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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (23 articles)
Date: Wed, 1 May 2019 07:54:48 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: B772D73B-0417-4337-8015-80465D7F041D**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7:54:33 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (23 articles)
HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED AFTER SPILL ON NC 226 IN MCDOWELL COUNTY FLOWS INTO CREEKS
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, asphalt
MELBOURNE CBD GAS LEAK CONTAINED
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES FROM AMAZON ARE EXPLODING
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, batteries
RELOCATION SITE OF OLD DHAKA CHEMICAL STORES CHANGED
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
HARRIS COUNTY BEEFS UP DA‰??S ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES DIVISION IN WAKE OF ITC, KMCO DISASTERS ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE BLAZE AT RECYCLING CENTER SENDING OFF ‰??TOXIC FUMES‰??: ONTARIO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, waste
CREWS TACKLE CHEMICAL LEAK AT MELKSHAM
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
WIND TURBINE MAKER SETTLES WITH IOWA OVER SAFETY VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_IA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
WESTWOOD CLIENT DIES AFTER SWALLOWING CLEANER
Tags: us_MN, public, release, death, cleaners
35 RELEASED, TWO REMAIN HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TRUCK LEAVING WISCONSIN FARM
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, injury, ammonia
BENZENE FOUND IN THE WATER SUPPLY OF FIRE-RAVAGED PARADISE, CALIFORNIA
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, benzene, paints
LEAD CONTAMINATION RISK NEAR NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
Tags: France, public, follow-up, injury, lead_dust
CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN EUREKA
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, cleaners, mercury
SPECIAL TEAM BROUGHT IN BECAUSE OF TOXIC SMOKE IN MOORESBORO BLAZE
Tags: us_NC, industrial, fire, response, sulfuric_acid, waste, zinc
CENTRAL CITY CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS 24 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST ITC FOR HOUSTON FIRE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, toxics
REFINERY SAFETY FAILURES ‰?? ATTITUDE OR ENGINEERING?
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
HOUSE EXPLOSION CAUSED BY SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA MANUFACTURING,...
Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, injury, illegal, clandestine_lab
VERY FEW VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS TRAINED ON AMMONIUM NITRATE POST WEST EXPLOSION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
IL OFFICIALS STRESS NEED FOR SAFETY WITH TRANSPORTATION OF CHEMICALS
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
BAYER SHAREHOLDERS REPROACH MANAGEMENT OVER ROUNDUP WOES
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT PINE HILL DAIRY
Tags: Barbados, industrial, release, response, ammonia
GASOLINE SPILLS FROM TANKER AT MIRABITO, STAFF CONTAINS IT
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, gasoline
---------------------------------------------
HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED AFTER SPILL ON NC 226 IN MCDOWELL COUNTY FLOWS INTO CREEKS
https://wlos.com/news/local/health-advisory-issued-after-spill-on-nc-226-in-mcdowell-county-flows-into-creeks
Tags: us_NC, transportation, release, response, asphalt
a health advisory Tuesday afternoon, hours after a tanker crashed on a mountain highway and spilled a liquid asphalt solution.
N.C. 226 was closed for about nine hours as HAZMAT crews worked to contain the liquid asphalt and keep it from reaching a nearby creek.
The crash happened about 5 a.m. in the North Cove community of McDowell County near Triple J Park.
By mid afternoon, crews had removed the 18 wheeler from the crash site and put a lot of sand on the liquid tar. But plenty of the asphalt reached nearby Coxes and Armstrong creeks.
---------------------------------------------
MELBOURNE CBD GAS LEAK CONTAINED
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/fire-crews-probe-gas-leak-in-melbourne-cbd/news-story/f352f2b9cad01a6f7b9d5984181ac7bd
Tags: Australia, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
A gas leak in Melbourne's CBD has been contained after firefighters and workers located and stopped the chemicals leaching out from a storm water drain.
A pedestrian reported the leak near the corner of Lonsdale and Spencer streets about 8am on Wednesday before firefighters arrived and identified the source in a storm water tunnel.
"(The) Metropolitan Fire Brigade's specialist HAZMAT teams commenced a thorough investigation and have pinpointed the source of the gas leak to a storm water tunnel," a statement from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said earlier on Wednesday.
Authorities including a gas company worked for most of the day to contain the leak and were forced to shut part of a major road because of the works disruption.
