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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 6:14:09 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 (15 articles)
SALT LAKE CITY BUSINESS EVACUATED, HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_UT, industrial, release, response, ammonia
CSIRO COULD FACE BIG FINE AFTER SAWDUST EXPERIMENT WENT HORRIBLY WRONG
Tags: Australia, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen
MPLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES RALLYING FOR BETTER PAY
Tags: us_MN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
HYDROGEN REFUELING STATION EXPLODES IN NORWAY; TOYOTA, HYUNDAI HALT FCV SALES
Tags: Denmark, industrial, explosion, injury, hydrogen
BEACH PARK CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSED BY OPEN VALVES ON AMMONIA TANKS, FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SAY
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, injury, ammonia
CRODA FACES OSHA PENALTIES AFTER RELEASE OF CHEMICAL
Tags: us_DE, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ethylene_oxide
WORKSAFE INVESTIGATES AFTER CHEMICAL POISONING PUTS CHRISTCHURCH PEST CONTROL WORKER IN HOSPITAL
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, follow-up, injury, pesticides
SCIENCE FACULTY WITH EDUCATION SPECIALTIES
Tags: education, discovery, environmental
CHINA MAKES SLOW PROGRESS ON SAFETY
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
HAZMAT SITUATION AT BULK CHEMICAL PROMPTS EVACUATIONS, FIRE IN PERRY TOWNSHIP, BERKS COUNTY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, nitric_acid
OFFICIALS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL INCIDENT IN HARRISONBURG
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, acids
BEACH PARK CHEMICAL LEAK LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST DRIVER, EMPLOYER
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
EXPLOSION IN SAN JUAN HOME HOSPITALIZES 2 MEN
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
BE ALERT, 93% OF POISONING CASES OCCUR AT HOME
Tags: Malaysia, public, discovery, environmental, bleach, cleaners, drugs
TRIAL BEGINS FOR STUDENT DISFIGURED BY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
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SALT LAKE CITY BUSINESS EVACUATED, HAZMAT CREWS INVESTIGATE AMMONIA LEAK
https://gephardtdaily.com/top-stories/salt-lake-city-business-evacuated-hazmat-crews-investigate-ammonia-leak/
Tags: us_UT, industrial, release, response, ammonia
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 12, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) ‰?? Hazmat crews responded to an ammonia leak at a Salt Lake City wholesale food distributor just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The Nicholas and Company building, at 5520 Harold Gatty Drive, has been evacuated, and crews are checking for the source of the leak.
‰??It appears to be a refrigeration problem,‰?? Salt Lake City Fire Department Capt. Tony Stowe told Gephardt Daily. ‰??It‰??s mostly contained in the building, and there is no danger to the general public.‰??
He said no injuries have resulted from the ammonia leak.
Stowe characterized the problem as a ‰??maintenance issue‰?? and said the hazardous materials team and other fire crews may be on site for several hours investigating and resolving the situation.
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CSIRO COULD FACE BIG FINE AFTER SAWDUST EXPERIMENT WENT HORRIBLY WRONG
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/csiro-could-face-big-fine-after-sawdust-experiment-went-horribly-wrong-20190612-p51x0n.html
Tags: Australia, laboratory, follow-up, injury, hydrogen
Australia's leading scientific and industrial research organisation has been charged over a laboratory explosion that left a researcher with facial burns.
The CSIRO is charged with four breaches of federal work, health and safety laws over the incident at its Clayton site on June 6, 2017, each carrying a maximum $1.5 million penalty.
The charges were laid after a scientist was injured while heating sawdust at pressure using hydrogen gas in an autoclave.
Gas leaked and ignited, causing the researcher injuries including facial burns. There was also extensive building damage, with debris thrown up to 20 metres away, according to regulator Comcare.
The charges allege CSIRO failed to provide a safe work environment and will be mentioned in the Moorabbin Magistrates Court on July 3.
---------------------------------------------
MPLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS EMPLOYEES RALLYING FOR BETTER PAY
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/st-paul-park-chemical-spill-sparks-hazmat-situation/89-5f55849a-1aef-4ced-aa4c-8d0be6bd91a1
Tags: us_MN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
ST PAUL, Minn. ‰?? St. Paul Park Police and the St. Paul Park Fire Department say they responded to a chemical spill at Tennis Sanitation around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
They say 27 employees were experiencing throat irritation upon arrival, but that all employees were treated effectively and released.
