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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 7:25:27 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 (12 articles)
CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES APARTMENT EVACUATION
Tags: us_IA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
SOUTH KOREA‰??S HANWHA CHEMICAL SHUTS LDPE LINE IN YEOSU AFTER A FIRE
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
NEUTRAL BAY EXPLOSION: ROAD CUTTER RUPTURES GAS LINE AND BURSTS INTO FLAMES
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, natural_gas
SPILLED POOL CHEMICALS CLOSE SANTA ROSA ROAD
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, bleach, chlorine
23RD ANNIVERSARY OF DEADLY EXPLOSION AT BELPRE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, death, plastics
ENJOY THE SUN ‰?? BUT WATCH OUT FOR SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Tags: us_wa, public, fire, response, flammables
SWIM SCHOOL SCARE: FOUR IN HOSPITAL AFTER INCIDENT
Tags: australia, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
HUMAN-MADE CHEMICALS ARE PENETRATING DEEPER INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC, A NEW STUDY HAS FOUND.
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
VARTHUR LAKE: AFTER HEAVY RAIN, CHEMICAL 'SNOWFALL' IN BENGALURU
Tags: india, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS ACCUSED OF POLLUTING THE AIR UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
Tags: china, public, discovery, illegal, release, toxics
A SACRAMENTO STATE CHEMICAL SPILL HAS LAB TECHS QUESTIONING THEIR WORKPLACE SAFETY
Tags: us_ca, laboratory, release, follow-up, solvents
ENVIRONMENTAL RULES UNDER ATTACK
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
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CHEMICAL SPILL FORCES APARTMENT EVACUATION
Tags: us_IA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
BETTENDORF, Iowa. (KWQC) - Residents of a Bettendorf apartment complex are back home after a chemical spill forced them to evacuate. A pool contractor at the complex accidentally mixed two chemicals causing a toxic spill. Residents said it was quite a morning wake up call.
The 911 call came in at 9:45 Tuesday morning. Soon after arriving, residents said firefighters began banging on doors telling folks they needed to get out.
....
Another resident said, "he (the pool contractor) was taken to the hospital because of the chemicals and what happened."
The fire department said a contractor accidentally mixed two pool chemicals, chlorine, and muriatic acid. That mixture caused a release of toxic chlorine gas in the pool room where the chemicals were stored. Haz-mat crews took no chances. They wore full chemical suits to clean up the mess.
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SOUTH KOREA‰??S HANWHA CHEMICAL SHUTS LDPE LINE IN YEOSU AFTER A FIRE
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--South Korea‰??s Hanwha Chemical has shut a polyethylene (PE) line in Yeosu following a fire on Tuesday morning, a source familiar with the matter said.
The 100,000 tonne/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) line did not appear to have suffered any structural damage from the fire, which was put out quickly, the source said.
It is unclear when the facility will restart, the source added.
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NEUTRAL BAY EXPLOSION: ROAD CUTTER RUPTURES GAS LINE AND BURSTS INTO FLAMES
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, natural_gas
A road cutting machine has sliced through a gas line and burst into flames on Sydney‰??s lower north shore, with six fire crews on scene.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Inspector Norm Buckley said the machine was cutting through bitumen at the intersection of Ben Boyd Road and Auburn St at Neutral Bay on Tuesday about 7.15am.
Emergency teams are battling to extinguish a blaze in Neutral Bay after a road cutting machine ruptured a gas main.
Six crews and HAZMAT teams are on site to handle the blaze and gas leak. Picture: 7 News
Some surrounding homes have been evacuated because of a gas release, he told AAP.
Six crews, including HAZMAT teams, are on scene working to extinguish the machine that has gone up in flames.
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SPILLED POOL CHEMICALS CLOSE SANTA ROSA ROAD
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, bleach, chlorine
Several gallons of pool chlorine that were spilled in the street after falling from a commercial pool truck closed Piner Road in Santa Rosa for almost three hours Monday while hazardous materials crews attended to the mess.
The spill of 2 or 3 gallons occurred just before 10 a.m. in the westbound lane of Piner Road east of Fulton Road, Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Matt Dahl said. Safety concerns and the need to make room for a hazmat team prompted police to shut down both lanes of traffic between Fulton and Pinercrest Drive until about 12:45 p.m.
The hazmat team, in breathing suits to prevent exposure to liquid or vapor chemicals, used materials to soak up and neutralize the substance, identified as sodium hypochlorite. A city street crew then had to wash down and vacuum the area, Dahl said.
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23RD ANNIVERSARY OF DEADLY EXPLOSION AT BELPRE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_OH, industrial, follow-up, death, plastics
BELPRE, Ohio (WTAP) - 23 Years ago, people living miles away from Parkersburg saw smoke in the skies and felt the ground shake, all because of a major explosion in the early morning hours of May 27, 1994, at what was then the Shell Chemical Plant in Belpre.
