| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2019 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Safety Training: How Labs Can Create A Robust Safety Culture Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 1:35:39 PM Author: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] New Article Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2019 16:41:49 -0400 Author: Richard Palluzi |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 13, 2019 at 7:44:24 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 (17 articles)
CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTHEAST LUBBOCK PROMPTS HOURS-LONG EVACUATION
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CHEMICAL SPILL CONTAINED IN RAC PARKING LOT ON GS‰??S STATESBORO CAMPUS
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
ACIDIC REACTION TO CLEANING PRODUCTS AT RESORT CAUSES 10 TO BE SENT TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, cleaners
HAZMAT TEAM, FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHLORINE LEAK IN UNITY
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine
HANOI WAREHOUSE FIRE SITE VICINITY SAFE NOW: MINISTER
Tags: Viet_Nam, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mercury
FIRE CREWS CALLED IN AFTER EXPLOSION AT UNB ‰?? THE AQUINIAN
Tags: Canada, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CSB NOMINEE KATHERINE LEMOS SAILS THROUGH CONFIRMATION HEARING
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
MARATHON PETROLEUM RESPONDS TO HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS IN SOUTHWEST DETROIT
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
SPILL IN CHEMISTRY LAB PROMPTS PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATION
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
EIGHT PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN RECEIVE TREATMENT AFTER CHEMICALS MIXED IN SCHOOL POOL AREA
Tags: Australia, education, release, injury, chlorine
SCHOHARIE COUNTY FIRE SPARKS HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
QUICK RESPONSE TO DUPO TRAIN FIRE PREVENTED POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE, OFFICIALS SAY
Tags: us_MO, transportation, fire, response, solvent
CU ANSCHUTZ BUILDINGS EVACUATED FOR GAS LEAK
Tags: us_CO, education, release, response, natural_gas
PATIALA CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE: SPECIAL COMMITTEE SET UP TO ENSURE SAFETY NORMS
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental
HARRIS COUNTY BOOSTS POLLUTION EFFORTS, STAFF IN RESPONSE TO SPRING CHEMICAL FIRES
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
AN EXPLOSION IN UC BERKELEY‰??S CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT LAB INJURES A STUDENT
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, injury, nitrogen
FIRE EXTINGUISHED AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN METRO EAST
Tags: us_IL, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTHEAST LUBBOCK PROMPTS HOURS-LONG EVACUATION
https://www.kcbd.com/2019/09/12/chemical-spill-southeast-lubbock-prompts-hours-long-evacuation/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The City of Lubbock issued a warning and told residents to evacuate and stay away from 2700 East 66th Street after a chemical spill early Thursday morning. Just after 9:30 a.m. that warning was lifted.
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded to Hydrite Chemical Company at 2701 E. 66th St. just after 7 a.m. Thursday and found a medium-sized chemical spill of hydrochloric acid. The leak was stopped but the acid is producing vapor, according to LFR.
The city asked residents to stay away from the area and has evacuated areas between Vanda Avenue and Southeast Drive from East 48th Street to East 66th Street.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL CONTAINED IN RAC PARKING LOT ON GS‰??S STATESBORO CAMPUS
https://www.wtoc.com/2019/09/12/chemical-spill-contained-rac-parking-lot-gss-statesboro-campus/
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - The Georgia Southern Police Department says a chemical spill has been contained at a parking lot on the Statesboro campus.
GSU officials tell us a university truck carrying hydrochloric acid spilled in the back of the truck and onto the pavement in the RAC parking lot. They say three to four gallons spilled.
Police say the spill is contained and to stay out of the barriers in the area.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we shut down the parking lot at the RAC so we could determine what the chemical was specifically and then take proper precautions to neutralize it and cleanup the area,‰?? Jennifer Wise, with the university communications department, said.
---------------------------------------------
ACIDIC REACTION TO CLEANING PRODUCTS AT RESORT CAUSES 10 TO BE SENT TO HOSPITAL
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2019/09/acidic-reaction-to-cleaning-products-at-resort-causes-10-to-be-sent-to-hospital/
Tags: us_ID, public, release, injury, cleaners
ISLAND PARK ‰?? Ten people were taken to the hospital after being exposed to a substance at the Sawtelle Mountain Resort Thursday.
Multiple EMS, fire and law enforcement personnel responded to the resort after receiving a call that several people were ill, according to a Fremont County Sheriff‰??s Office news release.
