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Table of Contents (16 articles)
VADODARA: 4 KILLED, 12 INJURED IN BLAST AT CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
EU TO LOWER LIMIT FOR BISPHENOL A MIGRATION FROM FOOD PACKAGING
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
FOUL-SMELLING 'SLURRY' CLOSES FIFE ROAD AND SPARKS HAZMAT PROBE
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, waste
POLICE, SCHOOL MGT DEBUNK UNIOSUN GAS EXPLOSION REPORT
Tags: Nigeria, laboratory, release, injury, carbon_dioxide, fire_extinguisher
17 KILLED AS FIRE BREAKS OUT AT FIRECRACKER UNIT IN DELHI"S BAWANA, KEJRIWAL GOVT ORDERS PROBE
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, fireworks
BUILDING ON AU CAMPUS DECLARED SAFE AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL INTO A SINK
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, waste
FEDS DOCK LANL $2.6M FOR BIG LAPSES IN 2017
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, follow-up, injury, radiation, waste
INDIAN ARMY SOLDIERS FIGHT FIRE FROM HIGHLY POLLUTED LAKE
Tags: India, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
AUDIO: AIR REGULATORS PROPOSE STRICTER CONTROLS BUT NOT BAN ON TOXIC REFINERY CHEMICAL
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
4 HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING HAZMAT SCARE IN BUTTONWILLOW
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, injuries, ag_chems
WEST MEMPHIS CREWS RESPOND TO LEAK AT FORMER CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_ak, industral, release, response, bromine
NO INJURIES REPORTED IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT CHARTIERS PLANT
Tags: us_pa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
INHALING NANO-TITANIUM DIOXIDE COULD HAVE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN FOETUS
Tags: us_wv, public, discovery, environmental, nanoparticles
LYNN GARDEN HOUSE FIRE WAS ACCIDENTAL
Tags: us_tn, public, fire, response, flammable
LABS WARN OF DANGEROUS, CONTAMINATED POT AT DISPENSARIES
Tags: us_ca, pubic, discovery, laboratory, enviromental
SUNKEN OIL TANKER THREATENS FISHERIES AND MARINE LIFE IN EAST CHINA SEA
Tags: china, transportation, release, petroleum, enviromental
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VADODARA: 4 KILLED, 12 INJURED IN BLAST AT CHEMICAL PLANT
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/vadodara-4-killed-12-injured-in-blast-at-chemical-plant-1150869-2018-01-21
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
Four workers died and twelve others were injured in a blast that took place in a chemical plant of GSP Crop Science Pvt Ltd on the outskirts of Vadodara, Gujarat.
A huge fire occurred as a result of the blast at the chemical plant, a police official said.
The blast occurred around 5:30am in the filter plant of the company, located in the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) area at Nandesari.
"Four of the firm's employees were killed in the mishap," Vadodara district collector P Bharthi said.
There was a malfunction in the acetate lubricant filter which led to an explosion. There were 25 labourers at the plant when the fire took place. Four people died, four fell unconscious and 12 were injured
The injured persons were admitted to different hospitals, she said, adding that two of them were reported to be serious. "We have ordered an inquiry into the mishap," she said.
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EU TO LOWER LIMIT FOR BISPHENOL A MIGRATION FROM FOOD PACKAGING
https://cen.acs.org/articles/96/i4/EU-lower-limit-bisphenol-migration.html
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental, toxic
A draft European Commission regulation that lowers the amount of bisphenol A (BPA) allowed to migrate into or onto food from packaging materials is expected to be finalized in the coming months.
Members of the European Parliament"s Environment, Public Health, & Food Safety Committee voted on Jan. 11 to reject a proposal to ban BPA in food packaging. The committee instead endorsed the Commission"s proposal to lower the migration limit from 0.6 mg of BPA per kg of food to 0.05 mg/kg.
BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins found in coatings that line food cans. Concerns about BPA"s estrogenic activity have prompted regulators around the world to evaluate the substance"s risks in materials that contact food. The Commission"s proposal cites "potential health effects of BPA on the mammary gland, reproductive, metabolic, neurobehavioral, and immune systems."
The draft regulation prohibits any BPA from migrating into infant formula and baby food, essentially banning use of the chemical in materials used for those products.
Environmental and public health activists say the regulation does not go far enough to protect consumers. "The adverse health effects of bisphenol A, even at low doses, are so well documented that it should already have been banned from all consumer products a long time ago," says Natacha Cingotti, policy officer on health and chemicals at the Health & Environment Alliance, an environmental group.
