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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 7:24:42 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 (18 articles)
CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS TWO KERRY EMPLOYEES TO HOSPITAL EARLY TUESDAY MORNING
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT CROMWELL HOTEL
Tags: us_CT, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
STRANGE FIRE CLOSES INTERSTATE 90 RAMP IN AUSTIN
Tags: us_MN, transportation, fire, response, dust
EPA HITS SACRAMENTO REGIONAL COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT FOR VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, chlorine, water_treatment
CHEMICAL SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES CHEM BUILDING
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
BAYER STEPS UP LEGAL FIGHT OVER WEED KILLER BLAMED FOR CANCER
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, pesticides
COCHISE COUNTY DECLARES STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, response, chlorine
FUKUOKA POLICE: MAN WHOSE CORPSE FOUND AFTER BLAST COMMITTED SUICIDE
Tags: Japan, laboratory, explosion, death, suicide
LITHIUM BATTERIES BLAMED FOR STARTING TOXIC TACOMA FIRE
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, injury, batteries, metals, waste
ONE KILLED IN EXPLOSION, 2 INJURED- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, asbestos, explosives
BOAT MAINTENANCE CREW SUPERVISOR DIES OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING WHILE USING GAS-POWERED PRESSURE WASHER
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, death, carbon_monoxide, gasoline
CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST PROFESSOR OVER LAB FIRE
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death, butyllithium, illegal
FIRE CONTINUES TO RAGE IN KOLKATA'S BAGREE MARKET EVEN AFTER 19 HOURS, 30 FIRE TENDERS ENGAGED IN BATTLING THE BLAZE
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, gas_cylinders
ROYERSFORD CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE SATURDAY NIGHT
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
THREE INCLUDING OWNER FALL INTO PICKLE FACTORY TANK, DIE
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, other_chemical, illegal
BLAST AT SCHOOL: PROBE BEGINS
Tags: India, education, explosion, injury, dust, fireworks
WHERE ARE WIKIPEDIA‰??S WOMEN SCIENTISTS?
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
PUERTO RICO‰??S UNIVERSITIES ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Tags: us_PR, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
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CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS TWO KERRY EMPLOYEES TO HOSPITAL EARLY TUESDAY MORNING
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/clark/articles/chemical-reaction-sends-two-kerry-employees-to-hospital-early-tuesday-morning
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
CLARK, NJ - Clark Police were the first to arrive on the scene of a reaction during a chemical process shortly before 2 a.m. on Tuesday that sent two Kerry employees to a nearby hospital according to Clark Fire Chief Frank Cerasa.
Cerasa and sixteen of his crew members assessed the scene upon arrival while the Clark Volunteer Emergency Squad aided in the treatment of the Kerry workers at 160 Terminal Avenue. Union County Hazmat arrived on site shortly after the incident. Cerasa said the morning's event was contained to one room at the facility.
Aaron Cox, Kerry's Regional Manager of Health, Safety and Environment said the incident is still under investigation and the root cause has not yet been determined. He also stressed this was not a major occurrence. "This was nothing significant, this was not an explosion, just a minor release of the suppression system," said Cox.
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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT CROMWELL HOTEL
https://www.wfsb.com/news/hazmat-crews-respond-to-chemical-incident-at-cromwell-hotel/article_6ac2e1b6-bb76-11e8-93c8-afe7b7adaa0a.html
Tags: us_CT, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
CROMWELL, CT (WFSB) - Hazmat crews were called to a hotel in Cromwell on Tuesday when two pool chemicals mixed together.
Fire officials said the pool was being cleaned at the Red Lion Hotel, when chlorine and muriatic acid combined, forming a chlorine gas.
One person was transported to the hospital for treatment, while two others were treated at the scene.
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STRANGE FIRE CLOSES INTERSTATE 90 RAMP IN AUSTIN
http://www.kimt.com/content/news/Strange-fire-closes-Interstate-90-ramp-in-Austin-493647911.html
Tags: us_MN, transportation, fire, response, dust
AUSTIN, Minn. ‰?? A mysterious smoldering bag has closed an interstate interchange.
