Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 18, 2017 at 5:28:49 AM
A membership benefit of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
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Table of Contents (21 articles)
MULTIPLE PEOPLE SICK AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL ODOR AT NORTHSIDE INDIANAPOLIS SCHOOL
Tags: us_IN, education, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
FIRE INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR CAUSE OF LINCOLN HOME EXPLOSION
Tags: us_NE, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
CHEMICAL SPILL ON TINKER CREEK REVEALED A GAP IN REGULATION
Tags: us_VA, public, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
MEETING NOTES CAST DOUBT ON DEQ SECRETARY'S GENX STATEMENTS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
CREWS INVESTIGATE FOR CHEMICAL THAT SPARKED GREEN SMOKE
Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, injury, waste
PLANT EXPLOSION INJURES 2 PEOPLE IN BOSSIER PARISH
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, flammables
PITTSFIELD MAN SUFFERS SERIOUS INJURIES AFTER FIREWORK EXPLODES IN HAND
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
NEW: FIVE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT NEAR DISNEY
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, cleaners
ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT MAMOU POST OFFICE
Tags: us_LA, public, release, injury, pesticides
FUMES FROM CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE SEND 3 OFFICERS TO LOCAL HOSPITAL
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, clandestine_lab
FIVE KIDS HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT SUMMERVILLE POOL
Tags: us_SC, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
CHILD BURNED BY UNKNOWN CHEMICAL WHILE PLAYING IN GRANDPARENT'S YARD
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
BURKE COUNTY DEPUTY BECOMES SICK AFTER ANSWERING CALL AT OLD CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
TRUMP‰??S EPA MAY BE WEAKENING CHEMICAL SAFETY LAW
Tags: us, public, followup, environmental
ST. CLAIRSVILLE RESEARCHING NEW SYSTEM AFTER CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_wv, industrial, follow-up, water_treatment
PORTERVILLE FOREST SERVICE STATION EVACUATED BY HAZMAT
Tags: us_ca, public, discovery, response, ag_chems
APPVION EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_wi, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
AMMONIA LEAK BRINGS EMERGENCY CREWS TO SUBURBAN YORK FILTER PLANT
Tags: us_pa, industrial, release, response, ammonia
5 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT SOUTHWEST SIDE FEDEX FACILITY
Tags: us_in, industrial, release, injuries, dust
RFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_ky, industrial, release, response, chlorine
7 SICKENED WHILE CLEANING TANKER ON SOUTHWEST SIDE
Tags: us_in, industrial, release, injuries, water_treatment
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MULTIPLE PEOPLE SICK AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL ODOR AT NORTHSIDE INDIANAPOLIS SCHOOL
Tags: us_IN, education, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
INDIANAPOLIS ‰?? Multiple people were taken to the hospital after a chemical odor was detected inside a school on Indy‰??s north side Thursday afternoon.
Indianapolis Fire Department Public Information Officer Rita Reith said the incident happened at the Indiana School For The Blind and Visually Impaired in the 7700 block of N. College Avenue around 3 p.m.
When medics arrived, they found multiple people outside with several students and adults reporting difficulty breathing.
Two adults were treated on scene by medics and three adults were taken to St. Vincent Hospital. No children were harmed.
Firefighters said 24 staff members and 24 students were inside the building during the time of the incident.
Marion County Public Health Department officials said the odor was caused by standing water that drained from an HVAC compressor. The system's compressor releases dump water that rests at the bottom of a tray, which gives off a brief odor from the air, oil and water. The school had a new system installed over the summer.
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FIRE INVESTIGATORS LOOK FOR CAUSE OF LINCOLN HOME EXPLOSION
Tags: us_NE, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
LINCOLN, NEB.
A team of fire investigators is trying to determine the cause of a natural gas explosion in Lincoln that damaged nearly 20 homes and gave two people life-threatening injuries.
Investigators and Lincoln police spent a second day searching rubble for reasons behind Monday's home explosion. Investigators didn't find any evidence Tuesday of an external gas leak, and Black Hills Energy officials reported no issues with its service lines to the home.
"What we're after is we're looking at the connections," said Bill Moody, chief fire investigator.
Moody said that once investigators find the leak's source, they'll try to determine if a mechanical failure, accident or foul play triggered the blast.
