Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at 8:05:26 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
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Table of Contents (12 articles)

HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO SLO BUILDING FOLLOWING REPORT OF FIRE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, methanol

GRADUATE STUDENT SETS FIRE TO COMMIT SUICIDE
Tags: China, laboratory, fire, death, suicide

RESIDENTS WARNED TO STAY INDOORS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES ACIDIC CLOUD
Tags: Kenya, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

CHEMICAL INCIDENT THAT PROMPTED EVACUATION OF SCHOOL UNDER CONTROL
Tags: us_CO, education, release, injury, cleaners

TPC GROUP EXPECTS TO MOVE CHEMICALS THIS WEEK
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

KEEPING UP WITH 3D PRINTING: EPA RESEARCHERS BUILD ON NEW PLASTIC EMISSIONS STUDY
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

HOLE OPENS IN GROUND, LEADING TO CHLORINE SPILL IN SPRING VALLEY
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, chlorine

LANES REOPENED ON ROUTE 2 FOLLOWING SPILL
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, corrosives

TWO INJURED IN UNDERGROUND GAS TANK FIRE
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical

GRAYS OLIVER ROAD: STAFF 'SHUT FACTORY DOWN' AND 'ORDERED TO EVACUATE' AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, gas_cylinders

EXPLOSION DAMAGES NAMRUP UNIT-II
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, ammonia

NO INJURIES REPORTED FOLLOWING EXPLOSIONS, FIRE AT OIL COMPANY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, solvent


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HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO SLO BUILDING FOLLOWING REPORT OF FIRE
https://www.ksby.com/news/hazmat-team-responds-to-slo-building-following-report-of-fire
Tags: us_CA, industrial, fire, response, methanol

SLO City Fire responded to a commercial structure fire early Tuesday afternoon.

It was reported at about 11:25 a.m. on the 200 block of Granada St. in San Luis Obispo.

Fire officials reported the fire was out but they remained on scene to evaluate potential hazardous materials.

The regional hazmat team was requested. SLO City Fire says the fire was caused by ignited methanol and it was controlled with a fire suppression foam system in the building.

We are following this story and will bring you more updates as they become available.

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GRADUATE STUDENT SETS FIRE TO COMMIT SUICIDE
https://www.theepochtimes.com/graduate-student-sets-fire-to-commit-suicide_3196605.html
Tags: China, laboratory, fire, death, suicide

A graduate student at China's Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications committed suicide on the night of Dec. 25 by setting a fire in a lab. The school authorities strictly blocked information about the incident so that even students in the same department didn't know about his death. It wasn't until the student's mother was seen at the top of a school building crying loudly and blaming the school for her son's death that people learned what happened.

Tan Dawei was in his third year of graduate school in Material Science at the university. His dormmate revealed that Tan was severely depressed because of constant exploitation and verbal abuse by his academic advisor over three years.

The Tragedy
Early in the morning of Dec. 26, a fire was seen in the Material Science laboratory building. The entire building was immediately sealed off once the fire was extinguished. Police officers visited the school that afternoon. However, students in Tan's faculty had no idea how the fire started or that Tan ended his life in the blaze.

On Jan. 5, Tan's mother was seen on the roof of the school's history building on campus, crying and tragically saying: "Return my son to me. Where is justice?" The building is located in a high-traffic area. It was only then that people learned of Tan's tragic death.

