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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 9, 2019 at 7:38:37 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 (16 articles)
HAMILTON WATERFRONT ATTRACTIONS EVACUATED FOR AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, ammonia
ELLIS LIBRARY EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN BASEMENT
Tags: us_MO, education, release, response, hvac_chemical
KIETZKE NEAR MILL BACK OPEN AFTER HAZMAT INVESTIGATION
Tags: us_NV, public, release, injury, ethylene_oxide
SIX STATES SEEK REVERSAL OF EPA CHLORPYRIFOS DECISION
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
WORKERS BEGIN DISPOSING DANGEROUS CHEMICAL AT SHUTDOWN PHILADELPHIA REFINERY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid, waste
TWO DEAD AND RADIATION SPIKE REPORTED AFTER RUSSIA ROCKET TEST BLAST
Tags: Russia, industrial, explosion, death, radiation
BOMB SQUAD, HAZMAT TEAMS REMOVE DANGEROUS MATERIAL FROM ESKRIDGE HOME
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
FIREFIGHTERS DEAL WITH HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORTMIAMI
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
REPORT OFFERS DETAILS ABOUT SURPRISE EXPLOSION THAT INJURED 4 PEORIA FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_AZ, public, follow-up, injury, batteries
BELDING MANUFACTURER SCRUTINIZED FOR CHEMICAL FIRES LOSES SUPPLIER, PURCHASER
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
STORES EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL IN DOWNTOWN OCEAN CITY
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, cleaners
UPDATE: 15 PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSU
Tags: us_NE, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
BELDING NO LONGER UNDER THREAT OF CHLORINE GAS CLOUD
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
FIREFIGHTERS INVESTIGATE EXPLOSION AT ROCHESTER PRECISION OPTICS
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CHINA ISSUES DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL INSPECTIONS
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
NEUTROGENA RECALLS ACNE MASK OVER CONCERNS ABOUT BLUE LIGHT
Tags: public, discovery, injury, pharmaceutical
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HAMILTON WATERFRONT ATTRACTIONS EVACUATED FOR AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9541315-hamilton-waterfront-attractions-evacuated-for-ammonia-leak/
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, ammonia
An ammonia leak prompted firefighters to evacuate the city's Pier 8 waterfront buildings for about four hours.
The buildings were emptied and police blocked vehicle access to the pier after a security guard heard an alarm and noticed an odour in the Waterfront Grill building at 47 Discovery Dr. around 5 p.m. Thursday.
The guard "caught a whiff of ammonia," said acting fire platoon chief Mike Hamelin, spurring a HAZMAT (hazardous materials) response that included firefighters with oxygen tanks and isolation suits trying to stop a slow ammonia leak.
Ammonia is a colourless gas that is often used as a refrigerant. Exposure to high levels can burn eyes, skin and lungs.
---------------------------------------------
ELLIS LIBRARY EVACUATED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK IN BASEMENT
https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/ellis-library-evacuated-after-chemical-leak-in-basement/article_ed55b3a2-ba07-11e9-bf36-6b124eca26ae.html
Tags: us_MO, education, release, response, hvac_chemical
Library was briefly evacuated around noon Thursday after potentially dangerous chemicals were leaked from an air conditioning unit in the library basement.
MU Police Department officers and Columbia firefighters responded to the incident. No one was injured, said Sheena Rice, outreach manager for the MU News Bureau.
Sara Diedrich, MU police spokesperson, said employees were moving the old air conditioning unit that leaked the chemicals, which set off the fire alarm. Diedrich said she is not aware of any damage to library property.
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KIETZKE NEAR MILL BACK OPEN AFTER HAZMAT INVESTIGATION
https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Hazmat-situation-closes-portion-of-Kietzke-near-Mill-528436971.html
Tags: us_NV, public, release, injury, ethylene_oxide
RENO, NV (KOLO) - The Reno Fire Department has identified the chemical that prompted a hazmat investigation, closing down a portion of Kietzke Lane near Mill Street Thursday afternoon.
The first calls came in around 12PM August 8, 2019.
The fire department says two workers were in a drain pipe when they started to feel nauseous. They were reportedly exposed to ethylene oxide, a colorless gas with a sweet ether-like odor. They were taken to a hospital. No update on their conditions has been released.
Earlier, police asked surrounding businesses to keep people inside during the investigation.
Kietzke between Mill and Automotive Way was closed for about two hours, but has since reopened.
Authorities are trying to determine how the chemicals got into the sewer system. They said it poses no risk to the public. Reno Public Works and the Washoe District Health Department are working to take care of the issue.
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SIX STATES SEEK REVERSAL OF EPA CHLORPYRIFOS DECISION
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/12496-six-states-seek-reversal-of-epa-chlorpyrifos-decision
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, pesticides
Six states, including California and New York, have sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its decision to allow continued use of chlorpyrifos, alleging the agency did not adequately ensure infants and children are protected.
‰??Chlorpyrifos causes significant harm to our children, farm workers and vulnerable communities,‰?? California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. ‰??California is doing our part to address the harms of this pesticide ‰?? it‰??s time for D.C. to do theirs.‰??