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CHEMICAL SPILL ON TINKER CREEK REVEALED A GAP IN REGULATION
Tags: us_VA, public, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
A chemical that killed more than 40,000 fish in Tinker Creek is no longer in the water, but questions remain about how it got there.
Critics say Termix 5301, an agricultural-use chemical that leaked from a plastic storage tank sitting outside of a Botetourt County business, is not covered by state or federal regulations that might have prevented the disaster.
When the tank was punctured, its location on a sloped, paved surface that served as a storage area at Crop Production Services allowed the highly toxic chemical to flow unimpeded off the property and eventually into Tinker Creek the morning of July 29 ‰?? causing the Roanoke region‰??s worst fish kill in recent years.
Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, said he is concerned there are no government permits or regulations that would have required a safer form of storage.
‰??It‰??s just crazy that a chemical that can be that devastating does not have some kind of regulation around the parameters of its storage,‰?? Rasoul said. ‰??Everyone that I‰??ve talked to has agreed that more needs to be done as far as regulation.‰??
Rasoul said he has spoken to David Paylor, director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, about the need for additional oversight. It‰??s unclear whether that would come from within the agency or through legislation, he said.
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MEETING NOTES CAST DOUBT ON DEQ SECRETARY'S GENX STATEMENTS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
WILMINGTON, NC (WBTV) -
Documents obtained by WBTV appear to shed new light on the situation involving a toxic chemical that has been found in the drinking water supply in Wilmington and surrounding communities.
The chemical, referred to as GenX, is manufactured by the company Chemours - a company spun off from Dupont - at a plant outside of Fayetteville, upstream from Wilmington on the Cape Fear River.
GenX is used to make Teflon. The chemical has been made at the plant outside Fayetteville since 2009 but public alarm about the presence of GenX in the water supply was raised earlier this summer after the Wilmington Star News reported on a 2016 study that found the chemical in the treated drinking water supply.
Since that time, regulators, politicians and the company that makes GenX have pointed fingers and attempted to pass blame for who is responsible for the chemical turning up in drinking water with practically nobody noticing.
In an interview with the Star News in June, Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan cleared Chemours of any wrongdoing over the GenX disposal.
‰??What we have here is a situation where the company is not breaking the law,‰?? he said.
But it‰??s not clear what basis Regan was using to determine the company‰??s compliance with the law. The chemical compound for GenX does not appear in any of the company‰??s discharge permits.
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CREWS INVESTIGATE FOR CHEMICAL THAT SPARKED GREEN SMOKE
Tags: us_TX, transportation, fire, injury, waste
AMARILLO, TX (KFDA) -
The Amarillo Fire Department was called to investigate a suspicious chemical after green smoke was seen pouring out the back of a trash truck.
Around 1:20 p.m, 911 received a call about green smoke seen coming out of the back of a trash truck near the intersection of Dowell and Indian Hill Road.
Potter County Fire responded to the scene first and was later joined by the Amarillo Fire Department for additional support.
The driver of the Waste Wranglers truck reported feeling nauseous, so paramedics were called and he was rushed to the hospital. He is expected to be okay.
Trash from inside the truck was dumped out so hazmat crews could search through it for any suspicious chemicals.
No evacuations were ordered.
Amarillo Fire Captain Larry Davis says the suspicious smoke posed no threat for residents. After the initial cloud, the chemical did not smoke again.
Crews monitored the atmosphere for any lingering chemicals and none were found. Strong northerly winds are believed to have helped air out the area.
The scene was turned over to Waste Wranglers who picked up the trash before hauling it off the landfill along with the truck.
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PLANT EXPLOSION INJURES 2 PEOPLE IN BOSSIER PARISH
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, flammables
An explosion seriously injures two men at a gas processing plant in Bossier Parish.
The blast happened just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in an open area outside of Empresa Energy in Benton.
Fire officials said there was a 'sizeable' explosion and the two men were burned over fifty percent of their bodies. They were transported to an area hospital.
The company makes refrigerant gas using liquified petroleum gas and natural gas at the site.
It is believed one of the workers bumped a valve that released a flammable gas which then encountered a flame or spark setting off the explosion.
Benton firefighters were able to contain the flames in 15 minutes. There were no evacuations as the site is in a remote area of Benton.
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PITTSFIELD MAN SUFFERS SERIOUS INJURIES AFTER FIREWORK EXPLODES IN HAND
Tags: us_MA, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) ‰?? A Pittsfield man is facing serious injuries after police say a large firework exploded in his hand Wednesday morning.
