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From: DCHAS Secretary <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (11 articles)
Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2017 07:37:19 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 90B93FB9-8E74-46AF-8C40-360ACC21629F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, December 25, 2017 at 7:37:04 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 (11 articles)
MAN INJURED TRYING TO CHLORINATE POOL, SPARKING SAFETY WARNING
Tags: New_Zealand, public, explosion, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals
HERE'S THE IMPORTANT REASON WE DON'T GET MAD CHEMISTRY KITS FOR CHRISTMAS ANY MORE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
BALTIMORE OFFICERS EXPOSED TO FENTANYL AFTER SEIZING DRUGS DURING TRAFFIC STOP
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, dust, clandestine_lab
2 WORKERS SEVERELY BURNED IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION IN YONKERS: FIRE OFFICIALS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent
SYNTHETIC FRUIT FLAVOURING CHEMICAL SENDS 2 PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL IN PRINCE RUPERT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical
U.S. EPA SUED OVER SCIENCE ADVISERS POLICY
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
U.S. FDA HALTS USE OF TRICLOSAN IN HEALTH CARE ANTISEPTICS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
1 DEAD, 1 INJURED AFTER GAS LEAK, EXPLOSION, FIRE AT PHOENIX HOM
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
MERCURY FOUND IN HUMAN BONES IN 'VOODOO STUFF' SHUT DOWN MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, injury, mercury
BUILDING EVACUATED IN NORTH AUSTIN AFTER CHEMICAL RELEASE
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
'THE SUBSTANCE EMITTED A PURPLE HAZE EACH TIME IT ACTIVATED AND IT SOUNDED LIKE A .22'
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, bomb, sodium_bicarbonate
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MAN INJURED TRYING TO CHLORINATE POOL, SPARKING SAFETY WARNING
Tags: New_Zealand, public, explosion, injury, chlorine, pool_chemicals
A man has been injured in an explosion involving chlorine near Nelson.
Fire crews were called to "a chemical incident" at a private residence in Hope in Tasman district on Friday evening, where swimming pool chemicals exploded after being mixed incorrectly, a fire spokesperson said.
A man in his early 50s was taken to Nelson hospital with minor airway and facial injuries.
Two firefighters wearing chemical splash suits decontaminated the site, southern fire communications shift manager Andrew Norris said.
"Normally when preparing chlorine for a swimming pool, we add chlorine tablets or tubes to the swimming pool," Norris said.
"The mistake some people make is that they keep the chlorine in a small container and add a small quantity of water to try and create a sludge that they then pour into the swimming pool.
"That's the completely wrong thing to do because it creates a far more concentrated form of chlorine which becomes highly dangerous and reactive."
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HERE'S THE IMPORTANT REASON WE DON'T GET MAD CHEMISTRY KITS FOR CHRISTMAS ANY MORE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
or the first half of the 20th century, the humble chemistry kit was a hit with science-savvy children across the western hemisphere.
Unfortunately science isn't always child's play, and finding the line between safe entertainment and a trip to the emergency department hasn't always been a clear one, especially where chemistry is concerned.
Today you can still find a few well-meaning lab sets, but they don't contain anything much stronger than packets of bicarb and a few simple salts.
Meanwhile, here are five things kids could once do with their science toys.
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BALTIMORE OFFICERS EXPOSED TO FENTANYL AFTER SEIZING DRUGS DURING TRAFFIC STOP
Tags: us_MD, public, release, injury, dust, clandestine_lab
Police in a Baltimore suburb say three officers were sickened by fentanyl at a police station after seizing narcotics during a traffic stop.
Baltimore County police say it happened Thursday afternoon in Woodlawn. Authorities say the arresting officer returned to the precinct to follow up when that officer and another became ill after finding a white powder. Other officers and paramedics from the fire department tended to them.
A third officer later became ill. All three were treated and released at a hospital.
Authorities say the precinct was evacuated after a hazmat team confirmed the substance as fentanyl.
---------------------------------------------
2 WORKERS SEVERELY BURNED IN CHEMICAL EXPLOSION IN YONKERS: FIRE OFFICIALS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, solvent
Two workers suffered severe burns in a chemical explosion in Yonkers Friday, fire officials say.
The flash explosion happened at the Greystone Bakery on Alexander Street. Firefighters who arrived on scene were met by a heavy, acrid smoke.
The two workers were using solvent-based cement in a confined space at the time. Fire officials said the space lacked proper ventilation, which may have led to the explosion.
The two workers were rushed to Westchester County Medical Center. Fire officials described their burns as severe but didn‰??t say how much of their bodies were burned.
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SYNTHETIC FRUIT FLAVOURING CHEMICAL SENDS 2 PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL IN PRINCE RUPERT
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, other_chemical
An improperly secured ventilation hatch is being blamed for sending two workers at Prince Rupert's container terminals to hospital.
According to DP World, which operates a container port in Prince Rupert, the tank contained butyl acetate, a chemical used as synthetic fruit flavouring. The incident happened around 9:45 a.m. PT on Thursday.
"Two employees working in a specific area of the container yard were assisted in getting medical treatment at the local hospital with symptoms of respiratory irritation," DP World communications manager Angela Kirkham said in a release Friday.
"Thankfully they have been discharged within hours of their arrival. We continue to check on their well-being."
---------------------------------------------
U.S. EPA SUED OVER SCIENCE ADVISERS POLICY
Tags: public, follow-up, environmental
Advocacy groups and three academic researchers are asking a federal court to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s new policy barring EPA research grant recipients from agency science advisory panels.