Seven employees and three guests were taken to Madison Memorial Hospital but have been released, Sawtelle Mountain Resort controller Steve ‰??Dutch‰?? Dutcher tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Investigators determined there was an acidic reaction to cleaning products in the housekeeper‰??s sink that caused the victims to become sick, Dutcher says.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM, FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CHLORINE LEAK IN UNITY
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/hazmat-team-firefighters-respond-to-chlorine-leak-in-unity/
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, chlorine
A Unity man who mixed chlorine in his house Thursday night needed the assistance of Westmoreland County‰??s hazardous materials team and local firefighters because of the fumes in his residence, a county public safety supervisor said.
The man who lives along Primrose Lane in the township‰??s East High Acres neighborhood was mixing chlorine for his swimming pool, the public safety supervisor said. Firefighters were alerted to the problem at 9:20 p.m.
When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissue such as in the eyes, throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage those tissues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
---------------------------------------------
HANOI WAREHOUSE FIRE SITE VICINITY SAFE NOW: MINISTER
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/hanoi-warehouse-fire-site-vicinity-safe-now-minister-3981384.html
Tags: Viet_Nam, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mercury
Areas surrounding the blaze-gutted Rang Dong warehouse are safe now, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said Thursday.
The Rang Dong warehouse fire last month was "a chemical incident that led to an environmental incident," he said. "Pollution following the fire is mainly limited to inside the warehouse."
Authorities have decontaminated polluted areas, Ha said, adding that materials left behind in the warehouse must be dealt with properly.
Professor Jozef Pacyna of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland said a map detailing the areas affected by the mercury released from the fire is needed, as it might take several months or years before the element could become toxic.
About 15.2-27.2 kilograms of mercury had been released into the environment following the fire, the Vietnam Environment Administration had said last Sunday.
27.2 kilograms of mercury by itself would not immediately have an impact on human health, Pacyna told VnExpress. The mercury released in the fire was inorganic, and it is its organic form that is toxic, he said, adding that the element could become toxic after it got absorbed in the soil and water and contaminate food sources like seafood.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE CREWS CALLED IN AFTER EXPLOSION AT UNB ‰?? THE AQUINIAN
http://theaquinian.net/fire-crews-called-in-after-explosion-at-unb/
Tags: Canada, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Fredericton Police and fire crews were called to the University of New Brunswick‰??s Head Hall building this afternoon upon reports of a small explosion in the downstairs acid lab.
Assistant deputy chief for emergency operations with the Fredericton Fire Department, Steven Fraser, said the call came in ‰?»around 3:45 p.m.‰?Â
Fraser said when crews arrived on the scene, UNB Security evacuated all students from the building.
Five students were working in the lab at the time, said Fraser. He states two students were assessed by Ambulance NB, but no injuries were found and they have since been released.
Emergency crews worked with hazmat technicians and chemists from the university to assess what chemicals were spilled in or involved with the explosion.
The main chemical was found to be glyceregia, a compound used in the study of metal, said Fraser.
According to Fraser, the acid‰??s container reached a temperature where it burst. No other chemicals were affected by the incident.
---------------------------------------------
CSB NOMINEE KATHERINE LEMOS SAILS THROUGH CONFIRMATION HEARING
https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/toxicology/CSB-nominee-Katherine-Lemos-sails/97/i36
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Katherine A. Lemos, nominated to chair the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, faced few questions during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Sept. 11. At the hearing, committee members of both parties supported Lemos and the CSB, which investigates chemically related industrial accidents. Although President Donald J. Trump has twice tried to eliminate the CSB, Congress has continued to fund the agency. The CSB currently has only three members of its five-member board, and the terms of all those members will expire by the middle of next year. Lemos holds a PhD in social psychology and is a longtime pilot and certified flight instructor. She has previously served in the Federal Aviation Administration as a regulator and the National Transportation Safety Board as an accident investigator. She is currently the director of programs for Northrop Grumman‰??s Aerospace Systems sector. Her specialization, she said at t!
he hearing, has been in system safety, accident investigation, and human factors. Like the previously appointed CSB chair, Lemos has no experience in chemical manufacturing or refinery operations. It is unclear when the Senate committee may vote on her nomination.