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WORKERS BEGIN DISPOSING DANGEROUS CHEMICAL AT SHUTDOWN PHILADELPHIA REFINERY
https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/workers-begin-disposing-dangerous-chemical-shutdown-philadelphia-refinery
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, response, hydrofluoric_acid, waste
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) ‰?? Workers have begun the dangerous task of disposing of hydrofluoric acid at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, shut down since a disastrous fire in June. Officials predict the process will take weeks to complete.
Hydroflouric acid, or HF, is so toxic that a small splash of it on the skin can be fatal. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said workers in hazmat suits are combining a strong base with the acid to "neutralize" it.
"The resulting products can be dealt with here on the site. They can go into the permitted and regulated by DEP waste water treatment plant that's operated here on the site and DEP is maintaining very close oversight of that," he said.
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TWO DEAD AND RADIATION SPIKE REPORTED AFTER RUSSIA ROCKET TEST BLAST
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/08/explosion-military-base-russia-arkhangelsk?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Tags: Russia, industrial, explosion, death, radiation
Two people have been killed and radiation levels reportedly spiked after a rocket engine exploded during a test in northern Russia, prompting authorities to close a portion of the White Sea to civilian ships for a month.
The reports of a sudden rise in radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk after the explosion contradicted official statements by Russia‰??s defence ministry that all radiation levels in the area remained stable. The surge in radiation levels lasted less than one hour, local officials said.
The explosion took place at a military testing range in the Arkhangelsk region, where specialists were working on a liquid-fuel jet engine, the defence ministry said. Those injured included military specialists and civilian engineers for the rocket engine‰??s developer.
Some reports from state-run media suggested the blaze occurred onboard a vessel, while the military‰??s account implied it happened on land. Russia maintains a veil of secrecy around its military installations in the region, near where its northern fleet, including nuclear submarines, are stationed. Severodvinsk houses the country‰??s main shipyard for building and repairing nuclear submarines.
---------------------------------------------
BOMB SQUAD, HAZMAT TEAMS REMOVE DANGEROUS MATERIAL FROM ESKRIDGE HOME
https://www.wibw.com/content/news/Bomb-Squad-HazMat-teams-remove-dangerous-material-from-Eskridge-home-525663771.html
Tags: us_KS, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
ESKRIDGE, Kan. (WIBW) -- The Riley Co. Police Department's bomb squad and hazardous material response team, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, all responded to an Eskridge home on Tuesday.
According to the Wabaunsee Co. Sheriff's Office, a family reported there may be explosive material inside a home, at 210 Mulberry St. The response teams located "dangerous and hazardous" items and removed them.
The Sheriff's Office did not say what the items were.
The hazardous materials were taken outside of town where they could be destroyed, with the Sheriff's Office thanking Tim Widau specifically for letting them use his property to do it.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS DEAL WITH HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORTMIAMI
https://www.local10.com/news/local/miami/firefighters-deal-with-hazardous-chemical-leak-at-port-of-miami
Tags: us_FL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the Hazardous Materials Response team was called to 1015 N. America Way. The call involved more than a dozen units and was active until late Wednesday night.
A source with the department said firefighters suspected the leak involved ammonia, which is usually shipped in steel containers that can explode when they are exposed to high heat. A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman had yet to confirm that Thursday morning.
---------------------------------------------
REPORT OFFERS DETAILS ABOUT SURPRISE EXPLOSION THAT INJURED 4 PEORIA FIREFIGHTERS
https://www.azfamily.com/news/report-offers-details-about-surprise-explosion-that-injured-peoria-firefighters/article_2f534032-b984-11e9-8de7-af57110ef8e2.html
Tags: us_AZ, public, follow-up, injury, batteries
SURPRISE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) ‰?? A newly released report is shedding light on an explosion at an APS storage unit in Surprise that sent four Peoria firefighters to the hospital with broken bones, chemical burns and cuts.
It happened the night of Friday, April 18 ‰?? nearly four months ago -- near Deer Valley Road and Grand Avenue.
Video provided by APS this week showed workers removing batteries from the energy storage unit, which is part of the 'utility's clean-energy project.' It's designed to store unused power generated by homes with solar panels so the solar energy can be used after the sun goes down.
"We're basically on our way to discharge all of the energy that's left in the energy storage unit," APS spokesman Scott Bordenkircher said.
---------------------------------------------
BELDING MANUFACTURER SCRUTINIZED FOR CHEMICAL FIRES LOSES SUPPLIER, PURCHASER
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/08/belding-manufacturer-scrutinized-for-chemical-fires-loses-supplier-purchaser.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
BELDING, MI -- A manufacturer that caused multiple toxic chlorine gas releases in a residential area has lost the support of a supplier and purchaser of its products.
Haviland Enterprises President Michael Karasiewicz told MLive his company ended their ‰??relationship‰?? with Kassouni Manufacturing Inc. and will no longer purchase pool-chlorinating tablets from them or supply them with the volatile chemical used to make that product.
