| 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: Re: [DCHAS-L] Ventilation issues stacking lab Date: Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 11:37:09 AM Author: Richard Palluzi <000006c59248530b-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU> |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Ventilation issues stacking lab Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:08:47 -0500 Author: Ken Kretchman |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, November 29, 2019 at 6:57:56 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 (16 articles)
TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL AT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Tags: New_Zealand, laboratory, release, response, mercury
TEXAS CHEMICAL FIRE RAGES FOR SECOND DAY, THOUSANDS EVACUATED
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
CHEMICAL LEAKS INTO BRISBANE RIVER FROM PINKENBA WHARF
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, styrene
SEMI-TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK CRASHES INTO OXYGEN TANK IN KCK
Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, response, liquid_oxygen
EXPLOSION ROCKS A TPC BUTADIENE PLANT IN TEXAS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, ether
LAWMAKER SUBPOENAS US EPA OVER FORMALDEHYDE REVIEW
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
DETERIORATING DYNAMITE FOUND INSIDE PORTSMOUTH HOME: POLICE
Tags: us_NH, public, discovery, response, explosives, waste
SAFETY EXPERT EMAILS SHOW APS LACKED CERTAIN VENTILATION SYSTEM IN APRIL BATTERY SITE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_AZ, public, follow-up, environmental, batteries
GAS LEAK SENDS FIRE SHOOTING INTO AIR IN BRAINERD COMMUNITY ‰?? CBS CHICAGO
Tags: us_IL, public, fire, response, methane
CONTAINER FIRE IN NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY LABORATORY PROMPTS LEVEL 2 HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL AT TAMALPAIS HIGH SCHOOL POOL PROMPTS NEIGHBORHOOD SHELTER-IN-PLACE ‰?? CBS SAN FRANCISCO
Tags: us_CA, education, release, response, pool_chemicals
NURSING HOME CHEMICAL SPILL FUMES SEND 2 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, cleaners
MORE CLUES POINT TO CHEMICAL COMPOUND IN US VAPING ILLNESSES
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
BANKRUPT PHILADELPHIA REFINERY WAS REALLY DIRTY. A NEW REPORT SHOWS HOW DIRTY.
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL SPILL AT NORTH SMITHFIELD TRANSFER STATION PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
Tags: us_RI, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid, waste
9 INJURED IN MAJOR BLAZE AT BADLAPUR CHEMICAL FIRM
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
TOXIC CHEMICAL SPILL AT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-christchurch/toxic-chemical-spill-institute-technology
Tags: New_Zealand, laboratory, release, response, mercury
One person was contaminated after a toxic substance was accidentally spilled at a Christchurch training institute on Thursday afternoon.
Three fire crews spent about two hours at the Ara Institute of Canterbury's new K block on Moorhouse Ave from 4.20pm after a technician dropped a 10ml vile of mercury.
Christchurch city senior station officer Gerald Wilson said one person received a splash of the heavy metal on their leg but immediately decontaminated themselves.
No medical attention was required.
Crews from the Christchurch City, Spreydon and Woolston stations attended the incident. They were wearing chemical splash suits and breathing apparatus.
Mr Wilson said it was the first time in his career he has had to deal with mercury. The crews took advice from experts in Melbourne about how to deal with the spill.
"Once it was cleaned up, we put sulphur powder down which reduce's the mercury's volatility," Mr Wilson said.
"Then that is left for a couple hours and then it was swept up.
"It pays to take great care with any element, especially breathing in its vapours," he said.
Mercury poisoning can affect the nervous system, leading to neurological symptoms such as nervousness or anxiety, irritability or mood changes, numbness, memory problems, depression and physical tremors.
---------------------------------------------
TEXAS CHEMICAL FIRE RAGES FOR SECOND DAY, THOUSANDS EVACUATED
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chemicals-fire-texas/texas-chemical-fire-rages-for-second-day-thousands-evacuated-idUSKBN1Y229L
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
(Reuters) - A major fire at a Texas petrochemical plant continued to burn for a second day on Thursday, with the 60,000 people forced to evacuate still uncertain as to whether they could return home in time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
A process tower flies through air after exploding at the TPC Group Petrochemical Plant, after an earlier massive explosion sparked a blazeÌ?at the plant in Port Neches,Ì?Texas, U.S., November 27, 2019.Ì? REUTERS/Erwin Seba
The fiery blast inside a distillation column at the Port Neches, Texas, TPC Group facility on Wednesday injured three workers, blew locked doors off their hinges and spewed a plume of toxic chemicals for miles (kilometers).