---------------------------------------------
MARATHON PETROLEUM RESPONDS TO HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS IN SOUTHWEST DETROIT
https://m.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2019/02/20/marathon-petroleum-responds-to-history-of-environmental-violations-in-southwest-detroit
Tags: us_MI, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
Marathon Petroleum Corporation has long had a tenuous relationship with the residents of Southwest Detroit.
The zip code that Marathon‰??s Detroit oil refinery calls home, 48217, remains occupied by more than 7,000 Detroiters who suffer from higher rates of asthma and cancer than most of the country.
Earlier this month, a malfunctioning flare at Marathon‰??s oil refinery at 1300 South Fort St. released foul chemicals into the air that, according to Marathon‰??s monitoring, were not toxic. Residents, however, reported cases of nausea, and Marathon later asked residents sensitive to smell to remain in their homes while the flare was repaired.
The Free Press reported last week that Marathon is seeking special treatment when it comes to a 2017 city ordinance that places stricter regulation on the processing of the particularly harmful petroleum coke. In 2013, a video of a heavy, black haze of ‰??pet coke,‰?? a byproduct of the refining process, caused outrage and prompted legislative action.
Records from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality offer some understanding into the oversight Marathon faces from the state, and how the company manages to continually explain away the bulk of their alleged environmental violations.
---------------------------------------------
SPILL IN CHEMISTRY LAB PROMPTS PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL EVACUATION
https://6abc.com/spill-in-chemistry-lab-prompts-philly-high-school-evacuation/5531288/
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It was a tense start to the school day for students in Northeast Philadelphia who were evacuated after a report of a strong odor of gas.
Students and faculty were told to exit Philadelphia Academy Charter High School on the 1700 block of Tomlinson Road just before 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Philadelphia Gas Works was notified and students were allowed back inside about an hour later.
Investigators say there was a spill in the chemistry lab which caused the odor.
It was cleaned and cleared by a hazmat team.
---------------------------------------------
EIGHT PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN RECEIVE TREATMENT AFTER CHEMICALS MIXED IN SCHOOL POOL AREA
https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6381889/eight-people-treated-after-accidental-chemical-mix-at-specialist-school/
Tags: Australia, education, release, injury, chlorine
TWO children are among eight people who were treated by paramedics after chemicals were accidentally mixed in a pool area at Ballarat Specialist School in Wendouree this morning.
The group were treated for symptoms including breathing difficulties after chlorine and hyrdochloric acid were unintentionally mixed together by a staff member.
The area including adjoining rooms were evacuated.
Fortunately, none of those treated at the scene required hospitalisation.
The area including adjoining rooms were evacuated.
---------------------------------------------
SCHOHARIE COUNTY FIRE SPARKS HAZMAT SITUATION
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2019/09/12/schoharie-county-fire-sparks-hazmat-situation
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
According to Middleburgh Fire Chief Jerry Wayman, it started around 4:10 p.m. at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories on Route 145. He says when they arrived, they could smell a plastic odor coming from the building.
Since there were chemicals in the building, that sparked their evacuation plan with a two-mile radius. It was later downgraded to a shelter in place.
Wayman says a small fire was contained to a mechanical room. He also says no hazardous materials were in the room. The shelter in place was lifted and the road reopened.
However, there is smoke and water damage in the facility.
---------------------------------------------
QUICK RESPONSE TO DUPO TRAIN FIRE PREVENTED POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE, OFFICIALS SAY
https://www.kmov.com/news/quick-response-to-dupo-train-fire-prevented-possible-catastrophe-officials/article_5426b368-d4e5-11e9-ba86-ef7f6daf4b71.html
Tags: us_MO, transportation, fire, response, solvent
DUPO, Il. (KMOV.com) -- A federal investigation is underway to find the cause of a train derailment and fire in Dupo that caused evacuations of nearby neighborhoods and schools Tuesday.
KMOV
14 cars jumped the track and touched off a huge fire that burned for hours. No one was hurt but the quick work of firefighters avoided a potentially catastrophic situation.
One of the cars was carrying a flammable liquid solvent called methyl isobutyl ketone. Not only did that spark a massive fire at the site of the crash, but some of the flammable chemical went down a storm drain that empties out into a drainage ditch right by the Vertex-Hawkins chemical plant, and a second fire broke out. The second fire was most troubling, as it was right near a facility housing containers of chlorine and other chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
CU ANSCHUTZ BUILDINGS EVACUATED FOR GAS LEAK
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/cu-anschutz-buildings-evacuated-for-gas-leak/73-da88d4b3-a331-4561-b439-37e021f46fcc
Tags: us_CO, education, release, response, natural_gas
Several buildings at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora were evacuated Tuesday morning due to a natural gas leak.
