| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2017 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Greener Trade Chemical Screening Tools? Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 9:04:01 PM Author: Samuella B. Sigmann <sigmannsb**At_Symbol_Here**APPSTATE.EDU> |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Greener Trade Chemical Screening Tools? Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:34:40 +0000 Author: "Stuart, Ralph" |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 7:41:47 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 (15 articles)
ONE DEAD AFTER AUSTRIAN GAS HUB EXPLOSION
Tags: Austria, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
POLICE DECLARE EMERGENCY AFTER BLAST AT PORTSMITH METAL YARD WHERE LARGE FIRE HAS BROKEN OUT
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, gasoline, metals, waste
MINNESOTA JOINS U.S. STATES LIMITING CONTROVERSIAL FARM CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
STUDIES HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS FOR CONSUMERS AND EMPLOYEES AT BEAUTY SALONS
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
SHEFFIELD LEISURE CENTRE FINED OVER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
PCB: PCB TO PROSECUTE FIRMS INVOLVED IN CHEMICAL DUMP
Tags: India, public, discovery, response, waste, illegal
ETHANOL RELEASE IN IOWA TRUCK ROLLOVER
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, response, ethanol
CARBON MONOXIDE AT DELTA FARM HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY TRAINING: UNION
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, injury, carbon_monoxide
HEATING DEVICE MAY HAVE IGNITED FIRE AT NDSU‰??S DUNBAR HALL
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
SMALL FIRE CAUSES $200 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO KEENE POST OFFICE
Tags: us_NH, public, fire, response, batteries
TWO KILLED, SEVEN TRAPPED AFTER EXPLOSION IN CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
SIX EMPLOYEES SICKENED AT SHAW'S IN WEYMOUTH
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, hvac
A CINCINNATI WOMAN BURNED DOWN HER HOME TRYING TO GET RID OF BEDBUGS
Tags: us_OH, public, fire, response, propanol
POOR VENTILATION AT B.C. GREENHOUSE BLAMED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
FIRE DAMAGES NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY LAB
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
ONE DEAD AFTER AUSTRIAN GAS HUB EXPLOSION
Tags: Austria, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
An explosion at Austria's main gas hub Tuesday has left one person dead and several injured, according to a report.
Gas Connect Austria, which operates the Baumgarten site on the Austrian border with Slovakia, said that the cause of the blast was not yet known.
According to Reuters, deliveries to Italy might be most affected. Shortly after the news, Italy's wholesale gas price rose 87 percent to 44.50 euros per megawatt hour.
Italian industry minister Carlo Calenda warned of a "serious" energy supply problem and said the country would need to declare a state of emergency.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE DECLARE EMERGENCY AFTER BLAST AT PORTSMITH METAL YARD WHERE LARGE FIRE HAS BROKEN OUT
Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, response, gasoline, metals, waste
EARLIER: Emergency services are responding after an explosion which is believed to have occurred at a scrap metal business in Portsmith.
Smoke is pouring from Sims Metal on Comport St following the blast which occurred about noon.
Police have stated there will be roadblocks in place and motorists and residents are urged to avoid the area.
Police declare emergency after blast at Portsmith metal yard where large fire has broken out. PHOTO: ANNA ROGERSSource:Supplied
A police spokesman said they have declared an emergency situation due to an industrial fire.
It is believed an unleaded petrol tank exploded at a premises.
The declaration encompasses the area between Ray Jones Drive, Draper Street, Buchan Street and Heatley Street.
---------------------------------------------
MINNESOTA JOINS U.S. STATES LIMITING CONTROVERSIAL FARM CHEMICAL
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Minnesota became the latest U.S. state on Tuesday to restrict controversial weed killers made by Monsanto Co and BASF SE that were linked to widespread crop damage, while Arkansas took a step back from imposing new limits.
The United States has faced an agricultural crisis this year caused by new versions of the herbicides, which are based on a chemical known as dicamba. Farmers and weed experts say the products harm crops that cannot resist dicamba because the herbicides evaporate and drift away from where they are applied, a process known as volatilization.
Monsanto and BASF say the products are safe when used properly.
Monsanto is banking on its dicamba-based herbicide and soybean seeds engineered to resist it, called Xtend, to dominate soybean production in the United States, the world‰??s second-largest exporter.
---------------------------------------------
STUDIES HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS FOR CONSUMERS AND EMPLOYEES AT BEAUTY SALONS
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
Clients who frequent hair and nail salons exhibit more instances of dermal and fungal symptoms than those who visit less often and nail salon technicians are receiving inadequate training in the use of chemicals, suggest two Rutgers School of Public Health studies.
These studies highlight the need for beauty salon clients and workers to protect themselves from health risks.