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FOUL-SMELLING 'SLURRY' CLOSES FIFE ROAD AND SPARKS HAZMAT PROBE
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/583961/foul-smelling-slurry-closes-fife-road-sparks-hazmat-probe/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, waste
Officers from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are currently looking into the incident at Goathill Quarry near Cowdenbeath after motorists who drove their vehicles through it reported a foul stench coming from their cars.
Police Scotland said it too received a number of complaints about the mystery substance at the road junction at the A909 and B925, not far from Mossmorran, and the road eventually had to be blocked off in both directions to allow emergency services access.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the discovery of the liquid, which covered a sizeable area of the road, sparked a full hazmat response, with appliances from Burntisland and Kirkcaldy called to the scene to assist.
Firefighters were involved in the clean-up operation and washed down the road before handing the scene over to a representative from Collier Haulage, which has a recycling centre at the quarry site.
The spokesperson suggested the material appears to have been what was described as "low hazard vegetable distillery waste", and posed no danger to the public.
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POLICE, SCHOOL MGT DEBUNK UNIOSUN GAS EXPLOSION REPORT
https://www.channelstv.com/2018/01/20/cp-school-mgt-debunk-uniosun-gas-explosion-report/
Tags: Nigeria, laboratory, release, injury, carbon_dioxide, fire_extinguisher
The Osun State Police Command and Management of Osun State University had denied the reported explosion which occurred on the Osogbo campus of the university on Wednesday.
Speaking at the command headquarters in Osogbo on Thursday, the State Commissioner of Police, Fimihan Adeoye and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (academics) Professor Odunayo Adegboyega, debunked the report that true was an explosion in a science laboratory of the university claiming the lives of some students.
According to the CP Adeoye "what happened was not an explosion, one of the students carelessly released the safety pin of the fire extinguisher in one of the classes thereby releasing the carbon dioxide causing panic and some students who inhaled the substance got unconscious and were attended to.
"We deployed our anti-bomb squad to the scene after my personal visit and their findings corroborated what I just said.
The school management appealed to students, parents and all relevant stakeholders not to exercise any panic saying all the 27 students who sustained several degrees of injury have been treated and some of them with lesser injury discharged.
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17 KILLED AS FIRE BREAKS OUT AT FIRECRACKER UNIT IN DELHI"S BAWANA, KEJRIWAL GOVT ORDERS PROBE
http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/9-feared-dead-as-fire-breaks-out-at-plastic-factory-in-delhi-s-bawana/story-DoTMLG7PKZaBQylPaUra0H.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, death, fireworks
At least 10 women and seven men were charred to death in a fire that broke out in a firecracker unit in outer Delhi"s Bawana industrial area on Saturday evening, firefighters said.
Two people were injured in the blaze, one of the Capital"s deadliest industrial tragedies since 57 people were killed in a fire in the Lal Kuan chemical market complex in May 1999.
Delhi fire department officials said about 30 people working in the unit were trapped when the fire broke out around 6.20pm in the building that had a lone exit door in the front. The building"s three floors and the basement were used to pack and store firecrackers.
"One body was found in the basement and three on the ground floor. Thirteen bodies were found on the first floor. Some of the victims were sitting or lying on the floor close to each other," chief fire officer Atul Garg said.
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BUILDING ON AU CAMPUS DECLARED SAFE AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL INTO A SINK
http://www.oanow.com/news/auburnuniversity/building-on-au-campus-declared-safe-after-chemical-spill-into/article_ede4d470-fe32-11e7-9098-7bcee861ba25.html
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, waste
A building on Auburn University's campus has been declared safe and reopened following a chemical situation.
The Auburn Fire Division was called to Funchess Hall on Saturday afternoon after a foul odor was reported from the lab.
A graduate student found the odor coming from what appeared to be a sink where it is believed a small amount of a chemical was possibly poured down a sink accidentally by another student, according to information provided by Chance Corbett, interim executive director of campus safety and security.
The spill was contained within the sink and rendered safe by the Auburn Fire Division, Corbett said. Campus Safety and Security along with risk management and safety responded to ensure the building was safe.
The student who reported the odor was checked by emergency services but refused treatment and transport, Corbett said.
---------------------------------------------
FEDS DOCK LANL $2.6M FOR BIG LAPSES IN 2017
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/feds-dock-lab-m-for-big-lapses-in/article_213942b3-ea75-56b7-83dd-82990a841988.html
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, follow-up, injury, radiation, waste
Plutonium shipping errors in June and a potentially deadly worker safety lapse in September cost the operators of Los Alamos National Laboratory at least $2.6 million in performance award fees, according to an annual federal lab review released Friday.
