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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 (14 articles)
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 08:02:17 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: DE7434A2-02C1-4605-A47D-7F3CCBF52A1C**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, July 7, 2017 at 8:01:43 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 (14 articles)
1 SUFFERS FACIAL INJURIES IN UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CHEMISTRY LAB INCIDENT
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
ADVOCATES CONCERNED ABOUT CHEMICAL DRIFTS THAT SICKENED CENTRAL COAST FARMWORKERS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
WV METRONEWS ‰?? U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE REJECTS ELK RIVER CHEMICAL SPILL SETTLEMENT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
MINE SAFETY AGENCY ISSUES SERIOUS ACCIDENT ALERT ON SAFE HANDLING OF CHEMICALS
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_sulfide
BILL TO DELAY OZONE LIMIT MOVES IN CONGRESS
Tags: industrial, discovery, response, ozone
COURT BLOCKS U.S. EPA FROM DELAYING METHANE LEAK RULES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methane
WIRRAL TEENAGER SUFFERS BURNS IN SCHOOL LABORATORY ACCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
TRI-TOWN ICE ARENA EVACUATED FOR AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_NH, public, release, response, ammonia
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO PROPANE LEAK AT POPEYES
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane
WORKER INJURED BY TOXIC MIX OF CLEANING PRODUCTS
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, cleaners
FIREFIGHTERS TEND TO CHEMICAL SPILL ON WILSON ROAD IN VALLEY STREAM
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
THE U.S. AIR FORCE'S UNIQUE CLIMATE TESTING LAB HAS BLOWN UP
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
ON THE GENERAL MOTORS PLANT IN USA EXPLOSION THUNDERED: THERE ARE VICTIMS
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT TEAM NEUTRALIZES CHEMICAL SPILL IN NOVATO
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
---------------------------------------------
1 SUFFERS FACIAL INJURIES IN UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CHEMISTRY LAB INCIDENT
Tags: us_MD, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A person suffered facial injuries after a chemical reaction in a chemistry lab at the University of Maryland on Thursday.
The Prince George‰??s County Fire Department said it responded to the University of Maryland Chemistry Building before 2:25 p.m.
The fire department said one person suffered facial injuries after a small chemical reaction. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment. Officials didn‰??t disclose the extent of the person‰??s injuries.
The chemical reaction was contained to a safety hood, according to the fire department. A hazmat team was assisting at the scene.
The University of Maryland Police Department closed Regents Drive between Field House and Stadium drives as crews responded to the scene.
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ADVOCATES CONCERNED ABOUT CHEMICAL DRIFTS THAT SICKENED CENTRAL COAST FARMWORKERS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
Advocates for farmworkers on both coasts and labor experts are expressing concern about the two dozen agricultural employees who were hospitalized last month in Salinas and Watsonville in a span of one week after fungicides and insecticides apparently drifted on to the fields where they were working.
Six raspberry pickers working near State Route 152 got sick and were rushed to Watsonville Community Hospital on June 29. A week earlier 18 celery workers were taken to the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System‰??s emergency room after some of them became ill.
Those cases came less than two months after more than 50 farmworkers were reportedly exposed to a pesticide drift southwest of Bakersfield that made some of them sick.
‰??Farmworkers in so many ways have become invisible. They put our food on the table, yet their well-being is often below the radar,‰?? said UC Berkeley professor Harley Shaiken, who specializes in labor issues. ‰??To have these kinds of incidents, where they are affected by potentially carcinogenic chemicals in the field, is disturbing.‰??
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WV METRONEWS ‰?? U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE REJECTS ELK RIVER CHEMICAL SPILL SETTLEMENT
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CHARLESTON, W.Va. ‰?? A federal district judge declined Thursday to grant preliminary approval for a settlement related to the January 2014 Elk River chemical spill.
U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. said in a 93-page order he wanted changes to be made to the $151 million deal, citing concerns over tiered payments to different businesses and the resolution of appeals made on claims filed by spill victims.
The settlement would have been between plaintiffs and West Virginia American Water and Eastman Chemical Company, and would have compensated residents and businesses across nine counties affected by the spill of MCHM in the river.
Lawyers have argued West Virginia American Water did not properly prepare for the spill and Eastman did not warn Freedom Industries ‰?? who operated the facility 1.5 miles upstream from the regional water intake ‰?? of the dangers of the chemicals.
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MINE SAFETY AGENCY ISSUES SERIOUS ACCIDENT ALERT ON SAFE HANDLING OF CHEMICALS
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrogen_sulfide
MSHA highlighted a November 3, 2017, accident in which an explosion occurred when incompatible chemicals were mixed in a tank. A miner had unloaded a truckload of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) solution into a chemical storage tank that contained calcium polysulfide (CaPS) solution. NaHS and CaPS are hazardous chemicals that give off hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a flammable and toxic gas that produces a ‰??rotten-egg‰?? odor. MSHA said the operator had installed a charcoal filter on the tank‰??s vent line to control the odors. ‰??When these chemicals came into contact in the tank, an explosive concentration of H2S gas was liberated,‰?? the agency noted. According to the agency, ‰??The concentration of H2S exceeded the filter‰??s capacity, resulting in a chemical reaction generating enough heat to ignite the filter. H2S vapors in the tank ignited, causing a violent explosion damaging the tank, surrounding area, and building. This accident occurred because the operator changed its proc!
esses, which resulted in the mixing of incompatible chemicals.‰??
