Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (24 articles)
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 07:39:38 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 4C79F1CF-57E0-4FFA-8768-76BEFF432D70**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 26, 2019 at 7:39:15 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 (24 articles)
CENTER POINT HS CLOSED FRIDAY AFTER THERMOMETER INCIDENT SENDS 4 STUDENTS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, mercury
ROADS REOPEN FOLLOWING PROPANE LEAK IN UTICA
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, propane
JERSEY CITY SCRAP YARD FIRE BLOWS BLACK SMOKE FOR MILES
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, metals, waste
CREWS BATTLE BUILDING FIRE WITH CHEMICAL TANKS, EXPLOSIONS
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, various_chemicals
CHEMICAL SPILL IN ILLINOIS SENDS 37 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL, INCLUDING 7 IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
SPACEX'S CREW DRAGON FIRE SENT HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS INTO ENVIRONMENT
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, environmental, hydrazine, nitrogen_dioxide, nitric_acid
AEROSOL CHEMICAL PLANT FINED OVER FLAMMABLE LIQUID DANGERS
Tags: us_GA, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
AFD: CHLORINE LEAK AT PLAINS DAIRY CONTAINED FOLLOWING HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
SCIENCE LAB EXPLOSION ON NORTH SIDE SENDS CHEMIST TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
BEWARE OF THE THERMAL RUNAWAY DANGER POSED BY LITHIUM BATTERIES
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, environmental, batteries
STORAGE FACILITY EVACUATED AFTER MAN IS SICKENED BY CHEMICAL IN ANTIQUE BOTTLE
Tags: us_ma, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
RESIDENTS SEEK ANSWERS ABOUT CHEMICAL FIRE AT TOWN HALL
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
PA. STUDENT‰??S LAWSUIT OVER BURNS SUFFERED DURING CHEMISTRY CLASS EXPLOSION IS DISMISSED
Tags: us_PA, education, follow-up, injury, methanol
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION IN CHINA KILLS 4, INJURES 35
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, pesticides
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CALLS ON EPA TO REVIEW HYDROFLUORIC ACID STUDY
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
JAPANESE PROFESSOR COULD FACE PRISON AFTER TEACHING STUDENTS TO MAKE MDMA
Tags: Japan, public, discovery, environmental, illegal, clandestine_lab, pharmaceutical
GAS LEAK CLOSES 78 NEAR LOGANVILLE
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, natural_gas
HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS TO LAB EXPLOSION IN MADISON
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
WHY DID THE STATE OF TEXAS SUE ITC AND KMCO SO QUICKLY AFTER RECENT FIRES? ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental
WHAT WE KNOW AND DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE FIRE AT AN APS BATTERY FACILITY
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, injury, batteries
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES YELLOW CLOUD TO FORM IN PALM BEACH COUNTRY ESTATES
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, hydrochloric_acid
BLAST AT INNER MONGOLIA CHEMICAL PLANT KILLS 3
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL CREWS DETECT VAPOR EMISSION AT BG ARMY DEPOT
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
REP. SYLVIA GARCIA TO HOST ITC FIRE TOWN HALL
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, benzene
---------------------------------------------
CENTER POINT HS CLOSED FRIDAY AFTER THERMOMETER INCIDENT SENDS 4 STUDENTS TO HOSPITAL
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/04/dropped-thermometer-sends-4-center-point-high-school-students-to-the-hospital.html
Tags: us_AL, laboratory, release, response, mercury
A dropped thermometer sent four Center Point High School students to the hospital on Thursday.
The thermometer was dropped in a chemistry class room about 11:30 a.m. Center Point Fire Chief Gene Coleman said four students were taken to Children‰??s of Alabama as a precaution.
The rest of the students were moved away from the classroom.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service‰??s HAZMAT crews are on the scene, and a cleanup crew is expected to be brought in.
