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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 7:56:51 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 (9 articles)
NO INJURIES IN SMALL WOOD SHOP FIRE AT NEBRASKA PRISON
Tags: us_NE, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
DEQ USING DRONE TO HELP FIND SOURCE OF PFAS IN LAKE MARGRETHE
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
CHEMICAL TANK CATCHES FIRE, PROMPTS 7-COMPANY RESPONSE NEAR NEWPORT
Tags: us_DE, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
OSHA: DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, SKIPPED PROCEDURES LED TO REFINERY EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
E-CIGARETTE EXPLOSION AND BURN INJURIES HAVE BEEN UNDERESTIMATED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES
Tags: public, explosion, injury, batteries
PROTECTION OF CONFIDENTIAL DATA IS ESSENTIAL, GROUPS TELL U.S. EPA•ČŔ
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY
Tags: us_DE, laboratory, explosion, response, solvent, waste
STATE ORDERS SAINT GOBAIN TO INSTALL AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS AT MERRIMACK PLANT
Tags: us_NH, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical, plastics
FLAME RETARDANT BAN SIGNED INTO CALIFORNIA LAW
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
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NO INJURIES IN SMALL WOOD SHOP FIRE AT NEBRASKA PRISON
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nebraska/articles/2018-10-02/no-injuries-in-small-wood-shop-fire-at-nebraska-prison
Tags: us_NE, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) ‰?? Nebraska prison officials say a chemical spill ignited a small fire in a closet at the state prison in Tecumseh.
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that no one was injured in the fire that started Tuesday inside the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution's wood shop.
A news release from the State Department of Correctional Services say the chemical ‰?? which was not identified ‰?? spilled on the floor, and rags meant to clean up the spill spontaneously combusted. Department spokeswoman Laura Strimple says the wood shop was evacuated, and ceiling sprinklers extinguished the fire.
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DEQ USING DRONE TO HELP FIND SOURCE OF PFAS IN LAKE MARGRETHE
https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/deq-using-drone-to-help-find-source-of-pfas-in-lake-margrethe
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
CRAWFORD COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) -- The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is starting to use drones to help find the source of potentially dangerous chemicals in Lake Margrethe.
The drone flights are part of a broader effort to find PFAS chemicals in different locations around the state. The drone that experts are using is rigged with an infrared camera, so in addition to having a bird's eye view of the lake, it can pick up heat signatures.
‰??We‰??re looking for either springs or groundwater seeps where the water actually enters the bottom of the lake," said Randy Rothe from the DEQ.
Images captured by the drone show much cooler ground water flowing into the lake. Those sources of ground water are where experts want to test and possibly trace back to a source of PFAS.
A possible source nearby is the Camp Grayling Airfield. One of the main uses of the man-made chemical was in foam used to put out fires.
‰??It could be from more than one source," Rothe said. "We don‰??t know that it‰??s coming from Camp Grayling. They have areas that they are going to be looking at on base itself for that information. We‰??ve had reports of houses that burned down many years ago where they have used foams. That could potentially be a source.‰??
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CHEMICAL TANK CATCHES FIRE, PROMPTS 7-COMPANY RESPONSE NEAR NEWPORT
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2018/10/02/structure-fire-near-newport-industrial-park-prompts-7-company-response/1504772002/
Tags: us_DE, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
Fire departments across New Castle County responded to a Newport commercial structure fire, where responding crews were hospitalized a decade ago Tuesday evening.
Crews responded at 6:40 p.m. to the 300 block of Water Street for a reported fire. Chief Joseph Dierolf of Minquas Fire Company said a separating chemical tank blew its top off and caught fire.
Firefighters from several area companies work at the scene of a fire at Air Liquide in the Newport Industrial Park Tuesday. WILLIAM
Dierolf asked employees before sending in the crews if there were any chemicals he should be aware of, because of the buildings previous fire more than 10 years ago. A handful firefighters headed into the building, only to head to the hospital, feeling sick from chemical exposure last time they responded to Water Street.
