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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: Wed, 14 Jun 2017 07:50:30 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: CF5C43DC-7524-4A60-84FA-6F6392A8A4AC**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 7:50:08 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)
LANL: WASTE DRUM SHIPPED TO COLO. FACILITY WAS INACCURATELY LABELED
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, waste
SPILLED ACID SHUTS DOWN OREGON CITY TRANSFER STATION, SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, waste
MAN SUFFERS CHEMICAL BURN AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
ONTARIO RESEARCHERS TO STUDY DUST FOR CARCINOGENS AFTER FORT MCMURRAY FIRE
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental
NO TRACE OF CARETAKER OF CRACKER WAREHOUSE DAY AFTER EXPLOSION, OWNER BOOKED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal
HANFORD WORKERS REPORT POSSIBLE CHEMICAL VAPOR EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
TRUCK CARRYING TOXIC CHEMICAL ROLLS OVER ON QEW, NEARBY HOMES EVACUATED
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, phosphine
CHEMICAL SPILL AT VIRGINIA SCHOOL MOVES VOTING OUTSIDE
Tags: us_VA, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
ANTIOCH: HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS MIX AT BLACK DIAMOND MINES
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, other_chemical
NO INJURIES FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL AT INDIANAPOLIS PLANT
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, adhesives
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SCIENCE LAB DAMAGED BY FIRE, WATER
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
4 HOSPITALIZED AFTER WHITE POWDER DOUSES GAS STATION
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust, fire_extinguisher
NDSU RECEIVES FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS FROM FARGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
OFFICIALS: DOG MAY HAVE SPARKED HOUSE FIRE AFTER CHEWING ON VAPING DEVICE
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, response, batteries
CHEMICAL FIRM FINED OVER FAILURES WHICH LED TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY EXPLOSION AT SEAL SANDS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, injury
HOMEMADE CHEMICAL CONCOCTION TO KILL BED BUGS LEADS TO APARTMENT EVACUATION
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, kerosene
CHEMICAL LEAK LEADS TO SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, ammonia
POWERFUL N.J. REPUBLICAN ASKED TO BACK COLLEAGUES OVER TRUMP
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental
EPA SLAMS BRAKES ON OBAMA CHEMICAL SAFETY RULES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
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LANL: WASTE DRUM SHIPPED TO COLO. FACILITY WAS INACCURATELY LABELED
Tags: us_CO, laboratory, follow-up, environmental, waste
Los Alamos National Laboratory failed more than once in recent months to accurately document the pH level of hazardous liquid shipped six hours north to a waste processing and disposal facility outside Denver, according to an email to the state Environment Department that was made public this week.
The latest incident occurred last month when the lab shipped a drum containing a chemical mixture used to remove buildup from pipes in a cooling system.
All waste from Los Alamos is required to be meticulously screened before it leaves the lab complex, with each drum identifying the types and amounts of chemicals packaged inside, the chemicals‰?? pH levels, their potential for combustion or other reaction, their radiological contents, if any, and a slew of other measures.
But when operators in Colorado examined the drum shipped from Los Alamos on May 17, they determined the pH level was significantly lower, or more acidic, than the lab had indicated on the drum‰??s label, meaning the contents might be different than what was identified on the label ‰?? and potentially more volatile.
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SPILLED ACID SHUTS DOWN OREGON CITY TRANSFER STATION, SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid, waste
OREGON CITY, Ore. - The Clackamas Fire Hazardous Materials team responded to the Metro South Transfer Station in Oregon City, Tuesday evening, after reports of a chemical reaction in one of the trash bays.
Fire crews evacuated employees and customers while they investigated the source of the reaction. They discovered a container of muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid had tipped over. The common construction chemical is often used for etching concrete.
‰??Somebody improperly threw it in a load and it released and caused this incident,‰?? said Metro operations manager, Penny Erickson. She said the spill created a gas, which sent one employee to the hospital.
