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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2019 07:54:52 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: B4F3079F-B3B9-47B5-9FDE-9FA2E90CD09B**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 7:54:37 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 (11 articles)
FIRE BURNING IN PAWTUCKET
Tags: us_RI, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
NJ GRAD STUDENT CHARGED WITH RUNNING $1M METH LAB AT HOME
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, illegal, clandestine_lab
SOME SCHOOL SUPPLIES COULD CONTAIN TOXIC CHEMICALS SUCH AS ASBESTOS, REPORT SAYS
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, asbestos
HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT HARBORCREEK TRUCK STOP
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
GASOLINE MORE DANGEROUS THAN MOST REALIZE
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, petroleum
3 PEOPLE INJURED AFTER EXPLOSION AT MIDFIELD BUSINESS
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical
DEVELOPING: GAS LEAK FORCES EVACUATIONS AT COMPLEX NEAR I-285
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, natural_gas
2 WORKERS OVERCOME BY FUMES FALL INTO TRUCK'S BARREL AT WISDOM HIGH SCHOOL IN SW HOUSTON
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
PFAS FOUND IN BOTTLED WATERS ON CT STORE SHELVES
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN GREEN CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY IN CONGRESS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
WHAT CAUSED A PLUME OF RADIOACTIVE RUTHENIUM IN EUROPE IN 2017?
Tags: Europe, public, follow-up, environmental, radiation
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FIRE BURNING IN PAWTUCKET
https://turnto10.com/news/local/fire-burning-in-pawtucket
Tags: us_RI, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
Tuesday was an exhausting day for the many firefighters who fought a fire in Pawtucket four hours.
At least three firefighters were taken to the hospital for heat-related incidents.
Fortunately Pawtucket‰??s Fire captain says his guys were able to contain the fire at Kars And Cuts from spreading to surrounding homes and businesses.
The building houses a car wash business, an auto body shop and a barber shop.
Five apartment buildings behind Kars And Cuts have been evacuated due to what‰??s believed to be a hazmat situation due to the color of the flames.
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NJ GRAD STUDENT CHARGED WITH RUNNING $1M METH LAB AT HOME
https://nj1015.com/nj-grad-student-charged-with-running-1m-meth-lab-at-home/
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, illegal, clandestine_lab
A West Orange man and his housemate are accused of running a massive drug lab out of their home. They were found Monday evening with roughly $1 million in methamphetamine, according to authorities.
Brian Chedahackembruch, 23, was arrested during a raid at his Lorelei Road residence, Essex County Sheriff Armondo Fontoura announced.
Wrapping a two-month investigation, a task force of detectives from the Sheriff's Office along with West Orange, Newark, Bloomfield and Irvington police, seized a stockpile of illegal drugs, including 4,450 grams of meth in liquid and crystal form, 74 grams of marijuana and an assortment of drug paraphernalia.
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SOME SCHOOL SUPPLIES COULD CONTAIN TOXIC CHEMICALS SUCH AS ASBESTOS, REPORT SAYS
https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/some-school-supplies-could-contain-toxic-chemicals-such-as-asbestos-report-says/971399755
Tags: education, discovery, environmental, asbestos
As schools around the Mid-South head back to school, parents are heading to the store to buy school supplies for their children.
However, things like crayons, dry erase markers and binders could contain dangerous chemicals.
Many parents don‰??t realize that crayons could contain toxic chemicals such as asbestos, but there are safe alternatives out there for many school supplies.
The nonprofit USPIRG tested 27 school supplies in 2018 and found potentially dangerous chemicals in Playskool crayons, The Board Dudes dry erase markers and JOT three-ring binders. Asbestos is a known carcinogen.
FOX13 was able to buy all of them at local Dollar Tree stores or on Amazon.
‰??What runs through my mind automatically is that they have people in HAZMAT suits removing asbestos from buildings, and yet they‰??re putting that same thing in something that my kid is going to put in her mouth,‰?? said Caroline Young, a mother.
