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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, November 1, 2019 at 7:48:18 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)
MANDATORY EVACUATION DUE TO HAZMAT FIRE LIFTED FOR EST. 250 IN WILLIAMSBURG CO.
Tags: us_SC, public, fire, response, pesticides
TRI-STATE DRIVERS SHOULD BE ON ALERT FOR ANHYDROUS AMMONIA TANKS
Tags: us_IL, transportation, discovery, environmental, ammonia
CHINA SPRING NEIGHBORHOOD OVERWHELMED BY STENCH OF SEWAGE, BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHERE IT'S COMING FROM
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
ARLINGTON CO. WARNS RESIDENTS, PETS STAY OUT OF FOUR MILE RUN AFTER OIL TANK SPILL
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, petroleum
5 CHARGED WITH MURDER IN CALIFORNIA DRUG LAB EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, death, illegal, meth_lab
IS INCIDENTAL CONTACT WITH FENTANYL AS DANGEROUS AS IT SEEMS?
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
PASSERBY INJURED IN TUBRI BLAST
Tags: India, public, explosion, environmental, other_chemical
CORRIDOR FIREARMS EXPERT REACTS TO EXPLOSIVE GENDER REVEAL SAFETY CONCERNS
Tags: us_IA, public, explosion, environmental, dust
CHEMICAL LEAK RESULTED IN HEALTH CONCERN
Tags: us_AK, public, release, response, thiols
ITC CHEMICAL FACILITY DID NOT HAVE GAS ALARMS OR SHUTOFF VALVES WHEN MASSIVE FIRE ERUPTED
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, naphtha
HUNDREDS OF OUT OF SERVICE CONDITIONS DISCOVERED DURING FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND HAZMAT BLITZ
Tags: transportation, follow-up, environmental
SPRINGFIELD NJ: SMALL URANIUM CHUNK LEFT IN SYNAGOGUE BY ACCIDENT
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, uranium
OSHA PROPOSES $1.59M FINE AFTER DEADLY SILICONE PLANT BLAST ‰?? THE DAILY REPORTER ‰?? WI CONSTRUCTION NEWS & BIDS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
FRANCE OPENS NEGLIGENCE PROBE INTO CHEMICAL PLANT INFERNO
Tags: France, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
STATE TASK FORCE EXPLORES REQUIRING WATER UTILITIES TO TEST FOR ‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰??
Tags: us_ME, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
CSB WILL FOCUS ON HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN REFINING, KULINOWSKI SAYS
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
CALIFORNIA RESEARCHERS LEARN TO ROLL WITH POWER OUTAGES
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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MANDATORY EVACUATION DUE TO HAZMAT FIRE LIFTED FOR EST. 250 IN WILLIAMSBURG CO.
https://abcnews4.com/news/local/multiple-structures-burning-near-greeleyville-residents-asked-to-avoid-hazmat-scene
Tags: us_SC, public, fire, response, pesticides
UPDATE (9:15 PM): An estimated 250 residents are under a mandatory evacuation nearly Greeleyville, according to Lt. Moyd with Williamsburg County Emergency Management.
Two farm sheds and a mobile home on Bloody Bucket Rd. caught fire, and the hazmat situation stems from herbicides and pesticides stored in the sheds. "The smoke that was coming from this fire contained herbicides and pesticides they used at this farm," said Capt. William Horton with the Williamsburg County Fire Department.
Evacuees are being directed to a shelter at 2086 Thurgood Marshall Hwy. in Kingstree. As of 11 PM, the Red Cross said two evacuees were staying at the shelter.
Residents nearby the fire who were not evacuated are told to shelter in place with their doors and windows shut.
---------------------------------------------
TRI-STATE DRIVERS SHOULD BE ON ALERT FOR ANHYDROUS AMMONIA TANKS
https://khqa.com/news/local/tri-state-drivers-should-be-on-alert-for-anhydrous-ammonia-tanks
Tags: us_IL, transportation, discovery, environmental, ammonia
UTTER, Ill. ‰?? Drivers may find themselves in long lines, stuck in traffic, or looking for a way to get around machinery this harvest season.
