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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (13 articles)
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2018 08:38:57 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 1AA76251-DD08-43D0-A3E2-D67CCCFF8A0C**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
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Table of Contents (13 articles)
BOMB SQUAD SEARCHES MORGAN HILL HOME WHERE EXPLOSIONS REPORTED
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, bomb
ARKEMA CHEMICAL PLANT FACES ANOTHER LAWSUIT OVER HARVEY CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
OFFICIAL: CRIMINAL PROBE UNDERWAY AT VIRGINIA CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_VA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal
FOUR HELD IN TARAPUR FACTORY EXPLOSION
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, pharmaceutical, illegal
ROSSVILLE, GA., OIL SPILL CONTAINS CHEMICAL LINKED TO HEALTH RISKS, CANCER
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, oils, petroleum
UPDATE: MARION FIRE HAZMAT RESPOND TO ORGANIC PEROXIDE SPILL
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, response, peroxide
PEMBROKE MAN CHARGED AFTER EXPLOSION OF HOME DRUG LAB
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, response, butane, clandestine_lab
LAB BATTERY BLAST HITS STUDENTS
Tags: Hong_Kong, laboratory, explosion, injuries, batteries, metals
HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP CHEMICALS AFTER POOL-CLEANING TRUCK CRASHES IN LONG BEACH ‰?? PRESS TELEGRAM
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, pool_chemicals
AUTHORITIES: WATER NOW SAFE FROM ALLEN CREEK AFTER NEARBY CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
AUTHORITIES SAY 'SUSPICIOUS CHEMICALS' FOUND IN LIVE OAK HOME...
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
SALISBURY MANUFACTURER FACES $15,000 IN OSHA FINES FOR ALLEGED EMPLOYEE CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_PA, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
TARAPUR CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST: INQUIRY REPORT POINTS TO SERIES OF VIOLATIONS BY NOVAPHENE
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, solvent
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BOMB SQUAD SEARCHES MORGAN HILL HOME WHERE EXPLOSIONS REPORTED
http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/bomb-squad-searches-morgan-hill-home-where-explosions-reported/article_05876cc6-26f3-11e8-acec-e367c8721e9b.html
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, response, bomb
Authorities are searching a home on McLaughlin Court, just north of downtown Morgan Hill, for explosive material and bomb-making supplies.
As of 11:30am March 13, the street that spans less than a block and ends in a cul-de-sac was closed with crime scene tape while police served a search warrant. Morgan Hill Police called in the Santa Clara County Sheriff‰??s Bomb Squad to conduct the search. CalFire‰??s hazardous materials team was also at the scene.
The search was prompted by two explosions that occurred less than four hours apart in the area of the McLaughlin Court home March 12, according to Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Troy Hoefling.
About 2:45pm March 12, a nearby resident called police to report ‰??a firework or explosion,‰?? Hoefling said. Officers responded but did not find a source of the disturbance at that time.
Then about 6pm March 12, another resident called to report a ‰??louder explosion‰?? than the previous one, Hoefling said. That caller offered more details, including the sighting of a puff of smoke from a specific residence following the explosion.
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ARKEMA CHEMICAL PLANT FACES ANOTHER LAWSUIT OVER HARVEY CHEMICAL SPILL
http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/arkema-chemical-plant-faces-another-lawsuit-over-harvey-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
Liberty County has filed a lawsuit against Arkema Inc. When Hurricane Harvey hit the region, the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby flooded. As a result, fires broke out and wastewater tanks overflowed.
In its lawsuit, Liberty County claims this contaminated areas inside the county.
‰??The county wants Arkema to clean up any type of residual contamination from the fire and explosions,‰?? said Muhammad Aziz, who represents the plaintiffs.
He said residents as far as five miles from the plant suffered symptoms, such as coughing and vomiting.
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OFFICIAL: CRIMINAL PROBE UNDERWAY AT VIRGINIA CHEMICAL PLANT
http://www.bdtonline.com/news/official-criminal-probe-underway-at-virginia-chemical-plant/article_ade3bd45-bdff-5641-ac27-95c428ec10d1.html
Tags: us_VA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal
HOPEWELL, Va. (AP) ‰?? State and federal authorities have responded to an industrial chemical manufacturing facility as part of what a Virginia official says is a criminal environmental investigation.
AdvanSix said in a statement that authorities were at the company's plant in Hopewell Tuesday to execute a search warrant. Spokeswoman Debra Lewis says the company is "still learning" about the investigation and she can't provide further details.
Ann Regn is a spokeswoman for Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality. She says the agency is taking part in a criminal environmental investigation led by the Environmental Protection Agency.
An EPA spokeswoman confirmed it had employees at the site but declined further comment.
According to AdvanSix's website, the plant southeast of Richmond is one of the world's largest single-site producers of a chemical used to make packaging, plastics and fibers.
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FOUR HELD IN TARAPUR FACTORY EXPLOSION
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/four-held-in-tarapur-factory-explosion/articleshow/63287034.cms
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, pharmaceutical, illegal
MUMBAI: One of the owners and three employees of Tarapur MIDC based Novaphene Specialities company has been arrested in connection with the explosion and fire in the factory and four adjoining units on March 8.
