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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (23 articles)
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2017 07:11:47 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 052852A5-918E-4177-B838-37A1CEF42A20**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 29, 2017 at 7:11:28 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 (23 articles)
2ND EXPLOSION IN YEAR AT GLENVILLE PLANT ELEVATES CONCERNS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, cleaners, kerosene
MYSTERIOUS HAZMAT INCIDENT AT NORTH SHORE MEDICAL CENTER IN SALEM
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, ag_chems
OVER 250 VILLAGERS EVACUATED AFTER CHLORINE LEAK IN MELAKA
Tags: Malaysia, public, release, response, chlorine, wastes
DOES FIREFIGHTER GROSS DECON WORK?
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
US DESTROYS OLD CHEMICAL WEAPONS LEFT IN PANAMA
Tags: Panama, public, discovery, environmental, phosgene
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR EXPLOSION AT AUGUSTA CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
EX-WRIGLEY WORKERS SUE OVER EXPOSURE TO FLAVORING CHEMICALS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
HOUSTON RESIDENTS NEAR CHEMICAL PLANT REMAIN UNDER HEALTH ADVISORY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
AT TRUMP MEETING, ACTIVISTS FEAR CHEMICAL LOBBY
Tags: Thailand, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
KOKOMO POLICE TRYING TO DETERMINE CHEMICAL THAT HOSPITALIZED 9 OFFICERS
Tags: us_IN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
DOW CHEMICAL CO. HAD 23 CITATIONS ISSUED IN FEBRUARY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION FROM DSM PLANT LEAVES 1 DEAD, 2 INJURED
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
WRISTBANDS PROVIDE WINDOW INTO CHEMICAL EXPOSURE FOLLOWING HARVEY
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT EAST CHARLOTTE CHEMICAL COMPANY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
TATTOO INKS GO MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, dye, metals, titanium
CHINA INCREASES THE PRESSURE ON CHEMICAL PRODUCERS
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental
ROCHESTER FIRE DEPARTMENT CLEANS UP EMERSON STREET HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
OVERHEATED CHEMICAL PROMPTS EVACUATIONS AT CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Tags: us_MD, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
4 SAGINAW VALLEY STATE STUDENTS HAVE REACTIONS TO CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, injury, phenol
UPDATED: 8 KPD OFFICERS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL, ANOTHER TREATED, AFTER ENCOUNTERING 'CHEMICAL AGENT' WHILE SERVING DRUG WARRANT
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, clandestine_lab
SCIENCE EAST CHEMICAL SPILL SENDS NINE TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, injury, phenol
CAUSE OF CHEMICAL STENCH STILL A MYSTERY, ENVIRONMENT NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Singapore, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
HARRIS COUNTY TO SUE ARKEMA OVER CROSBY EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
---------------------------------------------
2ND EXPLOSION IN YEAR AT GLENVILLE PLANT ELEVATES CONCERNS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, cleaners, kerosene
GLENVILLE ‰?? Mohawk Asphalt Emulsions is facing pressure from authorities after a second explosion in less than a year rocked the plant Thursday.
In response to the blast, the company ‰?? part of The Gorman Group ‰?? announced Thursday afternoon that it would no longer manufacture a kerosene solution that was part of the early morning blast and fire.
Firefighters on Thursday night were not available to disclose the cause of the explosion.
But company officials believe a heater operating inside the plant caused a cleaning solution containing the kerosene to overheat and catch fire, according to a statement released by company attorney Frank C. O'Connor III.
"To prevent this in the future, Gorman will no longer manufacture the kerosene solution at this facility," O'Connor's statement read.
The 6:30 a.m. explosion and fire destroyed a fuel tank at Mohawk Asphalt. Nobody was injured, but it was the second major incident at the Freemans Bridge Road plant since last October.
A tanker truck exploded at Mohawk Asphalt on Oct. 17 and severely hurt two men who later died of their injuries. A third man also was hurt in the explosion.
---------------------------------------------
MYSTERIOUS HAZMAT INCIDENT AT NORTH SHORE MEDICAL CENTER IN SALEM
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, ag_chems
SALEM, MA ‰?? The first responders who came to to the aid of a person who had been exposed to an unknown substance, ended up having to go through a decontamination process along with the patient at the North Shore Medical Center on Highland Avenue Thursday evening, according to multiple reports.
A dispatch first reported that exposure to Fentanyl triggered the alarm, just after 4 :30 p.m. But it turned out to be some sort of pesticide, according to the hospital, NBC News appears to have first reported.