As crops are being taken out of the field, farmers begin soil preparations for next year using anhydrous ammonia.
Most Tri-State farmers remain out of the field this week due to high moisture levels both in the field and in the crop.
Cold temperatures also are slowing the drying process. But temperatures must remain cool for farmers to apply anhydrous ammonia.
With dryer weather in next week's forecast, drivers will need to be on the lookout not only for farm equipment, but also anhydrous ammonia tanks.
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CHINA SPRING NEIGHBORHOOD OVERWHELMED BY STENCH OF SEWAGE, BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHERE IT'S COMING FROM
https://www.kxxv.com/hometown/mclennan-county/china-spring-neighborhood-overwhelmed-by-stench-of-sewage-but-no-one-knows-where-its-coming-from
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
By: Joel Lopez
CHINA SPRING, TX ‰?? A China Spring neighborhood is worried for their health after an overwhelming sewage odor made its way into their homes, and they fear it'll only get worse.
People in the High Point Addition neighborhood say the sewage smell is causing them to have headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even vomiting.
"It's enough to take your breath away. It'll gag you," said resident William Dickson
Waco Water Utility services said they've gone through and put a camera through the sewage lines and found no problems.
They've also flushed nearly 13,000 gallons of water to the force main that's coming from China Spring Elementary School, suspecting that the school may be the source of problem.
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ARLINGTON CO. WARNS RESIDENTS, PETS STAY OUT OF FOUR MILE RUN AFTER OIL TANK SPILL
https://wtop.com/arlington/2019/10/arlington-co-warns-residents-pets-stay-out-of-four-mile-run-after-chemical-contamination/
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, petroleum
Arlington County, Virginia, is warning residents to keep themselves and their pets out of Four Mile Run following a spill from an underground oil tank Thursday.
In an update just before 3:30 p.m., Arlington Fire said the source of the spill had come from an underground oil tank in the area of S. Carlin Springs Road and Columbia Pike, at the border of Arlington County.
A hazmat crew was initially dispatched around 6:30 a.m. Thursday to the 4200 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive after reports of a chemical odor and sheen on the water. When the hazmat team investigated, they found what they assumed to be a petroleum product leaving the sheen. The team then deployed special booms to try to contain the product.
‰??A cleanup contractor and our hazmat team are on scene. Use caution in the area as there is a sheen of product on the roadway,‰?? Arlington Fire tweeted.
With a number of dog parks nearby, and many people who like to let their dogs play in the water, officials are recommending that everyone stay clear of Four Mile Run until they give the all clear.
---------------------------------------------
5 CHARGED WITH MURDER IN CALIFORNIA DRUG LAB EXPLOSION
http://www.startribune.com/5-charged-in-deadly-california-honey-oil-lab-explosion/564181972/
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, death, illegal, meth_lab
LOS ANGELES ‰?? Five men have been charged with murder following a deadly explosion at an illegal drug lab in a Los Angeles in September that killed a man who worked with them, authorities announced Thursday.
For at least two months the defendants and the victim operated a lab in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley, where they extracted the high-inducing chemical THC from cannabis plants to create a highly potent concentrate known as hash oil or honey oil, the Los Angeles district attorney's office said in a statement. The extraction process is dangerous and often involves butane, an odorless gas that easily ignites.
The oil can be used in vape pens, edibles, waxes and other products. Vaping-related illnesses have soared nationwide and many victims reported purchasing illegal THC oils.
The Chatsworth lab exploded Sept. 21 while four of the men and the victim, Dados Aroutiounov, 62, were inside. Aroutiounov's remains, burned beyond recognition, were found the following day under a pile of debris after investigators received information that someone may have been killed in the fire.
---------------------------------------------
IS INCIDENTAL CONTACT WITH FENTANYL AS DANGEROUS AS IT SEEMS?
https://www.cleveland19.com/2019/10/30/is-incidental-contact-with-fentanyl-dangerous-it-seems/
Tags: us_OH, public, follow-up, environmental, other_chemical
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - When doctors and first responders come in contact with people who have overdosed on fentanyl, a Cleveland Clinic ER doctor says they are safer than you may think.