---------------------------------------------
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES FROM AMAZON ARE EXPLODING
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/04/lithium-ion-batteries-amazon-are-exploding/587005/
Tags: us_NY, public, follow-up, injury, batteries
Nicholas Jones didn‰??t think twice about purchasing a lithium-ion battery from Amazon in 2016. Like most Americans, he was used to ordering whatever he needed on the site and having it show up at his front door days later. So when his laptop‰??s battery stopped working, Jones, then a graduate student, went online, found a replacement HP battery for about $15, and bought it.
A few nights later, he was sitting on the couch in his Buffalo, New York, apartment when he heard a sound like a gunshot. His fiancÌ©e screamed. The lithium-ion battery in the laptop sitting next to him had ignited, setting his couch on fire. Battery cells were flying all over the living room, leaking acid. ‰??It was like a war zone,‰?? Jones told me. Later, he was treated for first-degree and chemical burns. His computer and hardwood floor were destroyed.
Curious about what had happened, Jones went back online to try to contact the seller and alert Amazon to the problem. Scrolling through reviews, he realized other buyers were reporting fires from the same item. But Amazon seemed unconcerned, he told me: Customer-service representatives treated his report like a new one each time he called, asking for his name, the order number, and the story of what had happened over and over again. Amazon would not put him in touch with the seller and never assumed blame for the fire.
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RELOCATION SITE OF OLD DHAKA CHEMICAL STORES CHANGED
http://www.newagebd.net/article/71258/relocation-site-of-old-dhaka-chemical-stores-changed
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
A total of 54 makeshift warehouses will be set up in the city‰??s Shyampur area, instead of Keraniganj, to relocate hazardous chemical stores from Old Dhaka.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the proposal at a meeting presided over by prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the planning commission in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The ECNEC also approved another proposal to revise a project aiming at establishing a permanent chemical industrial park at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj.
ECNEC approved the projects as another project of establishing a permanent chemical park, on 50 acre of land at Keraniganj, failed to make progress and was abandoned finally.
The Keraniganj project, taken in the wake of deadly fire at a chemical warehouse at Nimtoli that killed 124 people in 2010, would not be implemented, said planning minister MA Mannan at a briefing after the meeting.
Earlier, the industries ministry said they faced problem in acquisition of land in the densely populated Keraniganj area.
The relocation of chemical shops from the old city resurfaced after 71 people were killed in another fire incident at Chawkbazar in February.
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HARRIS COUNTY BEEFS UP DA‰??S ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES DIVISION IN WAKE OF ITC, KMCO DISASTERS ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2019/04/30/331423/harris-county-beefs-up-das-environmental-crimes-division-in-wake-of-itc-kmco-disasters/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
Harris County is taking steps to crack down on environmental crimes, as County commissioners voted unanimously to spend $850,000 to beef up the environmental division of the District Attorney‰??s Office.
The funds will hire four prosecutors, two investigators and two support staffers to deal with everything from illegal dumping to industrial accidents.
The move comes just two months after Democrats on the Commissioners Court rejected a request by the DA‰??s Office to hire 102 new prosecutors. Republican Commissioner Steve Radack asked Vivian King, the DA‰??s chief of staff, whether this latest request had been part of the earlier one.
‰??I just want to clarify that this is one of these twists of fate, that all of a sudden, you‰??re going to get what you need when this court rejected what you needed a few weeks ago,‰?? Radack said.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MASSIVE BLAZE AT RECYCLING CENTER SENDING OFF ‰??TOXIC FUMES‰??: ONTARIO FIRE DEPARTMENT
https://ktla.com/2019/04/30/firefighters-battle-blaze-at-commercial-structure-in-ontario/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, waste
Firefighters battled a massive blaze at a recycling center in Ontario for more than three hours as it sent off toxic fumes before managing to contain it by Tuesday evening, authorities said.
A massive plume of black smoke rises from a fire at a recycling facility in Ontario on April 30, 2019. (Credit: KTLA)
The fire, located at 825 E. State St., was reported to fire officials at 1:14 p.m., according to Ontario Fire Department Chief Art Andres.
About 110 firefighters worked against the flames for hours before it was fairly contained by 5 p.m., according to Andres. By that time, the fire was isolated to just one main hot spot, he said.
The recycling facility bundles cardboard, plastics and other materials together so firefighters must break apart those bundles to make sure there aren't smaller fires still burning within them, according to Andres.
