Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (17 articles)
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 07:56:37 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 70265DC2-4C6E-4522-AB2B-0996972C0DA8**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, November 15, 2019 at 7:56:22 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)
GAS SMELL AT SMITH HIGH SCHOOL CAME FROM CHEMISTRY LAB, FIREFIGHTERS SAY
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, methane
TRAIN CAR FLIPS, SPILLS FLAMMABLE LIQUID IN UPPER TYRONE TOWNSHIP
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, solvent
NEIGHBORS EVACUATED IN BIRD ROCK AS FBI, HAZMAT TEAM DETONATES 'UNSTABLE CHEMICALS' AT HOME
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, explosives
HAZMAT TEAM INVESTIGATES TAOS POST OFFICE FUMES
Tags: us_NM, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
THE SERIOUSNESS OF SMOKE: AS CALIFORNIA BURNS, SCIENTISTS STUDY THREATS TO FIREFIGHTER HEALTH
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL ALERT AS 30 FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE GARAGE BLAZE INVOLVING UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE IN HANDSWORTH
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FIRE OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING GAS-LIKE ODOR THROUGHOUT PHILLY
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
SKYCITY FIRE: WORKERS EXPECTED TO STRIKE AFTER 50 FALL SICK FROM SMOKE
Tags: New_Zealand, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CANTON FIRE DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES HAZMAT RESPONSE, NO CONCERN TO THE PUBLIC
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
COURT RULES TRUMP EPA UNLAWFULLY IGNORED DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, asbestos, toxics
BREAKING: DISCOVERY OF EXPIRED CHEMICALS IN NOYCE PROMPTS EVACUATION, DETONATION
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, discovery, response, diethyl_ether
HISTORIC MU BUILDING TO BE DEMOLISHED, SEVERAL CONCERNED ABOUT THE DECISION
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, discovery, environmental, radiation
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO AMMONIA LEAK AT NANTUCKET RINK
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
BLEACH-FILLED BUCKETS NEAR VACANT HOME PROMPT HAZMAT INVESTIGATION
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, chlorine
ILLEGAL CHEMICAL SHOPS IN JAIPUR TICKING TIME BOMBS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, solvent
CHINA LAUNCHES NEW CRACKDOWN ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
ACCIDENTAL MIX OF BLEACH AND ACID KILLS BUFFALO WILD WINGS EMPLOYEE
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, death, cleaners
---------------------------------------------
GAS SMELL AT SMITH HIGH SCHOOL CAME FROM CHEMISTRY LAB, FIREFIGHTERS SAY
https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/gas-smell-reported-smith-high-school/83-846547dd-2bfa-441e-8abe-8b5630b07fae
Tags: us_NC, laboratory, release, response, methane
GREENSBORO, N.C. ‰?? Greensboro Fire Officials say a reported gas smell at Smith High School was coming from the chemistry lab.
The fire department and HAZMAT team were called to the school Thursday afternoon, where they discovered an gas valve that was not properly shut in the chemistry lab. The valve was shut off and the windows and doors were opened to ventilate the school.
Guilford County Schools said students were moved to a different part of the building while firefighters investigated. They say parents were informed of the situation, and classes were able to resume as normal.
---------------------------------------------
TRAIN CAR FLIPS, SPILLS FLAMMABLE LIQUID IN UPPER TYRONE TOWNSHIP
https://www.heraldstandard.com/news/hsnewsnow/train-car-flips-spills-flammable-liquid-in-upper-tyrone-township/article_a258acbe-070b-11ea-a5f0-97ffb82e76a6.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, solvent
A train car overturned in Upper Tyrone Township Thursday afternoon, causing about 200 gallons of a flammable liquid to spill into a tributary of Jacobs Creek, officials said.
The accident occurred near the intersection of Broadford and Woods roads at about 1 p.m. There was no danger to residents, and the leak did not pose any threat to fish or wildlife, according to Fayette County Emergency Management Agency Hazmat Director Jim Bittner. No injuries were reported.
