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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (12 articles)
Date: Fri, 25 May 2018 07:44:31 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: DF8C1340-8ABA-4FFB-B356-5DC296A17510**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 25, 2018 at 7:44:20 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (12 articles)
SECOND COMMERCIAL ACID SPILL IN KOOTENAY CITY
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
1 DEAD, 8 HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION IN DIETRICH
Tags: us_ID, public, release, death, nitrogen
LOCAL CHEMICAL PLANT PARTNERS WITH EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO CONDUCT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, environmental
1 KILLED, 3 INJURED IN TURKEY FACTORY EXPLOSION
Tags: Turkey, industrial, explosion, death, explosives
UPDATE: TWO STUDENTS HURT IN SMALL EXPLOSION IN JORGENSEN HALL
Tags: us_NE, laboratory, explosion, injury, nitric_acid
ECOWASTE WARNS PUBLIC VS TOXIC SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Tags: Philippines, education, discovery, environmental
PRESSURED BY INDUSTRY, U.S. EPA SLOWS FORMALDEHYDE STUDY RELEASE: DOCUMENTS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
CHEMICAL FIRMS RUSH TO MEET FINAL REACH REGULATION DEADLINE
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental
HAZMAT INCIDENT INVESTIGATED AT POOLER APARTMENT COMPLEX
Tags: us_GA, public, discovery, response, radiation, waste
ALL CLEAR ISSUED AFTER BIENVILLE PARISH GAS WELL FIRE, RESIDENTS
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL ODOR IN ST. PAUL APARTMENT BUILDING SENDS FIREFIGHTER, POLICE OFFICER TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CITY COUNCILMAN DEMANDS PLAN TO RECOVER GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION-RESPONSE COSTS
Tags: us_AK, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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SECOND COMMERCIAL ACID SPILL IN KOOTENAY CITY
https://www.castlegarnews.com/news/second-commercial-acid-spill-in-kootenay-city/
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
After a second sulphuric acid spill in Trail in the past six weeks, Westcan Bulk Transport has been suspended as a carrier for Teck Trail Operations, the company confirmed Thursday.
‰??IRM is the owner of the product (sulphuric acid) and is responsible for safe transport once it leaves Trail Operations,‰?? Teck‰??s Catherine Adair told the Times. ‰??Westcan is one of the carriers that IRM retains to ship product.‰??
Teck is working closely with IRM to review their transportation arrangements given these recent incidents, Adair said.
‰??A full investigation is underway, and the transportation of the product using Westcan as a carrier is suspended until Teck is satisfied it can be transported safely.‰??
Three firefighters from Station 374 Trail were called to a Hazmat scene near Shavers Bench Wednesday night.
A truck hauling sulphuric acid had ‰??some spills‰?? along Highway 3B, Captain Grant Tyson reported.
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1 DEAD, 8 HOSPITALIZED IN HAZMAT SITUATION IN DIETRICH
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/1-dead-8-hospitalized-in-hazmat-situation-in-dietrich/277-558068361
Tags: us_ID, public, release, death, nitrogen
DIETRICH, Idaho - One person died, and several others were hospitalized in a hazmat situation in Dietrich on Thursday.
The Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office said Lincoln County sheriff's deputies and Shoshone police officers responded at around 10:15 a.m. to a report of an unresponsive male at 288 South 950 East. They arrived to find a dead male and also found a canister containing a then-unidentified gas in the home.
Eight people, including first responders, were taken to area hospitals for potential hazmat exposure. Five patients went to St. Luke's Magic Valley for decontamination and treatment, and North Canyon Medical Center received three patients.
North Canyon was on lockdown according their hazmat protocol, and no new patients were being accepted.
Officials said the Boise Fire Special Operations Hazmat Team was on scene to assist in the decontamination and identification process. Lincoln County deputies, Shoshone police, the Shoshone Fire Department and Lincoln County Disaster Service Manager Payson Reese were also on scene.
The Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office on Thursday night said the 101st Civil Support Team and the Regional Hazmat Team determined that the gas found at the home is nitrogen. They also said it's an isolated incident and no other hazards were found.
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LOCAL CHEMICAL PLANT PARTNERS WITH EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO CONDUCT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL
http://whnt.com/2018/05/24/local-chemical-plant-partners-with-emergency-responders-to-conduct-emergency-preparedness-drill/
Tags: us_AL, industrial, follow-up, environmental
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- In cases of emergency, panic usually ensues. One of the only ways to prepare for an organized emergency response is practice.