Three workers died in the blast and both sides of the Ohio River were affected, as the wind direction blew smoke from the blast in the direction of Wood County.
Shell sold the plant a few years later and it's now known as Kraton Polymers.
After the accident, residents and local leaders were concerned about the plant's future in Belpre and Washington County.
But it remains one of the area's largest employers, and has recently received millions of dollars‰?? worth of renovations and upgrades.
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ENJOY THE SUN ‰?? BUT WATCH OUT FOR SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Tags: us_wa, public, fire, response, flammables
As if Western Washington residents unaccustomed to sunshine and hot weather didn‰??t have enough to deal with ‰?? sunglasses? sunscreen? water bottle? ‰?? add another hazard to the list: spontaneous combustion.
Seattle Fire investigators say a Saturday blaze that displaced seven people from a three-story complex on Phinney Ridge was sparked by compost, soil and vegetation in a flower pot.
While oily or solvent-soaked rags are the usual culprits in fires that start on their own, organic matter like compost and beauty bark can also smolder spontaneously, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Kellie Randall said in an email.
And dry, hot weather elevates the risk for spontaneous combustion fires of all types, she added.
No one was injured in the Phinney Ridge fire, which was reported shortly before 7 p.m. But residents of the multifamily structure were at least temporarily driven out and total damage was estimated at $60,000.
Spontaneous combustion occurs when a material generates enough heat through chemical or biological reactions to reach its ignition temperature, without being exposed to an external source of heat or fire.
Fires that spark spontaneously in organic material, like grass clippings, compost and mulch are usually initiated by heat from microbial processes, like decomposition, says a 2008 article in the journal BioCycle. But as the heat builds, the microbes are killed and chemical processes, like oxidation take over. Moisture can accelerate the process.
---------------------------------------------
SWIM SCHOOL SCARE: FOUR IN HOSPITAL AFTER INCIDENT
Tags: australia, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
FOUR people have been following an incident at a pool involving hazardous materials at Boambee.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said paramedics were called to a pool on Middle Boambee Rd and assisted three children and 10 adults.
Three children and an adult were taken to Coffs Harbour Base Hospital with minor injuries.
Paramedics were called to Swimcare about 9.15am.
Kate Miller from Swimcare, who was hospitalised, said all had since been released.
---------------------------------------------
HUMAN-MADE CHEMICALS ARE PENETRATING DEEPER INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC, A NEW STUDY HAS FOUND.
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
Human-made chemicals are penetrating deeper into the North Atlantic, a new study has found.
Remember CFCs? Production of the ozone-depleting chemicals was largely phased out globally in 1994.
But almost 25 years later, researchers are finding them in increasing amounts in the deeper, "older" parts of the ocean.
Scientists from six countries crossed the North Atlantic from St. John's to Galway, Ireland, over the past month aboard the research vessel Celtic Explorer.
The researchers were studying the presence of human-made chemicals as well as temperature, salinity, acidity and nutrient and carbon dioxide levels. The expedition is part of an international effort to periodically monitor physical, chemical and biological changes in the oceans.
The scientists took water samples from at least 24 different depths, including the sea floor, every 30 nautical miles of the roughly 3,100-kilometre journey. The deepest point of measurement was about 4,500 metres.
---------------------------------------------
VARTHUR LAKE: AFTER HEAVY RAIN, CHEMICAL 'SNOWFALL' IN BENGALURU
Tags: india, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
BENGALURU: Pre-monsoon showers provided much-needed respite to Bengalureans in what was a harsh summer. However, rain has only added to the problems of those living in the vicinity of the city's lakes. The heavy showers that lashed the city in the past week have resulted in Varthur Lake foaming again. With toxic foam spilling over to the Whitefield Main Road, commuters had a tough time negotiating traffic on Saturday and Sunday.
Pravir B, a member of the citizen group Whitefield Rising, said that the wired mesh erected on the boundary of the lake that runs along Whitefield Main Road, had kept foam from entering the streets till the rain aggravated the condition. "We noticed froth on the road on Saturday morning. There's a mesh on one side of the road, where foam has not escaped. But, the heavy winds resulted in foam getting blown from the other side of the lake and entering the road, disrupting traffic. In fact, the foam is entering helmets, and coming in contact with the skin," he added.
The unbearable stench emanating from the lake has only added to the woes of commuters and residents. "The froth has also reached a hospital and a mall nearby," said residents.