The Austin Fire Department was called to Interstate 90 at 14th Street around 9:45 am Tuesday on a report of something burning in a ditch and giving off a foul odor. Firefighters were unable to put out the item that was on fire with any water or dry chemical extinguisher.
Firefighters were able to empty out the container and found gray powder inside a cloth bag about the size of a football.
Eastbound I-90 from 14th Street NW has been closed as authorities wait for a Civil Support Team to analyze the powder.
Austin police, the Minnesota State Patrol, MnDOT, and a state chemical assessment team have been on the scene.
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EPA HITS SACRAMENTO REGIONAL COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT FOR VIOLATIONS
https://www.rosevilletoday.com/news/sacramento/epa-hits-sacramento-regional-county-sanitation-district-for-violations/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, chlorine, water_treatment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District for chemical safety and risk management violations at the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The sanitation district will pay a $37,830 civil penalty and make improvements to its risk management practices.
....
EPA inspected the treatment plant in May 2016 and found facility staff had not immediately notified the National Response Center of three separate releases of chlorine in 2013 and 2014, in violation of the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act‰??s reporting requirements.
Facility staff had not complied with EPA‰??s risk management program regulations, in violation of the Clean Air Act. Proper implementation of risk management programs helps prevent and control chemical releases at facilities that store large amounts of regulated substances. Violations at the treatment plant included failure to perform certain equipment tests and inspections and failure to adequately investigate a release of chlorine.
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CHEMICAL SPILL BRIEFLY CLOSES CHEM BUILDING
http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/chemical-spill-briefly-closes-chem-building/article_2f2427da-bb6e-11e8-9754-279570bdd3a7.html
Tags: us_MT, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical
The third floor of the Chemistry Building was evacuated Tuesday and caution tape was strung in front of entrances after a small chemical spill.
The chemical, triethylamine, is a base chemical and, in high concentrations, can be a respiratory hazard.
The spill was called in at 10:46 a.m., and the caution tape in front of the doors removed at 11:21 a.m., according to Cathy Cole, the University‰??s vice president of enrollment and communications. ‰??At no time was there an imminent risk,‰?? Cole said.
Professor Bruce Bowler, whose lab was across the hall from the spill, said a student spilled about a half liter of the chemical. The University‰??s chemical safety line was immediately called, which called the Missoula Fire Department, because they have the proper ventilation masks, Bowler said.
Instead of harmful chemicals, the building‰??s atmosphere was filled with mild impatience as professors and students wanted to get back to work. One class not adversely affected by the mop-up was Forest Ecology, which moved to the Oval where students soaked up sun.
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BAYER STEPS UP LEGAL FIGHT OVER WEED KILLER BLAMED FOR CANCER
https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayer-steps-up-legal-fight-over-weed-killer-blamed-for-cancer-1537322047
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, pesticides
Bayer AG BAYRY 0.85% is stepping up the legal defense of its flagship weed killer, after a verdict in a recent case alleging the chemical causes cancer sent shares down sharply and raised the prospect of costly plaintiff payouts.
Bayer on Tuesday said it wants a California state court judge to overturn the jury‰??s verdict, order a new trial or reduce damages, according to a court filing. The company aims to defeat a $289 million award in August in one of the first of thousands of cases filed by gardeners, farmers and others claiming Bayer‰??s Roundup herbicide gave them cancer.
The jury in that case ruled unanimously in favor of a former groundskeeper who sought to hold the maker of Roundup liable for his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The verdict came only two months after the German pharmaceutical and chemical conglomerate sealed its takeover of Monsanto, the U.S. agriculture giant that invented the herbicide.
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COCHISE COUNTY DECLARES STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/cochise-county-declares-state-of-local-emergency
Tags: us_AZ, public, release, response, chlorine
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Cochise County Board of Supervisors declared a state of local emergency in response to the ongoing HAZMAT situation in Naco on Monday.
The state of local emergency follows a leak of raw sewage from Mexico onto U.S soil on Sunday, Sept. 9, in which the county declared a public health emergency.
While that initial flow was stopped and then contained, a second leak started when the HAZMAT was diverted to another pipe and failed.