‰??He appears to be okay,‰?? said Erickson.
Erickson said Metro has a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal on site where she said people can and should take chemicals, paint and other toxic waste.
‰??There, we could properly handle it, but if it's mixed with the garbage we don't necessarily see it,‰?? said Erickson. ‰??The container might get broken or get tipped or spilled or might create a chemical reaction.‰??
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MAN SUFFERS CHEMICAL BURN AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, injury, sulfuric_acid
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) ‰?? A man is being treated for a chemical burn after an incident at a New Haven plant Tuesday morning.
Fire crews are investigating a situation at 100 Sergeant Drive in New Haven, where a worker suffered a chemical burn. According to authorities, around 7:42 a.m. a worker at Assa Abbloy spilled sulfuric acid on his arm.
The victim suffered burns as a result of the spill. The New Haven fire chief is reporting minor injuries to the victim who has been transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment.
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ONTARIO RESEARCHERS TO STUDY DUST FOR CARCINOGENS AFTER FORT MCMURRAY FIRE
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental
TORONTO ‰?? A group of Ontario researchers is travelling to Fort McMurray, Alta., next month to study dust left in homes from the forest fire that ravaged the city last year.
The team's work is among several studies that are being conducted on the health effects of the ferocious blaze that forced more than 80,000 people to flee.
Arthur Chan, an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, said his team has received overwhelming interest from "concerned" homeowners in Fort McMurray who are offering up their places to be tested.
"We hope we don't find anything," Chan said. "But we're looking for heavy metals and also some organic compounds that are potentially carcinogens. We're going to assess those levels and compare to what we know are normal levels in a home in Canada."
Chan and his team are looking to analyze residual ash from the blaze that consumed 2,400 homes after it hit the city last May.
On July 10, Chan and two of his students will head to Fort McMurray and begin collecting samples from homes in the city and nearby Fort McKay First Nation, which wasn't hit by the fire, but winds blew ash its way.
---------------------------------------------
NO TRACE OF CARETAKER OF CRACKER WAREHOUSE DAY AFTER EXPLOSION, OWNER BOOKED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, explosives, illegal
SANGRUR: Even a day after an explosion at Sunam cracker godown left 28 injured, there was no trace of the caretaker of the warehouse. Officials supervising the rescue operations said the teams working at the blast site had managed to clear most of the debris by Tuesday afternoon but they had been unable to find any traces of the caretaker named Bablu.
Meanwhile, the district police said they had registered a case against Raju Nagpal, owner of the warehouse, for putting lives in danger, negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter, negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance, causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others, causing grievous hurt, causing damage and criminal breach of trust. He has also been booked under Section 9 of the Explosive Act applicable on manufactures, importers or exporter of explosives.
---------------------------------------------
HANFORD WORKERS REPORT POSSIBLE CHEMICAL VAPOR EXPOSURE
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
Five Hanford workers received medical evaluations as a precaution after they and other workers reported suspicious odors that could indicate the presence of chemical vapors Tuesday morning at the nuclear reservation.
Among the workers was an industrial hygienist who was able to collect air samples immediately, according to Hanford officials. Often after workers evacuate an area a crew is sent in to collect air samples, which can allow time for vapors to disperse.
None of the air samples showed chemical contaminants above background levels, according to Washington River Protection Solutions, the Hanford tank farm contractor.
All workers were medically cleared to return to work.
Three of the workers experienced symptoms and were sent for medical evaluations in the morning. Although symptoms are not released to maintain workers‰?? medical privacy, typical symptoms linked to chemical vapor exposure are coughing, headaches and shortness of breath.
Another five workers smelled suspicious odors but had no symptoms. Later in the day two of those workers also had medical checks, but the others declined medical evaluations.
The workers were outside the nuclear reservation‰??s A Tank Farm in central Hanford doing work at a new water and air service building.
