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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: Wed, 6 Dec 2017 07:32:54 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: FF767A9B-BB33-4BE6-92D1-D84752290832**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 7:32:29 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)
COAL TAR ‰??VAPOUR‰?? LEAK CREATES PLUME IN EAST END
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, irritant
TRENTON DRINKING WATER TURNED PURPLE BY CHEMICAL THAT CAN CAUSE PERSON TO COLLAPSE
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, potassium_permanganate, water_treatment
100 YEARS AFTER HALIFAX: ARE WE SAFER FROM CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS?
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental, explosives
CORONER CALLED TO SCENE OF PIPELINE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, natural_gas
IMPACT OF EU NANO OBSERVATORY ‰??LIMITED‰??, RIVM SAYS
Tags: Netherlands, public, discovery, environmental
LA INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL SPILL THAT SMELLED LIKE GAS
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, natural_gas
STUDENTS PROTEST AT ROCHESTER PREP OVER CHEMICAL CONCERNS
Tags: us_NY, education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
FIRE AT VERNON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL QUICKLY EXTINGUISHED
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
VERNON TOWNSHIP H.S. TO REMAIN CLOSED MONDAY AS CLEANUP CONTINUES
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, followup, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT RESPONSE FOR JET FUEL SPILL AT THERMAL AIRPORT
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
EVACUATIONS, ROAD CLOSURE AFTER TANKER CRASH
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, gasoline
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSED "VAPOR CLOUD" AT DALTON
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, plastics, resin
LAWYER QUESTIONS SAFETY OF NEW WINDSOR PERFUME FACTORY AFTER EXP
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, environmental
ACTION RESOURCES CHEMICAL FIRE REQUIRES FOAMING AGENT APPLICATION
Tags: us_AL, industrial, fire, response, flammables, paints, solvent
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COAL TAR ‰??VAPOUR‰?? LEAK CREATES PLUME IN EAST END
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, irritant
Six workers reported respiratory problems during Tuesday's release of a yellow-green "plume" at a coal tar recycler in the east end near Pier 24.
The widely-seen plume was the result of coal tar pitch "vapours" released from a processing unit undergoing maintenance at Ruetgers Canada just before 3 p.m., said Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The industrial processor at 725 Strathearne Ave. N. uses coal tar (a byproduct of steelmaking also known as a toxic ingredient in Randle Reef harbour pollution) as a chemical raw material in manufacturing.
District EMS superintendent Dave Thompson said six employees suffered "respiratory injuries" as a result of exposure to a "rather large plume" of gas that contained an inhalable "irritant."
Thompson said the patients were "decontaminated" before being examined by paramedics, and in some cases transported to local hospitals. He said all of the individuals were considered in stable condition.
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TRENTON DRINKING WATER TURNED PURPLE BY CHEMICAL THAT CAN CAUSE PERSON TO COLLAPSE
Tags: us_NJ, public, release, response, potassium_permanganate, water_treatment
More than 24 hours later, the Barney water in the jug turned a yellowish color, Miller said.
Offering an explanation, a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spokesman said that the city informed the agency that the discolored water was caused by an excess concentration of potassium permanganate, a chemical used in the standard water treatment process.
‰??The cause of the incident is being investigated and focusing on pumping calibrations,‰?? DEP spokesman Larry Hajna said Tuesday. ‰??Potassium permanganate is not considered a health risk.‰??
Despite the DEP press flack‰??s assertion that the public was not in danger, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paints a different picture of the chemical used to control odor and taste and remove iron, hydrogen sulfide and manganese from drinking water.
Ingestion of potassium permanganate can lead to burning sensation, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, and even cause shock or collapse, according to information on the CDC website. Long-term exposure to the oxidizing chemical can have effects on the lungs, resulting in bronchitis and pneumonia, the CDC states.
If ingested, a person is advised to drink plenty of water and not induce vomiting, the CDC recommends.