Pittsfield Police said they received calls about a loud bang and someone screaming outside of a home on View Street in Pittsfield around 7:45 a.m.
Police and firefighters found a 33-year-old Pittsfield man with severe injuries to his hand at the home.
The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad Unit, State Fire Marshal‰??s Office, District 4 Hazmat teams, and ATF agents responded and assisted Pittsfield Police with the investigation.
They determined that the man suffered his injuries when the firework exploded in his hands.
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NEW: FIVE INJURED AFTER CHEMICAL ACCIDENT NEAR DISNEY
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, cleaners
A chemical reaction near Walt Disney World left five people injured.
The explosion occurred at the Park Inn by the Radison resort, located at 3011 Maingate Lane near the U.S. Highway 192 tourist area, at around 8:15 a.m. today, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Authorities said a worker mixed bleach and chlorine in a laundry room, the Sentinel reported.
The building was evacuated and the Osceola County Fire Rescue hazmat team responded to the scene. The worker and three others from the hotel were taken to a hospital, and another person was treated at the hotel, according to the Sentinel.
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ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT MAMOU POST OFFICE
Tags: us_LA, public, release, injury, pesticides
MAMOU, La. -
The Mamou Post Office is now open following a chemical spill Wednesday.
Four employees got sick from chemical fumes and were sent to a hospital for treatment, according to Gerry Reed, Dist. Fire Chief for Mamou.
Officials say about a quart of a termite insecticide leaked from a cardboard box where the chemical was being stored. The fire department was able to clean the spill within 20 minutes, stated the chief. In addition to the fire department cleaning the spill, a crew was dispatched from Baton Rouge to inspect the air quality. The tests came back clear.
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FUMES FROM CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE SEND 3 OFFICERS TO LOCAL HOSPITAL
Tags: us_TX, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, clandestine_lab
BELLMEAD, Texas (KWTX) Three officers were released from the hospital after being exposed to a chemical while searching a vehicle Tuesday evening.
A theft was reported at the Walmart store on the I-35 access road in Bellmead, according to Sgt. Kory Martin with the Bellmead Police Department.
Shortly afterward, a Bellmead sergeant spotted a vechicle matching the description of the one in the theft and tried to pull the driver over but he wouldn't stop.
Martin says the passenger eventually convinced the driver to pull over.
Three male officers arrived to search the vehicle and when they did they discovered a jar containing an unknown substance.
When they opened it, Martin says all three officers became ill and were transported to the hospital by ambulance.
An onsite test showed the substance tested negative for methamphetamine which raised concerns it could be Fentanyl which can cause serious illness, Martin said.
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FIVE KIDS HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE AT SUMMERVILLE POOL
Tags: us_SC, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) ‰?? Five children were taken to Summerville Medical Center on Wednesday after officials say they were made sick by chemicals released into a community pool they were swimming in.
Dorchester County EMS officials say the children were swimming in the Ashborough Subdivision Pool on Ashborough Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, when they were exposed to chemicals.
Rescue workers found seven kids between 5 and 12 years old coughing and complaining of feeling sick. Five of the kids were taken to the hospital for evaluation, while two others remained with their parents in good condition, EMS officials say.
Officials believe the chemicals involved were sulfuric acid and aquatic bleach, two common pool cleaning chemicals. Officials think the chemicals likely were released after a malfunction in the pool.
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CHILD BURNED BY UNKNOWN CHEMICAL WHILE PLAYING IN GRANDPARENT'S YARD
Tags: us_TX, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas - A six-year-old boy was burned when another child threw an unknown chemical into a small fire.
According to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, the children were playing near a small fire and when the chemical was thrown on, it caused a flash fire. Deputies say several young family members and friends were playing in their grandparent's yard Wednesday on SH 146N when the accident occurred.
The sheriff's office says the boy sustained what is thought to be non-life threatening burns to his upper torso. He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment
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BURKE COUNTY DEPUTY BECOMES SICK AFTER ANSWERING CALL AT OLD CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_NC, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
MORGANTON, N.C. (WLOS) ‰?? A Burke County deputy got sick after responding to a break-in at an old chemical plant that's been closed for nearly 10 years.