The mixture of combustible materials being burned has resulted in the "deep dark black smoke" that could be seen floating from the scene of the blaze, Andres said.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS TACKLE CHEMICAL LEAK AT MELKSHAM
https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/17608109.crews-tackle-chemical-leak-at-melksham/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
FIRE crews from Chippenham, Trowbridge and Shepton Mallet have tackled a chemical leak at Melksham this afternoon.
A mixture of two chemicals caused an "exothermic reaction" which released energy through gasses.
The crews were called out to the hazardous materials incident at 2.58pm and by 4pm had the chemicals under control.
It appears that contractors laying a floor at the Novacast metal casting foundry at Lancaster Road, Bowerhill Industrial Estate, Melksham, mixed two chemicals in a bucket using a metal stirrer.
The chemicals reacted with each other, giving off gasses, and the whole area was cordoned off as a safety precaution.
A spokeswoman for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Two crews from Chippenham and Trowbridge attended.
---------------------------------------------
WIND TURBINE MAKER SETTLES WITH IOWA OVER SAFETY VIOLATIONS
https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Wind-turbine-maker-settles-with-Iowa-over-safety-13807029.php
Tags: us_IA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) ‰?? A Newton company that builds wind turbine blades has settled with state regulators following an investigation into workplace safety violations.
TPI Composites agreed last month to pay the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration a total of $100,000 in fines, the Des Moines Register reported.
The settlement requires TPI to restrict employee contact with hazardous chemicals, eliminate fall dangers and alter how the factory stores combustible liquids. The company has adopted new polyethylene suits to protect workers against the chemicals.
"I think the settlement has done an effective job of making TPI in Newton, Iowa, a safer place to work," said Don Peddy, who oversees the Iowa OSHA program.
Iowa regulators gave TPI until Aug. 31 to fix all of the residual safety hazards.
Iowa OSHA levied nearly $155,000 in fines against TPI last year due violations that include fire dangers, airborne contaminants, improper record keeping, fall hazards and a shortage of adequate protective gear for employees.
The citations support complaints from dozens of former workers who said TPI didn't properly protect them from dangerous chemicals that caused them severe skin injuries. Some workers said they were fired after reporting the injuries.
---------------------------------------------
WESTWOOD CLIENT DIES AFTER SWALLOWING CLEANER
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/government-and-politics/4606478-westwood-client-dies-after-swallowing-cleaner
Tags: us_MN, public, release, death, cleaners
A Duluth nursing facility was responsible for maltreatment of a client who died after swallowing a chemical cleaner, according to a state agency.
Westwood of Duluth, an assisted living facility that's part of the Benedictine Living Community of Duluth, "failed to implement safety precautions when the client had (a) history of climbing over the kitchen gate" and "failed to otherwise secure chemical cleaners," according to the report from Kathie Siemsen, a special investigator with the Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Health Facility Complaints.
It stated that neglect was substantiated.
The report, which was posted online Tuesday, concluded on March 26 after an unannounced visit to the facility on March 7.
In a statement, Barb Wessberg, CEO of the Benedictine Living Community of Duluth, said, "We grieve with the family over their loss and have extended our deepest sympathy to them.
---------------------------------------------
35 RELEASED, TWO REMAIN HOSPITALIZED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK FROM TRUCK LEAVING WISCONSIN FARM
https://www.cbs58.com/news/35-released-two-remain-hospitalized-after-chemical-leak-from-truck-leaving-wisconsin-farm
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, injury, ammonia
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS 58) -- Toxic chemicals have been removed from the area after a leak in Lake County, Illinois but the damage has been done.
Thirty five of the 37 people who wound up in the hospital have been discharged, including 11 firefighters and three police officers. The two remaining have been upgraded from critical to serious condition. Some victims worry they have lung damage.
"I‰??m sure I do," said Kerem Yilmaz, who fought back a cough he's had since his home was surrounded in smoke Thursday.
Yilmaz says his whole family was evacuated from the cloud of toxic gas, using nothing but towels to cover their face on the way to the ambulance.
Everyone but Kerem went to the hospital.
---------------------------------------------
BENZENE FOUND IN THE WATER SUPPLY OF FIRE-RAVAGED PARADISE, CALIFORNIA
https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/Benzene-found-water-supply-fire/97/web/2019/04
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, environmental, benzene, paints
After the October 2017 Tubbs wildfire, the northern California town of Santa Rosa was blindsided when it discovered that some of its fire-damaged water systems were contaminated with the carcinogen benzene. This phenomenon, never before reported, threatened to add millions and months to recovery cost and time. Little more than a year later, it happened again.