Apparently a patient‰??s symptoms, which included itching and a rash, triggered the response and out of caution the medical center had decontamination crews assist putting the patient and first responders through the process when they, too, came up with the symptoms, the Salem News reported.
---------------------------------------------
OVER 250 VILLAGERS EVACUATED AFTER CHLORINE LEAK IN MELAKA
Tags: Malaysia, public, release, response, chlorine, wastes
MELAKA: A chemical leak from several discarded drums forced over 250 villagers at Kampung Tambak Paya to evacuate late Thursday.
At least 24 villagers and three Fire and Rescue Department personnel were rushed to the Melaka Hospital after they experienced breathing difficulties due to the leak. All of them were given outpatient treatment.
State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Abdul Jalil Hassan said the drums, believed to be holding chlorine, were found inside an abandoned house in the area.
He said police would investigate the drums based on the serial numbers found on them.
"We will wait for a detailed report from the Fire and Rescue Department before expanding our scope of investigation.
"Based on the serial numbers of the drums, we will be able to identify the industry that uses the substance and whether the drums were deliberately dumped at the village," he said.
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DOES FIREFIGHTER GROSS DECON WORK?
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
The increased risks of several types of cancer are well recognized throughout the fire service. Carcinogens as byproducts of combustion enter firefighters‰?? skin through PPE penetration, cross transfer from PPE to the skin, inhalation in the environment and gear off-gassing. This has become even more hazardous with the increasing use of synthetic materials in home furnishings and buildings.
It has been suggested that gross decon ‰?? cleaning gear on the fireground ‰?? may be an effective way to decrease carcinogen exposure for firefighters. However, little is known about how effective the practice is, so the question has remained: does gross decon work?
The short answer is yes.
The longer answer, and the data behind it, can be found in a recently released study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene by Dr. Kenneth Fent and colleagues. Their work was sponsored by the Assistance to Firefighter Grants Research and Development program in collaboration with the CDC.
---------------------------------------------
US DESTROYS OLD CHEMICAL WEAPONS LEFT IN PANAMA
Tags: Panama, public, discovery, environmental, phosgene
The United States has started destroying a stock of old, World War II-era chemical weapons it left in Panama decades ago, the foreign ministry said.
"The operation started in mid-September to destroy the chemical munitions located on San Jose island" off Panama's southern coast, the ministry's director for legal affairs, Farah Urrutia, said late Wednesday.
US specialists were working with Panamanian counterparts to carry out the task, she added.
The project is supported by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The eight bombs being disposed of were uncovered on the island in 2002 during an OPCW inspection.
US tests of mustard gas, phosgene and other chemical weapons for possible use in WWII and the Vietnam War were alleged to have been carried out on the island. The United States maintained military bases in Panama from the time it completed the Panama Canal in 1914 until its withdrawal in 1999.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR EXPLOSION AT AUGUSTA CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
A day after an explosion at a DSM chemical plant in Augusta killed one and injured two others, officials could not give specifics on a possible cause.
Augusta Fire Chief Chris James said Wednesday that the explosion was caused by a welding accident.
A city spokesperson said Thursday a ‰??stationary liquid tank‰?? exploded but could not say whether the three involved were welding near, or on it.
‰??We don‰??t know if they were actually welding on that specific tank that exploded or if they were welding near the tank,‰?? said Jody Smitherman, a senior staff attorney with the city‰??s law office. ‰??But we do know that heat and or spark from the welding is what caused the explosion.‰??
---------------------------------------------
EX-WRIGLEY WORKERS SUE OVER EXPOSURE TO FLAVORING CHEMICALS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
It has been a decade since Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. closed its Chicago chewing gum factory, but former employee Gwendolyn Carter lives with a constant reminder of the years she spent at Ashland Avenue and 35th Street, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Carter worked at the South Side plant from 2001 to 2006, doing housekeeping throughout the manufacturing plant, according to her lawsuit. Today, she suffers from respiratory problems she blames on frequent workplace exposure to flavoring chemicals such as diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, her suit says.
Carter is among almost two dozen individuals ‰?? most of them former workers at the Wrigley facility ‰?? who earlier this month sued about 15 companies involved in the distribution of flavoring chemicals. Carter suffers from reactive airway disease and occupational asthma, according to her lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
The ailments of the individuals filings the lawsuits provide only a whiff of the potential safety problems from flavoring chemicals.