The employees told firefighters they can use water, without worry that it will react to the chemicals, Dierolf said.
Emergency lights flashed on Newport‰??s industrial park and commands flowed over the scanner as more than 50 firefighters from seven companies attacked the fire.
Firefighters donned in full gear entered the manufacturing building. A call went out over the scanner to make sure the crews inside were wearing oxygen-supply masks as a precaution, Dierolf said.
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OSHA: DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, SKIPPED PROCEDURES LED TO REFINERY EXPLOSION
http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/accidents/4507652-osha-deferred-maintenance-skipped-procedures-led-refinery-explosion
Tags: us_WI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
SUPERIOR, Wis.‰??The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the Husky Energy refinery explosion and fire on April 26 that rocked the Duluth-Superior area could have been prevented if the company had maintained its equipment and established safety procedures.
OSHA delivered eight "serious" citations and $83,000 of fines on Tuesday, Oct. 2, to Superior Refining Company LLC, which owns and operates the Superior refinery but does business as Husky Energy.
In a news release, OSHA said the citations were issued "for failing to control the use and release of highly hazardous chemicals after an explosion and fire injured several employees" and that the explosion and fire could have been avoided.
"Ensuring the mechanical integrity of critical equipment used during the refinery shutdown operation could have prevented this incident," said OSHA Eau Claire Area Office Director Mark Hysell in the release, adding that the company was cooperating fully with investigators.
The company has 15 days to contest the citations and fines.
OSHA's citations detail the company's a lack of safety procedures for the fluid catalytic cracking unit, or FCC, where the explosion occurred.
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E-CIGARETTE EXPLOSION AND BURN INJURIES HAVE BEEN UNDERESTIMATED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-10-e-cigarette-explosion-injuries-underestimated-federal.html
Tags: public, explosion, injury, batteries
Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) are devices commonly powered by a battery that aerosolize liquid and chemical flavorants. These products have become popular among people of all ages, especially youth. Some users may think of e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, according to the CDC, the aerosol that e-cigarette consumers breathe in and exhale includes addictive as well as harmful substances such as nicotine, ultrafine particles, chemical flavorants linked to serious lung disease, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and cancer causing agents. In addition, e-cigarettes powered by lithium-ion batteries have been documented to ignite and/or explode. These explosions have resulted in severe injuries, including third degree burns, lacerations, loss of body parts (including eye, tongue, and teeth), and death.
The number of e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries have been underestimated by Federal Agencies, according to a new George Mason University study. These injuries were thought to occur rarely, however there is no national surveillance system to monitor e-cigarette caused explosion and burn injuries.
A new report published in Tobacco Control found that there are far more e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries in the United States than estimated in past reports. This study led by Dr. Matthew Rossheim in Mason's Department of Global and Community Health used data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and found an estimated 2,035 emergency department visits from e-cigarette explosion and burn injuries from 2015 to 2017. This number, in all likelihood, is an underestimate of total injuries since not all injured people report to emergency departments.
The report calls for improved surveillance of e-cigarette injuries and better regulation of the products by the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products. In the meantime, users and bystanders risk serious bodily injury from unregulated e-cigarette batteries exploding.
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PROTECTION OF CONFIDENTIAL DATA IS ESSENTIAL, GROUPS TELL U.S. EPA•ČŔ
https://cen.acs.org/policy/regulation/Protection-confidential-data-essential-groups/96/i40
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Controversy churns around a proposal that would restrict the scientific information the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency relies on for regulations. Industry generally endorses the plan, while health and environmental advocates are attacking it. Yet these opposing factions, along with scientific groups, state regulators, and the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine, agree on one point: They want EPA to continue using at least some types of confidential information without requiring public disclosure of raw data.