---------------------------------------------
TRUCK CARRYING TOXIC CHEMICAL ROLLS OVER ON QEW, NEARBY HOMES EVACUATED
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, phosphine
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - A major highway through southern Ontario remained closed late Tuesday several hours after a transport truck hauling a toxic chemical rolled over and forced an evacuation and a shelter-in-place order for surrounding homes and businesses.
The City of St. Catharines said just before 1 a.m. that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted.
Ontario Provincial Police say the crash happened at about 3:20 p.m. when the truck rolled onto a concrete highway divider near St. Catharines.
Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says the truck was hauling phosphine, a flammable and toxic gas.
Niagara EMS Chief Kevin Smith said a shelter-in-place radius around the crash site had been expanded from 1.2 kilometres to two kilometres during the evening as a precaution in case of any leakage from the truck.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT VIRGINIA SCHOOL MOVES VOTING OUTSIDE
Tags: us_VA, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) ‰?? A chemical spill at a Virginia school has forced voting in the state‰??s gubernatorial primary to move outside to a parking lot.
WJLA-TV reports that the Prince William Fire Department says the chemical spilled Tuesday afternoon in the building was ‰??nothing exotic‰?? and no injuries were reported.
Authorities say Lake Ridge Middle School in Woodbridge was evacuated. Elections officials say poll workers are taking provisional ballots in the parking lot.
The Prince William Board of Elections says it has sent mobile polling station to the school to take votes.
---------------------------------------------
ANTIOCH: HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS MIX AT BLACK DIAMOND MINES
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, other_chemical
ANTIOCH ‰?? A mixture of two chemicals by crews laying cement at the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve produced a strong gas smell and brought hazardous materials teams to the park early Tuesday, a fire official said.
The fumes did not make anyone sick but it did force a large area near the visitors center to be shut down, Assistant Fire Chief Paul Cutino of the East Bay Regional Park District fire department said.
Crews were called there around 8:48 a.m. Workers laying cement were using two five-gallon buckets, and for yet-to-be-determined reasons, the two chemicals mixed, creating nitrogen oxide, Cutino said.
According to Cutino, the substances that mixed were Darafet 400 and Eucon SureShot AF2LZ. Darafet 400, according to several construction and chemical web sites, is a non-corrosive, non-chloride admixture for concrete. Eucon SureShot AF2LZ, according to construction web sites, is a liquid accelerator that aids in the setting of concrete.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL AT INDIANAPOLIS PLANT
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, adhesives
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - No injuries have been reported following a chemical spill at a plant in Indianapolis.
The Wayne Township Fire Department says the spill of a chemical used in automotive adhesive was reported early Tuesday at Vertellus Specialties on the city‰??s southwest side.
Authorities say the spill doesn‰??t extend beyond the plant, which manufactures chemicals, and there‰??s no hazard to areas around the plant.
The cause of the spill is under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SCIENCE LAB DAMAGED BY FIRE, WATER
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A fire Sunday damaged a laboratory in the most heavily used research facility on the University of Iowa campus.
Iowa City firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Bowen Science Building, 51 Newton Road, around 5:45 p.m. Sunday and found flames on the second floor, according to an Iowa City news release. Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes.
Bowen's sprinkler system contained the flames to the room where the fire started, but early estimates indicate damage to one-third of the first floor and one-third of the second floor of the 45-year-old building.
An initial damage estimate indicates at least $500,000 in damage to the lab. This estimate does not include water damage.
‰??That water will just keep leaking down for a while,‰?? said Iowa City Battalion Chief Eric Nurnberg.. ‰??And as that water continues to migrate through the building, I‰??m sure they are going to have some other issues to deal with.‰??
Buy Photo
Bowen Science Building is pictured on Monday, June 12, 2017. (Photo: David Scrivner/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
"The research conducted in this area is predominantly medical, and non-hazardous in nature," Hayley Bruce, a UI spokeswoman, said via email. "Some of the research has been temporarily interrupted, but at this time no data has been lost. No classes are expected to be impacted."