Past reports of clusters of respiratory diseases have been associated with popcorn manufacturing plants, leading to the term "popcorn lung," according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
‰??Although much of the research and attention has been focused on butter flavorings, employees who are involved in the use or manufacture of other types of flavorings, such as strawberry, caramel, vanilla, and butterscotch, may also be at risk,‰?? OSHA says on its website.
---------------------------------------------
HOUSTON RESIDENTS NEAR CHEMICAL PLANT REMAIN UNDER HEALTH ADVISORY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
A month after a Houston chemical plant flooded and caught fire, nearby residents are still under a health advisory. Multiple investigations are looking into what went wrong.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
And more than a month after Hurricane Harvey, there are still questions about a flooded chemical plant that caught fire near Houston. Environmental regulators are still investigating. And now nearby residents have joined a lawsuit against the company that owns it. Travis Bubenik of Houston Public Media has this update.
TRAVIS BUBENIK, BYLINE: In the flood-ravaged neighborhood near the plant, driveways are still lined with ruined furniture. Philip Mincey's home was among those flooded during Harvey. But the trouble didn't stop there. As the waters rose, chemicals at the Arkema plant were at risk of exploding. Authorities ordered Mincey and his neighbors to leave.
PHILIP MINCEY: They made it sound like it was blowing up right then. So everybody was trying to save their stuff and wasn't given the opportunity to.
BUBENIK: Some nearby residents and first responders are now suing Arkema. They claim they got sick from toxic fumes the company didn't warn them about. People here are still being told to drink only bottled water and wear protective clothing as pollution monitoring continues. Lawyers handling the case wouldn't make the plaintiffs available for an interview, but they're seeking more than a million dollars in damages. Mincey is not part of the lawsuit.
MINCEY: For me, money is not the end-of-the-day issue. I want them to help me out a little bit, but I want to feel like they're sorry.
BUBENIK: In a statement, Arkema says it will, quote, "vigorously defend against a lawsuit that we believe is gravely mistaken," end quote. The company insists it's been working to get locals affected by the evacuation the help they need, though Mincey says they've been hard to reach. Even before the fires started, during Harvey, Arkema's CEO Rich Rowe did have a message.
---------------------------------------------
AT TRUMP MEETING, ACTIVISTS FEAR CHEMICAL LOBBY
Tags: Thailand, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems
An activist group has voiced concerns that Thailand will be forced to allow the use of more dangerous pesticides after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's trip to the US next week.
FTA Watch coordinator Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul said the US does not want Thailand to prohibit paraquat and chlorpyrifos, or limit the use of the herbicide glyphosate, all of which have been banned by many countries.
"Thailand announced a goal of being the world's kitchen but it ranks as the No 6 importer of paraquat globally. Giant American companies may take the chance to pressure Thailand not to ban it," she said.
Sanitsuda commentary: Ban these toxic chemicals
She also said the US had pressured Thailand to amend its laws on intellectual property rights to accept registration of patents too easily, even when they lack innovation, while the US dominates pharmaceutical intellectual property rights.
"Just these two issues can ruin Thailand's research and development and increase the burden on public health. It will also destroy Thailand's competitiveness. We hope the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] government will not trade the lives of people with the acceptance of the US," she said.
---------------------------------------------
KOKOMO POLICE TRYING TO DETERMINE CHEMICAL THAT HOSPITALIZED 9 OFFICERS
Tags: us_IN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
KOKOMO, Ind (WISH) ‰?? All nine Kokomo officers are now out of the hospital, and some are back on the job after being exposed to a hazardous chemical while serving a search warrant. It happened Tuesday at a home on the 1800 block of Wabash Avenue.
The Kokomo Police Department is now working with Indiana State Police to try and determine what the chemical was. It has been sent to a State Police lab for testing. Two suspects were also hospitalized.
Police aren‰??t sure what exactly the chemical is, but said it was more than just dangerous, it could‰??ve been deadly.
Police went in and came right back out. Their skin was burning. They were dizzy and had trouble breathing after being exposed to the unknown chemical.
‰??When we made entry, I don‰??t know if they were trying to get rid of it, or the suspected chemical, the drugs. But somehow it set off a reaction. I don‰??t know if it was intentional. That‰??s what we‰??re looking into,‰?? said Major Brian Seldon of the Kokomo Police Department.
---------------------------------------------
DOW CHEMICAL CO. HAD 23 CITATIONS ISSUED IN FEBRUARY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46 WJZY - Almost two dozen citations have been issued within the past year at a north Charlotte chemical plant where there was a fire early Wednesday morning.
