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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, April 8, 2019 at 7:30:38 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 (16 articles)
SPILL AT WALMART IN SIMI VALLEY BRINGS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM, CLOSES ALLEY
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, flammable
MANUFACTURING UNIT OPERATOR ‰??HAD CHEMICAL DRUM EXPLODE IN HIS FACE‰?? IN POISONOUS MELBOURNE INFERNO
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, injury, waste
LIFE-THREATENING BUSINESSES NOT TO BE ALLOWED IN OLD DHAKA: MAYOR KHOKON
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
THOUSANDS EVACUATED AFTER TAIWAN CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL FACTORIES TO BE SHUT DOWN AFTER DEADLY EXPLOSION IN XIANGSHUI
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
ARVADA OFFICER TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL ATTACK; SUSPECT AT LARGE
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
KMCO CROSBY FIRE AND EXPLOSION: TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ISSUED
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death
MERCURY SPILL REPORTED AT DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP
Tags: us_IL, education, release, response, mercury
WORKERS EVACUATED AFTER GAS EXPLOSION AT HUNTSVILLE FACTORY
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, response, natural_gas
EXPLODING BATTERY PACK CAUSES CHEMICAL FIRE AT VANCOUVER APARTMENTS
Tags: us_WA, public, explosion, response, batteries
VALVE MALFUNCTION CAUSES HOPPER BLAST AT FLORIDA PLANT
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, asphalt
FORMER INDIAN AMERICAN UMASS MED STUDENT CLAIMS RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, ALLEGING PROFESSORS FAILED TO ACCOMMODATE FORMALDEHYDE ALLERGY
Tags: us_MA, education, discovery, response, formaldehyde
POOL TRUCK CRASHED IN CAPE CORAL, SPILLING CHLORINE ONTO DEL PRA
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, chlorine
TEXAS DEER PARK FIRE RISK STILL A REALITY, ENVIRONMENTAL CHIEF SAYS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum
ANOTHER TOXIC BLAZE CLOUDS MELBOURNE
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, flammables, waste
UPDATE: THREE EMPLOYEES HAD ‰??SIGNIFICANT RESPONSIBILITY‰?? FOR CHINESE CHEMICALS PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
SPILL AT WALMART IN SIMI VALLEY BRINGS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM, CLOSES ALLEY
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/simi-valley/2019/04/07/spill-walmart-simi-valley-brings-hazardous-materials-team-closes/3396235002/
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, flammable
A hazardous-materials spill at a Simi Valley Walmart Sunday brought emergency personnel and closed an alley behind the store but posed no threat to the public, officials said.
The spill was reported shortly before 3:50 p.m. at the 255 East Cochran St. location, according to Ventura County Fire Department reports. The site is just east of Madera Road on the south side of Highway 118.
The spill reportedly took place near a loading dock at the rear of the store, according to firefighters at the scene. Some nine people were affected, firefighters said. Multiple fire department units responded, including a hazmat team.
Simi Valley Police Department officers were called in to control traffic around a back alley that was blocked off.
The spill apparently involved lighter fluid from tiki torches, according to Simi Valley police. The store remained open and the incident did not pose a threat to shoppers or the general public, officials said.
---------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURING UNIT OPERATOR ‰??HAD CHEMICAL DRUM EXPLODE IN HIS FACE‰?? IN POISONOUS MELBOURNE INFERNO
https://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/news/manufacturing-unit-operator-had-chemical-drum-explode-in-his-face-in-poisonous-melbourne-inferno/
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, injury, waste
A worker who had been inside a waste management factory in Melbourne that erupted into a blazing inferno had a chemical drum explode in his face in the incident.
Vigneshwaran Vasantharajan had been working to remove dangerous waste from the Campbellfield factory yesterday when the fire was first sparked.
One of Mr Vasantharajan‰??s friends, who had finished his own shift at the factory just before the fire started, told 9News the man had to be rushed to hospital with severe burns by a truck driver.
‰??(They were) on his left side, from his ears and cheek and everywhere got injured,‰?? Vasantharaj Vasanthakumar said.
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LIFE-THREATENING BUSINESSES NOT TO BE ALLOWED IN OLD DHAKA: MAYOR KHOKON
http://www.newagebd.net/article/69472/life-threatening-businesses-not-to-be-allowed-in-old-dhaka-mayor-khokon
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
Dhaka South city mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon at a discussion on Sunday said that he would not allow any life-threatening businesses in the city.
Dhaka South City Corporation organised the discussion on chemical business crisis and a way out on the Armanitola Playground in Old Dhaka.
Addressing as chief guest, the city mayor said that everyone should be aware about the danger of chemical business so that deadly incidents like Churihatta fire would not be repeat.