University officials recently updated the Iowa Board of Regents about long-term plans for a $30 million renovation of the building. An $18.5 million project to modernize Bowen's building systems is continuing through the 2017-18 academic year.
‰??Bowen Science is a building built in (1972) and funds are needed to completely modernize this building,‰?? Rod Lehnertz said last week during a meeting of the regents‰?? Property and Facilities Committee. ‰??It still remains ‰?? approaching 50 years of age ‰?? the most intensely utilized research facility on our campus. It is critical that the building be modernized and taken care of for the next generation.‰??
Nurnberg described the fire as "a great example of the importance of having a sprinkler system in the building."
"Had there been no sprinkler system here, the damage would have crept into the millions easily," he said.
---------------------------------------------
4 HOSPITALIZED AFTER WHITE POWDER DOUSES GAS STATION
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, dust, fire_extinguisher
REHOBOTH, Mass. (AP) ‰?? Officials say four people were hospitalized after a fire suppression system doused customers with white powder at a Massachusetts gas station.
Fire officials say they responded to a fire alarm Monday afternoon at a Cumberland Farms gas station in Rehoboth. Responding crews determined there was no fire, and the system had instead malfunctioned and sprayed the area with a chemical powder used in fire extinguishers.
The Rehoboth Fire Chief says four people were taken to local hospitals for breathing problems and skin irritation. The injuries are being reported as non-life-threatening.
Police say no charges will be filed.
In a statement, Cumberland Farms says the store will be closed while the suppressant is cleaned up and the malfunction investigation is complete.
---------------------------------------------
NDSU RECEIVES FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS FROM FARGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
FARGO‰??NDSU is studying up, after a routine fire inspection gave both Ladd Hall and Dunbar Laboratory a bad grade.
The Fargo Fire Department found significant fire code violations in the NDSU buildings on May 24th.
They were built in 1910 and 1963 and house both the chemistry and pharmacy offices and classrooms.
The fire marshal cited "careless and improper storage of hazardous materials" as a primary factor.
Dunbar has a past of fires, chemical hazards and other mishaps, according to Fargo Fire Department incident reports.
In a statement, NDSU says it plans to be in compliance in time for the follow-up inspection on July 14th.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS: DOG MAY HAVE SPARKED HOUSE FIRE AFTER CHEWING ON VAPING DEVICE
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, response, batteries
DAMASCUS, Md. - Authorities say a dog rescued by firefighters from a townhouse fire in Damascus over the weekend may have also been the culprit for sparking the blaze.
It has been a whirlwind 24 hours for a Montgomery County man after one of his three rescue dogs needed the assistance of an oxygen mask and plenty of oxygen for severe smoke inhalation. The injured dog was rescued and treated by firefighters after the fire broke out on Tralee Court at around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The dog‰??s owner said he had gone out for a ride on his motorcycle because it was such a beautiful day. But when he returned to his Damascus home, he said he could barely make his way through his smoke-filled home. The smoke so dense that his couch and carpet were on fire after a battery for a vaping device ignited.
Fire officials believe it may have been one of the owner‰??s three dogs that led to the house fire.
‰??It‰??s likely that the dog may have taken it from another room, brought it in, played with it, damaged it to the point where the battery off gas, or had a chemical reaction enough where it caused a flame to be started nearby a combustible fire,‰?? said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. ‰??We have had dogs that started fires on tops of stoves by accidentally jumping up and actually hitting the knob, so those things can happen. They are purely, truly accidents. But again, there are some preventive measures you can take. But the simplest thing is just to keep things out of reach, whether it be a small child or a pet.‰??
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CHEMICAL FIRM FINED OVER FAILURES WHICH LED TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY EXPLOSION AT SEAL SANDS
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, injury
A chemical company whose failings led to an explosion at a Teesside site has been hit with a bill of more than å£170,000 by the courts.