Still, the lab earned about $47 million in bonuses for fiscal year 2017, 70 percent of its possible performance award from the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The award rate was 15 percent lower than the laboratory earned the previous fiscal year and the most significant deduction since 2014, when a transuranic waste drum from the lab ruptured inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, releasing radiation and causing a three-year shutdown of the storage site. That costly mishap contributed to a more than $18 million loss in award fees for Los Alamos National Security LLC, a private consortium that runs the lab.
Several safety lapses and worker injuries were reported at the lab last year, including a small fire that burned one worker, two radiation releases and the discovery of an excess amount of plutonium in one location, a violation of a safety program meant to prevent a runaway nuclear reaction. A damning report from an independent federal safety board in the fall also said the lab was not prepared to respond to an emergency.
---------------------------------------------
INDIAN ARMY SOLDIERS FIGHT FIRE FROM HIGHLY POLLUTED LAKE
https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article195732449.html
Tags: India, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
BANGALORE, INDIA
Thousands of Indian troops battled for hours a huge fire emanating from a highly polluted lake, causing panic among thousands of people in the southern city of Bangalore, the army said Saturday.
Nearly 5,000 soldiers swung into action on Friday after the fire threatened a military area with huge clouds of smoke billowing from the lake filled with sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris and choked with water hyacinth, an army statement said.
The army said the efforts prevented the fire from engulfing civilian areas of Banagalore, one of India's key information technology hubs.
Fire engines and water bowsers from nearby civilian areas also assisted in controlling the fire. A huge smoke was still rising from the area on Saturday morning with firefighters trying to douse it completely.
---------------------------------------------
AUDIO: AIR REGULATORS PROPOSE STRICTER CONTROLS BUT NOT BAN ON TOXIC REFINERY CHEMICAL
https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/01/19/79891/air-regulators-propose-stricter-controls-but-not-b/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
Air quality regulators rolled out a new proposal this week to keep a toxic chemical used at refineries in Torrance and Wilmington from escaping and harming the public. They will explain the steps and take public testimony at a hearing in Torrance on Saturday.
South Coast Air Quality Management District staffers will present their plan to the governing board's five-member Refinery Committee. The plan stops well short of a phase-out or ban, which is a change from earlier discussions about the chemical known as hydrofluoric acid.
The Torrance Refinery operated by PBF Energy and the Valero refinery in Wilmington both use the substance in the process of turning crude oil into gasoline. Experts say hydrofluoric acid, if released, can form a deadly fog that can drift into neighborhoods and harm, or even kill, residents.
The AQMD's rule-making process regarding the chemical began in April, when discussions had centered on phasing out or banning the chemical.
AQMD scientists are now calling instead for new safeguards in handling the substance that would take eight years and up to $266 million dollars to put in place. Alternatively, they say the two refineries could also switch to a different chemical. But that could cost up to $330 million, according to two studies quoted by the AQMD. PBF Energy commissioned its own study that concluded the cost to use an alternative process would be twice to three times that amount.
---------------------------------------------
4 HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING HAZMAT SCARE IN BUTTONWILLOW
http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/local-news/4-hospitalized-following-hazmat-scare-in-buttonwillow/924694748
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, injuries, ag_chems
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Four people were transported to hospitals as a precaution following a hazmat scare Thursday afternoon in Buttonwillow.
Hazmat crews responded to a field near Rowlee Road and Dresser Avenue at around 12:30 p.m.
County officials said four field workers felt ill after smelling herbicides being sprayed in an adjacent field.
Kern County Public Health officials identified the herbicides as the products: Goal, Alion and Round Up.
Michelle Corson with the Kern County Public Health Department said the herbicides were ground applied to a pistachio field and workers in an adjacent almond field complained of a strong odor.
---------------------------------------------
WEST MEMPHIS CREWS RESPOND TO LEAK AT FORMER CHEMICAL PLANT
http://wreg.com/2018/01/18/west-memphis-crews-respond-to-leak-at-former-chemical-plant/
Tags: us_ak, industral, release, response, bromine
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. " A chemical leak forced West Memphis fire officials to evacuate several businesses shortly after noon Thursday.
West Memphis Fire Department responded to a possible bromine leak at the former Diaz Chemical Company on Wyanoke Road off Port Road.
Hazardous Materials crews say they saw a brownish-red colored cloud at the back of the property when they arrived. They sent a drone up to investigate.
Diaz Chemical Company has been out of business since approximately 2008, fire officials said, but a private chemical disposal company was at the site attempting to remove old tanks.
