is conducting a ‰??thorough investigation‰?? of the incident to ‰??identify the individual or individuals responsible.‰??
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GE WORKERS PAYING PRICE FOR DECADES OF EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS: REPORT
Tags: Canada, industrial, discovery, environmental
Working conditions at General Electric‰??s Peterborough factory between 1945 and 2000 played a significant role in an ‰??epidemic‰?? of work-related illnesses among employees and retirees, according to a comprehensive study of chemical exposures at the plant.
The 173-page report, to be released Thursday, confirms what the community has been saying for years and will be used to support occupational disease claims previously denied by Ontario‰??s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, say the workers and Unifor, Canada‰??s largest private sector union, which sponsored the report.
‰??For many years, workers and their family members were forced to provide proof as to their working conditions, only to be told this is anecdotal,‰?? said Sue James, whose father Gord worked at the plant for 30 years and died of lung and spinal cancer, diseases his family believes were caused by his exposure to workplace chemicals.
‰??This report is a true depiction of the working conditions of the GE plant from its very beginnings until approximately 2000, when safety measures were finally being mandated,‰?? said James, who was also employed by the company for 30 years and is among 11 retirees who worked as advisers on the report.
‰??It honours and recognizes the struggles and grief of a working community and gives validation to an historic past,‰?? she added.
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STORAGE COMPANY VOPAK FINED FOR CHEMICAL EMISSIONS
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental, acetone, benzene, illegal, water_treatment
Vopak Logistics Services USA, part of the Dutch chemical storage company Royal Vopak, was fined $2.5 million for violations of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday.
The EPA claims the company‰??s mismanagement of equipment released chemicals ‰?? including acetone and benzene ‰?? into a wastewater treatment system. EPA also alleged that Vopak didn‰??t follow federal regulations for flaring.
As part of the settlement with the EPA, Vopak will install infrared cameras to detect pollution coming from chemical storage tanks at its Deer Park facility in Harris County.
Chemical emissions, such as chemical solvents or car exhaust, can interact with the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight to create ozone, which can be harmful to human health. The Clean Air Act regulates ozone amount present in the atmosphere.
Vopak‰??s fine will be split between federal government and the state of Texas. The settlement is still subject to final court approval and a 30-day public comment period. Click here for information on how to comment.
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