Vertellus Specialties (VSUK) was prosecuted after a major fire at the Seal Sands site on May 14, 2014.
The 3am blaze sparked a loud explosion and ‰??fireball‰??, with 11 fire engines, an ambulance and a police helicopter called to the scene.
Firefighters saw more explosions after the fire appeared to die down, and had the complex task of battling a blaze involving water-reactive chemicals.
The Seal Sands Road had to be closed and police sent out a public message advising people to close their doors and windows.
Cleveland Police declared it a ‰??major incident‰??.
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HOMEMADE CHEMICAL CONCOCTION TO KILL BED BUGS LEADS TO APARTMENT EVACUATION
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, kerosene
BARNWELL COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) --The Red Cross is assisting two families in Barnwell after their apartments had to be evacuated due to a hazardous concoction of chemicals.
Firefighters in Barnwell says they responded to an apartment that had bed bugs. The apartment had already been professionally treated, but the tenants' boyfriend created a concoction of chemicals including kerosene, a bug bomb, and other household chemicals to treat the infestation.
The fumes were so toxic they seeped to the apartment next door, causing a second apartment to be evacuated.
Firefighters say the second apartment should be inhabitable in the next couple of days, but the apartment they were originally called to will need 'significant and thorough treatment.'
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CHEMICAL LEAK LEADS TO SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, ammonia
CORPUS CHRISTI -
People across Corpus Christi woke up this morning to alarming information from the city's Reverse Alert System: a shelter in place order was issued because of an ammonia leak.
The shelter in place warning only affected an area near the Greyhound Race Track. The leak came from this business behind me called South Texas Cold Storage, a warehouse that stores food products. A mechanical issue with a refrigeration unit here caused ammonia to leak into the air.
Nearby homeowner Linda Thomas was ready to start her day when she saw an alert on TV that there was a shelter in place warning for her neighborhood.
"We were getting ready to come out and mow, and we saw it so my husband and I both stopped and looked," Thomas said.
The warning was issued do to the ammonia leak that started at 4:15 in the morning.
"Fire crews got on scene, noticed a heavy smell, an ammonia smell. So the Hazmat material team was dispatched, utilizing all of our resources," said Chief Robert Rocha with the Corpus Christi Police Department.
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POWERFUL N.J. REPUBLICAN ASKED TO BACK COLLEAGUES OVER TRUMP
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental
WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan majority of the New Jersey congressional delegation wants one of their own, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, to preserve funding for the agency that investigates chemical accidents.
Nine of the other 11 Garden State lawmakers signed a letter to Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, asking him to support $11.6 million in funding for the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. They also wrote to the panel's top Democrat, Rep. Nita Lowey of New York.
President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the board in his spending plan for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1. The administration said the agency has "been focused on the need for greater regulation of industry" and its actions "overlap with other agency investigative authorities" and cause "unhelpful friction."
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EPA SLAMS BRAKES ON OBAMA CHEMICAL SAFETY RULES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday delayed major Obama administration chemical safety regulations by nearly two years.
"We are seeking additional time to review the program, so that we can fully evaluate the public comments raised by multiple petitioners and consider other issues that may benefit from additional public input," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
The new effective date for the rule will be Feb. 19, 2019. The Obama administration had finalized the rule in December.
The changes to the chemical safety rules were implemented after a 2013 explosion at an ammonia nitrate chemical facility north of Waco, Texas. The explosion killed 15 people, injured nearly 200, and decimated 150 buildings. In 2016, federal investigators said the fire that caused the explosion was deliberately set.
The additional 20 months will allow the agency to evaluate the amendments made to EPA's Risk Management Program to "conduct a reconsideration proceeding and to consider other issues that may benefit from additional comment."
The delay came just days after Pruitt delayed implementation for a major Obama-era rule for smog-forming ozone emissions by one year.
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