It is still unknown the type of chemical emergency crews are dealing with, but responders believe the chemical came to the sanitation center on a truck.
Authorities are reminding people to not throw chemicals in their garbage. If a container is recyclable, it doesn't mean the contents are too. They encourage people to go to their county's local HAZMAT center.
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HYDROGEN REFUELING STATION EXPLODES IN NORWAY; TOYOTA, HYUNDAI HALT FCV SALES
https://leftlanenews.com/2019/06/11/hydrogen-refueling-station-explodes-in-norway-toyota-halts-fcv-sales/
Tags: Denmark, industrial, explosion, injury, hydrogen
A hydrogen refueling station in Norway has reportedly experienced an explosion, disrupting fuel supplies across the region.
Norwegian media outlets E24 and TU detail a "huge explosion" at a station in the city of Sandvika near Oslo, injuring two occupants of a nearby non-FCV vehicle that was rocked hard enough to deploy the airbags.
Nel, an Oslo-based company that supplied the hydrogen and refueling infrastructure to the station, has dispatched a team of technical experts to work with authorities as they investigate the cause of the explosion.
In the meantime, Nel has temporarily halted its hydrogen refueling operations in Norway, Denmark and other countries.
Toyota and Hyundai have both reportedly halted sales of hydrogen-powered vehicles until the cause of the incident is determined and the stations are back online.
---------------------------------------------
BEACH PARK CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSED BY OPEN VALVES ON AMMONIA TANKS, FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SAY
https://abc7chicago.com/open-valves-on-ammonia-tanks-blamed-for-beach-park-chemical-leak/5341820/
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, injury, ammonia
BEACH PARK, Ill. -- Federal investigators say open valves on farm fertilizer tanks apparently led to a serious ammonia leak that injured 41 people in Illinois in April.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the anhydrous ammonia spill in Beach Park, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border.
The NTSB says a hazardous-materials team from Lake Forest, Illinois, found some valves were fully open on a pair of 1,000-gallon tanks, which were being pulled by a tractor. The ammonia release stopped when a valve was closed. Investigators plan to examine the valves at a laboratory in Washington.
The NTSB says the loaded tanks were picked up at a farm cooperative in Kansasville, Wisconsin, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the accident scene.
---------------------------------------------
CRODA FACES OSHA PENALTIES AFTER RELEASE OF CHEMICAL
https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2019/06/croda-faces-osha-penalties-after-release-of-chemical/
Tags: us_DE, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ethylene_oxide
The U.S. Department of Labor‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to fine Croda Inc. after a chemical release at the New Castle plant exposed workers to ethylene oxide. The company faces $262,548 in penalties.
OSHA initiated an inspection after the exposure in November hospitalized one employee and left five others suffering symptoms of ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure. The chemical is volatile and can be deadly. In the past, it was used in chemical warfare.
EtO is used in Croda chemicals that go into household products. Croda is a company based in the United Kingdom.
The agency cited Croda Inc. for 25 serious violations, including deficient emergency action and response plans; failure to train employees on how to manage EtO leaks; and the use of fire protection, water deluge systems, and emergency shutdown procedures. The company also failed to develop procedures for emergency responders to manage firewater amid an EtO release, activate the emergency alarm system, and provide employees with respiratory protection.
---------------------------------------------
WORKSAFE INVESTIGATES AFTER CHEMICAL POISONING PUTS CHRISTCHURCH PEST CONTROL WORKER IN HOSPITAL
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12239749
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, follow-up, injury, pesticides
A closed Christchurch worksite is being entered by chemical specialists after a worker was poisoned and hospitalised about two weeks ago.