"The safety and health of our employees, our community, and our environment is paramount," said Mark Farley, BASF Huntsville's site director.
The potential for an emergency is often unlikely, but always possible. BASF recognized the importance of preparing for one...just in case.
Employees worked with local emergency responders Thursday morning to simulate an emergency-- starting with a planned 911 call.
"The alarms went off, our employees sheltered in place," Farley said. "We took roll call, and then our HAZMAT team started mobilizing and attacked the incident."
In this case, the simulated emergency was a chemical spill, so, Huntsville Fire and Rescue suited up and went to work just like they would have in the case of a real emergency.
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1 KILLED, 3 INJURED IN TURKEY FACTORY EXPLOSION
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/24/c_137204140.htm
Tags: Turkey, industrial, explosion, death, explosives
ANKARA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- One people was killed and four others injured after an explosion rocked an gunpowder factory in Turkey's capital Ankara on Thursday.
The blast occurred in the Machinery and Chemical Industry Company in Ankara's Elmadag district, local NTV channel reported.
According to the initial report, one worker at the fuel processing center of the gunpowder factory was killed in the accident.
The wounded were immediately taken to the hospitals by the ambulances. An investigation into the cause of accident was underway.
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UPDATE: TWO STUDENTS HURT IN SMALL EXPLOSION IN JORGENSEN HALL
http://www.klkntv.com/story/38272294/two-students-hurt-in-small-explosion-in-jorgensen-hall
Tags: us_NE, laboratory, explosion, injury, nitric_acid
UPDATE: The two students were males 19 and 22 years old. They were alone in the lab when a jar of chemicals exploded. One suffered cuts to his hands and face while the other had inhalation burns. They were taken to a nearby hospital. Their injuries are considered non-life threatening.
The two were decontaminated on the scene.
Everyone else in the building at the time was evacuated and the building closed. After the mess was cleaned up, the building was reopened.
It's unknown how the explosion occurred, but UNL is investigating and said they will release more information when its available.
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Two people were hurt inside UNL's Jorgensen Hall Thursday afternoon . Officials say they were working with nitric acid when a jar of the chemical exploded.
One person had cuts to the hands and face, the other suffered burns. Emergency crews are on the scene.
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ECOWASTE WARNS PUBLIC VS TOXIC SCHOOL SUPPLIES
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1036340
Tags: Philippines, education, discovery, environmental
MANILA --EcoWaste Coalition on Thursday warned the public against buying school supplies that contain hazardous toxic subsstance such as lead and cadmium.
In a press briefing in Quezon City, Thony Dizon, EcoWaste Chemical Safety Campaigner, said that laboratory tests they conducted showed the presence of toxic materials in products like crayons, water-colour sets, backpacks, and raincoats among others.
‰??School supplies should not pose toxic health risks to the young users,‰?? said Dizon.
Dizon said that since children have the tendency to put their fingers or objects to their mouths, the possibility of ingest such toxic substance is not far.
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PRESSURED BY INDUSTRY, U.S. EPA SLOWS FORMALDEHYDE STUDY RELEASE: DOCUMENTS
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-formaldehyde/pressured-by-industry-us-epa-slows-formaldehyde-study-release-documents-idUSKCN1IP3EX
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under pressure from the chemical industry, has delayed release of a study detailing cancer risks from formaldehyde, according to internal communications seen by Reuters, potentially keeping important health information from the public.
Top EPA officials have declined to review the study or be briefed by its experts on the findings, the internal communications showed.
The EPA already lists formaldehyde, used in building materials like plywood and foam insulation, as a probable carcinogen. The new report is expected for the first time to detail its links to leukemia.
The report, an update of the EPA‰??s existing human health assessment of the widely used chemical, was completed by scientists from the agency‰??s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) late last year and must go through a months-long internal review process before it can be issued to the public for comment.
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CHEMICAL FIRMS RUSH TO MEET FINAL REACH REGULATION DEADLINE
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/Chemical-firms-rush-meet-final/96/i22
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental
Companies that produce chemicals in Europe in volumes of 1 to 100 metric tons per year are scrambling to meet the May 31 deadline for registering them under Europe‰??s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) chemical safety regulation. This third and final phase of REACH follows deadlines for registering higher-volume chemicals in 2010 and 2013.
For the latest phase, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) says it has received 27,831 safety data submissions covering 9,180 substances as of May 23. ‰??We are still expecting a sharp increase in submissions in the remaining days,‰?? ECHA says.