---------------------------------------------
ROADS REOPEN FOLLOWING PROPANE LEAK IN UTICA
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/crews-respond-to-major-propane-leak-in-utica
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, propane
Utica, N.Y. ‰?? Roads in west Utica have reopened following a propane leak that was detected Wednesday night.
Around 9 p.m. Utica fire crews found a 3,000 gallon propane tank leaking, with a large cloud of gas in the air near Stark St. and McVean St.
Oneida County 911 dispatchers say the leak happened near Bick and Heinz Incorporated.
In response, crews evacuated 20 homes
---------------------------------------------
JERSEY CITY SCRAP YARD FIRE BLOWS BLACK SMOKE FOR MILES
https://nj1015.com/jersey-city-scrap-yard-fire-blows-black-smoke-miles/
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, metals, waste
JERSEY CITY ‰?? A fire at a scrap metal yard sent thick black smoke into the air on Thursday afternoon.
Both ground and marine units, including from the New York Fire Department, responded to Sims Metal Management on Linden Avenue East in an industrial section south of the Greenville section. The fire erupted about 4:30 p.m., according ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
The fire is also filling the air with a chemical smell, according to Hoboken police Chief Ken Ferrante. The New York City Office of Emergency Management also issued a warning about the smell.
The yard is located along the New Jersey Turnpike's Hudson Bay Extension, causing some rubbernecking delays. Winds from the southeast are blowing the thick black smoke toward the Meadowlands, according to New Jersey 101.5 Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS BATTLE BUILDING FIRE WITH CHEMICAL TANKS, EXPLOSIONS
https://www.whmi.com/news/article/green-oak-fire-explosions
Tags: us_MI, industrial, fire, response, various_chemicals
A large number of departments battled a building fire with explosions that resulted in a Hazmat situation Thursday afternoon.
The Green Oak Township fire Department was dispatched shortly after 4pm to Superior Sanitation on Rushton Road, north of Silver Lake Road on a report of a building fire that was exploding. Fire Chief Kevin Gentry tells WHMI crews found a 100 x 100 pole barn full of various hydraulic fluids, oxyacetylene tanks that are used for welding and other chemicals in storage tanks, many of which exploded as they were arriving on scene. Multiple fire departments responded and extinguished the fire. Gentry says The Livingston County Hazmat Team was called because the facility is just uphill from the Huron River so they had to block off the area to absorb all of the water to prevent it from entering the Huron River with various chemicals. Green Oak Township was assisted on scene by the Brighton, South Lyon, Hamburg, Northfield and Lyon Township Fire Departments. Gentry says the large number of fire departments and tanker trucks had to be called in because it required a large amount of wa!
ter in an area where there were no fire hydrants. The Hazmat Team had to place absorbent pads and boons to prevent the water run-off from going into the river. Gentry noted that from the time of the initial call to the time the first units arrived on scene, there were many different explosions with various welding tanks and other tanks blowing up.
Gentry says initial investigation suggests that there was likely a malfunction during a welding event that appears to have started the fire. There were no injuries reported and the building was un-occupied when the fire started. However, Gentry says the workers had been using a cutting torch just shortly before the fire began. Rushton Road north of Silver Lake Road was shut down to allow tankers to turn around and deliver water. After the fire was extinguished, Gentry says crews remained on scene cooling various hydraulic tanks that did not blow up but were in temperatures in the range of 400 to 500 degrees when they arrived. (JM)
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL IN ILLINOIS SENDS 37 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL, INCLUDING 7 IN CRITICAL CONDITION
https://fox40.com/2019/04/25/chemical-spill-in-illinois-sends-37-people-to-the-hospital-including-7-in-critical-condition/
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
A leak in a container holding hazardous chemicals created a massive chemical spill early Thursday and sent 37 people to the hospital, including seven in critical condition, said authorities in Beach Park, Illinois.
One of the patients in critical condition is a firefighter.