EPA‰??s proposal, released in April, would require the agency to use only data and scientific models that ‰??are publicly available in a manner sufficient for independent validation.‰?? This, the agency says, will increase transparency and boost public confidence in EPA‰??s decisions. If finalized, the plan will impact the agency‰??s health-based decisions on air, water, and soil pollution, as well as its safety evaluations of commercial chemicals and pesticides.
The agency received nearly 500,000 written comments on the proposal, an EPA spokesperson tells C&EN. Posted online, a quick glance through the comments shows they are mostly one or two sentences from individuals, often in identical wording, expressing simple support or opposition to the plan and are the results of advocacy group campaigns, as noted in the official docket of comments. The agency also received scores of responses offering detailed criticism or recommendations for changing the proposal.
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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY
http://www1.udel.edu/ehs/research/chemical/waste-container-explosion.html
Tags: us_DE, laboratory, explosion, response, solvent, waste
DEHS responded to two unrelated chemical waste container explosions in laboratory settings. In both cases, incompatible materials were incorrectly added to waste containers. Over time, the waste containers developed pressure causing them to rupture with extreme force. One of the waste containers exploded underneath a fume hood and damaged containers of organic solvents that were stored nearby. The other container exploded in a fume hood. Chemicals and broken glass were blown throughout the laboratory in both cases and required specialized clean-up procedures at a cost of ~$2000.00 each. Although there was great potential for injury in both cases, no one was injured in either, therefore classifying these as near miss accidents.
It is imperative that all chemical waste containers are accurately labeled and properly stored to eliminate mixing of incompatible wastes. All laboratory staff must be trained in chemical waste management and thoroughly understand the waste streams generated from their experiments.
Liquid chemical waste should be stored in sealed plastic "LDPE Nalgene Carboys" or plastic coated glass containers in secondary containment bins. DEHS no longer recommends reusing glass reagent chemical bottles. For more information and training opportunities, please visit our web site at http://www.udel.edu/ehs">http://www.udel.edu/ehs or contact the Chemical Hygiene Officer at 831-8475. In the event of a laboratory emergency or if incompatible materials are mistakenly added to a waste container, immediately contact DEHS at x8475 or University Police at 911 after hours.
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STATE ORDERS SAINT GOBAIN TO INSTALL AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS AT MERRIMACK PLANT
http://www.nhpr.org/post/state-orders-saint-gobain-install-air-pollution-controls-merrimack-plant#stream/0
Tags: us_NH, industrial, release, environmental, other_chemical, plastics
The state has ordered the Saint Gobain plastics manufacturer to install air pollution controls on its Merrimack factory.
The facility‰??s smokestacks are thought to be the source of high levels of PFAS chemicals that contaminated nearby drinking water wells two years ago.
Tests of the stacks since then show Saint Gobain may still be emitting low levels of the chemicals.
Now, the state will hold the factory to a newly passed law regulating soil and water pollution from air emissions.
Officials told the company Monday to apply for an air pollution permit and submit an analysis of the systems they might use within six months.
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FLAME RETARDANT BAN SIGNED INTO CALIFORNIA LAW
https://chemicalwatch.com/70521/flame-retardant-ban-signed-into-california-law
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
California governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a ban on the use of most flame retardants in residential upholstered furniture, children's products and mattress foam.
The US state ‰?? which recently overtook the UK to become the world's fifth-largest economy ‰?? will bar the sale of covered products containing, or with constituent parts containing, flame retardants at levels above 1,000 parts per million, beginning in 2020.
California lawmakers have cited concern with the widespread exposure to the substances, and such potential adverse health effects as endocrine disruption and cancer. According to the bill's analysis document, flame retardants "do not provide a meaningful fire safety benefit," and it is "senseless to allow these toxic chemical to continue being used".
The requirements extend to new upholstered furniture, the interior foam of mattresses and children's products such as bassinets, playmats, highchairs, infant carriers and strollers. Replacement parts used in the repair or restoration of reupholstered furniture are also covered.
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