Dr. Fertel says there‰??s no question fentanyl is dangerous and deadly. He says it‰??s not at all surprising for people to be concerned when they see first responders in hazmat suits but, ‰??They are exceptionally well protected,‰?? said Fertel.
Dr. Fertel says it's rare for them to get sick from exposure. ‰??The risk from incidental contact to fentanyl is extremely low. Where it just touches the skin, it's almost impossible for someone to sustain the effects of an opioid overdose. All that causes harm though is the one that gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Either that's injected, that's snorted through the mucus membranes,‰?? said Fertel.
In August of 2018, 19 News sat down with a Parma officer who got very sick when exposed to fentanyl. ‰??If it was aerosolized appropriately, yes there is potential for exposure through the mucus membrane,‰?? said Fertel.
---------------------------------------------
PASSERBY INJURED IN TUBRI BLAST
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/passerby-injured-in-tubri-blast/cid/1715730
Tags: India, public, explosion, environmental, other_chemical
Tuesday‰??s accident occurred at 8.15pm, when traffic on the Kalighat road had come to a standstill to make way for an immersion procession. Roy Chowdhury said the tubri was lit by someone at the end of the procession.
Lakhs of tubris are manufactured every year without following any guideline. Manufacturers often stuff more-than-enough chemicals inside the earthen pot to make the fire-show more dazzling and increase its duration.
‰??More chemical means longer burning time and greater height of the fire. But as chemicals are stuffed inside tubris without any sense of proportion, they become more prone to explosion,‰?? said an official in the state forensic department.
---------------------------------------------
CORRIDOR FIREARMS EXPERT REACTS TO EXPLOSIVE GENDER REVEAL SAFETY CONCERNS
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/corridor-firearms-expert-reacts-to-explosive-gender-reveal-safety-concerns
Tags: us_IA, public, explosion, environmental, dust
MARION, Iowa - (CBS2/Fox28) ‰?? "You can take many different things that are fun if used properly and do dumb things with them," says Ernie Traugh, owner of Cedar Valley Outfitters in Marion.
He's talking specifically about Tannerite, an explosive substance often used in gender reveals to create pink or blue powder clouds. The substance was used in one of two recent gender reveal explosions that ended in a police response in central Iowa.
Tannerite sells gender reveal kits online and in several retail stores. It's completely legal in the U.S. and has been used by target shooters for years. The popularity of exploding gender reveals has made their "boom box" a hit among non-sportsmen, even prompting this disclaimer on the product page:
We have been selling these kits to many folks who otherwise do not shoot, and they aren‰??t familiar with the product or what kind of round it takes to initiate it. Please use someone who is familiar with the product, if you aren‰??t.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK RESULTED IN HEALTH CONCERN
https://www.webcenter11.com/content/news/Chemical-leak-resulted-in-health-concern-564140461.html
Tags: us_AK, public, release, response, thiols
AIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) A chemical scent caused alarm as it wafted through Fairbanks on Wednesday morning.
In a statement released by Communications Director for the City of Fairbanks, Teal Soden, the Fairbanks Fire Department investigated a reported smell of natural gas in the Fairbanks area.
According to Soden, 'C & R Pipe and Steel, Incorporated' experienced a release of the chemical Mercaptan. Mercaptan is the odorant that is added to propane and natural gas to give off a smell for detection.
The odor lingered for several hours before dissipating. The statement went on to say that while Mercaptan can be flammable under the right circumstances, the Fire Department was confident that the amount released did not pose a fire hazard or public health concern.