A preliminary investigation found that the containers, which held anhydrous ammonia, were being towed by a tractor on Green Bay Road in Beach Park, a village north of Chicago, Sgt. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff‰??s Office said.
Anhydrous ammonia, a colorless gas with pungent fumes, can cause unconsciousness and even death when inhaled. The chemical is commonly used by farmers as an agricultural fertilizer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The spill created a plume of chemical smoke, Covelli said.
Those transported to hospitals had inhalation issues, the Lake County Sheriff‰??s Office said on its Twitter account. While some have been released, seven were in critical condition, including a firefighter, Covelli told CNN.
---------------------------------------------
SPACEX'S CREW DRAGON FIRE SENT HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS INTO ENVIRONMENT
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2019/04/25/spacexs-crew-dragon-incident-sent-hazardous-chemicals-into-environment/3548180002/
Tags: us_FL, public, follow-up, environmental, hydrazine, nitrogen_dioxide, nitric_acid
When a test fire of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule went up in smoke Saturday, the incident at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station puffed up a reddish plume that was seen for miles.
What few likely knew was just how toxic and potentially deadly that distant cloud could have been if winds had shifted onshore.
The special propellants for the Crew Dragon capsule ‰?? designed to carefully supply engine firings during liftoff anomalies and navigate the craft in space ‰?? are far more dangerous than those used for the typical launch. The hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide used Saturday are called hypergolic fluids, meaning they react violently when they come in contact with one another. They have been used in rockets and spacecraft for decades because they can be stored over a long period of time and still be reliable.
But they are dangerous to handle.
To prevent any potential exposures to the public, tests like Saturday's are conducted when prevailing winds point away from population centers.
SpaceX, NASA and the U.S. Air Force have remained tight-lipped on the April 20 incident, offering few details about the fire, which lofted reddish nitrogen tetroxide ‰?? sometimes referred to as fuming red nitric acid ‰?? into the sky as hundreds spectated a surfing festival at Cocoa Beach.
---------------------------------------------
AEROSOL CHEMICAL PLANT FINED OVER FLAMMABLE LIQUID DANGERS
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/safety/aerosol-chemical-plant-fined-over-flammable-liquid-dangers
Tags: us_GA, industrial, discovery, environmental, flammables
A Georgia manufacturer of aerosol chemicals faces federal citations for allegedly failing to protect workers from hazards involving flammable liquids and combustible dust.
PLZ Aeroscience, which operates as Plaze Georgia, was cited and fined a proposed $107,164 for alleged safety violations at its Dalton, Ga., facility, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said April 25.
OSHA cited the company for two repeat violations for allegedly not ensuring workers wear flame-retardant clothing and not providing adequate safety training to workers...
---------------------------------------------
AFD: CHLORINE LEAK AT PLAINS DAIRY CONTAINED FOLLOWING HAZMAT SITUATION
https://ktxs.com/news/texas/afd-hazmat-chlorine-leak-at-plains-dairy
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, chlorine
Amarillo Fire crews are working a HazMat Chlorine leak at Plains Dairy.
The City of Amarillo says The Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management has initiated a full EOC activation for the HAZMAT incident.
Amarillo Fire Department spokesman Captain Kyle Joy says the department responded to a possible chlorine leak at Plains Dairy at about 9:13 a.m. and crews arrived on the scene three minutes later.
The HAZMAT team detected levels of chlorine gas and got the workers out of the building. Three people have been transported to the hospital and four more are expected to be transported with minor inhalation injuries.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE LAB EXPLOSION ON NORTH SIDE SENDS CHEMIST TO HOSPITAL
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/science-lab-explosion-on-north-side-sends-chemist-to-hospital/article_a5c548fa-a265-5c2a-ad34-213f88509ab1.html
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
A beaker in a scientific laboratory on the North Side exploded Tuesday, sending a person to the hospital, according to the Madison Fire Department.