The first study, published in the November/December 2017 Journal of Chemical Health & Safety, surveyed 90 hair and nail salon clients in three New Jersey counties to assess their experience with respiratory, fungal and dermal symptoms ‰?? which often present as skin rashes or nail disfigurements ‰?? after visiting salons. The researchers also sought to learn how aware clients were of the potential biological and chemical hazards in salons. The study is one of the first to focus on health risks facing salon clients rather than employees.
"While there have been studies on the safety and health risks to employees of these facilities, less is known about client perception of these risks or whether they are exposed in a similar manner," said lead author Lindsey Milich, who conducted the study as part of her master's degree research. "We found that although clients might be aware of some hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, they often do not recognize the dangers posed by pathogens and environmental irritants."
---------------------------------------------
SHEFFIELD LEISURE CENTRE FINED OVER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
A leisure centre has been fined å£7,000 after a chemical reaction at the site led to eight children and six adults being treated for minor burns.
Springs Leisure Centre, in East Bank Road, Sheffield had to be evacuated after chlorine gas escaped into the swimming pool area in May 2016.
It happened when technicians inadvertently mixed two chemicals while fixing pool filtration equipment.
Operator Sheffield City Trust admitted breaching health and safety rules.
Prosecutor Paul Barber told Sheffield Magistrates' Court a safety notice warning against mixing the two chemicals was partially obscured and the instruction manual and risk assessment documents were not stored with the equipment.
He argued had this not been the case the incident could have been avoided.
The court heard the gas was able to escape as initially the doors between the plant room and the pool were propped open but when the maintenance workers realised what had happened they shut the doors and opened the fire escape.
However, a combination of the draught and a fault with the ventilation system meant the gas continued to escape into the pool area.
Mr Barber said none of those involved in the incident had any ongoing health problems as a result.
---------------------------------------------
PCB: PCB TO PROSECUTE FIRMS INVOLVED IN CHEMICAL DUMP
Tags: India, public, discovery, response, waste, illegal
HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Pollution Control Board has decided to prosecute pharma companies involved in chemical drums dumping cases. Rachakonda police on Monday arrested a gang for dumping chemical drums. Based on the report submitted by the Rachakconda police, the PCB has decided to take the case forward for further action.
PCB investigations revealed that the gang used Yadadri as a dumping ground. Effluent and hazardous waste from Karnataka and AP were also being dumped in Telangana. While gang members and store managers of companies have been arrested, both police and PCB authorities are verifying involvement of pharma company management.
---------------------------------------------
ETHANOL RELEASE IN IOWA TRUCK ROLLOVER
Tags: us_IA, transportation, release, response, ethanol
DUBUQUE COUNTY (KWWL) -
The Dubuque County Sheriff's Office says 1,500 gallons of of ethanol leaked after a semi rolled on Old Hwy Road around 1:00 on Monday afternoon.
Most of that ethanol was contained before it could enter any waterways; however, the road between Graf Road and Dutch Lane Road are closed until further notice.
A HazMat team from Ankeny was called in to help.
The semi driver, Carl Gravel, was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
Deputies say Gravel, from Dyersville, lost control of the semi when he was turning a corner.
We do not know if weather was a factor, but at the time of the crash, snow was falling in the area.
The damage to the semi and the tanker are estimated at more than $100,000.
---------------------------------------------
CARBON MONOXIDE AT DELTA FARM HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY TRAINING: UNION
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, injury, carbon_monoxide
Work safety advocates say proper training and preparedness may have stopped a health and safety scare at a Delta B.C. farm over the weekend from turning into a tragedy.
On Saturday, more than 40 migrant workers were painting and cleaning the greenhouses at Windset Farms when they were exposed to carbon monoxide.
Poor ventilation likely caused the harmful buildup of fumes. Six of the employees tested positive for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Greenhouses are seen at Windset Farms in Delta, B.C. in this image from Monday, Dec. 11, 2017.
"Our senior management‰?|called 911 to make sure we could triage them in various hospitals and make sure they'd be safe and sound," said Windset CEO John Newell when describing the farm's response.
Three fire crews, a hazmat team and paramedics were dispatched to the scene.
At the time, BC Emergency Health Services said that 10 people were in serious or critical condition and 32 others were in stable condition.
Most of the employees have since been given a clean bill of health.
---------------------------------------------
HEATING DEVICE MAY HAVE IGNITED FIRE AT NDSU‰??S DUNBAR HALL
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
FARGO ‰?? The cause of a fire that heavily damaged a laboratory and caused smoke damage throughout much of Dunbar Hall at North Dakota State University appears to be a heating device.
Firefighters were called to Dunbar Hall on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 9, and quickly doused the fire in a basement lab in a building that houses many chemistry labs as well as classrooms.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. But on Monday, Dec. 11, Mike Borr, NDSU‰??s director of university police and safety, said it appears the fire ignited under a ventilation hood and was caused by a ‰??hot plate-type device.‰??
