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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, August 23, 2019 at 4:51:56 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 (18 articles)
BREAKING: OFFICE BUILDING EVACUATED DUE TO REPORTED CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_VA, public, release, injury, other_chemical
POLICE: 1 HURT IN BLAST AT ROTTERDAM FIRM
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
AMMONIA LEAK MAY FORCE EVACUATIONS OF EL MOLINO FOODS IN CLARESHOLM
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
FIREFIGHTERS FACE ANOTHER BATTLE EVEN AFTER THE FIRE IS OUT
Tags: us_IL, industrial, discovery, environmental
WORKERS AT BIG GOVERNMENT LAB SUE OVER EXPOSURE TO A TOXIC CHEMICAL
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, discovery, injury, cleaners
PORTAGE LAKEFRONT REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, cyanide
CREWS RESPOND TO LEAK AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PLANT IN ASCENSION
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AFTER 11 FALL ILL FROM CARPET CLEANER
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, response, cleaners
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT EAST LONGMEADOW HIGH
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
REDDY ICE FACILITY BACK TO NORMAL AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN U.S. 61 NORTH FOR HOURS
Tags: us_MS, transportation, release, response, flammables
CHEMICALS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST IN 'FREAK OCCURENCE,' CAUSING SOUTHERN UTAH WILDFIRE
Tags: us_UT, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NESTLE
Tags: Trinidad_and_Tobago, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
ALUMINIUM DROSS CHEMICAL WASTE CATCHES FIRE IN PONTIAN
Tags: Malaysia, industrial, fire, response, waste
DON'T MIX SODIUM HYDRIDE WITH POLAR APROTIC SOLVENTS
Tags: laboratory, explosion, response, sodium_hydride, solvent
CONCERNS RAISED OVER ‰??REGRETTABLE‰?? BPA SUBSTITUTIONS
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, epoxy, plastics
LUCKY DEUCES TRUCK STOP WAS EVACUATED FOR A HAZARDOUS VAPOR LEAK
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, toxics
HAZMAT INCIDENT CLOSES PEEKSKILL HOLLOW ROAD FOR 21 HOURS
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, asphalt
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BREAKING: OFFICE BUILDING EVACUATED DUE TO REPORTED CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.arlnow.com/2019/08/22/breaking-office-building-evacuated-due-to-reported-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_VA, public, release, injury, other_chemical
An office building in Virginia Square has been evacuated after a reported chemical spill in the building.
Firefighters ‰?? including hazmat teams and medics ‰?? responded to the Ballston Gateway building at 3865 Wilson Blvd around 1:45 p.m., for a report of up to 20 people suffering medical symptoms after a coolant tower leaked chemicals into the building‰??s penthouse.
The building was evacuated amid a large fire department response, which is currently blocking at least one westbound lane of Wilson Blvd.
Some office workers on lower floors of the building have since been let back in. First responders on the scene radioed fire dispatch to report only a couple of people with minor symptoms, including eye irritation and nausea. There‰??s no word yet on which chemical might have leaked.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE: 1 HURT IN BLAST AT ROTTERDAM FIRM
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/1-hurt-in-blast-at-Rotterdam-firm-police-said-14371016.php
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
ROTTERDAM ‰?? An explosion at a company off West Campbell Road left one person with minor injuries and sent a hazardous materials team into the plant, police said.
The chemical explosion occurred at about 1:30 p.m. in a building at Von Roll, an industrial manufacturer the produces items for the power industry, Lt. Jeffrey R. Collins said.
The building was evacuated but Collins said there appears to be no risk to the public and so far there are no plans to evacuate any nearby homes, he said.
"At this point, and I'm not leaving that as a hard conclusion, there is no danger," Collins said.
One person at Von Roll was injured, though, Collins said, the person did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
Schenectady County's hazardous materials team was sent to the scene and they were assessing the situation to determine if any risk remains from the chemicals.
A county official said a 55-gallon drum ruptured and the building was being ventilated.
Von Roll is located near the Schenectady city line and ViaPort, a mall on West Campbell Road.
---------------------------------------------
AMMONIA LEAK MAY FORCE EVACUATIONS OF EL MOLINO FOODS IN CLARESHOLM
https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/08/22/ammonia-leak-may-force-evacuations-of-el-molino-foods-in-claresholm/
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
Claresholm, AB ‰?? UPDATE (4:15 pm): All staff at El Molino Foods have been safely evacuated. The hazmat crew at Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services arrived on scene at 3:30 pm. A further update is expected at 5:00 pm.