The "isolated" explosion at the 3500 block of Anderson Street near Madison Area Technical College sent a chemist to the hospital with minor injuries.
The chemist was attempting to create a new compound by mixing two chemicals together in a beaker.
The explosion took place around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday.
---------------------------------------------
BEWARE OF THE THERMAL RUNAWAY DANGER POSED BY LITHIUM BATTERIES
https://www.firechief.com/disaster-management/articles/beware-of-the-thermal-runaway-danger-posed-by-lithium-batteries-voLjY92q4gzo4gXJ/
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, environmental, batteries
Recently, eight Arizona firefighters were injured ‰?? three seriously and one critically ‰?? when an explosion occurred while they were inspecting a ‰??utility size‰?? lithium battery.
Both the Peoria (Arizona) Fire-Medical Department and the Surprise Fire Department had responded to a report of smoke coming from the APS McMicken Energy Storage facility in Peoria. The explosion apparently occurred as the Peoria Hazmat Team began to enter the building. The explosion knocked the critically injured firefighter unconscious and required three of the firefighters to be airlifted to a burn unit in Phoenix, while the others were transported to a local hospital.
This incident points to the potential hazards of both energy storage systems and the dangers associated with lithium storage batteries.
---------------------------------------------
STORAGE FACILITY EVACUATED AFTER MAN IS SICKENED BY CHEMICAL IN ANTIQUE BOTTLE
https://turnto10.com/news/local/storage-facility-evacuated-after-man-is-sickened-by-chemical-in-antique-bottle
Tags: us_ma, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A Fall River storage facility was evacuated and closed down for more than four hours Tuesday night after a man who rents a unit inside was exposed to some kind of chemical causing him shortness of breath and burning the parts of his skin that came in contact with it.
Any time anyone is complaining of respiratory issues or burns and all these bottles, for the most part, were not labeled, it's a great cause for concern,‰?? Fall River Fire Department captain Neil Furtado told NBC 10 news Wednesday.
The Extra Space Storage building on Quequechan St. opened at the beginning of March. The victim, identified to NBC 10 as a Fall River man, was storing antiques inside his unit. This included antique glass bottles. He had just purchased some new glass bottles and some had a substance inside. He told first responders that the antique auction from where he bought the bottles told him it was whiskey inside, but hazmat teams say it is a chemical sometimes used in rat poison.
"We deconned the man. Took his clothes off, bagged him, showered him, put him in the ambulance and took him to St. Anne's Hospital. That's all standard procedure,‰?? explained Lt. Michael Lepage of Fall River EMS.
There's a big market for buying and selling antique bottles online. The victim told responders that's what he was going to do with them. As for the storage facility, it has to pay to decontaminate the building fully even after hazmat crews deemed it safe for other customers.
---------------------------------------------
RESIDENTS SEEK ANSWERS ABOUT CHEMICAL FIRE AT TOWN HALL
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Residents-seek-answers-about-chemical-fire-at-13793581.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
More than 100 residents attended a lengthy town hall meeting Wednesday where attendees demanded answers about what the Intercontinental Terminals Company chemical plant fire would mean for their health and communities.
The meeting at Milby High School, about 13 miles from the site of the extinguished fire on Independence Parkway, stretched on for more than two hours. Residents, at times, became emotional.
"I've had a sore throat since this thing happened," Mary Lou Gonzalez said.
"To see and hear our city go through this because companies don't want to spend the money to warn people or to help us, what can we do as people?" she asked. "Something has to be done."
The town hall, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, included representatives from local, state and federal agencies investigating the massive blaze that started on March 17 and continued for three days.
"We're making sure that agencies involved really do the work here on the ground to make sure we can hold those responsible, responsible," Garcia said, "because it had a great impact to our community and there are still a lot of remaining concerns."