The lab wasn‰??t occupied when the fire started, and the researcher who was last in the lab reported that the heating device had been turned off, so it might have been caused by a malfunction, Borr said.
The fire was confined to the lab, but there was minor smoke damage throughout the three-story building. By midday Monday, the smoke odor was mostly gone, he said.
NDSU officials are still compiling a damage estimate. Some laboratory equipment, including analytical equipment, might have been damaged, Borr said.
---------------------------------------------
SMALL FIRE CAUSES $200 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO KEENE POST OFFICE
Tags: us_NH, public, fire, response, batteries
The improper storage of batteries caused a small fire at the Keene Post Office this morning, according to fire officials.
Postal workers had put individual 9-volt batteries together into a box while they were cleaning an office, said Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Chickering. When 9V batteries come into contact with one another they can heat up, because they're designed with positive and negative charges both on one end, he said. He said he doesn't know in this case if the batteries themselves caused the fire, or if they came into contact with something else, such as a piece of metal, that sparked the flames.
The Keene Fire Department responded to the building at 196 Main St. at about 11:30 a.m. after an automatic fire alarm activated, a department news release says.
Once firefighters arrived at the scene, they learned that there was a small fire in one of the post office's front offices, and a first alarm was struck, according to the release.
---------------------------------------------
TWO KILLED, SEVEN TRAPPED AFTER EXPLOSION IN CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
Xinhua reports that two persons died while seven others were buried in debris following an explosion at a chemical factory in east China's Jiangsu Province on December 9. A reaction vessel in Workshop 4 of the factory exploded, which led to the collapse of the neighbouring Workshop 6.
Rescue workers said the missing seven should still be alive in the rubble, but the complexity of the explosion site meant that operations were proceeding slowly. Firefighters from neighbouring cities are providing support.
No chemical leaks have been detected from the site as yet.
---------------------------------------------
SIX EMPLOYEES SICKENED AT SHAW'S IN WEYMOUTH
Tags: us_MA, public, release, injury, hvac
WEYMOUTH, Mass. - Six employees were sickened by a chemical leak Sunday morning at a Weymouth grocery store.
The employees complained of nausea and shortness of breath after they reported an odor in the Shaw's supermarket before noon.
A Hazmat team found a leak coming from the refrigeration system and fixed the problem.
The employees were checked out by EMTs and are expected to be fine.
---------------------------------------------
A CINCINNATI WOMAN BURNED DOWN HER HOME TRYING TO GET RID OF BEDBUGS
Tags: us_OH, public, fire, response, propanol
A Cincinnati woman burned down her house trying to get rid of bedbugs, injuring three people and leaving ten homeless, WXIX-TV (Cincinnati) is reporting.
Bedbugs are right up there with ghosts as the most unwanted ‰??guests‰?? imaginable, and if you see one, more of his friends are hiding somewhere. And getting rid of them should be your top priority. However, there are right ways and wrong ways to get rid of them, as the residents of the Hutchins Avenue home found out the hard way.
Authorities say that the woman was trying to get rid of the pests using rubbing alcohol, which then ignited due to a nearby open flame ‰?? perhaps a candle or a burning incense stick. The fire did an estimated $250,000 to the multi-family structure, leaving three teenagers and seven adults temporarily homeless.
What‰??s more, three adults were treated at nearby hospitals for smoke inhalation. They are expected to recover. An elderly woman, who couldn‰??t see due to the smoke, was evacuated by firefighters. She was not injured.
---------------------------------------------
POOR VENTILATION AT B.C. GREENHOUSE BLAMED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
DELTA, B.C. ‰?? Poor ventilation at a Delta, B.C., greenhouse is to blame for sending dozens of workers to hospital for carbon monoxide exposure, a fire chief said.
Delta fire battalion chief Neil Shuster said an emergency call came in Saturday afternoon that at least 12 people at Windset Farms were suffering from inhalation of a suspected cleaning product.
Three fire crews and a hazmat crew were dispatched along with police and BC Ambulance Services.
Once on scene, Shuster said crews determined there were high levels of carbon monoxide in the building.
Approximately 43 people required treatment on site.
The workers had been inside a greenhouse while a gas-powered pressure washer was running without adequate ventilation, he said.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE DAMAGES NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY LAB
Tags: us_ND, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FARGO, N.D. (AP) ‰?? Officials say a fire has caused significant damage to a lab at North Dakota State University.
Fargo firefighters responded to a firm alarm at Dunbar Hall on Saturday evening. Crews found a fire in a lab in the basement.
Firefighters were able to control the fire within 15 minutes. Because Dunbar Hall holds chemistry classes, crews checked and found several chemicals in the room. While the chemicals were found to be low hazard, a hazardous materials team checked the building and found no chemical hazard.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. No damage estimate was available yet, but authorities say there was significant fire damage to the lab and light smoke damage on three floors.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post