Aurora Fire Rescue crews responded to the 12000 block of East Montview Boulevard near Colfax and Interstate 225 around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.
"A significant natural gas leak occurred in the area of 21st and Scranton," according to a tweet from Aurora Fire Rescue.
Crews evacuated 12635, 12685, and 12705 E. Montview Blvd. while they monitored the air inside the buildings.
All buildings were deemed safe to enter around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday after hazmat technicians slowed the flow of gas.
---------------------------------------------
PATIALA CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE: SPECIAL COMMITTEE SET UP TO ENSURE SAFETY NORMS
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/patiala-chemical-factory-fire-special-committee-set-up-to-ensure-safety-norms/articleshow/71069307.cms
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental
PATIALA: Major fire in a chemical Factory at the focal point on Saturday in which chemicals worth lakhs were gutted, the district administration on Monday ordered an inspection of all commercial and educational institutions in the district for compliance of fire safety norms.
Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said that the fire department has been asked to carry out an extensive survey of the district to ensure that all commercial and educational establishments had fire fighting equipment in place so as to deal with any eventuality arising out of a fire incident.
---------------------------------------------
HARRIS COUNTY BOOSTS POLLUTION EFFORTS, STAFF IN RESPONSE TO SPRING CHEMICAL FIRES
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-to-boost-pollution-efforts-staff-14428247.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to hire 61 employees across three departments in a bid to significantly boost Harris County‰??s ability to respond to environmental emergencies after finding numerous shortcomings in its efforts to manage three chemical fires near the Houston Ship Channel this spring.
The $11.6 million investment will go toward purchasing new equipment and add employees to the fire marshal‰??s office, pollution control and public health departments. It is the most aggressive effort yet by the new Democrat-controlled court, which took office in January, to grow the emergency response infrastructure in the county, home to the heart of the nation‰??s petrochemical industry.
A Houston Chronicle investigation found that the staffing levels of the three departments have for decades failed to keep pace with the growth of commercial activity along the Houston Ship Channel. Previous Commissioners Courts had not acted with the same sense of urgency after chemical incidents; the county never replaced the Pollution Control employees laid off during the Great Recession. Instead, court members prided themselves on finishing fiscal years with a large fund balance.
---------------------------------------------
AN EXPLOSION IN UC BERKELEY‰??S CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT LAB INJURES A STUDENT
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/An-explosion-in-UC-Berkeley-s-chemical-14429699.php
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, explosion, injury, nitrogen
An explosion in UC Berkeley‰??s chemical department lab that prompted a stay-away warning from police turned out to be a minor incident, campus officials said Tuesday.
A glass chamber became over-pressurized and exploded, injuring a student working with nitrogen in Hildebrand Hall, spokesman Dan Mogulof said.
The student was taken to the hospital with a minor injury to her face.
Unlimited Digital Access for 95å¢
Read more articles like this by subscribing to the San Francisco Chronicle
SUBSCRIBE
‰??Fortunately, it appears the student was wearing the appropriate safety gear,‰?? Mogulof said. ‰??We wish her a speedy recovery.‰??
Hildebrand Hall is the campus‰?? chemistry building and houses the chemical engineering library.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE EXTINGUISHED AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN METRO EAST
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/nation-world/train-derailment-in-dupo-illinois/63-714d44e9-48f4-457c-a775-71617e2727b5
Tags: us_IL, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. ‰?? Schools and homes were evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a train derailment in Dupo.
All students and staff in the Dupo School District were transported to Columbia High School in Columbia, Illinois. A spokesperson for the school said parents must sign out students at the front door.
Several dozen homes in the nearby area were also evacuated. Residents were sent to the East Carondelet Community Center.
The call first came in around 12:45 p.m. for a train derailment and fire in the 2400 block of Carondelet Avenue. Thirteen rail cars went off the train track.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Dupo, Illinois is about 15 minutes from St. Louis.
"Flames were shooting up like crazy, you could see it up above the smoke," One resident in Dupo said.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post