---------------------------------------------
PA. STUDENT‰??S LAWSUIT OVER BURNS SUFFERED DURING CHEMISTRY CLASS EXPLOSION IS DISMISSED
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/04/pa-students-lawsuit-over-burns-suffered-during-chemistry-class-explosion-is-dismissed.html
Tags: us_PA, education, follow-up, injury, methanol
WILLIAMSPORT ‰?? A federal judge has dismissed the suit a mother brought over injuries her daughter suffered last year in a liquid methanol demonstration in a Mount Carmel Area High School classroom.
U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Wednesday gave Karen Green of Locust Gap the opportunity to file an amended complaint but questioned whether she can successfully allege any plausible claims.
The averments in the dismissed complaint appear to be more legal conclusions than factual allegations, the judge wrote.
Green failed to allege facts that infer the defendants were aware of the risks of the experiment, he said, noting chemistry teacher Tammy Michaels had performed it for 23 years without incident.
The complaint contains no facts that suggest Michaels directed the Aug. 30 explosion at the girl, identified as M.G., who was seated in the first row, Brann wrote.
The judge‰??s opinion gives this account of what occurred that caused M.G. to suffer second-degree burns:
Michaels poured methanol into a container and attempted to ignite it. Unsatisfied with the result, she added methanol and attempted again to light it with a match.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION IN CHINA KILLS 4, INJURES 35
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/Chemical-Plant-Explosion-in-China-Kills-4-Injures-35-04-24-2019
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, pesticides
An explosion and fire at a chemical plant in northern China Wednesday morning left four people dead and 35 others with injuries, Chinese state media reported. People living near the plant were ordered to evacuate.
The explosion was reported in a workshop at the Dongxing Chemical Co. Ltd. in Ulanqab, a city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, at about 2:55 a.m., according to coverage by Xinhua. Firefighters responded to the site and isolated the flames to a tank located near the blast site.
Established in 1987, Dongxing Chemical produces a wide range of products, including inorganic pigments, powder polymers, and cellulose ethers, the company‰??s LinkedIn page said.
Officials told Xinhua that an investigation into the incident has started and that the city‰??s ecology and environment department is carrying out air and water quality monitoring.
In March this year, an explosion at a pesticide plant killed 64 people and injured dozens. A few weeks later, another blast at a scrap metal processing plant resulted in 7 deaths.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CALLS ON EPA TO REVIEW HYDROFLUORIC ACID STUDY
https://kbjr6.com/news/twin-ports/2019/04/24/chemical-safety-board-calls-on-epa-to-review-hydrofluoric-acid-study/
Tags: industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
WASHINGTON, D.C. ‰?? The US Chemical Safety Board is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to review its nearly 26-year-old Hydrofluoric Acid study in the wake of last year‰??s Husky Refinery fire.
HF is a highly toxic chemical that can seriously injury or cause death and is used in about 50 of the U.S.‰??s approximately 150 refineries.
The chemical is used catalyst in the creation of a blending agent for high octane gas.
In a letter just this week, the CSB asked the EPA to start a review and update the agency‰??s 1993 study to determine whether refineries‰?? ‰??existing risk management plans are sufficient to prevent catastrophic releases and to determine whether there are commercially viable, inherently safer technologies for use.‰??
‰??In the last 4 years, the CSB has investigated two refinery incidents where an explosion elevated the threat of a release of HF, said CSB Interim Executive Kristen Kulinowski. ‰??Refinery workers and surrounding community residents are rightly concerned about the adequacy of the risk management for the use of hazardous chemicals like HF.
In addition to the Husky fire, the CSB investigated an explosion at the former ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California in 2015.
In both of its investigations, the CSB conducted a public hearing to all communities a chance to express their concerns about HF.
---------------------------------------------
JAPANESE PROFESSOR COULD FACE PRISON AFTER TEACHING STUDENTS TO MAKE MDMA
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/japanese-professor-could-face-prison-after-teaching-students-to-make-mdma/3010417.article
Tags: Japan, public, discovery, environmental, illegal, clandestine_lab, pharmaceutical
A professor of pharmaceutical sciences in Japan could face drugs charges after admitting he instructed students and postdoctoral researchers in his lab to make the illegal drugs MDMA and 5F-QUPIC as part of a teaching exercise.