The HAZMAT continues to flow west onto private property in the U.S at a rate of between 288,000 and 432,000 gallons per day.
Cochise Environmental Health is monitoring the situation and continues to treat the HAZMAT with chlorine tablets.
---------------------------------------------
FUKUOKA POLICE: MAN WHOSE CORPSE FOUND AFTER BLAST COMMITTED SUICIDE
https://www.tokyoreporter.com/japan/fukuoka-police-man-whose-corpse-found-after-blast-committed-suicide/
Tags: Japan, laboratory, explosion, death, suicide
FUKUOKA (TR) ‰?? A man whose corpse was found after an explosion at Kyushu University earlier this month caused the blast while committing suicide, police said over the weekend, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (Sept. 15).
At around 6:40 a.m. on September 7, the blast ripped through the first floor of a three-story building at the university, located in Fukuoka City. A subsequent fire burned about 110 square meters of space before it was extinguished.
According to the Higashi Police Station, the results of a DNA analysis conducted on a body pulled from the debris revealed that it belongs to a 46-year-old man who was using a laboratory where the blast originated.
The cause of death was death by fire. Through an unspecified means, the man set off the blast in taking his life. Police have sent papers on the man on suspicion of arson in an inhabited building to prosecutors.
---------------------------------------------
LITHIUM BATTERIES BLAMED FOR STARTING TOXIC TACOMA FIRE
https://kuow.org/stories/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-starting
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, injury, batteries, metals, waste
Firefighters spent 12 hours putting out a large fire at a Tacoma scrapyard Monday.
Air quality in much of Tacoma briefly soured to unhealthy levels in the morning, and residents reported headaches, nausea and watering eyes.
Firefighters suspect that lithium-ion batteries deep inside a 50-foot-tall pile of scrap metal spontaneously combusted and caused the blaze.
Toxic smoke from the fire at Simon Metals led the Port of Tacoma to suspend its operations for the morning.
The Tacoma Fire Department advised people to stay indoors and avoid inhaling the fumes.
"It definitely has affected people throughout Tacoma,‰?? Shadrach White, who runs a software company about three miles as the crow flies from Simon Metals, said.
‰??It was strange. I‰??d never smelled anything like it,‰?? he said. ‰??It had a chemical smell to it. The first word that came to mind was ‰??toxic.‰??"
White said he felt sick to his stomach after being in the smoke for only a minute.
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ONE KILLED IN EXPLOSION, 2 INJURED- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/sep/18/one-killed-in-explosion-2-injured-1873522.html
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, asbestos, explosives
ROURKELA: A massive explosion in a house, where explosive substances were stored illegally, claimed one life and critically injured two others including a child at Telugupara of Madhusudanpali slum under Plant Site police limits here on Monday afternoon.Several houses were also damaged in the explosion. It is suspected the explosives were meant for manufacturing fire crackers. The explosion took place on the first floor of a two-storey house owned by Jawahar Srivastav at 12.15 pm. Under its impact, the concrete roof of the building was ripped apart and the flying debris severely damaged asbestos roofs of at least 30 adjoining houses.
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BOAT MAINTENANCE CREW SUPERVISOR DIES OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING WHILE USING GAS-POWERED PRESSURE WASHER
https://opexshare.doe.gov/lesson.cfm/2018/9/14/23546/Boat-Maintenance-Crew-Supervisor-Dies-of-Carbon-Monoxide-Poisoning-while-Using-Gas-Powered-Pressure-Washer
Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, death, carbon_monoxide, gasoline
A boat maintenance crew supervisor died from carbon monoxide poisoning while using a gasoline-powered pressure washer to strip paint from a boat. At the start of the day, the gasoline-powered pressure washer was positioned on the dock. Later, employees of another contractor moved the pressure washer onto the boat to clear the way for supply deliveries. Shortly before the end of the work day, the victim moved the pressure washer onto a side deck passageway that was fully enclosed by plastic tarps. Working alone, he used the pressure washer for about 20 minutes. A co-worker went to look for the victim and found him unconscious on top of the pressure washer. Emergency responders arrived and determined that the victim was deceased.