The plant manufactures petrochemicals used to make rubber and resins, and the volatile organic compounds in the explosion‰??s smoke can lead to eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, headaches and nausea, the pollution regulator Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) said. No impact to water was reported.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAKS INTO BRISBANE RIVER FROM PINKENBA WHARF
https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/ship-leaks-chemical-into-brisbane-river-while-docked-at-pinkenba-wharf-20191129-p53f9y.html
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, styrene
About 100 litres of a chemical leaked into the Brisbane River from an on-shore container at Pinkenba Wharf overnight.
Emergency services were called to Tingira Street in Pinkenba, in Brisbane's north-east, just after 6.30pm on Thursday after a "slow leak" was discovered, according to the fire service.
Pinkenba Wharf on the Brisbane River. CREDIT:GOOGLE MAPS
Firefighters found the leaking valve, contained the spill and wrapped up about 9.30pm.
Police said the chemical involved was styrene monomer, used in the making of plastics.
The Department of Environment and Science confirmed the spill occurred during a pipeline transfer of the material as a result of a failed valve.
---------------------------------------------
SEMI-TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK CRASHES INTO OXYGEN TANK IN KCK
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article237849199.html
Tags: us_KS, transportation, release, response, liquid_oxygen
A tractor-trailer crashed into a liquid oxygen unit Wednesday in the Fairfax district of Kansas City, Kansas, prompting fire department crews to evacuate an area near an industrial plant.
The crash occurred in the 300 block of Kindleberger Road just after 4 p.m., according to the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department.
Two employees at a nearby business helped the driver out of the truck.
Fire crews immediately started evacuation efforts after liquid oxygen began to leak out of containers.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION ROCKS A TPC BUTADIENE PLANT IN TEXAS
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Explosion-rocks-TPC-butadiene-plant/97/web/2019/11
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, injury, ether
An explosion at a TPC Group plant shook the community around Port Neches, Texas, at 1 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 27. A huge fireball breaking the nighttime stillness was captured on security cameras, and damage has been reported to nearby homes.
Two TPC workers and a contractor were injured in the blast and are being treated in area hospitals. TPC says it has accounted for all of its personnel. As of 6:40 a.m., first responders were still fighting to control the resulting blaze.
The Port Neches plant takes in crude C4 chemical streams from area refineries and extracts butadiene, a raw material for synthetic rubber and engineering polymers. As of 2012, when the company last disclosed financial information to the public, the site had a capacity to produce about 220,000 metric tons of butadiene per year. It also sells coproduct C4 streams.
TPC bought the facility from Huntsman Corp. in 2006. At one time, the site also made the fuel additive methyl tert-butyl ether.
The private equity firms SK Capital and First Reserve bought TPC in 2012. In early 2018, TPC announced it would expand crude C4 processing capacity through small improvement projects at its plants. The company claims a 35% share of the North American butadiene market,
---------------------------------------------
LAWMAKER SUBPOENAS US EPA OVER FORMALDEHYDE REVIEW
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/Lawmaker-subpoenas-US-EPA-over/97/web/2019/11
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, formaldehyde
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), chair of the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, issued two subpoenas on Nov. 15 to the US Environmental Protection Agency, seeking answers about why the agency abruptly stopped reviewing formaldehyde under its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program. The EPA announced earlier this year that formaldehyde would instead be reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
House Democrats claim that the EPA completed a draft IRIS assessment in the fall of 2017, showing a link between formaldehyde exposure and leukemia. The EPA, however, did not release that assessment.
Johnson requested information from the EPA several times this year about its decision to halt the formaldehyde assessment. The agency provided insufficient responses every time, she claims. ‰??These subpoenas come after eight months of EPA delays and obfuscation in providing the Committee with information necessary for the oversight of the IRIS program and its review of the chemical formaldehyde,‰?? Johnson writes in a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent with the subpoenas.