The deputy had breathing problems after leaving the plant north of Morganton. Authorities believe he may have been exposed to chemicals on the site.
The deputy was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released. He's doing better and plans to be back at work Friday.
Authorities are working to determine what caused the reaction.
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TRUMP‰??S EPA MAY BE WEAKENING CHEMICAL SAFETY LAW
Tags: us, public, followup, environmental
Asbestos, trichloroethylene, pigment violet 29‰??these are just three of thousands of chemicals the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing for risks to human health and ecosystems under the revamped Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Congress overhauled the chemical safety law last summer, with wide bipartisan and industry support. Many viewed the legislation as a much-needed update to old, feeble regulations. Now, though, the Trump administration may be undermining the reformed law.
After Congress amended the old chemical safety act, it tasked the EPA with writing what are called the ‰??framework‰?? rules for how the agency will implement the reformed law. Outside experts and environmental groups express deep concern that the EPA‰??s new framework rules for TSCA, which took effect in July, could seriously subvert the law‰??s purpose in favor of industry. ‰??These are major rules that will set the conditions for how TSCA is implemented‰??potentially for the next few decades,‰?? says Noah Sachs, director of the University of Richmond Law School‰??s Center for Environmental Studies.
The TSCA framework rules establish formal guidelines for how the EPA will assess tens of thousands of existing chemicals. For the most part, they specify how the agency will prioritize and evaluate chemicals for risks. The Obama administration had already proposed a version of the rules. The current administration took over and finalized them‰??but not without significantly rewriting them first. ‰??The law is much, much less stringent‰?? with the latest rules, says Rena Steinzor, a professor of law at the University of Maryland.
One of the most controversial parts of the framework is how the EPA changed a key term known as the ‰??conditions of use.‰?? It defines which applications of a chemical the EPA will examine in risk evaluations. For a given chemical, usages could range widely‰??from a consumer product like a kitchen countertop cleaner to various business and industrial applications. ‰??Uses are critical, because they define exposure‰?? to people and the environment, Steinzor says.
The Obama administration interpreted ‰??conditions of use‰?? broadly, experts say, but Pres. Trump‰??s EPA has significantly narrowed the term. For instance, the definition now excludes ‰??legacy‰?? applications‰??a past use of a chemical that has been discontinued. One example of this is a class of chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers used as flame retardants, which were added to furniture cushions until recently. Experts say the EPA still needs to consider exposure to these legacy uses. ‰??When you‰??re assessing a chemical, it‰??s important to look at all the uses to understand the actual risk in the real world,‰?? says Richard Denison, a lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. That‰??s because previous or ongoing exposure to a legacy use of a chemical could complicate a person‰??s exposure to the chemical‰??s present-day uses. ‰??You have to recognize that the way someone responds to a new risk is partly based on what else they‰??ve already be!
en exposed to,‰?? Denison says. Sachs agrees: ‰??Congress‰??s concern is about aggregate exposure, and that makes sense, because that‰??s what matters to human health,‰?? he notes. ‰??If this rule stands, it is a weakening of TSCA and not at all what Congress intended.‰??
Karyn Schmidt, senior director of Chemical Regulation, Regulatory and Technical Affairs at the industry group American Chemistry Council (ACC), disagrees. ‰??It‰??s clear that the legacy uses are cases where EPA does not think it needs to prioritize its resources,‰?? she says.
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE RESEARCHING NEW SYSTEM AFTER CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_wv, industrial, follow-up, water_treatment
St. Clairsville Mayor Terry Pugh said an engineer is evaluating how the city may be able to move away from using chlorine at its wastewater treatment plant ‰?? or at least find a safer method of using the chemical.
A chlorine leak occurred at the plant on Monday due to a leak in a tank holding the chemical. On Aug. 4, a different leak occurred involving sulfur dioxide, due to a cracked hose, Pugh said. All hoses in that area were replaced after that incident.
Pugh said Tuesday that the city will be receiving a new batch of chlorine cylinders today from its vendor.
Sewage plant workers also have been retrained on how to inspect the chlorine components and how to connect them properly.
‰??The problem we had yesterday had nothing to do with the plumbing of the plant. It had to do with the leak in the cylinder. We returned all of them to the company and asked them to inspect them. New ones are being brought in,‰?? Pugh said.