Download Article
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CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST PROFESSOR OVER LAB FIRE
http://www.canyon-news.com/charges-dismissed-against-professor-over-lab-fire/83451
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, death, butyllithium, illegal
WESTWOOD‰?? On Tuesday, September 11, the Los Angeles County District Attorney‰??s Office announced that criminal charges against UCLA professor Patrick Harran were dismissed in the death of a laboratory assistant during a fire. On December 29, 2008, a lab accident led to the death of 23-year-old Sheri Sangji, who died as a result of a plastic syringe breaking down in her hands while she was transferring t-butyl lithium. The syringe discharged a chemical compound that ignites when exposed to oxygen which caused her synthetic sweater to catch fire. Complications from the second and third degree burns led to her death two weeks later.
UCLA took responsibility for the state of the laboratory where the accident occurred, Harran, her chemistry professor, was charged along with the regents on three counts of willfully breaching occupational health and safety requirements. In 2014, in a statement to the court, Harran said that he was ‰??ultimately responsible for the safety of personnel in my laboratory.‰??
Signaling their support for Harran, UCLA stated that it was Sangji‰??s choice not to wear the lab coat that could have protected her from.
UCLA and Harran‰??s lawyer, Thomas O‰??Brien said, ‰??While we all wish this terrible tragedy had not occurred, there is simply no reasonable explanation for this criminal prosecution-and it‰??s been flawed from the start.‰?? His lawyers stated that he did not break any laws because it was UCLA that was Sangji‰??s employer, not Harran.
The felony charges were dropped in 2012 after University of California regents promised to increase safety training and create an environmental law scholarship in the victim‰??s name. A deferred-prosecution agreement was reached in 2014, requiring Harran to volunteer for 800 hours, pay $10,000 to the Grossman Burn Center, and develop and teach a course for organic chemistry to prepare high school students for organic chemistry at the collegiate level. He spoke with incoming students about the importance of laboratory safety.
The agreement was due to end next June, but Judge George Lomeli of the Los Angeles Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, September 13 that Harran fulfilled the terms and dismissed the case against him nine months earlier. While Sangji‰??s family disapproves of the early dismissal, Harran continues to teach at UCLA.
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FIRE CONTINUES TO RAGE IN KOLKATA'S BAGREE MARKET EVEN AFTER 19 HOURS, 30 FIRE TENDERS ENGAGED IN BATTLING THE BLAZE
https://indiablooms.com/news-details/N/42851/fire-continues-to-rage-in-kolkata-s-bagree-market-even-after-19-hours-30-fire-tenders-engaged-in-battling-the-blaze.html
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, gas_cylinders
Fire continues to rage in Kolkata's Bagree Market even after 19 hours, 30 fire tenders engaged in battling the blaze
Kolkata, Sep 16 (IBNS): As many as 30 fire tenders and over 100 firemen are currently engaged in a firefighting operation in Kolkata's Bagree Market as a massive blaze continued to rage the commercial hub in central part of the city even after 19 hours.
An official of state fire and emergency services department said that third, fourth and fifth floors of the six-storey building are still on fire.
"We have heard sounds of explosions from these three floors which indicates that several gas cylinders were stored there and besides air conditioning machines, those gas or chemical containing cylinders are also going off due to extreme heat," the official told IBNS.
"We have brought a small hydraulic ladder and we are trying our best to use that at the congested area," he added.
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ROYERSFORD CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE SATURDAY NIGHT
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/royersford-chemical-warehouse-catches-fire-saturday-night
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
ROYERSFORD, PA ‰?? A chemical warehouse in Royersford caught fire on Saturday night, bringing first responders from around the area together to battle the blaze.
The incident was first reported at around 7:40 p.m. at Hectrio Specialty Chemical System, located on the 400 block of First Avenue.
Crews forced entry to the rear of the building, and used hand lines to battle the blaze, which was contained to a small area in the manufacturing part of the building, according to officials. Firefighters were on the scene containing the smokey fire for close to two hours.
Royersford Fire Department said that the sprinkler systems were very effective in controlling the blaze until crews arrived. That, along with the swift response from first responders, helped quell the "potentially hazardous" blaze.