Officials believe the brakes went out on the train car. It overturned when it hit a derailer, which is designed to flip an out-of-control car off the tracks.
"The derailer is designed to do just what it did ‰?? keep it from residential areas," he said.
The train car was dropped off at about 10 or 11 a.m. Another train was scheduled to pick up the car and take it into Everson Borough, but neighbors noticed it was flipped and spilling fuel. Officials stopped the leak when they arrived on scene. They estimated about 200 gallons of the industrial solvent spilled.
---------------------------------------------
NEIGHBORS EVACUATED IN BIRD ROCK AS FBI, HAZMAT TEAM DETONATES 'UNSTABLE CHEMICALS' AT HOME
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2019-11-14/neighbors-evacuated-in-bird-rock-as-fbi-hazmat-team-detonates-unstable-chemicals-at-home
Tags: us_CA, public, discovery, response, explosives
LA JOLLA ‰?? San Diego FBI agents serving a search warrant Thursday found ‰??unstable chemicals‰?? at a home in the Bird Rock area of La Jolla, prompting evacuations from nearby homes as teams dealt with the hazardous materials, according to an FBI statement.
Agents were serving the warrant at a home on Wrelton Drive near Chelsea Street, a little west of La Jolla Boulevard, ‰??related to an ongoing investigation,‰?? FBI San Diego spokeswoman Special Agent Davene Butler said in the statement.
Certain materials discovered in the home prompted the agents to request the help of San Diego County‰??s Hazardous Incident Response Team, Butler said.
The hazardous materials team was tasked with ‰??assistance in detonating and disposing of unstable chemicals that were determined could not be transported safely,‰?? Butler said.
Some residents in the area were evacuated from their homes, Butler said. Once the unstable chemicals are dealt with during the controlled detonation, the evacuation will be lifted.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM INVESTIGATES TAOS POST OFFICE FUMES
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/hazmat-team-investigates-taos-post-office-fumes/article_009f9e4d-2a62-5d2c-a515-5c5d5fefe0f8.html
Tags: us_NM, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
TAOS ‰?? Noxious fumes at a Taos post office sent two people to a local hospital Wednesday evening and prompted police to call in a hazardous materials team to clean up a volatile organic compound that still has not been identified.
Authorities also did not release information about how the substance might have been released.
The Taos Fire Department responded to a report of fumes at the north-side post office on Paseo del Pueblo Norte around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from Taos Manager Rick Bellis.
Someone at the post office had called about a ‰??potential issue of something noxious that was causing coughing and possible breathing issues,‰?? the statement said. ‰??Taos Fire department arrived and sent 2 to 4 patrons that were on the scene to Holy Cross Hospital as a precaution.‰??
---------------------------------------------
THE SERIOUSNESS OF SMOKE: AS CALIFORNIA BURNS, SCIENTISTS STUDY THREATS TO FIREFIGHTER HEALTH
http://www.cvindependent.com/index.php/en-US/news/features/item/5575-the-seriousness-of-smoke-as-california-burns-scientists-study-threats-to-firefighter-health
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, fire, environmental, unknown_chemical
Matt Rahn was about 200 feet away when flames started climbing up the side of the garage and creeping toward the car inside.
A wildfire researcher with California State University at San Marcos, Rahn was at the edge of a fire that would go on to burn 4,240 acres across California‰??s Amador and El Dorado counties. He was there to study the smoke rising off blackening shrubs and trees. Watching the garage burn, though, he realized that firefighters‰??fending off flames without any real lung protection‰??were inhaling more than airborne remnants of burnt plants.
‰??Think about the average home, all the chemicals and things that are in there, not to mention all the building materials and furniture,‰?? said Rahn, who also is a member of Temecula‰??s city council. ‰??That‰??s when we started really thinking about what happens. What‰??s in the smoke when you have all that complicated fuel being combusted at the same time?‰??