In a Nov. 15 statement, the EPA calls the committee‰??s action ‰??reckless and unjustified.‰?? The agency claims that it has complied with all of the committee‰??s requests related to the IRIS program.
---------------------------------------------
DETERIORATING DYNAMITE FOUND INSIDE PORTSMOUTH HOME: POLICE
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/portsmouth-nh/deteriorating-dynamite-found-inside-portsmouth-home-police
Tags: us_NH, public, discovery, response, explosives, waste
PORTSMOUTH, NH ‰?? The hazmat on Austin Street in Portsmouth Tuesday was deteriorating dynamite inside of a home, according to police. Officers, firefighters, and the New Hampshire State Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit were called to the home by caretakers who discovered the materials. At 11:30 a.m., Austin Street, from Middle to Cabot streets, was closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, as a precaution.
Police also sent out a code red notification to all homes in the immediate area.
Just before 1 p.m., the situation was deemed under control and the street reopened.
"The materials had been inside the residence for decades making removal of the deteriorated material hazardous," said Capt. Mike Maloney of the Portsmouth Police Department. "Out of an abundance of caution, nearby residences were evacuated and roads were closed. The New Hampshire State Police EOD unit were able to safely remove the material and bring it to a remote location where it was safely destroyed."
---------------------------------------------
SAFETY EXPERT EMAILS SHOW APS LACKED CERTAIN VENTILATION SYSTEM IN APRIL BATTERY SITE EXPLOSION
https://www.12news.com/article/news/investigations/aps-explosion-investigation/75-95590a62-e8ef-46c3-9a89-cf73da298e05
Tags: us_AZ, public, follow-up, environmental, batteries
SURPRISE, Ariz. ‰?? A battery storage site that exploded and injured several firefighters was not equipped with a ventilation system that is considered a ‰??requirement,‰?? according to an official from the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
ADOSH provided emails and investigative records to 12 News through a public records request that contain a portion of the investigation into the fire at the 635-square-foot facility near Deer Valley Road and Grand Avenue in Surprise.
The fire injured eight firefighters. A hazmat team arrived after reports of smoke and assessed the situation. They thought the area was clear so they opened the door to the facility. That's when the explosion happened.
---------------------------------------------
GAS LEAK SENDS FIRE SHOOTING INTO AIR IN BRAINERD COMMUNITY ‰?? CBS CHICAGO
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/11/26/gas-leak-sends-fire-shooting-into-air-in-brainerd-community/
Tags: us_IL, public, fire, response, methane
CHICAGO (CBS) ‰?? A gas leak sent a plume of flames shooting into the air in front of a house in the Brainerd community Tuesday night.
The gas leak erupted in front of a bungalow at 8943 S. Marshfield Ave., according to the Fire Department.
A fire was seen raging at the site of the leak, with the flames climbing higher than the roofs of the houses behind it.
---------------------------------------------
CONTAINER FIRE IN NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY LABORATORY PROMPTS LEVEL 2 HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2019/11/container-fire-in-northeastern-university-laboratory-prompts-level-2-hazmat-response.html
Tags: us_MA, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A fire inside a container in a lab at Northeastern University prompted a Level 2 hazmat response Tuesday afternoon.
Brian Alkins, a spokesperson for the Boston Fire Department, said emergency crews responded to the lab shortly after noon, and that the fire had been extinguished by the time they arrived. There were no injuries.
‰??We don‰??t know what was burning," he said.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT TAMALPAIS HIGH SCHOOL POOL PROMPTS NEIGHBORHOOD SHELTER-IN-PLACE ‰?? CBS SAN FRANCISCO
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/11/26/chemical-spill-at-tamalpais-high-school-pool-prompts-neighborhood-shelter-in-place/
Tags: us_CA, education, release, response, pool_chemicals
MILL VALLEY (CBS SF) ‰?? A chemical spill related to an outdoor pool at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley Tuesday morning has been stabilized, a city spokeswoman said.
The spill occurred inside a maintenance and storage room near the pool and the cleanup should be finished by around noon, Mill Valley spokeswoman Linn Walsh said.
A shelter in place order was issued within a half-mile radius from the pool. Mill Valley police wrote on Twitter about the spill around 8:45 a.m.
