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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 8:10:33 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 (8 articles)
MERCURY SPILL INSIDE BOURNE CONDO PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
ONE WORKER SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPLOSION, FIRE IN WAUSAU LABO
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, magnesium
DUPONT TO PAY $3.1 MILLION PENALTY FOR TEXAS ACCIDENT•ČŔ
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
EPA‰??S ENTACT STUDY BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH NON-TARGETED RESEARCH
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, discovery, environmental
FOUR INJURED IN CHEMICAL SPILL AT HILLSBORO AMERICAN CRYSTAL PLANT
Tags: us_ND, industrial, release, injury, nitric_acid
OSHA ISSUES CITATIONS, FINES IN FATAL TOWBOAT BLAST
Tags: us_KY, transportation, follow-up, death, flammables
CREWS CLEAR CHEMICAL LEAK OFF AIRLINE HIGHWAY; EVACUATED RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
EPA SETTLES WITH DUPONT ON SAFETY ISSUES RELATED TO TEXAS MISHAP THAT KILLED 4
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
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MERCURY SPILL INSIDE BOURNE CONDO PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://www.boston25news.com/news/mercury-spill-inside-bourne-condo-prompts-hazmat-response/803072220
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, mercury
BOURNE, Mass. - Bourne firefighters and a hazardous materials team are on the scene of a mercury spill at a condo complex Tuesday night.
First responders were called around 6 p.m. to 9 Ships Way after a vial of mercury spilled.
The unit was immediately evacuated and secured.
Bourne Fire requested a Tier 1 hazmat response. Bourne Fire is part of Department of Fire Services Hazmat District #1, which consists of 110 cities and towns. Each department has firefighters who are trained hazmat technicians. A Tier 1 response calls for 5 firefighters from surrounding cities and towns to respond to the scene. Bourne Fire Chief Norman Sylvester, a hazmat technician, is the incident commander.
The hazmat team is trying to collect as much of the mercury as possible.
When spilled, mercury breaks apart in beads instead of clumping in a puddle. These beads can be very tiny, making them hard to find. Mercury also evaporates at room temperature and its fumes do not have a smell, which makes it difficult to detect without sensors or other specialized instruments.
Bourne Fire Deputy Joseph Carrara told Boston 25 News the mercury spilled on a hardwood floor, which is harder to clean up than a tile or linoleum surface. The spaces in the hardwood floors make it harder to remove all of the mercury.
Mercury can turn into poisonous vapors that can have dangerous health effects, especially for children and pregnant women.
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ONE WORKER SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPLOSION, FIRE IN WAUSAU LABO
http://www.waow.com/story/38777697/2018/07/31/crews-on-scene-of-incident-at-wausau-lab
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, magnesium
WAUSAU (WAOW) - An explosion and fire in a Wausau lab Tuesday sent one worker to the hospital and fire investigators identified magnesium as one of the chemicals involved.
The small explosion and fire happened about 11 a.m. during a chemical process being done in a laboratory at Dietary Pros Inc., a company on Wausau's west side that makes dietary supplements, according to the Wausau Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Alan Antolik said smoke was coming from the side of the building when crews arrived. All workers were evacuated.
Fire officials and Wausau police remained on the scene for hours, monitoring air quality, removing some of the products and chemicals and talking to workers.
Investigators say they don't know exactly what went wrong in the laboratory. Magnesium, an abundant mineral in the body, is naturally present in many foods, added to other food products, available as a dietary supplement and present in some medicines, such as antacids and laxatives.
Details of the worker's injuries were also not immediately released.
The head of Dietary Pros declined comment. The company was founded in 1999, according to its web site.
****************************
UPDATE* Officials at the scene say there was a magnesium leak in the building, but the cause remains unknown.
Everyone was evacuated from the building. One person was taken to a nearby hospital, and there is no current word on the person's condition.
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DUPONT TO PAY $3.1 MILLION PENALTY FOR TEXAS ACCIDENT•ČŔ
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/DuPont-pay-3-1-million-penalty-for-Texas-accident/96/web/2018/07
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
DuPont will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice for violations of EPA‰??s risk management program (RMP) provisions. The violations led to an accident that killed four workers in Texas in late 2014.
The accident occurred when nearly 11,000 kg of methyl mercaptan were released at a pesticide manufacturing unit at DuPont‰??s La Porte plant. Because of a series of maintenance errors, a jerry-rigged piping system transferred the flammable and toxic compound to plant areas where it should not have been. Two unsuspecting workers died when they attempted to clear a vent that they didn‰??t realize contained methyl mercaptan; two others died when coming to their aid.
According to EPA‰??s complaint, DuPont‰??s actions violated 22 separate provisions of the Clean Air Act‰??s RMP. The alleged violations include failing to develop and implement written operating procedures, adequately implement management of change procedures, and implement safe work practices. The citations also include alleged violations of mechanical integrity regulations.
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EPA‰??S ENTACT STUDY BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH NON-TARGETED RESEARCH
https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/epas-entact-study-breaks-new-ground-non-targeted-research
Tags: us_OR, laboratory, discovery, environmental
EPA scientists are leading a multi-phase project to evaluate the ability of non-targeted analysis laboratory methods to consistently and correctly identify unknown chemicals in samples. EPA‰??s Non-Targeted Analysis Collaborative Trial (ENTACT) was formed in late 2015 and includes nearly 30 academic, government, and industry groups. Non-targeted analysis involves analyzing water, soil and other types of samples to identify unknown chemicals that may be present, without having a preconceived idea of what chemicals may be in the samples.