---------------------------------------------
100 YEARS AFTER HALIFAX: ARE WE SAFER FROM CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS?
Tags: Canada, public, follow-up, environmental, explosives
On Dec. 6, 1917, poor storage and unsafe transportation of picric acid and TNT led to the largest explosion the world had seen prior to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Halifax explosion killed nearly 2,000, injured more than 9,000 and left 25,000 without adequate shelter. Despite the devastation, no one was ever successfully prosecuted for failures leading to the explosion. One hundred years later we might ask, are we safer today from an accidental explosion of dangerous chemicals? The answer is yes, but important weaknesses remain.
Our attention typically focuses on the transportation of dangerous chemicals, but the storage of dangerous chemicals often flies below the radar. Chemicals are pervasive. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) registry lists 4,720 facilities in Canada that use or store above-threshold quantities of hazardous chemicals. Many of these exist in urban or suburban areas. There is also increased urbanization. At the beginning of the 20th century, 45 per cent of Canadians lived in urban centres. Today, more than 83 per cent do.
The increased presence of dangerous chemicals and urbanization are a toxic mix, because accidents happen. In 2008, there was a series of explosions at the Sunrise Propane facility in Toronto; it contributed to the deaths of two people and forced thousands to evacuate. In 2012, the Neptune Technologies and Bioressources plant near Sherbrooke exploded, burning 15,000 litres of acetone, killing three workers and injuring 18 others. Though rare, disasters continue to occur.
---------------------------------------------
CORONER CALLED TO SCENE OF PIPELINE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, industrial, explosion, injury, natural_gas
The conditions of both people injured in the explosion had stabilized. A second tractor attempted to free the first but lost traction when the explosion happened. The Lee County Sheriff's Department said the blast sent flames and dark smoke into the air around 9 a.m.
U.S. Route 38 between Nachusa and Robbins roads is closed, and police and fire crews from multiple agencies also are on scene.
According to Lee County Sheriff's Department officials, an explosion and fire occurred in a field near Nachusa when a natural gas line was struck by a tractor at approximately 9 a.m. on December 5. The gas company is now on scene to make sure the pipeline is secured.
A large fire, possibly caused by a pipeline explosion, has emergency personnel responding to a scene near Dixon.
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IMPACT OF EU NANO OBSERVATORY ‰??LIMITED‰??, RIVM SAYS
Tags: Netherlands, public, discovery, environmental
The impact of Echa‰??s nano observatory on the safety and transparency of nanomaterials on the EU market will be minimal, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has said.
Launched in June, the observatory ‰?? or the EUON ‰?? is a public website aimed at increasing transparency of information on nanomaterials on the single market. This came after the European Commission opted not to create an EU nano register, given delays in the introduction of new REACH information requirements on the substances.
The Netherlands and some other member states asked for a mandatory European registration system and because this is not the case, the EUON is "limited in detailed information", RIVM says in its analysis The European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials ‰?? a step forward?
"Consequently, RIVM expects the EUON's contribution to reducing the uncertainty regarding the safety of nanomaterials to be limited."
According to Echa, it offers "factual and neutral content", and is targeted at a wide audience including consumers, workers, regulators and scientists. Visitors can read about where they are used and obtain information on health and safety issues, research, regulatory and international activities.
---------------------------------------------
LA INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL SPILL THAT SMELLED LIKE GAS
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, natural_gas
The Los Angeles City Council directed various agencies Tuesday to investigate a chemical spill in the Rancho Park area that caused a strong gas-like odor to blanket a large swath of the Westside last week, with two councilmen voicing heavy criticism of Southern California Gas Co.'s handling of post-spill communications.
According to the utility, the odor that began permeating the area around 9:10 p.m. last Wednesday was not caused by a gas leak, but by a spill of a nontoxic odorant that is added to natural gas as a safety precaution. The spill was cleaned up, and SoCalGas said last Thursday that the odor was expected to dissipate gradually during the day.
But City Councilman Paul Koretz said some residents were still complaining about the smell and may be suffering health problems related to it.
"Even now, nearly a week later, I am still getting emails from folks saying the smell is still in their car or their homes, and worse yet people are still coughing things up," Koretz said.