An industrial storage unit that contained pest control agents is at the heart of the work now being undertaken by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
ESR has been asked by WorkSafe New Zealand to determine the concentrations of chemicals on site.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is assisting near the corner of Wickham St and Francella St.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENCE FACULTY WITH EDUCATION SPECIALTIES
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/322/5909/1795
Tags: education, discovery, environmental
Globally, efforts to improve science education continue (1, 2). In the United States, primary and secondary (K-12) science education lags on international assessments and struggles to sustain qualified K-12 science teachers and to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers (2). At U.S. colleges and universities, more than half of entering science majors leave the sciences, most (90%) complaining of ineffective teaching (3). Of those who remain in science, 74% express the same complaint (3). Further work is needed within specific science disciplines on how students most effectively learn that discipline (4). To address K-12 science education, undergraduate science education, and discipline-specific science education research, one approach is seeding university science departments with Science Faculty with Education Specialties (SFES), scientists who take on specialized science education roles within their discipline (5).
---------------------------------------------
CHINA MAKES SLOW PROGRESS ON SAFETY
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/china-makes-slow-progress-on-safety/3010599.article
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
Government policy drive continues, as self-regulation also grows
Chemical industry strategy in China has traditionally emphasised growth over safety and environmental protection. Since the August 2015 Tianjin explosion, which killed over 170 people and injured hundreds more, China has witnessed several major chemical incidents, mainly attributed to lack of proper safety measures in the factories and poor implementation of safety standards by the authorities. The latest incident occurred in March 2019, when an explosion at a plant in eastern China eventually claimed over 60 lives.
The authorities‰?? initial response has been to relocate chemical plants away from residential areas. Further, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) has begun upgrading chemical plants in densely populated urban areas. To save the Yangtze river from further pollution, over 130 nearby chemical plants will be shut down, relocated or renovated by 2020. No factory will be allowed to operate within 1km of the river.
To identify and prevent future incidents, the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) has been charged with evaluating the risks at chemical parks. It is also responsible for safety investigations at all hazardous chemical plants, especially those producing or storing hazardous chemicals like nitrates, used for manufacturing fertilisers. Industries found flouting the law will be blacklisted, severely prohibiting their access to land, finance and ability to initiate new projects. However, according to Matt Hyu from Reach24h consulting in Hangzhou, this extra inspection responsibility is stretching enforcement agencies. ‰??Many local enforcement staff do not have enough professional knowledge of chemical engineering,‰?? he says. ‰??Hence they have difficulties identifying whether the plants have incorporated the appropriate safety measures. Besides, there are many small plants, so it‰??s very difficult to inspect them all.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SITUATION AT BULK CHEMICAL PROMPTS EVACUATIONS, FIRE IN PERRY TOWNSHIP, BERKS COUNTY
https://6abc.com/fire-breaks-out-at-berks-co-chemical-plant-following-spill/5339943/
Tags: us_PA, industrial, fire, response, nitric_acid
PERRY TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- Firefighters returned to a chemical plant in Berks County where a chemical leak yesterday served as a prelude to a fire on Monday.
The most recent call to Bulk Chemical Incorporated on Mohrsville Road in Perry Township came in a bit before 11 a.m. Monday. Fire crews arrived to find a three-alarm fire tearing through the facility.
That same location was the site of a hazmat incident that prompted the evacuation of nearby residents from their homes Sunday night.
The leak of nitric acid was reported around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Hazmat crews from Berks and surrounding counties responded to contain and clean up thousands of gallons of nitric acid spewing from a massive storage tank, according to officials on the scene.
The evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes around 7 a.m. Monday, only to be evacuated once again a few hours later because of the fire.
---------------------------------------------
OFFICIALS RESPOND TO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL INCIDENT IN HARRISONBURG
https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Harrisonburg-fire-responds-to-Hazmat-511092842.html
Tags: us_VA, transportation, release, response, acids
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) ‰?? Monday afternoon, the Harrisonburg Fire Department responded to a hazardous material incident near Cargill Feed Mill, off of Kratzer Road.
Fire officials said when they arrived at the scene, they found a truck carrying more than 300 gallons of a cleaning acid.
Battalion Chief Jeff Morris, of Harrisonburg Fire Department, said crews closed parts of North Main Street and North Liberty Street to make sure the entire scene was safe.
"It's carrying 365 gallons of that total, so that would be a quite impressive hazard spill to deal with," Morris said. "We just want to make sure that we isolate the public from the hazard."
Morris said the truck driver found a two-gallon container of the acid spilled in the back of the truck. Crews were able to neutralize the acid and clean up the spill.