He noted that since the plant, built in 1983, is not manned 24 hours a day, the audible alarm activated by the chlorine leak was not heard by anyone until employees arrived Monday morning for work. He said the plant was checked by a worker on Sunday and no alarm was going off at that time. Pugh said crews are fixing it so the alarm also will be heard at the police station, which is manned 24 hours a day, instead of just at the plant itself.
Pugh said the long-term plan is to seek funding or grants for the potential purchase of an ultraviolet light treatment system for the plant that would eliminate the need to use chlorine in the final disinfection process. Sulfur dioxide also is part of the final process, because it takes the chlorine back out of the water before it is released into a stream.
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PORTERVILLE FOREST SERVICE STATION EVACUATED BY HAZMAT
Tags: us_ca, public, discovery, response, ag_chems
Hazmat crews responded to the U.S. Forest Service Station in Porterville on Tuesday.
Crews were called just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after a citizen brought in Carbofuran to the station located off Highway 190.
Carbofuran is a pesticide which has been banned in the U.S. since 2009. The chemical is highly toxic if ingested, according to the World Health Organization.
Visalia Hazmat is working with California Highway Patrol to clear the area of the pesticide.
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APPVION EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_wi, industrial, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) -- A chemical leak at Appvion in Appleton prompts an evacuation and shut down Wisconsin Avenue for a few hours Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Appleton Fire Department, crews responded to the paper plant around 2 p.m. after a report of a sodium hydroxide leak in the basement.
Fire officials say workers had contained the leak to the building and the fire department HazMat team helped dilute the chemical. The leak started because a hose broke.
Sodium hydroxide can severely irritate skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
Crews were on scene for about three hours.
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AMMONIA LEAK BRINGS EMERGENCY CREWS TO SUBURBAN YORK FILTER PLANT
Tags: us_pa, industrial, release, response, ammonia
An ammonia discharge from a York Water Co. filter plant near York brought hazmat crews to the scene Tuesday, but there was no impact on the water supply, company officials said.
The filter plant is on the 1300 block of Grantley Road in Spring Garden Township.
Ammonia is used to help disinfect the water, and the discharge occurred late Tuesday morning when a water company vendor was filling the tank, York Water President and CEO Jeffrey Hines said Tuesday.
There were no injuries, he said.
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5 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT SOUTHWEST SIDE FEDEX FACILITY
Tags: us_in, industrial, release, injuries, dust
INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Decatur Township Fire Department officials say that five people are recovering after they became sick due a chemical spill at the FedEx Freight facility on Decatur Blvd. early Tuesday.
Officials say the spill happened while crews were attempting to move containers of a powder that is used as some type of coating material.
While moving the powder, one of the containers punctured, sending powder into the air.
Five people became ill because of the powder. They went to St. Francis Hospital in Mooresville complaining of nausea and vomiting. Firefighers say they are expected to be OK.
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RFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_ky, industrial, release, response, chlorine
The Russellville Fire Department responded to a chlorine leak at the City Corporation water treatment facility at 100 Jimmy Lile Road at approximately 10:04 a.m. on Monday. According to a release from the department, the leak was discovered during routine maintenance from a one-ton cylinder of chlorine.
The department's HazMat technicians entered the area at approximately 11 a.m. and stopped the leak using an emergency-B kit, a procedure involving replacing the regulating valve. According to the fire department, there is no further leaking and less than five pounds of chlorine were released, posing no risk to the public.
Further, the the department said there was never a risk of the chemical entering the water supply since it was at a non-potable treatment facility.
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7 SICKENED WHILE CLEANING TANKER ON SOUTHWEST SIDE
Tags: us_in, industrial, release, injuries, water_treatment
INDIANAPOLIS -- At least seven people were exposed to a chemical on Indianapolis' southwest side Tuesday afternoon.
A representative from the Decatur Township Fire Department said some employees were cleaning out a tanker near a building in the 5300 block of Decatur Boulevard and started feeling sick.
Seven were being evaluated, but nobody has been taken to the hospital.
The incident happened on the Cloud Blue side of the building shared by Rolls Royce and Cloud Blue.
Vice President of Public Affairs for Rolls Royce said none of the employees complained or were sickened by the odor and the facility was evacuated as a precautionary measure.
He said the "Decatur Township Fire Department provided an air quality check, and we received an ‰??all clear‰?? signal from them and employees returned to the building."
The tanker contained reverse osmosis rejected water.
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