---------------------------------------------
NURSING HOME CHEMICAL SPILL FUMES SEND 2 TO HOSPITAL
https://www.barnstablepatriot.com/news/20191126/nursing-home-chemical-spill-fumes-send-2-to-hospital
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, injury, cleaners
Two nursing home staff members were taken to the hospital and 18 other staff members or residents were evaluated at the scene following a chemical spill Monday at Cape Regency Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Centerville.
A state hazardous materials crew and local firefighters responded shortly before 3 p.m. for reports of an unknown odor on the second floor of the building.
When they arrived, Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills firefighters were told that cleaning solutions might have accidentally been mixed, creating the noxious odor, according to COMM Fire Chief Michael Winn.
Winn said crews worked with staff to move patients into safer areas after the fumes were reported. He said 20 people in all were evaluated, and two were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for further treatment. There were no threats to neighbors or residents of the facility.
---------------------------------------------
MORE CLUES POINT TO CHEMICAL COMPOUND IN US VAPING ILLNESSES
https://kbjr6.com/news/national-news-from-the-associated-press/2019/11/26/more-clues-point-to-chemical-compound-in-us-vaping-illnesses/
Tags: us_MN, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
NEW YORK (AP) ‰?? Health officials say they have more evidence that a certain chemical compound is a culprit in a national outbreak of vaping illnesses.
A study released Tuesday analyzed vaping cartridges gathered in Minnesota during the outbreak this year and cartridges seized in that state last year. The newer cartridges contained the compound vitamin E acetate, but none of the older ones did.
The study was small and included just a few dozen products. But the finding echoes another study that found the compound in the damaged lungs of 29 patients across the country.
Nearly 2,300 Americans who vape have gotten sick since March, many of them teens and young adults. Vitamin E acetate has been used as a thickener in illicit vaping products that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana.
---------------------------------------------
BANKRUPT PHILADELPHIA REFINERY WAS REALLY DIRTY. A NEW REPORT SHOWS HOW DIRTY.
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Bankrupt-Philadelphia-Refinery-Was-Really-Dirty-New-Report-Shows-How-Dirty-565485211.html
Tags: us_PA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
The now-bankrupt refinery in South Philadelphia has long been known as one of the city's biggest producers of pollution.
The explosion that shuttered the 1,300-acre complex in June threw the site's future into turmoil. Its history as a heavy industrial site goes back more than 150 years.
On Tuesday, the City of Philadelphia issued a 45-page report that includes recommendations for the future of the property. (The bankrupt corporate owner, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, is mostly a group of venture capital firms.) The sale of Philadelphia Energy Solutions' assets, including the property, is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2020.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT NORTH SMITHFIELD TRANSFER STATION PROMPTS HAZMAT RESPONSE
https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/blackstone-valley/chemical-spill-at-north-smithfield-transfer-station-prompts-hazmat-response/
Tags: us_RI, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid, waste
NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) ‰?? Hazmat technicians worked for hours to clean up a chemical spill inside of a North Smithfield transfer station Tuesday evening, according to fire officials.
The incident occurred at the Link Environmental Transfer Station on Canal Street.
Fire officials tell Eyewitness News multiple containers of hydrochloric acid spilled and were leaking inside the building.
It‰??s unclear at this time what caused the containers to spill or if anyone was injured.
---------------------------------------------
9 INJURED IN MAJOR BLAZE AT BADLAPUR CHEMICAL FIRM
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/9-injured-in-major-blaze-at-badlapur-chemical-firm
Tags: India, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
Thane: Nine people were injured after a major fire broke out in a chemical company situated in the MIDC area of Badlapur on Tuesday.
Fire brigade officials said the blaze erupted at 11.25 am at Omkar Speciality Chemical Ltd, which is a ground plus three-storied building situated near the Mankoli village of Badlapur.
Fire officials said that the blaze started from the ground floor, where 10-12 employees were working. In all, 60-70 people were present in the company and barring 9, all managed to escape unhurt.
‰??Around 10 fire tenders from Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath and Thane and 15 private water tankers were used to control the blaze,‰?? said a fire official.
The fire-fighting operation was on even after more than seven hours, said an officer from the Badlapur fire station.
---------------------------------------------
---
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