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HAZMAT INCIDENT INVESTIGATED AT POOLER APARTMENT COMPLEX
http://www.wjcl.com/article/hazmat-incident-investigated-at-pooler-apartment-complex/20886618
Tags: us_GA, public, discovery, response, radiation, waste
POOLER, GA (WJCL) ‰??
Things are returning to normal at a Pooler apartment complex and nearby daycare after a HAZMAT incident Wednesday morning.
Pooler Fire was called to Courtney Station Apartments on Park Avenue around 10:15 a.m. after radioactivity was detected in waste from a dumpster that was taken from the complex to the landfill.
Pooler Fire Chief Wade Simmons says Republic Waste scanned the trash using a radioactivity detector and it went off.
The dumpster was returned to the apartment complex where Pooler Fire detected minute levels of radiation around the compactor.
Emergency crews began evacuating three apartment buildings and had children playing outside at a daycare about 100 feet from the dumpster go back inside.
Simmons says Savannah Fire's HAZMAT team determined that the cause was a small amount of medical waste.
HAZMAT retook samples and the radioactivity levels were normal roughly two hours after the incident began.
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ALL CLEAR ISSUED AFTER BIENVILLE PARISH GAS WELL FIRE, RESIDENTS
http://www.ksla.com/story/38266273/all-clear-issued-after-gas-well-fire-residents-allowed-home
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
BIENVILLE PARISH, LA (KSLA) -
Following a pipeline rupture and fire in Bienville Parish, residents in the area were allowed home.
It happened around 9 p.m. on Wednesday night at a gas well on Pine Bluff Road in the Lake Bistineau Area. After 12:30 a.m. residents in the area were able to return to their homes.
All roads are open after getting the all clear from officials.
According to Micah Crawford with the Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office, a tank battery at one of the wells caught fire.
At least 30 people were evacuated to Springhill Church.
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CHEMICAL ODOR IN ST. PAUL APARTMENT BUILDING SENDS FIREFIGHTER, POLICE OFFICER TO HOSPITAL
http://kstp.com/news/chemical-odor-in-st-paul-apartment-building-sends-firefighter-police-officer-to-hospital-cathedral-hill-dayton-avenue/4919266/?cat=12196
Tags: us_MN, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A firefighter and a police officer were both hospitalized Tuesday night after a strong odor from a St. Paul apartment left them feeling dizzy and light-headed.
According to Assistant Fire Chief Mike Gaede, St. Paul firefighters were sent to an apartment building on the 200 block of Dayton Avenue at 8 p.m. on reports of a strong odor.
Residents were evacuated from the building, and after a search, officials determined there was no toxic material or dangerous explosives.
One tenant refused to let firefighters search his apartment. Police were called and held the man during the search.
The firefighter and officer were treated at Regions Hospital and released.
Tenants returned to the building Wednesday morning. Most were able to spend the night with friends or family, but the American Red Cross housed six overnight.
Officials never determined the cause of the odor.
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CITY COUNCILMAN DEMANDS PLAN TO RECOVER GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION-RESPONSE COSTS
http://fm.kuac.org/post/city-councilman-demands-plan-recover-groundwater-contamination-response-costs
Tags: us_AK, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Fairbanks City Councilman David Pruhs has directed staff to draft a plan over the next 90 days on how the city will respond to the growing problem of groundwater contamination caused by chemical compounds in firefighting foam. Pruhs told City Attorney Paul Ewers Monday that the plan must include a way for the city to compensate homeowners who could be paying for the local response to the contamination through their property taxes.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has identified PFAS in samples of water taken all around the city's Regional Fire Training Center at 1710 30th Ave. The red dots indicate PFAS levels that exceed the the EPA's lifetime health advisory level, the amount of exposure that EPA and DEC say will harm human health.
Pruhs told Ewers during Monday‰??s council meeting that the city must come up with a plan on how it‰??ll recover at least some of the $3 million the city has spent over the past year-and-a-half trying to help homeowners affected by the growing groundwater-contamination problem.
‰??I would like to see in 90 days a recovery plan from the City Attorney on addressing this,‰?? Pruhs said. ‰??What we can do, what we can‰??t do, who we‰??re going after. It‰??s time to step this up. I want to see it in 90 days.‰??
Pruhs said Tuesday the plan would include discussion of how the city could seek compensation for homeowners who he says will be paying for the city‰??s response to the contamination through their property taxes. He says the plan should include a list of agencies, companies and other entities that have used the city‰??s Regional Fire Training Center. That‰??s where personnel trained on the use of fire-suppressing foam that contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the chemical compounds that‰??ve contaminated groundwater near the fire-training center and elsewhere around Fairbanks.
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