---------------------------------------------
ITC CHEMICAL FACILITY DID NOT HAVE GAS ALARMS OR SHUTOFF VALVES WHEN MASSIVE FIRE ERUPTED
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/itc-fire/itc-chemical-facility-did-not-have-gas-alarms-or-shutoff-valves-when-massive-fire-erupted/285-526bf4bc-b89c-44ad-8c10-c0f9a263b399
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, naphtha
DEER PARK, Texas ‰?? A Deer Park chemical storage facility was not equipped with gas detection alarms or emergency shutoff valves that could have isolated a raging fire in March, according to a new report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
The CSB preliminary investigation revealed that the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) was unable to stop the release of naptha, a flammable liquid used as a blend stock for production of gasoline, from an 80,000-barrel above-ground storage tank. While the federal report did not conclude what originally sparked the fire that intensified and spread to additional tanks, it did provide a detailed timeline of what led up to the massive blaze:
---------------------------------------------
HUNDREDS OF OUT OF SERVICE CONDITIONS DISCOVERED DURING FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND HAZMAT BLITZ
https://cdllife.com/2019/hundreds-of-out-of-service-conditions-discovered-during-first-of-its-kind-hazmat-blitz/
Tags: transportation, follow-up, environmental
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) released the results from a week-long inspection effort targeting hazmat haulers that they conducted back in August.
The ‰??Transportation of Dangerous Goods/Hazardous Materials (TDG/HM) Road Blitz‰?? took place August 12 ‰?? 16, 2019, according to a recent news release from the CVSA.
During the week-long blitz, officers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico conducted 9,259 inspections on commercial vehicles transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods. The CVSA says that inspectors discovered 683 out of service HM/DG conditions during the blitz.
The CVSA detailed the violations discovered during the enforcement effort:
Inspectors found 66 violations for package integrity (leaking) and 204 violations for loading and securement, all resulting in out-of-service conditions. There were 181 other packaging violations, resulting in 50 out-of-service conditions. Of the 432 total placarding violations, 102 were out-of-service conditions. There were 1,156 shipping paper violations, 226 were out-of-service conditions. Out of 171 markings violations, 35 were out-of-service conditions.
---------------------------------------------
SPRINGFIELD NJ: SMALL URANIUM CHUNK LEFT IN SYNAGOGUE BY ACCIDENT
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2019/10/29/springfield-nj-small-uranium-chunk-left-synagogue-accident/2502037001/
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, uranium
SPRINGFIELD ‰?? A small quantity of depleted uranium, used as a teaching aid by a local educator who inadvertently left it in a meeting room of a synagogue here, has been recovered and secured by a county HAZMAT team that subsequently declared the surrounding area safe Tuesday morning, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, Union County Public Safety Director Andrew Moran, and Springfield Police Chief John Cook jointly announced.
Members of the Springfield police and fire departments responded to Temple Sha‰??arey Shalom shortly before 9 a.m. on a report of a potentially hazardous substance on site, according to the preliminary investigation. Upon examination of the substance, members of the Union County HAZMAT and prosecutor‰??s office were notified and also responded to the scene.
The substance was identified as an approximately marble-sized amount of depleted uranium, which was tested and found to emit an extremely low-level pulse of radiation, below the threshold that would be deemed an imminent health hazard. Authorities subsequently contacted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to coordinate safe disposal.
---------------------------------------------
OSHA PROPOSES $1.59M FINE AFTER DEADLY SILICONE PLANT BLAST ‰?? THE DAILY REPORTER ‰?? WI CONSTRUCTION NEWS & BIDS
https://dailyreporter.com/2019/10/29/osha-proposes-1-59m-fine-after-deadly-silicone-plant-blast/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) ‰?? The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed fining a Chicago-area silicone factory $1.59 million for safety violations uncovered after an explosion at the plant that killed four workers.
The agency announced Friday it found 12 willful federal safety violations at AB Specialty Silicones following the May 3 explosion in Waukegan, about 50 miles north of Chicago.
OSHA says it has placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
It says the company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, to contest the findings, or to request a conference.
AB Specialty Silicones issued a statement saying it was reviewing the citations, that it‰??s cooperating with OSHA, and that the explosion was ‰??an accident, and there was no willful intent involved.‰??