Since EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt unveiled the policy in late October, the agency has booted several academics from its science advisory boards. It added more experts from industry, including the chemicals sector, to those groups.
The case, filed in federal trial court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 21, claims that Pruitt‰??s directive violates government ethics requirements and a law that governs federal advisory committees. Pruitt‰??s order ‰??impairs the ability of the committees to provide expert and balanced advice to the Agency by preventing the participation of highly qualified scientists and medical professionals that receive EPA grants, while allowing persons receiving industry funding to serve,‰?? the suit says.
Bringing the case are Physicians for Society Responsibility, the National Hispanic Medical Association, International Society for Children‰??s Health & the Environment, and the three academic researchers. The researchers are Joseph Arvai, a professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan; Edward Lawrence Avol, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California; and Robyn S. Wilson, a professor of risk analysis and decision science at the Ohio State University. All three are current or past EPA advisers.
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U.S. FDA HALTS USE OF TRICLOSAN IN HEALTH CARE ANTISEPTICS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
The antibacterial compound triclosan, already banned in the U.S. from consumer soaps, will no longer be allowed in antiseptic products used in hospitals and other health care settings. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration on Dec. 20 deemed triclosan and 23 other antiseptic ingredients to not be generally recognized as safe and effective.
‰??There was a lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data‰?? for the 24 affected chemicals, explains FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.
The new regulation affects hand washes and rubs used by health care professionals, surgical hand scrubs and rubs, and antiseptic preparations used on patients‰?? skin before injections or surgery.
FDA‰??s action stems from a settlement the agency made with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The environmental group sued the agency in 2010 for failing to finalize a 1978 proposal to ban triclosan in soaps.
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1 DEAD, 1 INJURED AFTER GAS LEAK, EXPLOSION, FIRE AT PHOENIX HOM
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -
A gas leak, explosion and huge fire at a Phoenix home left one person dead and one critically injured.
It happened Thursday just before 10 a.m. near 11th Avenue and Fillmore Street.
The home was leveled, and the flames spread to a house next door.
"When our crews got here, they found a home that was nearly completely destroyed. A very large burning active fire," said Phoenix fire Capt. Jake Van Hook. "They didn't know it at the time but it was being driven by gas that had broken or had some involvement in the explosion and the fire."
Neighbors say they felt the explosion.
"Well, I was in my kitchen and I heard a blast; a big concussion in my house," said neighbor James McCoy. "And I ran outside, and in the house, I could see fire and smoke like the whole house had blown up."
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MERCURY FOUND IN HUMAN BONES IN 'VOODOO STUFF' SHUT DOWN MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE
Tags: us_FL, laboratory, release, injury, mercury
The autopsy suite at the Medical Examiner‰??s Office in Leesburg remains closed two days after mercury mixed with human remains ‰?? believed to be part of a ritual tied to Santeria, a religion practiced in parts of the Caribbean ‰?? was brought to the lab.
The remains were discovered Sunday alongside animal bones, antlers and beads at the Ocala Boat Basin, also known as Ray Wayside Park, in Silver Springs, a Marion County community.
‰??They came into the office and when they started cleaning the pot and the beads and all the voodoo stuff, they found the mercury,‰?? Lindsey Bayer, director of operations at the 5th District Medical Examiner‰??s Office for five counties including Lake, said Thursday. ‰??That‰??s when we called hazmat.‰??
Prolonged exposure to mercury vapors may result in what is commonly called mad hatter disease, which involves symptoms including mood swings, irritability, nervousness and headaches. The Department of Environmental Protection was called to help clear out the autopsy suite and the building‰??s water was shut down.
‰??There were some citizens there at the boat ramp that saw what they thought could be some human remains in the water,‰?? Marion County Sheriff‰??s Office spokeswoman Lauren Lettelier said.
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BUILDING EVACUATED IN NORTH AUSTIN AFTER CHEMICAL RELEASE
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
A State Health Services building in North Austin has been evacuated after a small chemical release in a lab, according to the Austin Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to the building in the 1100 block of West 49th Street around 4 p.m., and are working with laboratory staff to mitigate the release.
Additional details on the chemical were not immediately available.
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'THE SUBSTANCE EMITTED A PURPLE HAZE EACH TIME IT ACTIVATED AND IT SOUNDED LIKE A .22'
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, bomb, sodium_bicarbonate
HARBOR, Ore. - A high school chemistry teacher helped firefighters figure out how to neutralize a mysterious substance that emitted a purple haze and sounded like a gun shot when touched, the Curry County Sheriff's Office said.
Initial calls to 911 Tuesday indicated "unknown subjects had thrown what appeared to be multiple smoke bombs onto floors and that the substance was continually cracking and popping" at Wild River Pizza in Harbor, the sheriff's office said.
Law enforcement determined someone had spread a chemical on the floor.
The unknown stuff "continued to activate by touch or stepping on it. The substance emitted a purple haze each time it activated and it sounded like a .22 caliber gun shot going off," Sheriff John Ward said.
Firefighters secured the area, and the building was evacuated.
A chemistry teacher from Brookings Harbor High School "determined that the chemical substance could be neutralized by baking soda," the sheriff said. "The Harbor Fire Department cleaned the area and made it safe for re-entry."
Investigators reviewed security video and determined at least 3 suspects were involved.
Brookings Police identified one of the suspects Wednesday as James Snyder, 40, of Harbor.
Deputies contacted Snyder at his home just before noon and placed him under arrest. Detectives obtained a searched warrant for the home and located "what appeared to be chemicals and bomb related items," Ward said. "The Oregon State Police Bomb Squad was contacted and at their request, the residence was vacated until they could arrive."
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