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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (9 articles)
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 08:16:14 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 15346124-F080-4753-9BFA-9CEE9278B882**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 17, 2020 at 8:16:02 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 (9 articles)
TEXAS CITY DISASTER: ON THIS DAY IN 1947, MORE THAN 500 LIVES WERE LOST
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
AIR QUALITY SAFE AFTER MILL EXPLOSION IN JAY, OFFICIAL SAYS ‰?? LEWISTON-AUBURN ‰?? BANGOR DAILY NEWS ‰?? BDN MAINE
Tags: us_ME, industrial, explosion, response, irritant
CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT SANFORD POOL CLOSES PARK ACCESS :: WRAL.COM
Tags: us_NC, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
1 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN BADDI CHEMICAL UNIT BLAST
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, adhesives
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS FOUND IN SURPRISINGLY HIGH LEVELS IN SEWAGE
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, water_treatment
BOISE HOMEOWNER SAYS TWO PROPANE TANKS BLEW, STARTED SHED FIRE
Tags: us_ID, public, explosion, response, propane
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES FOIA SUIT OVER HUSKY EXPLOSION PROBE
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental
JMC CARRIES OUT MASSIVE OP TO DISINFECT RAMGANJ
Tags: India, public, release, environmental, bleach
DISINFECTANT DEMAND FROM CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS CHALLENGES SPECIALTY CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAIN
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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TEXAS CITY DISASTER: ON THIS DAY IN 1947, MORE THAN 500 LIVES WERE LOST
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas-city-disaster-a-tragic-day-in-1947-that-killed-hundreds/285-04db15aa-372a-446e-b245-0eb491601916
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
TEXAS CITY, Texas ‰?? On April 16 of every year, Donna Spurlock Falco walks up to a stone memorial in a Texas City park and lays a flower beneath her uncle's name.
"Took us three days to find Uncle Joe," she said.
The park's centerpiece is a busted section of a 3,000 pound anchor that was blasted more than a mile and a half away from the S.S. Grandcamp, a ship carrying a load of fertilizer that ignited a catastrophic chain of explosions and fires now collectively and infamously known as the Texas City disaster.
On this date in 1947, longshoremen had spent the last five days loading onto the Grandcamp sacks of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that would later become notorious as the explosive agent used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. At least 2,300 tons had been loaded onto the ship when workmen boarded it and discovered a fire.
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AIR QUALITY SAFE AFTER MILL EXPLOSION IN JAY, OFFICIAL SAYS ‰?? LEWISTON-AUBURN ‰?? BANGOR DAILY NEWS ‰?? BDN MAINE
https://bangordailynews.com/2020/04/16/news/lewiston-auburn/air-quality-safe-after-mill-explosion-in-jay-official-says/
Tags: us_ME, industrial, explosion, response, irritant
It smells, but the air that carried smoke and debris from the Androscoggin Mill explosion on Wednesday is safe to breathe, Jay Fire and Rescue Chief Mike Booker said Thursday.
Town workers will soon start collecting pulp debris scattered by the explosion, which occurred in a digester that turns softwood into pulp to make specialty paper. A significant part of the building was destroyed, but no injuries were reported. Chemically treated pulp fell from the sky as far as a mile away from the mill.
The Androscoggin Mill is a key cog in Maine‰??s long-embattled paper industry, which saw five mills close between 2014 and 2016 but has leveled off since then in a stronger economy. With 500 workers it is Franklin County‰??s second-largest employer and makes up roughly half of Jay‰??s property tax base at a valuation of more than $325 million.
‰??The air quality is safe. There is a nuisance smell, but that is not toxic to your health,‰?? Jay said in a statement posted on the fire department‰??s Facebook page. ‰??The chemical with the pulp is classified as a mild irritant, will dissolve over time, and is known as a good fertilizer.‰??
Booker discussed the situation with Maine Department of Environmental Protection and mill officials prior to releasing the statement.
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CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT SANFORD POOL CLOSES PARK ACCESS :: WRAL.COM
https://www.wral.com/chemical-incident-at-sanford-pool-closes-park-access/19059389/
Tags: us_NC, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals
SANFORD, N.C. ‰?? The N.C. Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team was called Thursday to a pool in Sanford after a contractor mistakenly mixed two chemicals, causing a reaction that led to toxic fumes.