The explosion had spread to four other chemical units killing three workers of Aarti Drugs and injuring 14 labourers. On late Monday, a watchman Nackched Singh (62) of Prachi Pharmaceuticals died of severe head injuries in a Surat based hospital.
The four arrest were made under IPC section 304 (a) ( causing death by negligence) which is available offence.
The arrests were made by the Boisar police based on the inquiry report submitted by the Director of Industrial Safety and Health ( DISH) that found lapses in the factory.
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ROSSVILLE, GA., OIL SPILL CONTAINS CHEMICAL LINKED TO HEALTH RISKS, CANCER
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2018/mar/13/rossville-oil-spill-contains-hazardous-chemic/465753/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, release, response, oils, petroleum
Two days before Walker County, Ga., development officials planned to review offers to buy an old mill, a hazardous material linked to cancer spilled from the building.
Police officers and emergency workers in hazmat suits responded to the former Coats American plant in Rossville around 7 p.m. Sunday, when a resident reported seeing an oily sheen on the water in a ditch across the street. The oil came from a transformer that had tipped over inside the abandoned mill. Emergency responders said it contained polychlorinated biphenyls, a chemical linked to several health risks.
No longer made in the United States, manufacturers once used PCBs as a coolant in transformers. Multiple studies in the 1980s and 1990s concluded long-term exposure to the chemical can cause cancer. Eating PCB-contaminated fish can stop men from reproducing and increase the risk of neurological development problems in children.
Walker County spokesman Joe Legge said emergency workers contained the spill in about four hours. They believe only about as much oil spilled as would run off from a large parking lot during a rain shower.
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UPDATE: MARION FIRE HAZMAT RESPOND TO ORGANIC PEROXIDE SPILL
http://www.kwwl.com/story/37708997/2018/03/12/marion-fire-hazmat-respond-to-organic-peroxide-spill
Tags: us_IA, industrial, release, response, peroxide
MARION (KWWL) -
UPDATE: The Cedar Rapids Fire Department says the spill was of organic peroxide.
Firefighters say there were three 45-pound containers of liquid involved, and only one had leaked.
All employees were evacuated before firefighters arrived. There is no damage to the building.
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PEMBROKE MAN CHARGED AFTER EXPLOSION OF HOME DRUG LAB
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pembroke-man-charged-after-explosion-of-home-drug-lab
Tags: Canada, public, explosion, response, butane, clandestine_lab
A 31-year-old man is facing three charges after the explosion of a butane marijuana extraction laboratory inside a home on D‰??Arcy Street in Pembroke.
On Thursday, March 8, Upper Ottawa Valley OPP arrived to the scene and found a man and a three month old inside the residence. The occupants of the home were sent to hospital for precautionary measures. No injuries were reported.
Police said the explosion was the result of a ‰??clandestine drug laboratory,‰?? and search warrants were executed.
Kurt Dehaan of Petawawa, 27, is charged with trafficking substances, arson by negligence and possession of counterfeit money.
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LAB BATTERY BLAST HITS STUDENTS
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=193693&sid=4
Tags: Hong_Kong, laboratory, explosion, injuries, batteries, metals
Three students were sent to hospital when a battery exploded during an experiment in the laboratory of a Tseung Kwan O secondary school yesterday.
The lithium battery caught fire in the laboratory at HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School yesterday morning, prompting the teacher and students to flee.
The school called the police and firemen, who extinguished the fire. However, three boys felt ill after inhaling the smoke and were sent to hospital.
Firemen said the cause of the fire was not suspicious.
Last month, lithium batteries stored in a container in a Yuen Long car park caught fire after short-circuiting, resulting in five cars being damaged. More than 20 people were moved out and no one was injured.
The University of Hong Kong's chair of power electronics, Ron Hui Shu-yuen, said a battery is likely to explode after short-circuiting. He said a short-circuit occurs when metals are placed near the positive and negative conductors of a battery, which induces a high current that delivers a large amount of heat and subsequently causes an explosion.
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HAZMAT CREWS CLEAN UP CHEMICALS AFTER POOL-CLEANING TRUCK CRASHES IN LONG BEACH ‰?? PRESS TELEGRAM
https://www.presstelegram.com/2018/03/12/hazmat-crews-clean-up-chemicals-after-pool-cleaning-truck-crashes-in-long-beach/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, pool_chemicals
Hazmat crews cleaned up a small chemical spill in Long Beach‰??s Bluff Heights neighborhood Monday afternoon when a crash knocked over a pickup truck hauling pool-cleaning supplies, authorities said.
Nobody was hurt in the crash that happened around noon near the intersection of Fourth Street and Orizaba Avenue, according to fire officials.
The two car-crash knocked over a light pole and ended with the pickup truck on its side in the roadway, spilling three or four gallons of chlorine and other chemicals onto the asphalt, authorities said.
Police blocked off the intersection and asked neighbors and shoppers at a nearby grocery store to stay inside while hazmat crews cleaned up.