There was an active chemical leak when firefighters arrived at The Dow Chemical Company on Orr Road forcing evacuations of plant workers.
The cause of the fire was a thermal reaction inside a drum that contained the chemical divinylbenzene, according to the Charlotte Fire Department. Firefighters say the drum over pressurized and caught fire. The fire has been ruled an accident.
No one was hurt and there was no environmental damage, according to officials. But some workers at neighboring businesses were concerned that they didn't get notified about the fire.
‰??Obviously they do produce a lot of dangerous chemicals so of course, it is, the first importance is to inform everyone,‰?? Abi Kasthurirangan said.
In February 2017, The Dow Chemical Company on Orr Road was issued 23 citations, classified as "serious" and a fine of $38,850, according to the North Carolina Department of Labor. The citations were related to the company's plan for how chemicals are handled, stored and managed, based on a random inspection of the plant in September 2016 by the Department of Labor.
Dow Chemical has contested the findings, according to the Department of Labor, which says the outcome of that has not yet been resolved.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION FROM DSM PLANT LEAVES 1 DEAD, 2 INJURED
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) -
New Details from a chemical explosion at DSM Chemical Plant along Columbia Nitrogen Drive. 29-year-old Steven Gonsalves was killed during a welding explosion that also injured 2 other people.
Investigators say it was a welding accident that caused the blast and killed 29-year-old Steven Gonsalves. "As far as the Safety and Health of the community at this point, everything is under control," says Augusta Fire Chief Chris James.
He says nearby residents and workers who were in the plant can rest easy as there's no reports of chemical leakage. And Chief James says when Crews arrived they were met by a plant specialist who said it was safe to enter. "There was no danger of carbon monoxide or anything you'll get from burning or nothing like that, you didn't have to put on an air pack to be in that area."
Initially when fire crews arrived, the fire was already out and workers were already evacuated. "The area was taped off and kind of quiet around that area so the workers themselves not affected by it kind of moved away."
DSM released a statement saying in part the root of the cause of the accident is not yet known and rather than speculating, we will wait until the investigation is complete. On top of the mandatory safety investigation by OSHA, DSM says it is conducting its own investigation that took one its workers lives and changed 2 others.
---------------------------------------------
WRISTBANDS PROVIDE WINDOW INTO CHEMICAL EXPOSURE FOLLOWING HARVEY
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Pamela Johnson tells an all too familiar story about trying to protect herself while cleaning her mother's flood-damaged northeast Houston home.
"I put gloves on. We put on masks; we put on things to cover your feet, too," said Johnson.
She has never met Baylor College of Medicine researcher, Dr. Melissa Bondy, but they share the same concern about the cleanup following Hurricane Harvey. No one is sure about what chemicals individuals might have been exposed to in floodwaters and during the cleanup.
Dr. Bondy is one of the researchers using simple silicone wristbands to test exposure to chemicals. Study participants wear the wristbands for a week.
"You don't take it off," Bondy told Eyewitness News. "It picks up about 1,500 chemicals."
There are about 200 participants all over the region, like Dean Edwards, who lives in Bellaire.
"We lived there (at home) the whole time. We lived upstairs so we've been exposed to the worst part of the cleanup and now we're living in it," said Edwards.
Testing of the wristbands will happen through Oregon State University. However, study participants also complete a questionnaire, and give samples, like nasal swabs, to test exposure to bacteria and mold. Researchers hope to keep testing over several months.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT EAST CHARLOTTE CHEMICAL COMPANY
Tags: us_NC, industrial, fire, response, other_chemical
A thermal reaction in a drum containing a liquid chemical sparked a fire at Dow Chemical Co. in east Charlotte Wednesday morning.
The three-alarm fire occurred in the 6100 block of Orr Road around 7:30 a.m., a company spokesperson said.
The drum containing divinylbenzene became over-pressurized and caught fire, according to the Charlotte Fire Department Investigation Task Force, which ruled the fire an accident.
Under the direction of Deputy Chief Rich Granger, 50-plus firefighters controlled the blaze in 40 minutes, Charlotte Fire Capt. Jackie Gilmore said. No firefighters or company workers were hurt.
---------------------------------------------
TATTOO INKS GO MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, dye, metals, titanium
Hard evidence has emerged that nano-sized particles from tattoo inks travel from the skin where they‰??re embedded to a person‰??s lymph nodes, where they get stuck.