‰??Don‰??t store 35 flammable items of chemical in warehouses in Old Dhaka,‰?? he said.
He announced that a fire drill would take place at Armanitola Playground on Tuesday to prepare the local people.
He said that business is to bring prosperity to life, authority could not allow any business when it became the cause of death of many people.
---------------------------------------------
THOUSANDS EVACUATED AFTER TAIWAN CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/07/c_137957839.htm
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
TAIPEI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 10,000 villagers had to be evacuated after an explosion rocked a chemical plant in an industrial zone in Mailiao township, Yunlin county in central-southern Taiwan Sunday afternoon.
The explosion at an aromatics plant of Formosa Chemical and Fiber Corp at about 2 p.m. shattered glass in nearby buildings and shook houses kilometers away, local police and fire fighters said.
Though there have been no immediate reports of human death or injuries, authorities have ordered the evacuation of more than 10,000 villagers of five nearby villages due to gas leak after the explosion.
Footage posted online by witnesses showed dense plume of black smoke billowing into the sky, and loud explosions were heard far from the chemical plant.
"The explosion was very powerful as it was heard across the county," Cai Chang-kun, head of Mailiao township, told the press after the blast, adding he had demanded the chemical plant suspend operation and investigate the cause of the accident.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FACTORIES TO BE SHUT DOWN AFTER DEADLY EXPLOSION IN XIANGSHUI
http://www.ecns.cn/news/society/2019-04-08/detail-ifzhaszu6980670.shtml
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
Chemical enterprises and industry insiders raised concerns over the weekend after a city government in East China's Jiangsu Province ordered a complete shutdown of an industrial park following a deadly explosion in one chemical plant.
The Yancheng government in Jiangsu ordered the Xiangshui chemical industry park closed to rectify the industry, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.
The decision was made after an explosion on March 21 killed 78 people and injured hundreds. Another accident took place on March 31 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, killing seven people and injuring five, Xinhua reported.
The Jiangsu provincial government also issued a draft plan on April 1 to rectify and upgrade the chemical industry, which vows to cut the 50 chemical parks in the province to 20 and reduce the number of enterprises to less than 1,000 by 2022, jiemian.com reported.
Some industry insiders expressed concerns over the decision. A chemical company employee in Xiangshui told the Beijing-based newspaper Securities Times that the company thought the government would impose stricter environmental and safety examinations, but the complete shutdown was "beyond expectations."
---------------------------------------------
ARVADA OFFICER TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL ATTACK; SUSPECT AT LARGE
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/crime/arvada-officer-taken-to-the-hospital-after-chemical-attack-suspect-at-large
Tags: us_CO, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
ARVADA, Colo. ‰?? An officer with the Arvada Police Department was taken to the hospital after the officer and a citizen were attacked with an unidentified chemical substance early Saturday morning. The attacker remains at large.
The unsuspecting officer was blasted with the chemical explosion while removing debris from the roadway in the area of West 68th Avenue and Beech Street around 12:30 a.m., according to a release from the Arvada Police Department.
Detective David Snelling, a department spokesperson, told Denver7 that a man threw a plastic container containing the chemical toward the officer and the civilian, landing close to the officer and creating a ‰??big cloud of gas.‰??
Snelling said the officer ‰??immediately felt the effects and went down.‰??
Paramedics transported the officer, who has not been identified, to the hospital where the officer was treated and released. The civilian was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The officer was dispatched to the scene of the attack on a report of a traffic sign that had fallen into the middle of the roadway. Authorities are investigating whether the attacker had intentionally knocked the sign into the road in order to lure police into an ambush. The incident occurred near Ralston Valley Park after curfew hours, the release read.
---------------------------------------------
KMCO CROSBY FIRE AND EXPLOSION: TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ISSUED
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/crosby-chemical-plant-ordered-to-stop-all-operations-until-an-inspection-is-done/285-40792dcc-d1c0-4afa-a88c-82d37f314142
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, death
CROSBY, Texas ‰?? The Crosby chemical plant that burned after an explosion earlier this week must stop all operations. And they can‰??t start up again until an inspection is done by the Harris County Fire Marshal‰??s office.
The fire marshal‰??s office worked with the Harris County Attorney‰??s office to get a temporary restraining order following the explosion that killed one person and injured two others.
"The safety of the residents of Harris County is our number one priority," said Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen. "HCFMO collaborated with HCAO to request a TRO against the defendant to ensure regulatory enforcement of fire and life safety codes. We are grateful for the collaborative efforts as we work towards a safer Harris County."
