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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (7 articles)
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 08:23:36 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 6FF0ED72-1A84-4EFA-964E-E0902CDE7D4A**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
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Table of Contents (7 articles)
TRUCK CARRYING HYDROGEN TANKS CATCHES FIRE, CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN DIAMOND BAR
Tags: us_ca, transportation, fire, response, hydrogen
MAJOR FIRE AT SCRAP MARKET IN MUMBAI, NONE INJURED
Tags: india, fire, industrial, response, unknown_chemical
STATE SENATE VOTES TO LARGELY PROHIBIT SALE OF FIREFIGHTING FOAM LINKED TO WATER POLLUTION IN WASHINGTON
Tags: us_wa, discovery, public, environmental, toxics
BROKEN MRI MACHINE SPEWS HAZARDOUS GASES AT JFK AIRPORT
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
GROUP BLASTS ONLINE SALE OF MERCURY-TAINTED SKIN WHITENING PRODUCTS
Tags: Pakistan, public, discovery, environmental, mercury
SAFETY BLUNDERS EXPOSE LAB STAFF TO POTENTIALLY LETHAL DISEASES IN UK
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
EVACUATION AT MUSC RUTLEDGE TOWER BLAMED ON ODOR FROM FLOOR CHEM
Tags: us_SC, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
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TRUCK CARRYING HYDROGEN TANKS CATCHES FIRE, CAUSES EVACUATIONS IN DIAMOND BAR
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Truck-Carrying-Hydrogen-Tanks-Catches-Fire-Causes-Evacuations-in-Diamond-Bar-473746073.html
Tags: us_ca, transportation, fire, response, hydrogen
A fire in a truck carrying compressed hydrogen tanks caused the evacuation of people initially in a one-mile radius area of suburban Diamond Bar Sunday, and a county HazMat team was sent to the scene because of the danger of an explosion.
The fire broke out on the truck at about 1:20 p.m. at the intersection of South Brea Canyon Road and Golden Springs Drive, according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher. That location is just south of the Riverside (60) Freeway and west of the Orange (57) Freeway, but traffic on that freeway was not impeded.
The CHP reported witnesses heard a small explosion.
County fire then dispatched a HazMat team to the site because of the possibility of an explosion, the dispatcher said. The truck was carrying about 20 tanks of hydrogen.
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MAJOR FIRE AT SCRAP MARKET IN MUMBAI, NONE INJURED
http://gkmen.com/2018/02/11/major-fire-at-scrap-market-in-mumbai-none-injured/
Tags: india, fire, industrial, response, unknown_chemical
A fire broke out near a scrapyard in Mumbai's Mankhurd area on Sunday morning, The Times of India reported. Latest reports suggest that the flames have spread to nearby godowns. The photos, taken from the site show large plumes of black smoke rising into the sky, but no casualties have been reported as yet.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained.
Earlier on Saturday, a blaze erupted in the Rustomjee Seasons, an under-construction building in Bandra East.
Mumbai Police said, "All Officer and Staff of Fire Brigade and Police officials of Mankhurd Police Station are on spot for further support". Another incident happened at the third floor of the sessions court building.
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STATE SENATE VOTES TO LARGELY PROHIBIT SALE OF FIREFIGHTING FOAM LINKED TO WATER POLLUTION IN WASHINGTON
http://tdn.com/news/state-and-regional/state-senate-votes-to-largely-prohibit-sale-of-firefighting-foam/article_10fd4712-375b-5e6d-be1b-29a01dfac2bc.html
Tags: us_wa, discovery, public, environmental, toxics
The state Senate passed legislation Saturday to sharply restrict the sale of a class of firefighting foams linked to water pollution in Washington and elsewhere in the nation.
State Senate Bill 6413, approved 39-8, would largely prohibit " as of 2020 " the sale of firefighting foams containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl chemicals " known as PFAS.
Those chemicals have been in found in some drinking-water wells on Whidbey Island, Issaquah, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Airway Heights near Fairchild Air Force Base.
"Hopefully, with this bill passing, we will limit future contamination," said Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, a Sequim Democrat who sponsored the bill.