According to a report by the Kyodo news agency, which cited anonymous sources, Tatsunori Iwamura taught around 11 students at Matsuyama University to make MDMA ‰?? the main component of ecstasy ‰?? in 2013, and 5F-QUPIC in 2018, despite not having the necessary permission from the regional government.
Police began investigating in response to a tip-off, the report says. Iwamura‰??s home and lab were both searched, and while no MDMA was found, traces of 5F-QUPIC were detected in the lab. When questioned by police, Iwamura acknowledged his actions were illegal, but said they were intended to aid his students‰?? ‰??learning‰??.
In Japan, academics can make substances like MDMA for research purposes if they have been granted a government licence from the region hosting the research lab. The report says Iwamura did have a licence, but that it had expired and had been issued outside Ehime where Matsuyama University is based.
Iwamura‰??s case has been referred to prosecutors, and if charged and convicted with making the drugs illegally he could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The university has also said it will consider disciplinary action once the police investigation has concluded.
---------------------------------------------
GAS LEAK CLOSES 78 NEAR LOGANVILLE
http://www.waltontribune.com/article_7c0423de-6609-11e9-957d-778089002c6a.html
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, natural_gas
GRAYSON, Ga. ‰?? A contractor hit two gas lines near a busy Gwinnett County intersection, snarling traffic between Loganville and Snellville during the afternoon rush hour.
Gwinnett firefighters responded at 2:27 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a gas leak at the intersection of Cooper Road and Athens Highway to a 911 call of a gas line struck while drilling.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS TO LAB EXPLOSION IN MADISON
https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/Hazmat-crew-responds-to-lab-explosion-in-Madison-508956981.html
Tags: us_WI, laboratory, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV)-- Several crews from the Madison Fire Department, including the Hazardous Materials Incident Team, responded to a lab explosion on Madison's East Side on Tuesday.
According to the Madison Fire Department, they responded to the lab on the 3500 block of Anderson Street around 12:20 p.m. When crews arrived, they learned there was an explosion in one of the lab's hoods.
A Madison Fire Department spokeswoman said one person was injured. As of 1:30 p.m. no one was taken to a hospital.
According to the Madison Fire Department, there is no danger to the public and there is no threat of a chemical or gas leak. Roads in the area were temporarily closed during the initial response.
---------------------------------------------
WHY DID THE STATE OF TEXAS SUE ITC AND KMCO SO QUICKLY AFTER RECENT FIRES? ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2019/04/23/330336/why-did-the-state-of-texas-sue-itc-and-kmco-so-quickly-after-recent-fires/
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental
After recent chemical fires at an ITC facility in Deer Park and another at a KMCO facility in Crosby, the State of Texas moved rather quickly to file suit against those companies.
This came as a surprise to many, particularly because Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against each company shortly after their fires broke out and well before the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality could even finish an investigation and refer a lawsuit to the state.
And, as noted by the Texas Tribune‰??s energy and environment reporter Kiah Collier, the state did not file suit over a similar ‰?? and deadlier ‰?? event in 2013 when a fertilizer plant in West caught fire and exploded, killing 15 people.
So, what is it about these two events that caught the state‰??s eye? Is it indicative of a shift in the way Texas will look at environmental regulations and violations?
---------------------------------------------
WHAT WE KNOW AND DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE FIRE AT AN APS BATTERY FACILITY
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-fire-at-an-aps-battery-facility#gs.7nlnax
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, follow-up, injury, batteries
No cause has been named for the fire at an Arizona battery facility that sent four firefighters to the hospital Friday.