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RESIDENTS WARNED TO STAY INDOORS AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK CAUSES ACIDIC CLOUD
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001355636/residents-warned-to-stay-indoors-after-chemical-leak-causes-acidic-cloud
Tags: Kenya, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid

Schools and colleges were forced to shut today after a chemical leak caused hydrochloric acid to form over a town.
Firefighters told residents in Thurrock, Essex, and the surrounding areas to stay indoors and keep their windows closed after investigating the acidic smog.
Fumes started to emerge from a building at an industrial unit in the town on Monday night and lingered into the air today.
"We understand that the cloud includes an amount of hydrochloric acid," said Neil Fenwick, area manager at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

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CHEMICAL INCIDENT THAT PROMPTED EVACUATION OF SCHOOL UNDER CONTROL
https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/skyview-academy-highlands-ranch-chemical-incident/73-9b727dd2-7801-4cc5-a0eb-d9ee54e4f427
Tags: us_CO, education, release, injury, cleaners

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. - SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch was evacuated Tuesday morning after an adult reported trouble breathing after exposure to cleaning solutions, according to a tweet from South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR).

SMFR responded to the school located at 6161 Business Center Drive, at 8:39 a.m. The school is not far from County Line Road and Quebec Street.

In the tweet, SMFR said an adult was having difficulty breathing after exposure to a mixture of cleaning solutions in a bathroom at the school.

That person was taken to the hospital, according to SMFR. No one else was affected and the incident is isolated to that area of the school.

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TPC GROUP EXPECTS TO MOVE CHEMICALS THIS WEEK
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/TPC-Group-expects-to-move-chemicals-this-week-14957288.php
Tags: us_TX, industrial, follow-up, environmental

TPC Group and emergency officials are preparing to finally remove chemicals at the Port Neches plant, six weeks after the initial explosion there.

Company spokeswoman Sara Cronin said inspections of all containment vessels and pipelines are still taking place, but TPC expects the first transfers of chemicals from the plant to begin sometime this week.

"Right now, it looks like we will be moving material by barge and that is expected this week," Cronin said. "We don't know if that will be the mode of transfer for all of it, as that is determined by the results of the structural integrity inspections."

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KEEPING UP WITH 3D PRINTING: EPA RESEARCHERS BUILD ON NEW PLASTIC EMISSIONS STUDY
https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/keeping-3d-printing-epa-researchers-build-new-plastic-emissions-study
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

With 3D printers becoming more affordable and entering more homes and workplaces, EPA scientists, through an agreement with the Consumer Products Safety Commission, are investigating whether increased use of these printers can lead to unintended adverse impacts to human health.

"Users may not be aware of chemical emissions during the printing process," notes Dr. Souhail Al-Abed, lead EPA scientist of a new study on the subject. His team's research shows that common 3D printer ink, or filament, can emit gases during the printing phase that may pose a health risk to users and bystanders. The most concerning of these emissions are known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short.

While there have been many studies on the effects of VOCs from 3D printing, none have considered how these emissions change when certain additives are introduced to the 3D printing filament. Therefore, Dr. Al-Abed's team closely examined a commonly available filament that is sold both with and without carbon nanotube inclusions to determine whether VOC emissions changed between the two types of product.

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HOLE OPENS IN GROUND, LEADING TO CHLORINE SPILL IN SPRING VALLEY
https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/east-county-news/hole-opens-in-ground-leading-to-chlorine-spill-in-spring-valley
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, chlorine

SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (KGTV) - A tanker truck overturned Monday morning, spilling hundreds of gallons of chlorine in Spring Valley.

Asphalt gave way beneath the tanker about 8:30 a.m. off Jamacha Blvd. A hole opened in the ground, causing the tanker to flip. No one was injured.

Hazmat officials told 10News about 2,500 gallons of chlorine spilled into a storm drain that feeds into the Sweetwater Reservoir. Luckily, the Sweetwater Authority says no chlorine made it into the reservoir.

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LANES REOPENED ON ROUTE 2 FOLLOWING SPILL
https://www.wtrf.com/traffic/lanes-reopened-on-route-2-following-spill-crews-remain-on-scene/
Tags: us_WV, transportation, release, response, corrosives

MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) - Both lanes along State route 2 near the Marshall/Wetzel Counties line have officially been reopened.

This comes one day after a tractor trailer accident that quickly turned into a Hazmat situation.

The cab detached from the tractor trailer shortly after leaving the Covestro Plant in Marshall County.