UPDATE (2:05 pm): The Town of Claresholm has declared a State of Local Emergency in order to be prepared for a potential evacuation of El Molino Foods.
Original Story:
An chemical hazard advisory alert has been issued by the Town of Claresholm and Alberta Emergency Alerts.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS FACE ANOTHER BATTLE EVEN AFTER THE FIRE IS OUT
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/firefighters-face-another-battle-even-after-the-fire-is-out
Tags: us_IL, industrial, discovery, environmental
URBANA, Ill. (WICS/WCCU) ‰?? Fire departments are taking more precautions after studies have shown the fight to put out a fire can later become a fight to stay alive.
Recently, the Champaign-Urbana community has rallied behind a local firefighter battling cancer.
Sadly, it's a story we hear too often.
Even though he preferred not to talk about it, the data linking firefighters and cancer speaks for itself.
Firefighters face a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of cancer-related deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
‰??There is absolutely no question that firefighting is a more dangerous profession today than it was 50 years ago,‰?? said Royal Mortenson, director of the Illinois Fire Service Institute.
---------------------------------------------
WORKERS AT BIG GOVERNMENT LAB SUE OVER EXPOSURE TO A TOXIC CHEMICAL
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/climate/tce-exposure-lawsuits-brookhaven.html
Tags: us_NY, laboratory, discovery, injury, cleaners
UPTON, N.Y. ‰?? As a technician at Brookhaven National Laboratory, one of the nation‰??s most prestigious science labs, Joseph Marino‰??s job in the late 1990s and early 2000s was to clean and maintain the supercomputers that have helped researchers unlock some of the world‰??s biggest scientific and medical mysteries. He polished copper connectors, he said, until ‰??they reminded you of gold.‰??
One of the cleaning fluids he used while wiping the machines by hand over the years was trichloroethylene, or TCE, a toxic degreaser that the Trump administration has targeted as part of its broad effort to weaken regulations on chemicals. TCE is still widely used by dry cleaners as a stain remover and by factories as a degreaser.
Mr. Marino, who later lost a kidney to cancer, is now suing the operators of the Department of Energy lab for $25 million over exposure to TCE, alleging that they negligently supplied the cleaner to him and many other workers there without warnings or protections. He is also suing Dow Chemical and Zep, alleging that they made and sold the chemical without adequate safety warnings.
---------------------------------------------
PORTAGE LAKEFRONT REOPENS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-portage-beach-reopen-st-0823-20190822-6c5twskigfhnbpntp2n2p475fm-story.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, cyanide
The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach reopened Thursday after a recent ArcelorMittal chemical spill into the Little Calumet River‰??s east branch.
‰??The reopening is in response to three consecutive days of water testing that indicated cyanide levels well within the US EPA's standards for drinking water,‰?? National Park Service spokesman Bruce Rowe said in a release. ‰??In addition, two of the sampling days indicated no detection of cyanide.‰??
The agency also reopened the Little Calumet River within the Indiana Dunes National Park, he said. Both were reopened after sign offs from state and federal environmental agencies.
‰??The National Park Service will continue monitoring the ongoing water testing to ensure the health and safety of park visitors,‰?? Rowe said.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO LEAK AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PLANT IN ASCENSION
https://www.wbrz.com/news/hazmat-crew-responding-to-incident-at-westlake-chemical-plant-in-ascension/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
GEISMAR - Authorities responded to an incident involving potentially hazardous materials at an Ascension Parish chemical plant Wednesday.
The situation was first reported around 4 p.m. at Westlake Chemical. A statement from Westlake says it detected a leak in a pipe's vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) unit which released a small amount of hydrochloric acid gas.
The gas created a visible haze just north of the plant, prompting the plant to temporarily shut down the VCM unit. LA 73 was also closed off near the plant as the incident was investigated.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AFTER 11 FALL ILL FROM CARPET CLEANER
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/17853210.investigation-launched-11-fall-ill-carpet-cleaner/
Tags: New_Zealand, public, release, response, cleaners
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after 11 people suffered breathing difficulties, dizziness and sickness at a Christchurch office on Monday.
Firefighters declared a 'hazmat incident' after the casualties reported problems at Sovereign Housing Association in Grange Road just after 9.25am.
However, it was later discovered that carpet cleaning products were behind the chemical scare. The block was given a deep clean during the weekend.