If the bill passes both chambers, Washington would become the first state to restrict the sale of firefighting foams with PFAS, said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal of Toxic-Free Future, a group that advocated for the bill.
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BROKEN MRI MACHINE SPEWS HAZARDOUS GASES AT JFK AIRPORT
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Broken-MRI-Machine-Spews-Hazardous-Gases-at-JFK-Airport-473709943.html
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
A hazmat team was called to John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday evening after a damaged MRI machine started releasing hazardous gases, a police union says.
The MRI machine was in transit at an airport cargo building when it somehow became damaged and started emitting the dangerous fumes, according to the Port Authority PBA.
Video posted to Twitter shows gases rising from what appears to be the lone MRI machine on a rainy Saturday night.
Emergency responders and aircraft rescue and firefighting were at the scene, the union said.
It wasn"t immediately clear what sort of hazardous gases the MRI machine was emitting.
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GROUP BLASTS ONLINE SALE OF MERCURY-TAINTED SKIN WHITENING PRODUCTS
http://www.manilatimes.net/group-blasts-online-sale-mercury-tainted-skin-whitening-products/379363/
Tags: Pakistan, public, discovery, environmental, mercury
AN environmental and health group on Saturday scored the proliferation of advertisements by third party sellers at online shopping websites for banned mercury-laden skin lightening products from Pakistan.
Despite being banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ads for "Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene with SPF 30 Avocado & Aloe Vera" and "Goree Day & Night Whitening Cream" can be seen at Lazada and OLX online shopping platforms, the EcoWaste Coalition said.
On October 30, 2017, the FDA issued an advisory warning the public not to use the Goree cosmetics after finding mercury, a harmful chemical that is not allowed in cosmetic product formulations, above the maximum trace amount of one part per million (ppm).
"(These) products have not gone through the verification process of the agency and have not been issued the proper authorization in the form of acknowledged cosmetic notifications," the advisory said.
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SAFETY BLUNDERS EXPOSE LAB STAFF TO POTENTIALLY LETHAL DISEASES IN UK
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/09/safety-blunders-expose-uk-lab-staff-to-potentially-lethal-diseases
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
Safety breaches at UK labs that handle harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi have spread infections to staff and exposed others to potentially lethal diseases, the Guardian has learned.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has investigated a series of mistakes over the past two years that led to scientists falling ill at specialist labs run by hospitals, private companies, and even Public Health England (PHE), the government agency which exists to protect and improve the nation"s health and wellbeing.
One scientist at a PHE laboratory became sick after contracting Shigella, a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes most cases of dysentery in Britain. The incident led the HSE to send the agency an enforcement letter to improve its health and safety practices.
The HSE held formal investigations into more than 40 mishaps at specialist laboratories between June 2015 and July 2017, amounting to one every two to three weeks. Beyond the breaches that spread infections were blunders that led to dengue virus " which kills 20,000 people worldwide each year " being posted by mistake; staff handling potentially lethal bacteria and fungi with inadequate protection; and one occasion where students at the University of the West of England unwittingly studied live meningitis-causing germs which they thought had been killed by heat treatment.
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EVACUATION AT MUSC RUTLEDGE TOWER BLAMED ON ODOR FROM FLOOR CHEM
http://www.live5news.com/story/37471260/evacuation-at-musc-rutledge-tower-blamed-on-odor-from-floor-chemical
Tags: us_SC, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -
A chemical used on floors caused the odor that prompted an evacuation at MUSC Rutledge Tower, authorities say.
Charleston Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh said an oil-based floor sealant produced an odor in the facility. Someone smelled the odor and pulled a fire alarm, he said.
It's not clear whether an employee or patient pulled the alarm.
The hospital was evacuated shortly after 3:30 p.m. and the building was cleared just before 5 p.m.
"There was an unidentified smell that was permeating the building, we took an abundance of caution and evacuated the entire Rutledge Tower," according to Heather Woolwine with MUSC.
Fire crews believe the smell was picked up by the HVAC system and spread throughout the building.
People inside of the Rutledge Tower were complaining of scratchy throats and itchy eyes from the smell.
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