Following the incident, the trailer began leaking "TDI," a corrosive substance.

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TWO INJURED IN UNDERGROUND GAS TANK FIRE
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/two-injured-in-underground-gas-tank-fire
Tags: us_TN, industrial, fire, injury, unknown_chemical

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - Two people were transported to the hospital after being injured in an underground gas tank fire.

Nashville Fire Department officials say a crew was working on an underground gas tank Monday evening when it caught fire at a Mapco on Highway 70.

An off-duty firefighter just happened to be getting gas at the gas station when the fire started. Officials say the firefighters, who has a background in hazmat emergencies, quickly tried to help the two men who were burned in the fire.

Two people were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with serious injuries.

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GRAYS OLIVER ROAD: STAFF 'SHUT FACTORY DOWN' AND 'ORDERED TO EVACUATE' AFTER CHEMICAL INCIDENT
https://www.essexlive..news/news/essex-news/grays-oliver-road-staff-shut-3711888
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, gas_cylinders

10 fire crews were dispatched to Oliver Road in Grays after fume clouds were seen near an industrial estate situated in West Thurrock, a short journey from the Dartford Crossing and intu Lakeside Shopping centre.

Crews arrived at around 4.20pm, (Monday, January 6), and remain at the scene four hours later.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) have confirmed that a chemical incident has occurred on site following a reaction involving an industrial cylinder.

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EXPLOSION DAMAGES NAMRUP UNIT-II
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/north-east/explosion-damages-namrup-unit-ii/cid/1733538
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, ammonia

major blast at the ammonia-urea unit-II of the Namrup-based Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Ltd (BVFCL) shortly after Sunday midnight, severely damaged the plant. The entire unit has been shut down for an indefinite period following the incident.

The explosion occurred at 12.45am because of a technical glitch. No one was injured as most of the employees had left by then.

A similar blast took place at the same fertiliser unit on May 19, 2019, causing heavy damages to the entire unit, including expensive machineries. It took three months to make the unit functional.

Immediately after the blast on Monday, a raging fire broke out in the factory building. Fire tenders were called in from Dibrugarh, Duliajan, Naharkatia and Chabua air force station. The fire was contained after nearly three hours.

"The blast occurred in the pipeline connecting the high pressure ammonia synthesis gas compressor and the ammonia reactor which goes through the pre-heated furnace in the unit-II. Obsolete and outdated machineries and equipment are the cause of explosion. The life of a chemical plant is barely 20 years, but the Namrup unit is almost 43 years old. We are forced to run it as the proposed fourth unit is yet to be set up. The loss assessment is being carried out," public relations officer of BVFCL Pranab Bhattacharjee said.

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NO INJURIES REPORTED FOLLOWING EXPLOSIONS, FIRE AT OIL COMPANY
https://www.mineralwellsindex.com/news/no-injuries-reported-following-explosions-fire-at-oil-company/article_68cf1f40-30ec-11ea-b433-83cba28ab0f5.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, solvent

Several chemical explosions rocked the Industrial Park area near Mineral Wells High School early Monday afternoon.

No injuries were reported to workers or firefighters as a result of three explosions at Buckley Oil Company on S.E. Industrial Parkway, off U.S. Highway 180 East adjacent to Southwire, Reeder Distributors and Mineral Wells Fire Department Station No. 2.

Three explosions were reported around 1:15 p.m., and heavy, black toxic smoke billowed from the property - which became a concern though conditions were such that the smoke rose largely straight into the air and dissipated. Mineral Wells ISD was not in session Monday so there were no health or safety concerns about high school students or faculty.

Mineral Wells Fire Chief Mike Pool said five workers were inside a large covered, but not totally enclosed, area preparing what he described as two 600-gallon totes containing volatile chemicals heptane and toluene. Heptane is a main component of gasoline, while toluene is a gasoline additive and is used as a solvent.

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