Now officials have confirmed a probe into the incident is set to begin
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL AT EAST LONGMEADOW HIGH
https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/crews-respond-to-chemical-spill-at-east-longmeadow-high/article_fc74c906-c43c-11e9-a6d3-bf6be9cf9c5d.html
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
EAST LONGMEADOW, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Fire crews and hazmat teams have been at East Longmeadow High School for most of the day after authorities say some sort of chemical was found spilled on the floor.
Environmental services is just wrapping up.
We are told they were inside the school, carefully checking chemicals to make sure everything is safe.
When Western Mass News first got to the scene this afternoon, the front of the school was blocked off.
The East Longmeadow Fire Chief tells Western Mass News two teachers walked into a chemistry lab and found chemicals had been spilled on the floor.
---------------------------------------------
REDDY ICE FACILITY BACK TO NORMAL AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.ktbs.com/news/reddy-ice-facility-back-to-normal-after-ammonia-leak/article_4fc2cd72-c462-11e9-ba38-0f888de2956a.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
SHREVEPORT, La. - It's back to business at Reddy Ice on Monkhouse Drive.
That's where an anhydrous ammonia leak triggered a massive response from Shreveport hazmat crews Tuesday afternoon.
The Department of Environmental Quality is still monitoring the building periodically, according to the Shreveport Fire Department.
They were on scene on Wednesday along with Louisiana State Police and, of course, Reddy Ice management.
It happened on Tuesday right before 3 pm when Shreveport Fire was doing a routine inspection. One officer noticed what could be an anhydrous ammonia leak.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN U.S. 61 NORTH FOR HOURS
https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2019/08/21/chemical-spill-shuts-down-u-s-61-north-for-hours/
Tags: us_MS, transportation, release, response, flammables
Warren County Emergency Management officials reopened U.S. Highway 61 North at Mississippi 465 about 3 p.m. Wednesday after a collision between an 18-wheeler and farm tractor caused a hazardous material spill.
The wreck occurred about 11 a.m. Wednesday between Mississippi 465 and the Yazoo River bridge. No one was injured.
Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs said the southbound 18-wheeler owned by Sindle Trucking of El Dorado, Ark., was carrying a ‰??petroleum-based chemical.‰?? When the vehicles collided, the collision created a large gash in the tanker, causing the chemical to spill on the highway.
Briggs said the chemical was more flammable than gas.
The spill forced authorities to shut down northbound and southbound traffic on U.S. 61 North, stop traffic on Mississippi 465 and evacuate an 1,000-foot radius around the spill. Students at nearby Redwood Elementary School, where emergency workers staged for the spill, were kept indoors.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICALS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST IN 'FREAK OCCURENCE,' CAUSING SOUTHERN UTAH WILDFIRE
https://www.ksl.com/article/46622758/chemicals-spontaneously-combust-in-freak-occurence-causing-southern-utah-wildfire
Tags: us_UT, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LA VERKIN, Washington County ‰?? Some chemicals spontaneously combusted in the blistering southern Utah heat Tuesday after someone threw them out, leading to a small wildfire in a ‰??freak occurrence,‰?? officials say.
The fire started about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday near the La Verkin Creek bridge on state Route 17 on the north side of La Verkin, according to Utah fire officials.
The fire had burned about 19 acres and was 80% contained as of Wednesday morning, according to Mike Melton, fire management officer for the Southwest Utah Area of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
A man was cleaning out a shed in the area and had discarded some chemicals in a trash pile, which he intended to eventually haul off, Melton said. The chemicals mixed together and the triple-digit temperatures helped start a chemical reaction that ignited some brush nearby, according to Melton.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK AT NESTLE
https://newsday.co.tt/2019/08/21/chemical-leak-at-nestle/
Tags: Trinidad_and_Tobago, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
ORDERLIES at Nestle Caribbean had to contain an ‰??interaction between spilt chemicals‰?? which occurred twice between Tuesday and yesterday
In a conversation with the corporate communications office, Newsday was told the reaction caused fumes to emanate from a containment area on the compound on Tuesday.
Orderlies discovered the reaction, contained the spill, and disposed of the chemicals in the proper manner.
Another reaction between the chemicals occurred yesterday morning and orderlies once again contained it.
Communications officer Denise D‰??Abadie assured that an investigation has been launched to discover whether all safety protocols were followed. She said the situation has been contained and operations at Nestle Caribbean are continuing as normal.