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AUTHORITIES: WATER NOW SAFE FROM ALLEN CREEK AFTER NEARBY CHEMICAL FIRE
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/authorities-water-now-safe-allen-creek-after-nearby-chemical-fire/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
Authorities said the water in Allen Creek is now safe for drinking, swimming, fishing and other recreational activities following a chemical fire at a nearby Monroe Drive business in Gainesville last week. They had advised residents on Tuesday, March 6, not to use the water ‰??for any purpose‰?? following the Sunday, March 4, fire.
‰??Water quality monitoring has occurred daily, and the pH of the water in Allen Creek has returned to an acceptable range,‰?? Hall County Fire Services Capt. Zachary Brackett wrote in an email about 5 p.m. Monday, March 12. ‰??No other abnormal readings are present.‰??
Monroe Drive is still closed to through traffic ‰??due to removal of parts of the building and the amount of heavy machinery working in and close to the roadway,‰?? Brackett said.
He said demolition will continue Tuesday, March 13, on the building housing a cleaning, sanitizing, water management, food manufacturing and food safety consulting company named AFCO.
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AUTHORITIES SAY 'SUSPICIOUS CHEMICALS' FOUND IN LIVE OAK HOME...
https://www.ksat.com/news/police-investigating-possible-explosives-at-live-oak-home-nearby-homes-evacuated
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
LIVE OAK, Texas - Authorities are clearing the scene of an hourslong investigation into "suspicious chemicals" found in a home in Live Oak Monday afternoon.
The San Antonio and Live Oak police departments went to a home in the 11800 block of Rugged Oak around 4:30 p.m. after receiving an anonymous tip that a person might have "precursors to chemical explosives" in the home.
"When (the SAPD bomb squad) walked in, it looked really suspicious. It was obviously out of the ordinary. Not something you see in an everyday household," Malone said.
After four hours of investigating, Lt. Matt Malone of the Live Oak Police Department said the San Antonio Police Department's bomb squad tested the suspicious chemicals, but found nothing "apparently dangerous." Malone said that the threat is over and that the neighborhood was safe.
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SALISBURY MANUFACTURER FACES $15,000 IN OSHA FINES FOR ALLEGED EMPLOYEE CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
http://www.lvb.com/article/20180312/LVB01/180319987/salisbury-manufacturer-faces-15000-in-osha-fines-for-alleged-employee-chemical-exposure
Tags: us_PA, industrial, discovery, response, other_chemical
A Salisbury Township machine manufacturing company has been fined nearly $15,000 for exposing employees to dangerous chemical hazards, accord to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
After receiving a complaint, the U.S. Labor Department‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Lamm‰??s Machine Inc., at 3216 Berger St., for exposing employees to vapors from a degreasing operation, which was in an enclosed space.
‰??Exposure to these types of hazardous chemical vapors can lead to serious illnesses and health issues,‰?? said Jean Kulp, OSHA area office director for Allentown. ‰??Employers must monitor their facilities to ensure workplace health and safety procedures are adequate and effective.‰??
The employer was cited for ‰??failing to evaluate the workplace to determine if there was a need for respirators; develop a respiratory protection program; use effective ventilation systems and respirators; ensure proper use of compressed air for cleaning purposes; and provide proper hand protection.‰??
Lamm‰??s Machine did not return phone calls for comment.
The penalties totaled $14,782. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA‰??s area director or contest the findings before an independent review commission.
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TARAPUR CHEMICAL FACTORY BLAST: INQUIRY REPORT POINTS TO SERIES OF VIOLATIONS BY NOVAPHENE
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/tarapur-chemical-factory-blast-inquiry-report-points-to-series-of-violations-by-novaphene-5095658/
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, solvent
An inquiry report by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) on the chemical factory blast in Tarapur‰??s Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has pointed towards a series of violations by Novaphene Specialties Pvt Ltd that led to an uncontrolled fire which killed three and injured 15 factory workers. The report, submitted on Monday to the Boisar MIDC police and Palghar district collector, shows that Novaphene violated the Maharashtra Factories Rules, 1963, provision 4(1)(d) that does not allow an occupier to run a premises as a factory until an approval by the chief inspector of factories has been taken for changing a manufacturing process.
‰??The company did not have permission to conduct a certain manufacturing procedure from our department,‰?? an official from DISH said. The factory was also found violating Rule 73(H)(1)(B) ‰?? labourers appointed were not trained in handling hazardous chemical material and enough safeguards were not kept for treatment of chemical and reactive material.
‰??The supervisor should be a chemical engineer. In this case, the supervisor was not qualified,‰?? an investigating officer said. The factory did not have an automatic steam cut-off valve that could have prevented the blast, the inquiry report found. The blast that started in the Novaphene factory late on Friday night gutted five other factories apart from shattering windows and ripping apart electric wiring on street in the neighbourhood. Local people claimed the intensity of the blast was massive enough to confuse them to think it was an earthquake. The explosion and subsequent fire led to multiple blasts in tankers storing chemical solvents of the six factories.
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