---------------------------------------------
STUDENTS PROTEST AT ROCHESTER PREP OVER CHEMICAL CONCERNS
Tags: us_NY, education, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Students at Rochester Prep didn't attend classes on Tuesday, but instead joined classmates and their parents to protest after chemical contamination has been found at their school.
The NYS DEC has told Monroe County that ground contamination near the school building, a former Bausch and Lomb facility, may have migrated across the street to a county leased building on St. Paul Street.
Karla Leng is a junior at Rochester Prep. She says they were protesting because the air at the school has high levels of Trichloroethylene (TCE) and the water is dirty.
"I love my school, but I'm just hoping that we get transferred to another building. I don't want anything to happen with our school. The school is a great school but the building is the main problem."
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says the school district, City Hall, and administrators from Rochester Prep are all working on options for the students.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE AT VERNON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL QUICKLY EXTINGUISHED
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
VERNON ‰?? A fire in an upstairs science classroom at Vernon Township High School was quickly put out early Friday evening, but the room itself has sustained significant damage, according to officials who were on the scene.
‰??The fire was located in one of the laboratory science classrooms, and it was in the center of the school,‰?? said Vernon Police Sgt. Kenny Kuzicki. ‰??Right now the fire has been extinguished, but we still haven't determined the cause of it.‰??
....
‰??One room is in very bad shape, but fortunately it was confined to only that one room,‰?? DiBenedetto said. Still, he said, ‰??it's not a pretty scene.‰??
The cause of the blaze is under review, and authorities have said they intend to do a full investigation.
‰??The Sussex County fire marshal, as well as the arson investigator and myself, are all here and we're going to start our investigation shortly,‰?? Kuzicki said.
No timetable has been set, ‰??but the investigation is probably going to be open for a while. We're going to make sure we do all of our interviews and speak with everybody, so it's going to take a little bit of time,‰?? said Kuzicki.
The fire had originally been rumored to be the result of a gas leak, but DiBenedetto said it was his understanding that had since been ruled out.
‰??It's my humble understanding that it was not a gas leak, that the gas (to the room) was shut off, and that it may have been something that started in a trash basket,‰?? he said.
---------------------------------------------
VERNON TOWNSHIP H.S. TO REMAIN CLOSED MONDAY AS CLEANUP CONTINUES
Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, followup, response, unknown_chemical
The science lab in Room 201 where the fire took place, meanwhile, will need to be totally rebuilt -- something DiBenedetto said may not happen for several months. As a result, classes that had been meeting there will also need to be reassigned to other parts of the building.
The district may be able to expedite the rebuilding of the science lab by seeking an emergency exemption from normal contractor bidding requirements under a New Jersey statute, 18A:18A-7, that allows for such exemptions in matters where public health and safety are involved, said DiBenedetto.
Still, he said, "I don't see that area (the science lab) being used for another three or four months."
Earlier Sunday, an insurance adjuster was on the scene assessing the cost of the damage from Friday's fire. No firm figures have been given yet, but school officials are apparently encouraged by what they heard.
"We have great people in the insurance area, and the information we received went beyond any hopes we first had as far as being covered by insurance," DiBenedetto said.
Friday's fire, which was said to have resulted from the discarded remains of a science experiment earlier that day, was first noticed at about 5 p.m. by a female custodian. DiBenedetto could not immediately confirm her identity but said it was his understanding that she immediately alerted students and others who were still in the building, and helped initiate an evacuation.
Within an hour, the fire was effectively out, but not before it had already done significant damage. DiBenedetto, however, credited the custodian's quick action with averting what might have been a much worse outcome.
"The custodian saw flames shooting out through the bottom of the door, and alerted the students and had the wherewithal to literally yell to any other adults who were in the building to get the students out," he said. "That custodian is a hero."
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT RESPONSE FOR JET FUEL SPILL AT THERMAL AIRPORT
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
A refueling truck spilled about three gallons of jet fuel on the runway at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal on Monday, triggering a county environmental health response.
The spill happened just before 9:30 a.m., when a 5,000-gallon fuel tender began leaking Jet-A fuel, said Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.