---------------------------------------------
CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANTS ACCUSED OF POLLUTING THE AIR UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
Tags: china, public, discovery, illegal, release, toxics
Hebei province, home to many of China‰??s most polluted cities, has promised to close down companies that are poisoning the environment, but after years of protests villagers living in the shadows of the Guantao chemical park remain sceptical.
Alhough festooned with banners calling for the construction of ‰??beautiful villages‰?? and the ‰??upgrade‰?? of Hebei‰??s highly-polluting heavy industries, the sprawling complex of chemical plants shadowing the villages of Nansitou and East Luzhuang often operates unchallenged by environmental regulators, residents say.
Air pollution getting worse in north China even as government tries to crack down
They say local authorities turn a blind eye to factories that pollute air, water and land. In particular, they claim that the plants do a lot of their dirtiest work at night when inspectors are rarely seen.
‰??They just don‰??t come,‰?? said a resident who would not give their full name. Near his home was a patch of burned undergrowth, the result of a vehicle carrying hazardous chemicals catching fire earlier this year, sending plumes of pungent smoke through the streets. ‰??I gave them a call but none of them came,‰?? he said. ‰??We can‰??t stand the smell and there‰??s suddenly smoke everywhere.‰??
Provincial and municipal environmental authorities did not respond to requests for comment, but an inspector who only gave their surname Liu, who is responsible for monitoring Guantao Park, told Reuters by telephone that the facilities were under 24-hour surveillance.
---------------------------------------------
A SACRAMENTO STATE CHEMICAL SPILL HAS LAB TECHS QUESTIONING THEIR WORKPLACE SAFETY
Tags: us_ca, laboratory, release, follow-up, solvents
A chemical spill at Sacramento State last year has led to questions about whether the university is putting its lab workers at risk from exposure to hazardous substances.
Some lab employees say they work in areas so poorly ventilated that acidic fumes corrode metal and rubber, and two workers claim that exposure to these substances and others may have led to their inability to have children.
‰??Our whole stockroom is rusting and rubber bands last only about two weeks before they pulverize, and that is the norm for us,‰?? said lab manager Barbara Coulombe, 49. ‰??If something needs to be protected, like our respirators, we keep them in plastic bags and put them in Tupperware.‰??
The California State University Employees Union, which represents the lab technicians, has filed multiple grievances questioning the safety of employees working in the chemistry stockrooms and the protocols for dealing with hazardous materials throughout the campus.
The university argues there is no reason to believe the employees are endangered, pointing to a UCLA study of air quality in Sacramento State chemistry stockrooms.
‰??There is no evidence of an ongoing hazard based on their measurements on acid or organic vapors,‰?? said Steve Leland, CSU Sacramento director of environmental health and safety. ‰??We are looking at the ventilation to bring it up to best practices. ‰?| There is no reason for me to think the room is unsafe to occupy.‰??
The recent trouble began just over a year ago. On May 11, 2016, lab technicians were called to an advanced chemistry class to clean up a spill. They say they were told the chemicals were acetone, a solvent used in nail polish remover, and ethyl acetate, another solvent used to decaffeinate coffee.
They wore lab coats, nitrile gloves, safety glasses and half-face respirators to clean up the spill.
In actuality, they say, the spilled chemical was a more dangerous solvent called dimethylformamide or DMF.
One of the chemistry lab technicians, Michelle Watterson, said she and her colleagues would have called the county‰??s hazardous materials team to clean it up instead if they had known it was DMF.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article152861839.html#storylink=cpy">http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article152861839.html#storylink=cpy
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ENVIRONMENTAL RULES UNDER ATTACK
Tags: us, public, discovery, environmental
In keeping with his campaign promise to reduce regulatory burdens, U.S. President Donald J. Trump ordered federal agencies in late February to ferret out regulations that can be ‰??repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.‰?? Trump‰??s order requires federal agencies to identify rules that, at a minimum, ‰??eliminate jobs or inhibit job creation; are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; or impose costs that exceed benefits.‰??
The Environmental Protection Agency is one of the biggest targets of the Trump Administration‰??s regulatory reform effort. During a series of public meetings in April and May, the agency was flooded with suggestions from state and local governments, consumers, environmental organizations, industry, and other stakeholders regarding which rules to cut and which ones to keep. In general, environmental groups stressed the need for more, not less, regulation to protect public health and boost confidence in the safety of household chemicals and pesticides. Consultants and representatives from industry trade groups, on the other hand, picked through details of their least favorite regulations, urging EPA to ax or delay specific parts.
Here are some of the most controversial chemical-related regulations that could be the target of potential reform. EPA has already taken action since the public meetings to delay some of the rules.
Pesticide priorities
Nanomaterial data reporting
Formaldehyde emissions from wood composites
Asbestos in schools, chlorine production
Lead-based paint removal
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