That was in 2014, when wildfires burned 568 buildings across the state. Fire season is not yet over this year, and the toll already is higher: three people dead and 732 buildings burned, as of this writing. And the state is still recovering from back-to-back years of catastrophic fires that killed 137 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 35,000 buildings.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL ALERT AS 30 FIREFIGHTERS TACKLE GARAGE BLAZE INVOLVING UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE IN HANDSWORTH
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/chemical-alert-30-firefighters-tackle-17260222
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A 160ft exclusion zone was in place on a Birmingham street as 30 firefighters tackled a blaze in a garage containing chemicals.
The scene, near the junction of Oxhill Road and Windermere Road in Handsworth, was sealed off when the blaze broke out early on Thursday evening, November 14.
Six fire engines were sent to the scene after crews found the unidentified chemicals in the garage .
Nearby residents were told to keep their doors and windows closed and a passing driver spoke on Twitter of "zero visibility down the back roads and explosions/bangs everywhere".
---------------------------------------------
FIRE OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING GAS-LIKE ODOR THROUGHOUT PHILLY
https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/fire-officials-investigating-gas-odor-throughout-philly
Tags: us_PA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) ‰?? The Philadelphia Fire Department said in a tweet that after investigating reports of people smelling an odor throughout various sections of the city and confirming the source of the odor as the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, "the release has stopped and the incident has been placed under control."
Capt. Derek Bowmer, a fire department spokesman, said fire personnel and the Hazardous Materials Task Force responded Thursday afternoon to the since-shuttered refinery on the 3000 block of Penrose Avenue in an attempt to track several reports of odors detected.
Bowmer said crews detected noxious fumes coming from the PES site and spoke with personnel on-site.
---------------------------------------------
SKYCITY FIRE: WORKERS EXPECTED TO STRIKE AFTER 50 FALL SICK FROM SMOKE
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/117447069/skycity-fire-workers-expected-to-strike-after-50-fall-sick-from-smoke
Tags: New_Zealand, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
Some SkyCity workers are expected to strike after 50 called in sick with symptoms linked to smoke inhalation from the convention centre fire, a union says.
Meanwhile, an Auckland air quality specialist says those exposed to the plume inhaled more than three years worth of cancer-causing chemicals in a single day.
Unite Union senior organiser Joe Carolan said 50 workers fell sick after the fire erupted on the roof of the unfinished convention centre on October 22.
---------------------------------------------
CANTON FIRE DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES HAZMAT RESPONSE, NO CONCERN TO THE PUBLIC
https://hoiabc.com/news/2019/11/14/canton-fire-department-chemical-leak-causes-hazmat-response-no-concern-to-the-public/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
CANTON (HOI) ‰?? A chemical leak at a Canton area business warranted a hazmat response, but no there was no concern for public safety in the incident, according to the Canton Fire Department.
The leak happened at Cook Polymer Technology, but was contained inside one of its buildings which housed Isopar G-Fluid, according to the CFD.
The chemicals did not enter the atmosphere or waterways.
There was no need to evacuate the area due to the leak being contained inside a building, according to the CFD. However, the surrounding road was closed for precautionary measures, but when crews saw it was contained to the building the road was reopened.
---------------------------------------------
COURT RULES TRUMP EPA UNLAWFULLY IGNORED DANGEROUS CHEMICALS
https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2019/11/15/court-rules-trump-epa-unlawfully-ignored-dangerous-chemicals/
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, asbestos, toxics
The Trump administration unlawfully excluded millions of tons of some of the most dangerous materials in public use from a safety review, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must consider dangers posed by asbestos, lead and other toxins regardless of whether they‰??re still being manufactured.
Millions of tons of those chemicals are in the marketplace, in products ranging from home insulation and fire retardant to house paint and plumbing pipes.
The safety review was mandated by Congress and is the first step toward enacting potential new regulations to protect the public.