---------------------------------------------
FRANCE OPENS NEGLIGENCE PROBE INTO CHEMICAL PLANT INFERNO
https://www.france24.com/en/20191029-france-opens-negligence-probe-into-chemical-plant-inferno
Tags: France, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
French prosecutors on Tuesday opened an investigation into negligence over a devastating fire at a chemicals factory in northern France last month that affected farmers and left local residents complaining of breathing problems.
The fire at the Lubrizol plant just outside the French city of Rouen saw some thousands of tonnes of chemical products burned and acrid smoke spread some 22 kilometres (14 miles) from the site.
Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said in a statement that an investigation had been opened into "involuntary destruction caused by fire due an obviously deliberate breach of a security obligation".
The investigation has been handed to three investigating magistrates in Paris who can then decide whether to press charges.
So far the investigation is only against "X" which in France's legal system means that no individual or institution is yet being targeted.
The statement said that despite a search of Lubrizol offices, the interviewing of some 100 witnesses and taking of samples it has not yet been possible to determine the origin of the fire.
The Lubrizol plant is owned by US billionaire investor Warren Buffett and makes industrial lubricants and fuel additives.
The September 27 fire proved a tipping point in public anger over environmental risks, especially after the lead contamination sparked by the April 15 fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
---------------------------------------------
STATE TASK FORCE EXPLORES REQUIRING WATER UTILITIES TO TEST FOR ‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰??
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/29/pfas-task-force-explores-requiring-water-utilities-to-test-for-forever-chemicals/
Tags: us_ME, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
AUGUSTA ‰?? A state task force is considering recommending that all public water systems be required to test for PFAS contamination and that fire departments report any usage of the so-called ‰??forever chemicals‰?? to state environmental regulators.
Those are just two of dozens of draft recommendations discussed Tuesday by a group charged with helping guide Maine‰??s response to a class of chemicals that are popping up in drinking water, municipal sludge and food products around the country. Collectively referred to as PFAS, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances are being linked to health problems after decades of use in firefighting foam and countless consumer products.
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CSB WILL FOCUS ON HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN REFINING, KULINOWSKI SAYS
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/19061-csb-will-focus-on-hydrofluoric-acid-in-refining-kulinowski-says
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, hydrofluoric_acid
Philadelphia ‰?? The Chemical Safety Board will begin ‰??looking more closely‰?? at hydrofluoric acid in the refining process, CSB interim Executive Authority Kristen Kulinowski said during an Oct. 16 news conference on a June 21 explosion and fire at a Philadelphia refinery.
Announcing the release of a factual update and a new animation detailing the incident at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refinery, Kulinowski also noted the ‰??need for more robust reviews of (the) corrosion mechanism.‰??
According to the agency, the incident likely was caused by a pipe elbow in the refinery‰??s alkylation unit that had corroded to about ‰??half the thickness of a credit card.‰?? More than 5,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid was released from the pipe and formed a cloud, which ignited in minutes and resulted in a massive explosion and fire.
---------------------------------------------
CALIFORNIA RESEARCHERS LEARN TO ROLL WITH POWER OUTAGES
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/California-researchers-learn-roll-power/97/web/2019/10
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Last Friday, for the second time in less than a month, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley faced a possible power outage in their labs. The campus‰??s power utility, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), has been implementing planned, rolling blackouts throughout the state during particularly hot, windy weather in an attempt to reduce the risk of damaged electric lines sparking fires in the parched landscape. From Oct. 9‰??12, the utility cut power to more than 700,000 customers in northern and central California, including on the UC Berkeley campus. On Friday, PG&E warned more outages would be possible over the weekend, and the company disconnected power to the campus on Saturday night. Power remained off into Monday.
And these situations could happen yet again. Rising global temperatures, longer wildfire seasons, and an ever-present earthquake risk are making power outages more common for California universities and researchers. Though PG&E is working to upgrade its electric system to make it safer in dry, windy weather, the company‰??s president and CEO has estimated it could take the company up to 10 years to complete that work, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. For researchers who rely on temperature-controlled equipment to store biological samples and expensive reagents, power outages represent not just safety concerns and lost time in the lab, but the potential to derail years of research.
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