Despite the bad smell reported by neighbors, the chemicals posed no danger to the public, officials said.
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THREE INCLUDING OWNER FALL INTO PICKLE FACTORY TANK, DIE
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/three-including-owner-fall-into-pickle-factory-tank-die/article24963342.ece
Tags: India, industrial, release, death, other_chemical, illegal
Incident happened while the tank was being cleaned
A man, his son and a worker at a pickle factory died after they fell into a tank filled with preservatives at the unit in Ghaziabad‰??s Loni, the police said on Sunday.
Illegal factory
The deceased have been identified as Luvkush (60), Praveen (35) and Ram Dubey (46). The police said that Luvkush was running the factory in Tronica City illegally. All of them were residents of Delhi. The incident happened when the tank was being cleaned.
A senior police officer said that the police reached the spot after they received an information on Sunday morning that several persons had died in a factory after they fell into a tank filled with preservative chemicals.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force and Uttar Pradesh Fire Department reached the spot.
There was a tank-like structure at the unit where they used to process vegetables and chemicals to make pickles, the police said. The unit was running in the basement of Luvkush‰??s house. He had created it to dilute pickles in it. There was chemical poured inside the tank.
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BLAST AT SCHOOL: PROBE BEGINS
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/blast-at-school-probe-begins/article24962718.ece
Tags: India, education, explosion, injury, dust, fireworks
A day after several students of a private school in Angamaly sustained injuries following a blast on the school premises, the police have registered a case and launched a probe into the incident.
As many as 60 persons, including 59 students of Holy Family High School in Angamaly, sustained injuries following the blast.
The blast occurred around 11 a.m. on Saturday when a section of the high school students, as part of a science exhibition at the school, attempted to recreate a volcano explosion.
A case has been registered for careless handling of hazardous materials while a decision regarding the persons to be arraigned as accused will be made later, said officials.
‰??Samples have been collected from the site and sent for a chemical analysis to establish the presence of explosive materials,‰?? said Muhammad Riyas, Circle Inspector of Police, Angamaly.
The statements of school authorities and teachers associated with the project will be recorded soon. Statements of students may also be collected.
Preliminary investigation by the police suggested the presence of powdered aluminium at the blast site. ‰??The students are believed to have used firecrackers to make an impact, leading to the explosion. A probe is on to trace the origin of the materials used in making the model,‰?? the official added.
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WHERE ARE WIKIPEDIA‰??S WOMEN SCIENTISTS?
https://cen.acs.org/careers/women-in-science/Wikipedias-women-scientists/96/i37
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Between 7 and 11% of prominent chemists, both living and dead, are women. That‰??s according to the worldview represented on Wikipedia, anyway.
Compared with employment and degree statistics for chemists today, these figures, extracted from the online encyclopedia, are low. According to the U.S. National Science Foundation‰??s National Center for Science & Engineering Statistics, in 2014, about 39% of chemistry Ph.D.s were awarded to women, and in 2015, about 36% of employed chemists in the U.S. were women.
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PUERTO RICO‰??S UNIVERSITIES ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
https://cen.acs.org/education/Puerto-Ricos-universities-road-recovery/96/i37
Tags: us_PR, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
Walking through the chemistry building at the University of Puerto Rico‰??s Humacao campus nearly a year after Hurricane Maria, you can still see remnants of the storm‰??s devastation.
COVER STORY
Universities on the road to recovery
Puerto Rico se levanta
Maria's lessons for the drug industry
Health effects of Maria may linger
There is the roof where 250-km/hour winds ripped off attachments for air conditioners and fume hoods, most of which are still not working even as a new academic year begins.
There is the blue tarp over the nuclear magnetic resonance instrument, still protecting it from water damage where an existing leak expanded into a huge hole.
There are the missing ceiling tiles and water damage that haven‰??t been a high priority for repairs.
Other parts of campus show signs too. There is a solar water filter that can provide clean drinking water for faculty, students, or anyone else who might need it. A trailer holds washers and dryers for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed. A classroom of desks is set up under an overhang outside, which is more pleasant than inside without air-conditioning.
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