Peoria Fire Department spokesperson Michael Selmer described "an explosion" when the responders tried to check on the battery enclosure, raising questions about whether the batteries or some other equipment triggered that event. Lithium-ion batteries have been involved in fires before, but only a handful of times in the U.S. grid infrastructure context.
Utility Arizona Public Service, which owns the site, and Fluence, which provided the battery system, have been investigating the cause of the conflagration since Saturday.
Four members of the Peoria Fire Department were hospitalized with chemical and chemical-inhalation burns, according to the department. The responders' conditions had stabilized by Saturday evening, local outlet AZ Central reported.
This calamity comes at a sensitive time for the fledgling storage industry, which is poised to double deployments this year and triple them in 2020, according to data from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSES YELLOW CLOUD TO FORM IN PALM BEACH COUNTRY ESTATES
https://cbs12.com/news/local/chemical-reaction-causes-yellow-cloud-to-form-near-jupiter-farms
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, hydrochloric_acid
JUPITER, Fla. (CBS12) ‰?? Authorities converged on a remote area in Palm Beach Country Estates after reports of a yellow cloud and possible explosion Tuesday.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to an incident involving acid near the intersection of 154th Court North and 89th Avenue North.
Fire officials say workers were doing routine maintenance on a well owned by the Town of Jupiter in a vacant lot.
The head of the well failed and when the head failed, this caused hydrochloric acid and water to shoot up out of the well into the surrounding dirt.
Some hydrochloric acid also got into the nearby C-18 canal, but an official said it has dissipated and is not a concern and he said the drinking water supply is safe and was not affected.
No one was evacuated, nobody was injured.
---------------------------------------------
BLAST AT INNER MONGOLIA CHEMICAL PLANT KILLS 3
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-blast-chemicals/blast-at-inner-mongolia-chemical-plant-kills-3-idUSKCN1S0076
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Three people were killed in an explosion at a privately owned chemical plant in China‰??s Inner Mongolia region, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.
The blast happened in the early hours of the morning at Inner Mongolia Dongxing Chemicals, a company that produces a range of products from sodium hydroxide to PVC, a lightweight plastic.
The accident follows two deadly blasts in eastern Jiangsu province in March that killed 85 people, leading to increased scrutiny on how China monitors its sprawling chemicals industry.
Market regulators said earlier this month they would launch a nationwide inspection into the safety of industrial products like food packaging and hazardous chemicals in an effort to allay public concerns.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL CREWS DETECT VAPOR EMISSION AT BG ARMY DEPOT
https://lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/2019/04/23/chemical-crews-detect-vapor-emission-at-bg-army-depot/
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
RICHMOND, Ky. ‰?? Chemical crews detected a vapor emission in a storage structure that contained sarin rockets during a routine inspection Tuesday.
A mobile monitoring laboratory detected the vapor during routine analysis of the atmosphere within the structure, known as an ‰??igloo.‰?? As a safety precaution, a powered filter was connected to the igloo to ensure the vapor does not enter the outside atmosphere.
Detecting, isolating, and mitigating vapor emissions are a normal part of the safe and secure chemical storage operations at Blue Grass Chemical Activity.
There is no danger or risk to Madison County citizens or surrounding counties. The Madison County Emergency Management Agency and the Commonwealth of Kentucky EMA were notified of the vapor emission.
---------------------------------------------
REP. SYLVIA GARCIA TO HOST ITC FIRE TOWN HALL
https://www.click2houston.com/news/rep-sylvia-garcia-to-host-itc-fire-town-hall
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, benzene
HOUSTON - U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, will hold a town hall Wednesday about the recent fire at the ITC plant in Deer Park.
The meeting will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Milby High School Auditorium at 1601 Broadway St.
According to a press release about the event, Gacia will be joined by representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Chemical Safety Board, Harris County Public Health and the Harris County Fire Marshal‰??s Office.
The discussion will focus on the impacts of the chemical facility fire that burned for nearly a week and released benzene into the surrounding area, according to the press release.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post