The explosion and fire happened on Tuesday. Twenty-seven-year-old James ‰??Bubba‰?? Mangum was killed when a transfer line ignited a tank full of a chemical called isobutylene. Two others were taken to the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
MERCURY SPILL REPORTED AT DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/mercury-spill-depaul-college-prep/
Tags: us_IL, education, release, response, mercury
Authorities responded to a hazmat scene Friday evening at DePaul College Prep in Irving Park.
A staff member found a ‰??very small mercury spill‰?? inside a classroom and immediately called 911, Chicago Fire Dept. Cmdr. Frank Velez said.
‰??They closed the room right away and called us,‰?? Velez said. ‰??It was contained by the staff. Nobody touched it or anything.‰??
Shortly after 4:50 p.m., fire crews searched the building with meters and fully contained the toxin, according to Velez. He was not sure of the source of the spilled mercury.
The Chicago Department of Public Health will be involved in additional mitigation efforts, Velez said.
---------------------------------------------
WORKERS EVACUATED AFTER GAS EXPLOSION AT HUNTSVILLE FACTORY
https://www.rocketcitynow.com/news/workers-evacuted-after-gas-explosion-at-huntsville-factory/1903645164
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, response, natural_gas
Workers are evacuated after a gas explosion in a Huntsville factory this afternoon.
The explosion happened just after 1 pm at National Copper and Smelting. Huntsville Fire and Rescue's hazmat team were called out to see if any chemicals were released because of the gas explosion. It was caused when workers were trying to light a furnace.
"Gas was built up and caused an explosion, it blew a hatch off the actual heater. No one was injured, we're just going ahead and getting the rest of the fumes out of the building right now," said Capt. Frank McKenzie.
Thankfully there were no injuries and no damage to the building.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLODING BATTERY PACK CAUSES CHEMICAL FIRE AT VANCOUVER APARTMENTS
https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/apr/05/exploding-battery-pack-causes-chemical-fire-at-vancouver-apartments/
Tags: us_WA, public, explosion, response, batteries
A homemade battery pack exploded Friday evening causing a chemical fire in a unit at the Wy‰??East Pointe Apartments in Vancouver, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
The fire was reported about 6:45 p.m. at 812 S.E. 136th Ave., in building F. The caller said he was making a battery pack for his skateboard when it exploded. He was evacuating neighbors but said the fire was largely out, according to radio traffic.
Arriving fire crews with the Vancouver Fire Department heard a fire alarm, and saw light smoke coming from the second and third floors at the front of the building. They said sprinklers were going off on the second floor, according to radio traffic. Firefighters requested the water be turned off, because it was a chemical fire. They used dry chemical fire extinguisher to smother the blaze.
Fire personnel were also checking bystanders to see if anyone inhaled or got chemicals on them, according to radio traffic.
---------------------------------------------
VALVE MALFUNCTION CAUSES HOPPER BLAST AT FLORIDA PLANT
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/Valve-Malfunction-Causes-Hopper-Blast-at-Florida-Plant-04-04-2019
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, asphalt
Firefighters responded to an explosion in a silo at the D.A.B. Constructors Inc. asphalt plant in Leesburg, FL early Thursday morning, local news organizations reported. Officials said an equipment failure likely lead to the incident.
Leesburg Deputy Fire Chief Joe Mera told the Leesburg Daily Commercial that the explosion occurred at about 6 a.m. as a worker was starting up equipment at the plant. The worker was reportedly received minor injuries in the blast and was later treated at the scene.
‰??It is apparent that a valve malfunctioned on one of their silo-hoppers, pressure built and an explosion resulted,‰?? a Facebook post from the Leesburg Police Department said.
The silo was holding liquid asphalt at the time of the blast. HAZMAT personnel managed to turn off the valve, coverage by ClickOrlando.com said, stopping the substance from leaking beyond the facility‰??s property.
People living within a few miles of the plant reported hearing and feeling the explosion when interviewed by several area news outlets.
---------------------------------------------
FORMER INDIAN AMERICAN UMASS MED STUDENT CLAIMS RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, ALLEGING PROFESSORS FAILED TO ACCOMMODATE FORMALDEHYDE ALLERGY
https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/former-indian-american-umass-med-student-claims-racial-discrimination-alleging/article_20c85828-5646-11e9-8706-07528e3bfbd4.html
Tags: us_MA, education, discovery, response, formaldehyde
A former student at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine has sued the university, claiming it racially discriminated against him when professors failed to accommodate his allergy to formaldehyde.
In his lawsuit, filed Jan. 7 in U.S. District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts, Indian American Vishal Saxena, 46, described himself as disabled, noting that he has a ‰??well-documented reactivity to formaldehyde that interferes with major life activities including breathing, seeing and thinking.‰??