In November 2018, the Camp Fire‰??California‰??s most destructive wildfire in history‰??leveled the town of Paradise. Water officials there now report they have discovered the same problem with benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that plagued Santa Rosa, but on an exponentially greater scale.
Whereas Santa Rosa will be replacing up to 500 service lines at a cost of several million dollars, Paradise has 10,500 affected lines‰??roughly 280 km of pipe. Paradise estimates replacing the pipes could cost as much as $300 million, and it may be 2 years before the city can provide safe drinking water to its residents. The legal limit in California for benzene in drinking water is 1 part per billion, while average levels in benzene-positive samples in Paradise have been 31 ppb.
The contamination in Santa Rosa and Paradise paints a grim picture for wildfire-vulnerable towns in the western US as climate change increases fire frequency and intensity. When only Santa Rosa was affected, people might have thought it was extra-bad luck. Now that it‰??s happened in Paradise also, ‰??I have a feeling people are paying attention to this now,‰?? says Jackson Webster, a water quality engineer at California State University, Chico. The need for water scientists and engineers to pay attention is great: there is no standard protocol to test water after a wildfire, let alone courses of action to prevent water system contamination.
---------------------------------------------
LEAD CONTAMINATION RISK NEAR NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Lead-contamination-risk-near-Notre/97/i18
Tags: France, public, follow-up, injury, lead_dust
On the night of April 15, horrified onlookers in Paris and across the world watched as fire devastated the city‰??s iconic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. Immediately after the fire, cathedral restoration was the focus, with people pledging millions of euros for the effort. It was not until April 27 that the Parisian police issued a warning to local residents. Tests by the police‰??s central laboratory found high levels of neurotoxic lead dust in the immediate area around the church.
Concerns about the lead-clad spire and cathedral framing had been voiced much earlier by the environmental advocacy group Robin des Bois. But the original advice was that the 300 metric tons of cladding would have melted and fallen into the main building.
‰??I, like everybody else, just assumed the lead would melt and pour all the way down to the bottom of the cathedral,‰?? says Mike Anderson, a materials chemist at the UK‰??s University of Manchester. ‰??But it quickly became apparent that the vaulted ceiling is just below the roof and essentially stops the lead from falling out of the roof space.‰??
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Trapped close to the blaze, which burned at over 800 å¡C, some of the lead would have begun to vaporize and oxidize, feeding more heat into the reaction and accelerating the vaporization and oxidation, Anderson says. He is concerned that the focus on cathedral restoration is clouding people‰??s attention. ‰??At exactly the same time as a cathedral burnt in Paris, there was a chemical disaster in the center,‰?? he says.
Contaminated areas around the cathedral such as the cathedral gardens are closed. Police suggest local residents use wet wipes to remove dust from surfaces and furniture and that anyone concerned should consult their doctor. The police did not suggest how to dispose of used wipes. There have been no reports of acute lead poisoning since the inferno.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN EUREKA
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/hazmat/19-2797/
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, cleaners, mercury
A new hazardous materials incident involving chemicals has been reported to the California Office of Emergency Services.
According to a report published by the office, the incident took place at or near a utilities/substation in Eureka at around 9:50 a.m. today.
Less than five gallons of a substance described as ‰??cleaning solution with potential of mercury‰?? were released to the environment, according to the person who called in the report.
Here‰??s the description of the incident that was recorded by the Office of Emergency Services:
RP states, Their construction crew was working on removing a pipe from a filter when they did not know material was still left within the pipe. This caused the release of less than 5 gallons of a cleaning solution with a potential of mercury. The release has been stopped and contained. No waterways or storm drains were impacted. A contractor will be conducting cleanup of the release.
This was the 1st hazardous materials incident recorded by the Office of Emergency Services in the Eureka area this year and the 1st chemical spill in the county overall.
---------------------------------------------
SPECIAL TEAM BROUGHT IN BECAUSE OF TOXIC SMOKE IN MOORESBORO BLAZE
https://wlos.com/news/local/special-team-brought-in-because-of-toxic-smoke-in-mooresboro-blaze
Tags: us_NC, industrial, fire, response, sulfuric_acid, waste, zinc
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) ‰?? It took a regional effort to put out the flames at an industrial facility in Mooresboro on Sunday and Monday.
The fire at American Zinc Recycling is out, but now crews are working to figure out how it started.