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HAZMAT CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT HARBORCREEK TRUCK STOP
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/40857337/hazmat-crews-respond-to-chemical-spill-at-harborcreek-truck-stop
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
It's an active morning for hazardous materials crews and volunteer firefighters in eastern Erie County, as they deal with an overnight chemical spill at a local truck stop.
It all started shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday at the Travel Centers of America on the Depot Road exit on I-90 in Harborcreek.
Harborcreek volunteer firefighters were the first ones to get the call.
They found a double tractor trailer leaking some sort of chemical.
.....
The first priority for these crews on scene in Harborcreek is figuring out exactly what the leaking chemical is, and whether it presents a public risk.
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GASOLINE MORE DANGEROUS THAN MOST REALIZE
https://www.elkharttruth.com/features/gasoline-more-dangerous-than-most-realize/article_df6e816e-0e5f-55a9-b0a7-cd0fe9975180.html
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, petroleum
For most people, the use of gasoline is a routine, almost benign part of our lives. We fill our tanks and move on. Occasionally, we might complain about the price, but we rarely think about the dangers it can present to us or our family if misused.
Most of the risk of handling gasoline has been ‰??engineered away‰?? for us, to decrease the chance of accidental exposure to flames or static electricity. That is a good thing, for the vapor from just one gallon of gasoline in a 250 gallon fuel talk has as much explosive energy as 83 sticks of dynamite. On a warm day, an uncapped gasoline tank may release several gallons of fuel. Those lingering vapors can be easily ignited by nearby items such as water heaters, welders, static electricity from getting out of your car, or even sparks from mowers and trimmers.
Diesel fuel is much less dangerous than gasoline. The flash point of gasoline (the temperature at which it becomes explosive) is minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The flash point of diesel is 100 degrees. Gasoline will vaporize at 0 degrees, while diesel vaporizes at 100 degrees.
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3 PEOPLE INJURED AFTER EXPLOSION AT MIDFIELD BUSINESS
https://www.wsfa.com/2019/07/30/people-injured-after-explosion-midfield-business/
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical
MIDFIELD, Ala. (WBRC) - The fire caused during an explosion at a Midfield business Tuesday afternoon has been extinguished, according to officials at the scene.
Crews will remain on the scene for a while to check for hot spots.
Birmingham Fire & Rescue crews responded to assist Midfield Fire at Birmingham Hot Metal Coatings located at 1513 Industrial Boulevard in Midfield on Tuesday afternoon before 2 p.m.
We‰??re told by authorities 3 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries that are not life threatening.
The specific cause of the explosion is not yet known, but Birmingham Fire officials say the building contained calcium silicon, a material used in the pipe making process.
Calcium silicon cannot be exposed to water, but officials say the fire was contained with dry powder before it got close to the chemical.
Folks were concerned there could be a hazmat situation because of the fire, but luckily that never became an issue.
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DEVELOPING: GAS LEAK FORCES EVACUATIONS AT COMPLEX NEAR I-285
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/breaking-active-gas-leak-forces-evacuations-shopping-center-near-285/PAgEuB31kcJwyElNvZhbaN/
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, natural_gas
A gas leak Monday has caused evacuations at a large shopping center in DeKalb County, officials said.
Workers struck a 2-inch gas line at the Peachtree Pavilion complex on Peachtree Road in Doraville at about 1:30 p.m., according to DeKalb County Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Dion Bentley.Several of the businesses were evacuated and power has been turned off to a portion of the large structure, Bentley said. Members of the fire department‰??s hazmat crew were called the scene. No injuries were reported.Crews from Atlanta Gas Light are on their way to the shopping center, and then the work will be ‰??extensive‰?? to turn off the gas and repair the line, Bentley said.
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2 WORKERS OVERCOME BY FUMES FALL INTO TRUCK'S BARREL AT WISDOM HIGH SCHOOL IN SW HOUSTON
https://abc13.com/workers-overcome-by-fumes-fall-into-trucks-barrel-at-high-school/5427457/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The bodies of two men have been recovered from a mobile seeding truck at a high school in southwest Houston.
The men died when they were overcome by fumes and fell into the barrel of the truck.