To avoid similar accidents, MSHA issued specific ‰??best practices‰?? for operators to implement. These include:
Prior to implementing a process change, such as the introduction of a new chemical, thoroughly evaluate hazards, including chemical compatibility and reactivity.
Establish procedures for the safe handling and storage of chemicals, ensuring chemical compatibility with the process and equipment.
Equip chemical storage tanks with properly designed pressure relief devices that are safely vented.
Ensure that chemical filters and scrubbers are properly designed and rated for the intended application.
Conduct continuous H2S monitoring in areas where it may be liberated.
Do not use pressurized air to off-load NaHS solution.
Train miners on chemical hazards and emergency response procedures.
Use proper personal protective equipment during chemical handling.
For additional safe practices and precautions when handling NaHS, refer to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board‰??s Safety Bulletin No. 2003-03-B (November 2004).
In 2004, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent federal agency investigating chemical accidents, issued a report on ‰??preventing harm‰?? when using sodium hydrosulfide. It noted, ‰??Despite its pungent rotten egg odor, H2S can deaden the nerves that detect odors, thereby preventing those exposed from being able to smell life-threatening airborne concentrations. This condition is referred to as ‰??olfactory fatigue‰?? and must be considered when designing NaHS safety systems.‰??
---------------------------------------------
BILL TO DELAY OZONE LIMIT MOVES IN CONGRESS
Tags: industrial, discovery, response, ozone
A U.S. House of Representatives committee has approved a bill (H.R. 806) that would push back the deadline for states to meet a more stringent, health-based air quality limit for ground-level ozone to 2025, a delay of eight years. The legislation has the backing of a major chemical industry group, the American Chemistry Council, which is urging Congress to pass it quickly. ACC says the bill would make it easier for companies to get air pollution permits required to construct or expand industrial plants. EPA established the new standard of 70 ppb in 2015. The legislation would put that limit on ice and maintain a weaker standard of 75 ppb that the agency set in 2008. The legislation also would require EPA to review health-based air quality standards every 10 years instead of every five years, as the Clean Air Act now specifies. The House Energy & Commerce Committee approved the bill in a 29-24 party-line vote on June 28, sending it to the full House for consideration. The!
Senate is considering a similar bill (S. 263).
---------------------------------------------
COURT BLOCKS U.S. EPA FROM DELAYING METHANE LEAK RULES
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, methane
A federal appeals court has nixed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‰??s attempt to delay implementation of regulations to reduce methane leaks from oil and natural gas drilling and production.
Those Obama Administration regulations were years in preparation and apply only to new and modified oil and gas facilities. When they went into effect in August 2016, they were the first-ever federal regulations to reduce methane from this sector. They would capture some 460,000 metric tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, by 2025, EPA said last year. They do not apply to existing facilities, which number in the hundreds of thousands.
The Trump Administration in March called for a reexamination of these and other energy-related regulations. In April, after complaints from oil and gas producers, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt granted a 90-day delay to reconsider specific provisions of the methane rules. In June, Pruitt extended the delay for two years while EPA reconsiders the regulations in their entirety.
The court, agreeing with environmental groups that challenged EPA‰??s move, voided the delay on July 3, calling it ‰??arbitrary, capricious, [and] in excess of statutory ‰?| authority.‰?? The administrative record makes clear that EPA provided ample opportunities for the public to comment while the agency crafted the regulations, the court found. Putting them on hold during reconsideration is unnecessary, it said.
The court stressed that nothing in its opinion limits EPA‰??s authority to reconsider the rules and proceed with formal development of new methane leak regulations.
---------------------------------------------
WIRRAL TEENAGER SUFFERS BURNS IN SCHOOL LABORATORY ACCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
A 15-year-old student has been taken to hospital with burns after a lab accident at a school in Wallasey this morning.
Emergency services were called to St Mary‰??s College in Wallasey Village around 10 am.
A spokeswoman from the North West Ambulance service said: ‰??A few ambulances are still on the scene.
‰??A 15-year-old has been taken to Alder Hey Children‰??s hospital with burns following the accident.‰??
It is not yet know if any other children have been injured.
The fire service and police attended the scene but were not needed.
---------------------------------------------
TRI-TOWN ICE ARENA EVACUATED FOR AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_NH, public, release, response, ammonia
HOOKSETT ‰?? Tri-Town Ice Arena was evacuated after a reported gas leak inside Wednesday afternoon and will remain closed until the compressors on site are repaired.