Crews worked throughout the night Sunday battling the flames, but there were some set backs and concerns for safety as the industrial fire spewed hazardous chemicals in the air throughout Rutherford County.
Authorities said the main concern was sulfuric acid.
Several departments responded to the fire.
"When you are dealing with hazardous material, that's a little above and beyond your normal structure fire," Kelley Klope, of the Asheville Fire Department, said.
Those hazardous materials, prompted a request for Asheville's Regional Response Team late Sunday night.
The team is made up of 12 members fully suited with air monitors. They are trained to make sure air quality is safe for emergency crews battling the fire.
"You need all the eyes and all the knowledge that you can and all have all the skills you can with all of the equipment we have," Klope said.
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CENTRAL CITY CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS 24 TO HOSPITAL
http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/local/central-city-chemical-reaction-sends-to-hospital/article_3cd64c69-f537-5431-bf52-f977ca93e591.html
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
Twenty-four people were treated at Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital on Monday after inhaling chemical fumes at the Central City Convention Center.
An OH official expected 23 of those patients to be released by Monday evening. However, one remained hospitalized overnight in serious condition. Because of federal privacy laws, OH officials can't disclose that patient's identity.
When patients arrived at the hospital Monday morning, they suffered from nausea, vomiting, irritation of their throats and breathing difficulties.
The Central City Convention Center contains a wellness center with a pool. Shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, the facility received a delivery of pool chemicals, said David Rhoades, Central City city administrator. The incident followed the delivery.
Many details remained unknown Monday afternoon, Rhoades said. However, he confirmed no chlorine leak occurred and no equipment malfunctioned. Instead, he characterized the incident as a "suspected chemical reaction involving chlorine and muriatic acid."
---------------------------------------------
CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST ITC FOR HOUSTON FIRE
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/criminal-charges-filed-against-itc-for-houston-fire
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, toxics
HOUSTON ‰?? A chemical company is facing environmental criminal charges in the wake of last month's plant fire in Texas.
The Harris County District Attorney's office filed five charges against Intercontinental Terminals Company Monday.
A large fire burned for four days at the ITC plant in Deer Park back in March.
The fire was put out but then reignited.
The damage caused a breach at the plant's "make-shift dike."
The DA says large amounts of "highly toxic chemicals" leaked into Tucker Bayou, which flows directly into Galveston Bay.
The county's environmental crimes division chief prosecutor called it "a clear water pollution case."
ITC could face a fine of up to $100,000 for each of the five charges filed in this case..
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REFINERY SAFETY FAILURES ‰?? ATTITUDE OR ENGINEERING?
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/refinery-safety-failures-attitude-or-engineering/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental
IN 1976, I was the supervisor of the world‰??s largest alkylation unit. My plant, No. 2 alky in Texas City, had a capacity of 26,000 bbl/d. In mid-June, an explosion that originated on my unit, badly damaged both No. 2 alky and No. 3 FCU (the world‰??s‰?? largest, 120,000 bbl/d fluid catalytic cracking Unit). Fortunately, no-one was hurt. Given the argument that we all are obliged to share our safety-related experiences, 42 years on, let me describe what caused this costly incident, and how proper design could have prevented this explosion.
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HOUSE EXPLOSION CAUSED BY SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA MANUFACTURING,...
https://www.click2houston.com/news/house-explosion-caused-by-synthetic-marijuana-manufacturing-deputies-say
Tags: us_TX, public, explosion, injury, illegal, clandestine_lab
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Fort Bend County sheriff‰??s deputies are investigating an explosion in the upscale Riverstone neighborhood.
The explosion ripped through the house, which police said was being used as an illegal drug lab.
It happened on Friday afternoon. The explosion ripped through a back room of the house where deputies said synthetic marijuana was being manufactured.
There were at least four people inside the house at the time of the explosion. Neighbors said they ran out of the house.
They turned up later at a local hospital. All are still being treated for serious burns.
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VERY FEW VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS TRAINED ON AMMONIUM NITRATE POST WEST EXPLOSION
https://www.kxan.com/news/investigations/very-few-volunteer-firefighters-trained-on-ammonium-nitrate-after-west-explosion/1953905694
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
Three years after the West fertilizer plant explosion, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board sent out a list of safety recommendations. They included an unfulfilled requirement for all Texas volunteer firefighters to be trained on fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate, the same chemical compound that exploded in a deadly fire in 2013 that killed 12 first responders, mostly volunteer firefighters. Only a small number of the 30,000 volunteers statewide have taken the voluntary FGAN course created after the West catastrophe.