---------------------------------------------
BREAKING: DISCOVERY OF EXPIRED CHEMICALS IN NOYCE PROMPTS EVACUATION, DETONATION
http://www.thesandb.com/article/breaking-discovery-of-expired-chemicals-in-noyce-prompts-evacuation-detonation.html
Tags: us_IA, laboratory, discovery, response, diethyl_ether
Noyce Science Center was evacuated Thursday night after a twenty-year-old batch of expired chemicals was found in storage. At around 6:30 p.m., about an hour and a half after students were first notified of the discovery, the chemicals were detonated, and a blast was heard and felt. Police conducted the controlled detonation near the Grant O. Gale Observatory, promptly ending the threat.
Community members subscribed to Poweshiek County Emergency alerts were advised of the detonation of the chemicals in advance, but students received no warning through the Pioneer Alert system.
According to a Facebook post from Sam Alves-Czachor `20, the expired chemical was diethyl ether, a highly volatile and flammable compound.
Campus Safety Officer Matthew Kriegel told The S&B that chemical hygiene officer and chemistry technician Sharon Isley notified Campus Safety of the presence of the expired chemicals, and the Fire Marshal took over the operation from there.
---------------------------------------------
HISTORIC MU BUILDING TO BE DEMOLISHED, SEVERAL CONCERNED ABOUT THE DECISION
https://abc17news.com/news/2019/11/14/historic-mu-building-to-be-demolished/
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, discovery, environmental, radiation
University of Missouri officials announced Thursday Pickard Hall, a more than 100-year-old building located on the Francis Quadrangle, will be demolished due to chemical safety concerns.
Officials said the decision came after years of analysis and consultation with environmental authorities and experts, determining there was no other alternative.
University officials submitted a final plan to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for demolition of the building in the past week. If approved, the university will have about two years to demolish the building.
Pickard Hall housed the Chemistry Department in the early 1900's. according to a news release from the university. Officials say many experiments were completed with naturally occurring radioactive materials, or NORM.
Specifically, one professor experimented with radium for 20 years in the basement of the building during the period. Officials closed off that area of the building.
‰??Pickard Hall is one of those buildings that represents the strength and beauty of the University of Missouri,‰?? said Gary Ward, vice chancellor for operations . ‰??This is not a decision that we have come to lightly and has only been made after years of studying the situation and determining that there was no other alternative.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO AMMONIA LEAK AT NANTUCKET RINK
https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20191113/hazmat-team-responds-to-ammonia-leak-at-nantucket-rink
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, ammonia
A hazardous materials team responded to anhydrous ammonia leak at the Nantucket Ice Rink on Tuesday evening, according to a statement from the fire department.
Nantucket fire crews evacuated the building on Backus Road after the automatic alarm was triggered just before 7 p.m. They determined that a crew from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Service‰??s hazardous material team was needed.
Four hazmat personnel arrived on the island by helicopter around 11 p.m with the assistance of the Coast Guard. They entered the rink building and discovered the ammonia levels were dangerous, according to the statement.
The leak occurred when a worker was performing routine maintenance and a hose was dislodged in the refrigerant compressor room, the statement said.
---------------------------------------------
BLEACH-FILLED BUCKETS NEAR VACANT HOME PROMPT HAZMAT INVESTIGATION
https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/11/13/bleach-filled-buckets-near-vacant-home-prompt-hazmat-investigation/
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, chlorine
SAN DIEGO -- Officials were investigating a potential hazmat situation in Ramona Wednesday afternoon, Cal Fire said.
Residents began noticing a chlorine smell around 4:20 p.m. coming from three five-gallon buckets at a vacant house along the 1000 block of D Street near 10th Street.
Firefighters and county hazmat officials arrived at the house to find bleach inside the buckets sitting on the front porch.
Officials alerted nearby neighbors of the situation but did not order any evacuations.
A county hazmat team was called in to remove the chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
ILLEGAL CHEMICAL SHOPS IN JAIPUR TICKING TIME BOMBS
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/illegal-chemical-shops-in-city-ticking-time-bombs/articleshow/72046976.cms
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, solvent
JAIPUR: The person in whose allegedly unlicensed chemical shop the fire broke out on Tuesday evening, has gone into hiding, leaving behind his shop where the chemical drums are still intact.