---------------------------------------------
BEACH PARK CHEMICAL LEAK LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST DRIVER, EMPLOYER
https://patch.com/illinois/lakeforest/beach-park-chemical-leak-lawsuits-filed-against-driver-employer
Tags: us_IL, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonia
WAUKEGAN, IL ‰?? Five people injured in the April 25 chemical leak in Beach Park have filed a lawsuit against the tractor driver and the farm that employed him. Two tankers of anhydrous ammonia began leaking shortly around 4:25 a.m. on Green Bay Road at Clarenden Street while being towed by a tractor to a nearby farm. The resulting toxic cloud sent 37 people to the hospital, including 11 firefighters and three police officers, authorities said.
The plaintiffs on the suit include a Beach Park firefighter, a Lake County sheriff's deputy, a woman who drove through the cloud and a pair of residents exposed at their nearby homes. Their complaint says the 59-year-old Racine County man towing the tanker was negligent and his bosses at John Kevek Farms, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, failed to properly train him. Both were accused of disregarding the safety of those living and travelling in the area, according to the suit filed May 23 in Lake County Circuit Court.
More than 40 people suffered "serious, preventable injuries as a result of [John Kevek Farms' and its driver's] carelessness and utter disregard when transporting anhydrous ammonia, allowing it to leak into the atmosphere wreaking havoc," according to the suit.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION IN SAN JUAN HOME HOSPITALIZES 2 MEN
https://www.thecapistranodispatch.com/explosion-san-juan-home-hospitalizes-2-men/
Tags: us_CA, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
An explosion inside a San Juan Capistrano home ignited a structure fire, sending two men to the hospital Sunday afternoon, June 9.
Orange County Fire Authority crews responded to the incident on the 27000 block of Horseshoe Bend after getting the call at 12:37 p.m., according to Capt. Tony Bommarito, OCFA‰??s public information officer.
The two men, both approximately in their 30s, were painting the house when the flash fire explosion occurred, Bommarito said. Both men were transported to UC Irvine Health Regional Burn Center in Orange for treatment.
The owner of the house was present during the explosion, but he did not sustain any injuries, Bommarito said.
While authorities are currently investigating the incident, the explosion appears to have been caused by a chemical the men were using to paint, according to Bommarito.
---------------------------------------------
BE ALERT, 93% OF POISONING CASES OCCUR AT HOME
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/11/be-alert-93-percent-of-poisoning-cases-occur-at-home/
Tags: Malaysia, public, discovery, environmental, bleach, cleaners, drugs
GEORGE TOWN (Bernama): Ninety three percent of poisoning cases between 2006 and 2015, occurred at home, with half of the cases involving children.
This is what National Poison Centre statistics have found, said the centre's pharmacist (drug and poison information unit) Asdariah Misnan.
Sixty six percent of cases recorded during the 10-year period comprised accidental poisoning involving household chemical products (33%) and medicines (33%).
Among the accidental cases, 46% involved children aged one to nine.
The household chemicals include laundry detergent and bleach, as well as dishwashing liquid, she told Bernama when met at the centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia recently.
Fifty percent of all cases involve children, with the centre receiving calls about such poisoning cases on a daily basis.
---------------------------------------------
TRIAL BEGINS FOR STUDENT DISFIGURED BY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
https://nypost.com/2019/06/10/trial-begins-for-student-disfigured-by-science-experiment-gone-wrong/
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, follow-up, environmental
A student at Manhattan‰??s prestigious Beacon High School suffered horrific injuries ‰?? including having portions of his ears burned off ‰?? during a class experiment gone awry, his lawyer said at the start of a $27 million civil trial Monday.
Former pupil Alonzo Yanes was in 10th grade on the morning of Jan. 2, 2014, when his chemistry teacher, Anna Poole, opened a jug of methyl to conduct a ‰??Rainbow Demonstration,‰?? the plaintiff‰??s lawyer said.
None of the students were wearing protective gear when the resulting fireball erupted, and Yanes, then 16, and a classmate were burned.
Yanes, now 21, was the most seriously injured, suffering third-degree burns on 30 percent of his body, including to his head, face, neck, torso and hands, court papers say.
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