Tattoo inks contain a wide range of chemicals and heavy metals, including some that are potentially toxic. Because of concerns about this potential toxicity, last year, the Joint Research Centre, which provides advice to the European Commission, issued a report highlighting the need for funding into research on tattoo ink toxicity and how tattoo inks break down in the body.
Plenty of circumstantial evidence exists to show that tattoo pigments travel around the body, says Ines Schreiver, a researcher at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin. ‰??Physicians had seen that lymph tissue of tattooed people was colored,‰?? she explains, but details about the pigments in the lymph nodes, which act as filters for the human body and are an important part of the immune system, are scarce.
With skin and lymph tissue samples from four deceased tattooed individuals, as well as two nontattooed individuals, in hand, Schreiver and her colleagues set out to investigate. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOFMS), the team found the same organic pigments, including pthalocyanines and azo compounds, in the skin and lymph samples from the tattooed individuals (Sci. Rep. 2017, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11721-z). ‰??This is hard proof that what you find in the lymph is from the tattoos,‰?? Schreiver says.
Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the researchers detected higher levels of certain inorganic elements in both the skin and lymph nodes of the tattooed subjects compared with those without tattoos. Those elements included titanium, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and other metals. Some of these elements, which tattoo inks contain as preservatives or contaminants, are known to be toxic.
---------------------------------------------
CHINA INCREASES THE PRESSURE ON CHEMICAL PRODUCERS
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental
Chinese authorities are tightening controls on chemical shipping ahead of a big Communist Party meeting that takes place next month in Beijing. The new measures will add to the pressure that chemical and pharmaceutical producers have faced in China throughout 2017.
Authorities in the coastal province of Jiangå-su, home to the city of Nanjing, have ordered companies to suspend the shipment of chemicals considered dangerous in the second half of October. At that time, Beijing will host the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a key meeting held every five years during which the country‰??s new leaders are selected. The Jiangsu order will affect producers in major chemical industry parks such as Zhangjiagang, where several foreign companies have manufacturing plants.
Salmon Lee, an analyst at the petrochemical consulting firm PCI Wood McKenzie, says the order is already being felt. ‰??This has led to confusion among chemical and logistics companies, as well as a spike in spot prices for some products as players rush to bring forward loading/unloading dates or buy more spot material to cover any possible shortfall,‰?? he wrote in a note to clients.
The disruption is only the latest to be experienced by China‰??s chemical industry so far in 2017. The result has been shortages of certain materials and higher costs for manufacturers, such as pharmaceutical companies, that use chemical raw materials and ingredients.
Rising pollution in China is one cause of the disruptions. Inspectors throughout the country have started to strictly enforce environmental regulations, leading to the temporary or permanent closure of dozens, if not hundreds of chemical plants.
Simultaneously, cities throughout China have accelerated efforts this year to relocate chemical plants that have been enveloped by urban sprawl. Thousands of plants will likely face eviction orders in coming months and will cease production while they move.
---------------------------------------------
ROCHESTER FIRE DEPARTMENT CLEANS UP EMERSON STREET HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
The Rochester Fire Department dealt with a hazmat situation on Tuesday morning at the Sherwin Williams on Emerson Street.
After responding to a 7:18 a.m. call about an unknown odor, the hazmat situation was declared around 7:30 a.m. after five gallons of an unknown chemical were disposed of down a drain at a nearby unoccupied building. Hazmat crews were able to resolve the situation by flushing the chemicals and then ventilating the structure.
No one has been reported ill or injured, and the scene has been turned over to the DEC.
---------------------------------------------
OVERHEATED CHEMICAL PROMPTS EVACUATIONS AT CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Tags: us_MD, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
WESTMINSTER, Md. (WBFF) - A chemical overheated at Carroll Community College in Westminster, producing toxic fumes that prompted the evacuation of the entire campus.
No one was injured in the incident, which was reported at 3:40 p.m. in Building K, said Carroll County spokesperson Robin Stansbury.
There are five buildings on campus that are interconnected, he said.
He could not confirm what the chemical was.
---------------------------------------------
4 SAGINAW VALLEY STATE STUDENTS HAVE REACTIONS TO CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, injury, phenol
KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) ‰?? Saginaw Valley State University says four students have suffered skin reactions after coming in contact with a toxic disinfectant in a chemistry lab.