‰??One of our main goals is to figure out what scientists are doing with non-targeted analysis as a group at large, particularly which chemicals we correctly identify and why,‰?? says Elin Ulrich, an EPA scientist who co-leads ENTACT with EPA‰??s Jon Sobus.
ENTACT samples
To conduct the study, the ENTACT team used about 1,200 chemical substances from EPA‰??s ToxCast library to make 10 liquid mixtures containing 100-400 compounds each. Three types of samples were also used in the study: house dust, human serum (a component of blood), and silicone wristbands. The samples were each spiked with one of the 10 liquid mixtures.
The dust and serum samples were obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and are certified standard reference materials. Oregon State University prepared the wristbands by uniformly exposing them to outdoor air to allow them to absorb airborne environmental pollutants.
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FOUR INJURED IN CHEMICAL SPILL AT HILLSBORO AMERICAN CRYSTAL PLANT
http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/accidents/4479183-four-injured-chemical-spill-hillsboro-american-crystal-plant
Tags: us_ND, industrial, release, injury, nitric_acid
HILLSBORO, N.D.‰??Four people were injured this weekend at the American Crystal Sugar factory in Hillsboro after chemicals accidentally spilled from a tank.
Emergency crews responded shortly after 8:30 a.m. Saturday to the sugar plant 2 miles north of Hillsboro. American Crystal workers were pumping nitric acid from a chemical container into a tank inside the plant when a fitting on the pump failed, Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt said. Nitric acid spilled from the pump, sending four workers to the hospital, Hunt said.
The workers were taken to Sanford Hillsboro Medical Center by private vehicle but were released shortly after medical staff determined the injuries were minor, Hunt said.
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OSHA ISSUES CITATIONS, FINES IN FATAL TOWBOAT BLAST
https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2018/07/30/osha-issues-citations-fines-in-fatal-towboat-blast/
Tags: us_KY, transportation, follow-up, death, flammables
The U.S. Department of Labor‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited five contractors for safety and health violations after three contract employees were killed and two others critically injured in an explosion January 19 onboard the mv. William Strait, which was docked at the time on the Tennessee River in Calvert City, Ky. The five companies collectively received notices of 55 violations, with proposed penalties totaling $795,254.
OSHA cited ship repair contractor First Marine LLC; insulation contractor Thermal Control & Fabrication Inc.; temporary staffing companies Hutco Inc. and Day Help LLC (doing business as Wise Staffing Group); and blasting and painting contractor Joe Rupcke. First Marine has been placed in the agency‰??s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
OSHA‰??s investigation determined that the explosion occurred when employees were cutting and welding in an atmosphere containing flammable gases. OSHA issued citations for failing to test confined spaces before entry; failure to train workers on confined space entry operations; failure to label chemical containers; exposing employees to asphyxiation, fire, explosion, chemical, trip and drowning hazards; and allowing hot work/welding to be performed without testing for an explosive atmosphere.
First Marine‰??s fines totaled $639,857. The company had 17 out of 24 violations labeled ‰??serious.‰?? The first listed was use of a forced-air propane heater in the engineroom that produced carbon monoxide fumes. OSHA recommended prohibiting such heaters aboard vessels in the future. First Marine was also cited for not properly labeling hazardous mateirals; it had been previously cited for this in 2015.
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CREWS CLEAR CHEMICAL LEAK OFF AIRLINE HIGHWAY; EVACUATED RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME
http://www.wbrz.com/news/tanker-leaking-chemical-gas-off-airline-highway-nearby-trailer-park-evacuated/
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
BATON ROUGE - Crews are responding to reports of a tanker leaking a gaseous chemical near a trailer park Monday.
The leak was reported just after noon Monday near the intersection of Airline Highway and Evangeline Street. Authorities say residents are being evacuated from the nearby Once Around trailer park as HazMat officers work to clear the pressurized tanker truck leaking acrylamide 50, a mixed chemical.
---------------------------------------------
EPA SETTLES WITH DUPONT ON SAFETY ISSUES RELATED TO TEXAS MISHAP THAT KILLED 4
https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2018/07/98459/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death, thiols
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with DuPont to address alleged accident prevention violations at its former La Porte, TX chemical manufacturing facility.
DuPont will pay a $3.1 million civil penalty. The company, now known as DowDuPont,shut down the plant.
‰??Accidental releases of methyl mercaptan can be extremely dangerous,‰?? said EPA Region 6 Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Director Cheryl Seager. ‰??This settlement ensures the rule of law is being followed by DuPont and emphasizes the importance of implementing risk management programs to protect our communities and our workers.‰??
On November 15, 2014, an incident occurred and nearly 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan was released within the Lannateunit at its La Porte, Texas facility. Methyl mercaptan is a highly toxic, highly flammable chemical that can cause asphyxiation. The release resulted in the deaths of four persons inside the Lannate manufacturing building. The four employees died from a combination of asphyxia and acute exposure to methyl mercaptan.
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