Crews from the Hooksett Fire Department and the Manchester Fire Department‰??s Hazardous Materials Unit were on scene for hours after responding to the 311 W. River Road arena sometime after 2 p.m.
‰??We got there and were met by maintenance who told us they had an active leak in the mechanical room,‰?? said Hooksett Fire Chief James Burkush.
During the initial investigation, Burkush said that the three compressors used to freeze the ice were damaged and leaking the ammonia they use to run.
‰??There was more than one leak in that room,‰?? he said. ‰??It took us four or five hours to get that situation under control.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO PROPANE LEAK AT POPEYES
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, propane
ORANGE PARK, Fla. - Firefighters and a hazmat team were called Wednesday night to an active propane leak at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Orange Park, Clay County Emergency Management said.
Clay County fire units and the hazmat team responded about 8:40 p.m. to the fast-food restaurant on Blanding Boulevard.
About 30 minutes later, emergency management officials said, the leak was secured and the scene was turned over to the propane company.
There's no word yet on the cause of the leak or whether any nearby businesses were evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
WORKER INJURED BY TOXIC MIX OF CLEANING PRODUCTS
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, cleaners
A gas-station employee who combined two common cleaning agents suffered inhalation injuries Wednesday evening.
View Royal firefighters and B.C. Ambulance paramedics responded to the 6 Mile Shell station at 490 Island Highway for a hazardous-materials incident.
By mixing Comet cleaning product with bleach, the staff member created a ‰??highly toxic gas, similar in nature to chlorine or mustard gas,‰?? Fire Chief Paul Hurst said in an email. ‰??In this instance, she was very fortunate that she left the enclosed area when the gas formed. However, she was still exposed and suffered inhalation injuries. She was transported to Victoria General Hospital by ambulance.‰??
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS TEND TO CHEMICAL SPILL ON WILSON ROAD IN VALLEY STREAM
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
Valley Stream firefighters under the command of Chief James Ervolino responded to a major hazardous material spill in a garage on Wilson Road on June 27.
The chemical spill, which spread a caustic and dangerous vapor in the air, forced the evacuation of nearby homes and brought mutual fire assistance from the Nassau County Fire Marshal‰??s Hazmat Team as well as the Elmont, Malverne, Hewlett, and Rockville Centre fire departments.
Firefighters stretched hose lines from Valley Stream‰??s Engine 2 ‰?? because of the toxic fumes firefighters were forced to wear their breathing tanks to approach the garage.
Firefighters, who staged up the block from the garage, were at the scene for about nearly two hours until the Fire Marshal‰??s Hazmat Team was able to contain the chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
THE U.S. AIR FORCE'S UNIQUE CLIMATE TESTING LAB HAS BLOWN UP
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
The situation is still developing, but a massive explosion at the U.S. Air Force‰??s McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida prompted officials to issue a shelter in place order and set up a safety cordon around the facility. The service says it is still assessing situation.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time and created a massive smoke cloud visible for miles around the base. The plume potentially contained the noxious chemical methyl chloride, according to authorities.
‰??If in that area on base turn off your HVAC system,‰?? one Tweet from Eglin‰??s official account read. ‰??It has not [been] determined smoke contain[ed] methyl chloride,‰?? another social media post added at around 12:52 PM. ‰??Incident did occur in close proximity of chemical.‰??
---------------------------------------------
ON THE GENERAL MOTORS PLANT IN USA EXPLOSION THUNDERED: THERE ARE VICTIMS
Tags: us_MI, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Three people had been injured.
At the Assembly plant of General Motors in Detroit, USA, an explosion occurred, injuring three people.
Information about the explosion at the factory in Detroit received on Wednesday, July 5, at around 10 am. In place immediately left several crews of rescuers. At 10:30 rescuers said that the explosion seriously injured one person, three more escaped with minor injuries.
It soon became known and the cause of the explosion exploded the filter-pump in one of the shops. However, eyewitnesses of the explosion reported that during the incident in the shop was that could provoke a chemical reaction.
The management of General Motors has already announced that the incident at the plant in Detroit-Hamtramck has investigated and encouraged plant personnel to be more careful.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM NEUTRALIZES CHEMICAL SPILL IN NOVATO
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
NOVATO, CA ‰?? Firefighters called in the Marin County hazardous materials team to neutralize a chemical spill in Novato this morning, according to a spokeswoman for the Novato Fire Protection District.
A person walking a dog on Fernando Drive smelled a strong odor around a vehicle and called 911 around 4 a.m., according to fire spokeswoman Sandy Wargo.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they observed a spill inside the vehicle, Wargo said.
"Per protocol, we stepped that up to a hazardous materials call," Wargo said.
After talking to the property owner, they determined that the chemical in question was less than a gallon of hydrochloric acid.
"People at the home are doing some construction and clean-up, and that can be used to clean up countertops and concrete," Wargo said.
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