County fire personnel, including a hazardous materials team, and Riverside County environmental health employees plugged the leak and cleaned up the spill.
---------------------------------------------
EVACUATIONS, ROAD CLOSURE AFTER TANKER CRASH
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, gasoline
Charleston emergency crews shut down Cypress Street and evacuated several nearby residents after a fuel tanker overturned and began leaking gasoline on Monday night.
The accident happened just before 10 p.m. near the Cypress Street ramp to I-26 east.
The Charleston Fire Department, Charleston Police Department, Charleston County EMS and Charleston County Rescue Squad were among the agencies that responded to the scene.
According to a statement from the fire department, the tanker was carrying about 8,700 gallons of gasoline in two separate tanks. The fire department‰??s hazmat team discovered a gash in one of the tanks and launched an effort to contain the leaking fuel.
As of 1 a.m., approximately 100 gallons of gasoline had been contained.
About 20 people living nearby were evacuated and took shelter on a CARTA bus as a precaution.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSED "VAPOR CLOUD" AT DALTON
Tags: us_CT, industrial, release, response, plastics, resin
More details are being revealed about a hazmat incident that occurred this morning at a local business, causing the evacuation of neighboring residence and the early dismissal of Cheshire High School.
According to information provided by the Cheshire Fire Department, the overpowering odor that emanated from the site was the result of phosphoric pentoxide anhydryde, with polymer resin, being incorrectly mixed with water. A ‰??vapor cloud‰?? was created as well as the powerful odor.
The CFD, along with the City of Waterbury Hazmat team and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection metered the surrounding area and determined that ‰??at no time were any levels of any chemicals detected in the air.‰?? The area was evacuated for precautionary purposes and employees at Dalton were medically evaluated but all refused further treatment, according to the CFD.
Portions of Willow/Spring Street remain closed off, however the CFD states that, while there may be a residual smell in the neighborhood and surrounding area for some time, it poses no health risk to anyone.
---------------------------------------------
LAWYER QUESTIONS SAFETY OF NEW WINDSOR PERFUME FACTORY AFTER EXP
Tags: us_NY, industrial, follow-up, environmental
NEW WINDSOR -
Concerns are being raised about the reopening of a perfume factory in Orange County following a deadly chemical explosion last month.
Verla International in New Windsor factory hastily reopened Tuesday after the explosion and fire in November that killed a worker and injured 125 others, including several firefighters.
Video of Verla International Cosmetics explosion
High profile attorney Michael Sussman is questioning whether conditions are safe for workers to return to the building. The town‰??s building department says the portion of the factory that's reopened is safe with no violations, but Sussman says that the multiple safety violations last year issued by OSHA are ongoing and may have contributed to the explosion and deadly fire.
News 12 calls to Verla and the town supervisor have gone unanswered.
---------------------------------------------
ACTION RESOURCES CHEMICAL FIRE REQUIRES FOAMING AGENT APPLICATION
Tags: us_AL, industrial, fire, response, flammables, paints, solvent
Action Resources on County Road 517 was the scene of a significant chemical fire today.
Cullman e911 dispatched four different firefighting agencies to tackle the tenacious blaze.
First on the scene was Assistant Fire Chief Doug Farley of Colony Volunteer Fire Department. Farley had worked a fire at the same location last week; his department fully extinguish the blaze at that time.
This morning the could not suppress the renewed fire with water alone:
‰??I ran through an engine full of water, and I couldn‰??t get the thing put out. At that point, I had to call Hanceville for foam.‰??
Soon after that request, Hanceville Fire & Rescue and Blount County‰??s Mountain High Fire Department arrived along with the Cullman County Hazardous Materials Team.
Dion Taylor of County HazMat provided insights into the chemical accelerants they had to deal with:
‰??We determined we were working with paints, paint thinners, and paint clean-up supplies. Water alone won‰??t get it done. We used copious amounts of foaming agent.
This stuff was incredibly flammable, dangerous, and hard to extinguish.‰??
The over 4-hour firefight concluded just before 2 pm this afternoon.
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