A fire broke out at Gopalbari at 5.30pm on Tuesday, affecting 12 shops in the vicinity. After three hours of continuous struggle, the fire brigade was able to douse the fire. However, the residents are still worried as the chemical drums haven‰??t been moved from the shop. Police have registered an FIR against the owner, who sold chemicals like thinner and spirit at his shop.
Rakshit Kumar, who lives across the street, said that the shop is a time bomb waiting to explode. ‰??There are many chemical shops that are functioning in the area without licenses. The bone-chilling incident of last night has forced us to re-think on our safety. There is a house beside the shop from where the fire broke out and a man got stuck on the second floor. He was rescued through the window. Their property is badly affected,‰?? said Rakshit.
---------------------------------------------
CHINA LAUNCHES NEW CRACKDOWN ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/china-launches-new-crackdown-on-chemical-safety-2019-11-13
Tags: China, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
SHANGHAI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - China's cabinet will begin a nationwide safety crackdown on its massive chemical industry after an official investigation into a deadly plant blast that killed 78 people and injured dozens more in March.
The explosion, at the Tianjiayi chemical factory in Yancheng in eastern coastal Jiangsu province, has already resulted in the closure of dozens of small plants and China expects to relocate more than 80% of hazardous chemical production by the end of 2020.
A meeting of the State Council chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday said an inquiry into the blast revealed local authorities had failed to implement safety rules or crack down on violations.
A summary of the meeting on China's official government website (http://www.gov.cn">http://www.gov.cn) showed Beijing will launch a new round of inspections into hazardous chemical producers throughout the country, and that local governments must eliminate all hazards around production, storage, transportation and waste disposal.
---------------------------------------------
ACCIDENTAL MIX OF BLEACH AND ACID KILLS BUFFALO WILD WINGS EMPLOYEE
https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/Accidental-mix-bleach-acid-kills/97/i45
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, death, cleaners
You should never mix bleach with anything, but that‰??s what happened during an accident at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Burlington, Massachusetts, on the evening of Nov. 7. According to Burlington Fire Department assistant chief Michael Patterson, an employee spilled the cleaner Scale Kleen on the floor. Later, another employee started to clean the floor with another cleaner called Super 8. The mixture turned green and started bubbling. The bubbling puddle emitted fumes, driving employees and customers to evacuate the restaurant. The manager, 32-year-old Ryan Baldera, attempted to clean up the liquid and was overcome by the fumes. He died later at the hospital, states a Burlington Fire Department press release.
According to safety data sheets, Super 8 is a mixture of 8‰??10% sodium hypochlorite in water, stronger than household bleach. Scale Kleen contains 22‰??28% phosphoric acid, 18‰??23% nitric acid, and less than 1% urea. Generally, strong cleaners like these are used in businesses, but some may be available to the public. Mixing bleach and acid gives off chlorine gas, says Neal Langerman, CEO and principal scientist at Advanced Chemical Safety. The reaction is ‰??well-known, simple, instantaneous,‰?? he says. ‰??The green bubbles give it away.‰??
Chlorine gas is a chemical warfare agent introduced during World War I and is still used in conflicts in the Middle East, Langerman says. When chlorine gas hits the moisture in a victim‰??s lungs, it generates bleach, which is a strongly corrosive alkaline mixture. ‰??‰??‰??Dissolves‰?? is a pretty apt description of what high alkalinity does to tissue,‰?? Langerman says. The cause of death tends to be chemical pneumonia. ‰??The victim‰??s lungs cease being able to move gases and fill with liquid,‰?? Langerman adds. ‰??The medical staff would just see their patient going south with their lungs filling with liquid that they can‰??t keep empty. At some point, a pressure respirator just can‰??t compete with damage that‰??s done.‰??
---------------------------------------------
---
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