This happened around 9:30 a.m. Monday at Wisdom High School, formerly known as Robert E. Lee High School, on Beverly Hill near Skyline Drive.
Three workers were treating the grass near the track behind the school. When one of the men looked up, he saw his colleague open the hatch of the truck and fall in after being overcome by the fumes.
A second worker went to check on him, but he was also overcome by fumes and fell into the truck.
Realizing he couldn't check on them, the third worker called 911. He is okay.
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PFAS FOUND IN BOTTLED WATERS ON CT STORE SHELVES
https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/pfas-found-in-bottled-waters-on-ct-store-shelves
Tags: us_CT, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)‰?? We‰??ve been reporting for weeks about the fire fighting chemical that leaked into the Farmington River near Bradley Airport. PFAS is known to cause cancer and other health problems.
Now PFAS has been found in bottled waters on store shelves here in Connecticut. Staffers from Senator Richard Blumenthal‰??s office found 17 different brands of bottled water on store shelves throughout Greater Hartford, that were bottled prior to July 24th, the time that Spring Hill Farm Dairy in Massachusetts installed charcoal filter to remove PFAS last.
This is the water that Massachusetts public health officials have urged that pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants not consume. Brian Toal is an environmental health scientist with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and says the stuff is more than a danger pregnant women and infants adding, ‰??It has shown affects on the immune system. It has shown in humans to affect cholesterol levels. It can affect thyroid hormones.‰??
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DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN GREEN CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY IN CONGRESS
https://cen.acs.org/environment/green-chemistry/Differentiating-between-green-chemistry-sustainable/97/web/2019/07
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Experts picked at the differences between the defined field of green chemistry and the more imprecise concept of sustainable chemistry at a July 25 US congressional hearing. Their discussions could influence legislation backed by industry and academics that would focus federal efforts on characterizing and directing grant funding to sustainable chemistry.
Green chemistry has a longer history, with principles established in the 1990s, said Julie Zimmerman, deputy director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, ‰??Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.‰??
‰??The term ‰??sustainable chemistry‰?? has been introduced more recently and possesses countless definitions‰?? put forth by individuals, companies, trade associations, not-for-profit organizations, and governmental entities, Zimmerman told the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, for example, defines sustainable chemistry as ‰??a scientific concept that seeks to improve the efficiency with which natural resources are used to meet human needs for chemical products and services.‰??
Tim Persons, chief scientist at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), said at the hearing that the foremost requirement for promoting the promise of sustainable chemistry is to define it and for broad agreement on ways to measure or assess it.
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WHAT CAUSED A PLUME OF RADIOACTIVE RUTHENIUM IN EUROPE IN 2017?
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/caused-plume-radioactive-ruthenium-Europe/97/web/2019/07
Tags: Europe, public, follow-up, environmental, radiation
On an otherwise ordinary Monday in early October 2017, nuclear monitoring sites across Europe started to detect radioactive ruthenium-106 in the filters that they use to collect air samples. Scientists at the labs spotted the isotope when they came to work after the weekend and performed their weekly filter exchange. Members of the informal network between the laboratories, known as the Ring of Five after its founding scientists from five different countries, started calling each other to see if they had recorded similar measurements. When they realized they all were observing the radioactive material, they knew some sort of nuclear event had happened.
The radioactive material never posed a threat to human health because the concentrations were low. But through multiple pieces of evidence, the researchers have concluded that the most likely source for the plume of radioactive ruthenium that traveled across Europe in late September and early October 2017 was a fire or explosion at the Mayak production plant in the Ural Mountains of Russia sometime between the evening of Sep. 25 and the afternoon of the next day (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 2019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907571116). This plant was probably processing spent nuclear fuel to create enriched cesium for particle physics experiments at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy.
‰??This is an outstanding case study in radiochemical forensics,‰?? says Neil Hyatt, an expert in nuclear materials chemistry at the University of Sheffield. The work, he says, ‰??demonstrates the need to maintain high caliber national capabilities, and international partnerships, to support radiological detection and investigation.‰??
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