---------------------------------------------
ALUMINIUM DROSS CHEMICAL WASTE CATCHES FIRE IN PONTIAN
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/aluminium-dross-chemical-waste-catches-fire-pontian
Tags: Malaysia, industrial, fire, response, waste
JOHOR BAHRU (Aug 21): A bag containing 500 kilogrammes of aluminium dross chemical waste which was stored in a factory near Jalan Perindustrian 5, Pontian, caught fire today.
Pontian Baru Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Iqbal Raduan said the fire occurred at about 3.40pm and at 9.45pm the fire-fighting operation was still ongoing.
He said six firemen in one engine were deployed to the scene following a distress call at 3.59pm.
Iqbal said there were 500 bags each weighing 500 kilogrammes containing the chemical in the factory which was found to be unoccupied and not in operation.
‰??Of the 500 bags, only one bag caught fire and so far we have managed to bring the blaze under control and prevent it from spreading outside the factory.
---------------------------------------------
DON'T MIX SODIUM HYDRIDE WITH POLAR APROTIC SOLVENTS
https://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2019/08/dont-mix-sodium-hydride-with-polar-aprotic-solvents/
Tags: laboratory, explosion, response, sodium_hydride, solvent
Combining sodium hydride with some solvents can be a bad idea, as a group of researchers from Corteva Agriscience and Dow Chemical remind the chemistry community in Organic Process Research & Development ,(2019, DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.9b00276).
An intact calorimetry cell (left) and a ruptured cell the authors used to study the explosive risk of NaH in DMSO. These cells typically rupture at pressures in excess of 1,000 bar. Credit: Org. Process Res. Dev.
Reports of explosions from combining NaH with a polar aprotic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) go back at least to 1966:
---------------------------------------------
CONCERNS RAISED OVER ‰??REGRETTABLE‰?? BPA SUBSTITUTIONS
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/concerns-raised-over-regrettable-bpa-substitutions/3010871.article
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, epoxy, plastics
Research indicates chemicals used as alternatives to bisphenol A in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins aren‰??t always safer
A growing body of research is raising questions about the safety of alternatives to bisphenol A (BPA) ‰?? an endocrine-disrupting chemical that regulators are cracking down on ‰?? that are being used to make plastics and epoxy resins.
There is a real danger of what researchers are calling ‰??regrettable substitutions‰??, where BPA is replaced by a structurally similar chemicals that elicit comparable health concerns.
‰??When BPA-free products started to be advertised we knew enough about BPA to be concerned about regularly exposing people to this chemical, so that seemed like a victory until we started looking at the replacements,‰?? says Laura Vandenberg, an environmental health researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in the US. ‰??We have seen enough scientific evidence that we are starting to say ‰??Ok, these are regrettable‰??, and if we need the amount of evidence of harm that we have for BPA, then we are going to have to wait another two decades or more, and that seems unreasonable.‰??
---------------------------------------------
LUCKY DEUCES TRUCK STOP WAS EVACUATED FOR A HAZARDOUS VAPOR LEAK
https://kadn.com/lucky-deuces-truck-stop-was-evacuated-for-a-hazardous-vapor-leak/
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, toxics
DUSON- According to Duson Chief of Police Kip Judice, multiple agencies were called to Lucky Deuces Casino and Roady‰??s Truck Stop last night after reports of a vapor leak from a tanker.
Officials say, the tanker contained a small amount of mixture of highly toxic chemicals. The truck stop and casino were evacuated as hazmat officials identified the leak and patched it up.
The air quality was deemed safe around 1:25 a.m. this morning and both business have since re-opened.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT INCIDENT CLOSES PEEKSKILL HOLLOW ROAD FOR 21 HOURS
https://patch.com/new-york/peekskill/hazmat-incident-closes-peekskill-hollow-road-hours
Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, asphalt
PUTNAM VALLEY, NY ‰?? An overturned tank truck closed Peekskill Hollow Road for 21 hours Monday-Tuesday as crews worked to contain fluid spills and right the vehicle. The driver suffered minor injuries.
The accident happened at 1 p.m. Monday. The driver of the tanker truck, which went off the road and into a tree, told Putnam sheriff's deputies that while driving on Tinker Hill Road, to a jobsite located off Barger Street, he "lost his air and brakes, and could not stop" the truck.
About 3,300 gallons of asphalt emulsion spilled into the stream, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
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