Bromine is a toxic chemical used in agricultural chemicals, dyes, insecticides and pharmaceuticals.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES REPORTED IN CHEMICAL FIRE AT CHARTIERS PLANT
http://triblive.com/local/regional/13198348-74/no-injuries-reported-in-chemical-fire-at-chartiers-plant
Tags: us_pa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
No injuries have been reported in a chemical fire that broke out at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dynamet Incorporated in Chartiers Township, Washington County.
But a Washington County 911 dispatcher said a plant employee reported not feeling well and was being checked out.
Chartiers Township firefighters said residents in the area along Museum Road initially were told to shelter in place because of concern about thick smoke created by the blaze, but that advisory was lifted at about 10:30 p.m. Firefighters remained at the scene at midnight but said the fire was under control.
About a half dozen firefighting units were called to the scene, along with a hazardous materials response team.
---------------------------------------------
INHALING NANO-TITANIUM DIOXIDE COULD HAVE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN FOETUS
https://chemicalwatch.com/63219/inhaling-nano-titanium-dioxide-could-have-epigenetic-effects-in-foetus
Tags: us_wv, public, discovery, environmental, nanoparticles
If pregnant women inhale engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) over a prolonged period it may cause "significant" epigenetic changes in the foetus, according to a US rodent study.
Epigenetics describes molecular changes that alter gene expression without changing DNA sequence.
Researchers from West Virginia University School of Medicine exposed pregnant rats to nano-sized titanium dioxide aerosols. They then found significant epigenetic changes in the heart tissue of the offspring. The changes also appear to lead to a "propensity" for liver and kidney disease, they add.
The researchers estimate that a human could have a similar lung burden to that used in the study after almost 1.5 working years. They made the estimate after referring to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's recommended exposure limit and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) permissible exposure limit.
"Because the human gestational period is nine months, we consider our exposure paradigm highly relevant to the worker population," write the researchers in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology.
---------------------------------------------
LYNN GARDEN HOUSE FIRE WAS ACCIDENTAL
http://www.timesnews.net/Government/2018/01/18/Lynn-Garden-house-fire-was-accidental-in-nature
Tags: us_tn, public, fire, response, flammable
The fire began in an area of the home near a heater. Two nearby aerosol cans and a five-gallon can of gasoline on the front porch are thought to have contributed to the accelerated progress of the fire, the release states.
"Modern furnishing in homes hit flashover eight times faster than in homes with older furnishings from decades ago," said Kingsport Fire Marshal Robert Sluss. "Underwriters Laboratory has determined through live fire testing that fires today are more dangerous and pose more risks than in the past."
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LABS WARN OF DANGEROUS, CONTAMINATED POT AT DISPENSARIES
http://abc7news.com/health/labs-warn-of-dangerous-contaminated-pot-at-dispensaries/2965470/
Tags: us_ca, pubic, discovery, laboratory, enviromental
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Recreational cannabis is legal in California, but is it safe? There are just a handful of labs testing millions of pounds of marijuana and they can't test it all yet.
That means some of the pot on shelves now may not meet state standards that go into effect in the next couple months.
RELATED: Marijuana dispensaries celebrate legalization, increased sales
At the Harborside cannabis dispensary in Oakland...sales are brisk. All of the products on these shelves are laboratory tested for safety and potency.
"We test because, while cannabis itself is very safe, it can be contaminated with things that are not safe," said Harborside founder Steve DeAngelo.
According to the cannabis industry association, just 5-percent of cannabis products for sale in the state are tested for safety. And some experts believe as much as half the pot being grown is contaminated with potentially dangerous chemicals or bacteria.
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SUNKEN OIL TANKER THREATENS FISHERIES AND MARINE LIFE IN EAST CHINA SEA
https://cen.acs.org/articles/96/i4/Sunken-oil-tanker-threatens-fisheries.html
Tags: china, transportation, release, petroleum, enviromental
More than 100,000 metric tons of oil carried by an Iranian tanker that sunk on Jan. 14 in the East China Sea could endanger nearby fisheries and marine life immediately and for years to come, researchers say. But with many details of the wreck still unknown, it is too early to predict the effects with any certainty.
The tanker Sanchi was carrying 136,000 metric tons of ultralight crude oil called condensate when it collided with a Chinese cargo ship on Jan. 6. The Sanchi burned until it sank eight days later in 115 meters of water. All 32 crew members of the tanker are presumed dead.
Condensate is a volatile type of oil similar to gasoline that is used to make jet fuel and other products. It is highly toxic to marine life. To transport the condensate payload, the Sanchi was likely running on bunker fuel: a heavy, tarlike, viscous substance that is less toxic than condensate but much more persistent in the environment.
Authorities don"t know how much of the ship"s cargo and fuel burned up in the fire or evaporated or how much is now leaking into surrounding waters.
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