Saxena said in the lawsuit that ‰?? when he is exposed to formaldehyde ‰?? he suffers a variety of serious symptoms, including severe difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, severe cough, severely blurred vision, double vision, swelling of the eyes, burning of the eyes, eye itching, burning sensation in the lungs and nasal passages, chest tightness, disorientation, trouble concentrating and other painful effects. The lawsuit states that formaldehyde is a carcinogen known to cause skin disorders and cancer.
Saxena was exposed to formaldehyde during his anatomy classes, which required him to work on cadavers preserved in the substance. He noted in the lawsuit that there were several alternatives, such as using frozen cadavers, plastic cadavers, and virtual techniques.
---------------------------------------------
POOL TRUCK CRASHED IN CAPE CORAL, SPILLING CHLORINE ONTO DEL PRA
https://www.nbc-2.com/story/40256055/pool-truck-crashed-in-cape-coral-spilling-chlorine-onto-del-prado-boulevard
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, chlorine
CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Hazmat teams are responding to a crash involving a pool truck that spilled chlorine on the road.
The crash happened at the intersection of Del Prado Boulevard North and Malagrotta Circle, and Cape Coral police are on the scene.
The southbound lanes of Del Prado were closed but were cleared and reopened.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS DEER PARK FIRE RISK STILL A REALITY, ENVIRONMENTAL CHIEF SAYS
https://www.texastribune.org/2019/04/04/texas-deer-park-fire-risk-still-reality-environmental-chief-says/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, injury, petroleum
The ominous black plume of smoke that hung over the Houston area for days last month may be long gone, but Texas' chief environmental regulator told a panel of state lawmakers on Thursday that the fallout from the blaze at a Deer Park petrochemical facility is in full effect ‰?? and that danger remains.
"It is an ongoing event. We're still in response mode," said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, at a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports.
He added: "If I‰??m completely honest, there's still a fire risk."
A fire broke out at a sprawling, waterfront tank farm operated by Intercontinental Terminals Company on March 17 and flared up again days later, prompting cities and school districts in east Harris County to issue shelters-in-place and cancel outdoor activities for fear of poor air quality. Lawmakers had already called for hearings on the incident ‰?? and the state had already sued ITC ‰?? when another Houston-area chemical plant caught fire earlier this week, resulting in one death and multiple injuries.
---------------------------------------------
ANOTHER TOXIC BLAZE CLOUDS MELBOURNE
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/bushfires/melbourne-factory-blaze-sparks-warning-ng-s-1936151
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, flammables, waste
A waste management factory which exploded into a fireball sending a toxic black plume over Melbourne had been storing almost three times the quantity of chemicals permitted.
The inferno at suburban Campbellfield was sparked about 6.40am on Friday and although under control by shortly after midday, is expected to burn for days.
Operators of the Campbellfield business had their licence suspended by the Environmental Protection Agency in March after being repeatedly found storing too much highly-flammable material.
"We inspected the premises and found three times the amount of material being stored on the premise than it was licensed to store," the authority's Damian Wells said.
Storage containers were also inadequately labelled and being handled outside an appropriate area.
The address is registered to Bradbury Industrial Services, a toxic waste disposal company.
The factory is allowed to hold a maximum 150,000 litres of waste material, including solvents, inks, paints and other flammable materials, before being processed.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: THREE EMPLOYEES HAD ‰??SIGNIFICANT RESPONSIBILITY‰?? FOR CHINESE CHEMICALS PLANT EXPLOSION
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/update-three-employees-had-significant-responsibility-for-chinese-chemicals-plant-explosion/
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
THREE employees of Jiangsu Tianjiayi Chemical Company are said to have ‰??significant responsibility‰?? for an explosion at a Chinese chemicals plant, reports state news agency Xinhua. The explosion killed 78 people and injured more than 600.
On 21 March at about 14:50 local time a Tianjiayi Chemical plant exploded at the Chenjiagang Industrial Park, in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, eastern China. As of 2 April, 187 of those injured were still under hospital care, two of whom were in critical condition, says Xinhua.
Xinhua reports that on Wednesday local authorities said three employees had been put under ‰??criminal coercive measures‰??. AFP reports that according the Chinese parliament‰??s website this indicates that the employees have been detained, arrested, or put under house arrest. Xinhua adds that in China criminal coercive measures may also include summons by force, bail, and residential surveillance.
According to a statement on the Yancheng government‰??s official Weibo account the employees were significantly responsible for the plant explosion, reports AFP. Sina Weibo is a Chinese social media platform. The Yangcheng police reportedly declined to offer details about the case when contacted by AFP.
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