---------------------------------------------
STORES EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL SPILL IN DOWNTOWN OCEAN CITY
https://ocnjdaily.com/stores-evacuated-following-chemical-spill-in-downtown-ocean-city/
Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, response, cleaners
Nearby stores were evacuated as a precaution Tuesday during the cleanup of a chemical spill on the 700 block of West and Asbury avenues in downtown Ocean City.
At about 11:45 a.m., a delivery driver reported that the chemicals sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite had spilled from the back of his truck, city spokesman Doug Bergen said. Those chemicals are caustic substances used as drain cleaners and water disinfectants.
Because of risks associated with direct contact with the chemicals and with breathing fumes from them, nearby businesses were evacuated while cleanup was done by the Cape May County Hazmat Unit, Bergen said.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: 15 PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSU
https://www.klkntv.com/story/40885429/hazmat-response-near-nw-22nd-and-q-streets
Tags: us_NE, public, release, injury, carbon_monoxide
Lincoln Fire and Rescue says 15 people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a carbon monoxide leak Tuesday night.
LFR said they were dispatched to NW 22nd and Q Streets.
Mercy Western Manor, which has housing for low-income families, was evacuated.
When emergency crews arrived they took CO readings.
Battalion Chief Jim Bopp said, "When we got here, we discovered they did have CO readings in the west half of this structure."
Everyone was evacuated from the west end of the structure, and relocated for the night.
---------------------------------------------
BELDING NO LONGER UNDER THREAT OF CHLORINE GAS CLOUD
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/08/belding-no-longer-under-threat-of-chlorine-gas-cloud.html
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
BELDING, MI -- The slim chance of a deadly chlorine gas cloud spreading over a West Michigan city of nearly 6,000 residents is no longer a possible scenario for now.
Belding City Manager John Niemela said all remaining stocks of a volatile chemical that had been repeatedly mishandled and caused minor chlorine gas releases at Kassouni Manufacturing Inc. were removed from the facility on Monday, Aug. 5. The facility is located in a residential area.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS INVESTIGATE EXPLOSION AT ROCHESTER PRECISION OPTICS
https://www.whec.com/news/hazmat-teams-at-chemical-incident-in-henrietta-no-threat-to-public/5449691/?cat=565
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
HENRIETTA, N.Y. (WHEC) ‰?? Firefighters are investigating an explosion at Rochester Precision Optics.
It happened at the manufacturing facility on John Street in Henrietta just before 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Multiple agencies including a HAZMAT team responded to the scene after an automatic fire alarm went off.
According to the Henrietta Fire District, about two dozen employees were there at the time of the explosion. They told firefighters they thought something went off inside the facility.
---------------------------------------------
CHINA ISSUES DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL INSPECTIONS
https://chemicalwatch.com/80691/china-issues-draft-guidelines-for-hazardous-chemical-inspections
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, environmental
China‰??s Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) has completed its consultation on two mandatory guidelines for local authorities that explain how to investigate safety risks at chemical industry parks and hazardous chemical facilities.
On 19 July, the MEM published a review of its activities from January to June. It investigated facilities manufacturing or storing hazardous chemicals throughout the country and found more than 13,000 ‰??hidden dangers‰??, with more than 400 it considered ‰??major‰??.
Its next round of activities will focus on reviewing and resolving these.
A 24 July notice issued to all provincial governments and relevant authorities, which accompanied the consultation for the guidelines, says they come as part of "profound lessons learned from the major chemical explosion in March".
---------------------------------------------
NEUTROGENA RECALLS ACNE MASK OVER CONCERNS ABOUT BLUE LIGHT
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/Neutrogena-recalls-acne-mask-over-concerns-about-blue-light/97/web/2019/08
Tags: public, discovery, injury, pharmaceutical
Last month, Neutrogena voluntarily recalled its popular Light Therapy Acne Mask, citing customer complaints of eye problems and ‰??an abundance of caution,‰?? according to the company. The mask targets acne-causing bacteria by irradiating skin with blue light, which sits on the more energetic end of the visible spectrum. Blue light can increasingly be found lighting up organic chemistry labs as a way to drive radical reactions. The ocular safety concerns that led to the Neutrogena recall are also inspiring chemists to find ways to protect themselves when using this popular color of light.
According to Neutrogena, adverse reactions reported by mask users included ‰??transient eye pain or irritation, tearing, blurry vision, seeing spots, or changes in color vision‰?? that resolved once people stopped using the mask. These reports were rare, with the company receiving complaints on about 0.02% of masks sold at the time of the recall. In a statement to C&EN, Neutrogena added that mask users with underlying eye conditions or people who are taking medications that make skin more sensitive to light, such as antibiotics like doxycycline, could theoretically be at risk for eye injuries.
Dermatologists think blue light treats acne by activating porphyrins that then produce reactive oxygen species to kill acne-causing bacteria (Drug Resist. Updat.2012, DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2012.07.001). Similarly, blue light could damage eye cells by exciting molecules that produce destructive oxygen species, says Michael R. Hamblin, an organic chemist at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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