University spokesman Justin Engel says at first one student went to a hospital with symptoms after exposure to phenol, but three other students later began suffering similar symptoms with a skin irritation on their wrists and forearms. They also were transported to a hospital after being quarantined with five other students and a professor who did not experience adverse reactions.
Engel tells WJRT-TV that everyone in the lab in the Herbert Dow Dean Science Building was wearing standard safety equipment, including gloves and goggles, when the chemical exposure occurred.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATED: 8 KPD OFFICERS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL, ANOTHER TREATED, AFTER ENCOUNTERING 'CHEMICAL AGENT' WHILE SERVING DRUG WARRANT
Tags: us_IN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical, clandestine_lab
KOKOMO - Eight Kokomo Police Department officers were taken by ambulance to St. Vincent Kokomo Tuesday night after they "encountered some sort of chemical agent" while serving a search warrant on the city's north side, according to city officials.
One additional officer was treated at the hospital for exposure, according to a KPD press release.
At 9:10 p.m., Kokomo Deputy Mayor David Tharp confirmed to the Tribune that all affected officers were alert and walking. And by early Wednesday morning, KPD Maj. Brian Seldon had confirmed that all affected officers were released from the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE EAST CHEMICAL SPILL SENDS NINE TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MI, laboratory, release, injury, phenol
A delayed onset of chemical burn symptoms led to a chaotic scene Tuesday, Sept. 26 at the Science East building, where a chemical spill during an organic chemistry lab sent nine students and their professor to the hospital.
According to Bradon Rossie, Kochville Township Fire Department Inspector, the spill took place in SE 239.
Only four of the students exhibited the skin rash that resulted from contact with phenol, also known as carbolic acid, a solid crystalline substance which requires careful handling due to the chemical burns that contact with the substance and the vapors it produces can cause. The other five students and the professor were also rushed to the hospital via emergency vehicle.
SVSU‰??s official statement reads that the first student to complain of skin irritation on their arms went to the hospital around 1:45 p.m. without a 911 call being placed. Soon after, three more students in the classroom noticed they too had skin irritation. The Kochville Township Fire Department received the emergency call just after 3:00 p.m.
Once it was established that a chemical spill had taken place, University Police responded to the incident by cordoning off the hallway and restricting access to the affected area of Science East. Students were quarantined and treated by medical responders after being moved to an adjacent classroom. They were then decontaminated inside the classroom and taken to the hospital. Medical personnel at the scene stated the patients would likely be split between multiple area hospitals.
Kochville, Zilwaulkee, Thomas and Bridgeport Township Fire Departments responded with multiple fire engines, as did Mobile Medical Response with ambulances. A biohazard response team from Saginaw County Hazardous Materials responded as well.
Decontamination procedures required the affected students and professor to remove their clothes, have their skin cleaned of any phenol residue and to cover themselves in sterile sheets while they were transported to the hospital. All those affected by the chemical spill were able to walk under their own power from the second floor of Science East to the waiting emergency vehicles.
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CAUSE OF CHEMICAL STENCH STILL A MYSTERY, ENVIRONMENT NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Singapore, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
Investigations have yet to uncover the cause of the caustic chemical stench that cloaked parts of the island on Monday, but experts have so far ruled out volcanic action in Bali and the haze.
Air pollutants tracked by the authorities, such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, were also normal, following checks by officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force on Monday.
These gases are usually emitted from vehicles or factories that burn natural gas.
The NEA, which has been monitoring air quality, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), across the island, said last night that air quality and VOC levels continue to remain within safety limits.
Some VOCs may have short-and long-term adverse effects on health.
On Monday, complaints first poured in from residents in Sengkang and Punggol about an acrid, chemical stench that was later detected by people in estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Seletar and Bishan. Thick smoke also hung over some of the affected areas, residents said.
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HARRIS COUNTY TO SUE ARKEMA OVER CROSBY EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday authorized the county attorney to file a lawsuit against Arkema over its struggles to manage stores of hazardous chemicals during Hurricane Harvey.
The county's Pollution Control Services Department found serious violations of the Texas Clean Air Act by Arkema, County attorney Vince Ryan said in a statement. The county will try to recover the costs from responding to the crisis at the company's Crosby plant. It will ask the court to review Arkema's emergency preparedness plan and its environmental practices. The commissioners made the decision to approve the suit as part of its agenda wide unanimous vote.
"We've shown if you're a bad actor, we'll hold you accountable," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman.
Arkema's Crosby facility is in Morman's precinct.
The county attorney's office said it is preparing the suit which could be filed as soon as Friday.xxx
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