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IL OFFICIALS STRESS NEED FOR SAFETY WITH TRANSPORTATION OF CHEMICALS
https://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/il-officials-stress-need-for-safety-with-transportation-of-chemicals/1964053492
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Following a significant anhydrous ammonia release in Lake County last week, Illinois officials are stressing the need for safety when transporting chemicals and for motorists driving near such vehicles.
Local officials reported more than 30 patients were transported to local hospitals following an incident involving a tractor hauling anhydrous ammonia in Beach Park. A shelter in place order was given to the residents within a one-mile radius of the incident.
Potentially hazardous materials are transported daily on Illinois highways and roads, and spring and fall see an increase in traffic as farmers work to apply fertilizer to their fields.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association produced an Anhydrous Ammonia Safety Video outlining proper safety procedures that farmers should take when handling these products. In addition, drivers are asked to use caution, especially when driving near such vehicles.
‰??This time of year, when farmers are traveling from field to field, it is especially important to keep safety in mind and follow proper protocol when transporting anhydrous ammonia,‰?? said John Sullivan, Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture. ‰??It is equally important that motorist be aware and take extra caution around Slow Moving Vehicles (SMV) and farm equipment that share our roads.‰??
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BAYER SHAREHOLDERS REPROACH MANAGEMENT OVER ROUNDUP WOES
https://cen.acs.org/business/mergers-&-acquisitions/Bayer-shareholders-reproach-management-over/97/web/2019/04
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, pesticides
A majority of Bayer shareholders do not like the way the company has been run over the past year. In a vote at the company‰??s annual shareholders‰?? meeting late last week, 55% refused to back management, largely because of Bayer‰??s problematic decision to buy Monsanto.
The acquisition came with a torrent of lawsuits over the role played by Monsanto‰??s Roundup brand glyphosate herbicide in incidents of nonHodgkin‰??s lymphoma and other illnesses among agriculture workers.
Indeed, only two months after the $63 billion acquisition closed in June, a US jury found Bayer responsible for a groundskeeper‰??s cancer. A second case also went against Bayer; the company is appealing both verdicts. And that‰??s just the beginning: roughly 13,400 plaintiffs are waiting in the wings.
Disgruntled shareholders feel Bayer did not properly price the financial and reputational risks of the coming litigation. Shareholder countermotions, filed ahead of the meeting, call the Monsanto acquisition ‰??catastrophic,‰?? a ‰??disaster,‰?? and ‰??ill-fated.‰??
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ALL CLEAR GIVEN AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL AT PINE HILL DAIRY
http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/all-clear-given-after-chemical-spill-pine-hill-dairy
Tags: Barbados, industrial, release, response, ammonia
Apart from one of two members of the Royal Barbados Police Force, who were on Traffic control duties along the Pine East-West Road yesterday, there were no reports of members of the public being affected by last evening‰??s chemical spill at the Pine Hill Dairy.
Acting Assistant Superintendent with the Royal Barbados Police Force, Trevor Blackman in a statement, said an alarm was raised about Ammonium, which is used in the food processing process, leaking at the St Michael plant and staff there, were forced to evacuate.
It also prompted the emergency services ‰?? the Barbados Fire Service, the Police and members of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) ‰?? to put residents living downwind of the plant on alert as to what was happening and prompted the closure of the road and other tributaries in front of the Dairy.
ASP Blackman said the all clear was given around 9:30 p.m., after the ‰??situation was brought under control about 8:55 p.m., where the area that would have been affected at the Pine Hill Dairy was accessed and the valves shut off‰??.
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GASOLINE SPILLS FROM TANKER AT MIRABITO, STAFF CONTAINS IT
https://www.allotsego.com/gasoline-spills-from-tanker-at-mirabito-staff-contains-it/
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, gasoline
COOPERSTOWN ‰?? County Hazmat teams, the DEC and Cooperstown Fire Department were called to Cooperstown‰??s Mirabito station at Chestnut and West Broad at 11:10 a.m. yesterday after a tanker overfilled the gas well, causing a large spill.
According to Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, employees the gas station quickly contained the spill using bumpers, and the gasoline did not get into storm or wastewater drains.
‰??There was no need for an evacuation,‰?? she said. ‰??It was handled by the business, who was responsible for calling it in.‰??
Following the call, the Cooperstown Fire Department responded, and the DEC and the county Hazmat team was called in to assist with containment and cleanup.
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