Kelly Miller, Public Information Officer with the City of Sanford, said the incident happened during routine maintenance at the Kiwanis Family Park Splash Pad. The hazardous materials team, based out of Fayetteville, was called in to assist and make sure the environment was safe for employees and the public.
Access to the Kiwanis Family Park trails and the Endor Iron Furnace Greenway is closed for the remainder of the day. The Sanford Fire Department, Lee County Emergency Management, and Central Carolina Advanced Life Support are also on the scene.
The park‰??s playground and general areas have been closed since March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only the trails have remained open.
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1 KILLED, 6 INJURED IN BADDI CHEMICAL UNIT BLAST
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/1-killed-6-injured-in-baddi-chemical-unit-blast/articleshow/75190742.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, death, adhesives
Chandigarh: One person died while six others injured in a blast that occurred at a chemical unit in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The injured were rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, from where they were discharged after being treated, said Solan deputy commissioner (DC) K C Chaman.
Chaman said Baddi superintendent of police (SP) Mohit Malpani has been asked to conduct a thorough enquiry into the matter and submit an action taken report.
Malpani said, ‰??The incident occurred at a leading adhesive manufacturing unit in Baddi. One person has died whereas six others. including an year-old girl, were injured. They were rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, where they were treated and have been discharge now.‰??
The explosion took place in a closed unit of the chemical storage tank, he said. ‰??The unit was closed due to lockdown otherwise there could have been a major tragedy as this factory has hundreds of workers,‰?? the SP said.
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NOVEL CORONAVIRUS FOUND IN SURPRISINGLY HIGH LEVELS IN SEWAGE
https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/infectious-disease/Novel-coronavirus-found-surprisingly-high/98/i15
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, water_treatment
Because SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has been found in the feces of confirmed COVID-19 patients, wastewater-based epidemiology might be an effective way to track the extent of the disease in a population.
Wastewater epidemiology is most commonly used to monitor drug usage in a community. It can also provide information about the spread of infection when individual tests are limited. A team led by Eric J. Alm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Biobot Analytics has now used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to measure SARS-CoV-2 in sewage from a wastewater treatment facility in Massachusetts (medRxiv 2020, DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.05.20051540).
The Biobot team analyzed four samples taken before the first known US case of COVID-19, and all tested negative for the virus. All 10 samples taken between March 18 and March 25 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, at levels higher than the researchers expected based on the number of confirmed cases. They used direct DNA sequencing to verify that the RT-PCR products were actually from SARS-CoV-2. But more information is needed, such as the amount of virus in stool from positive patients over the course of the disease, to fully interpret the findings.
Wastewater analysis ‰??could be used to establish whether COVID-19 has infected a community and monitor for when the community is relatively free of COVID-19,‰?? says Kevin Thomas, an epidemiologist at the University of Queensland. The approach should be used in combination with individual testing, he says.
Biobot is now getting weekly samples from more than 100 treatment plants around the US, according to Mariana Matus, Biobot‰??s CEO.
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BOISE HOMEOWNER SAYS TWO PROPANE TANKS BLEW, STARTED SHED FIRE
https://idahonews.com/news/local/boise-homeowner-says-two-propane-tanks-blew-started-shed-fire
Tags: us_ID, public, explosion, response, propane
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) ‰?? Two people are OK Wednesday after one homeowner told CBS2 that two propane tanks blew up, starting a fire in their shed.
The homeowner said her husband was lighting his heater in the shed when it sparked. There were two propane tanks in the shed that were recently filled and had blown - starting the shed fire, according to the homeowner.
The shed was detached from the house. Neither of the two people home were hurt.
The fire started around 6:30 p.m. near Franklin Road and Hilton Street.
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CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD FACES FOIA SUIT OVER HUSKY EXPLOSION PROBE
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/safety/chemical-safety-board-faces-foia-suit-over-husky-explosion-probe
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental
The federal Chemical Safety Board is being accused of unlawfully denying the release of records related to the April 2018 Husky Energy Inc. refinery explosion in Superior, Wis., that injured 11 of the company‰??s workers and contractors.
Chicago law firm Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. wants the investigations agency to release documents, recordings, and interviews produced in the aftermath of the explosion.
The firm represents Edward Eliason, who was working for a nearby company and now suffers from brain, hearing, and vision loss, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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JMC CARRIES OUT MASSIVE OP TO DISINFECT RAMGANJ
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/jmc-carries-out-massive-op-to-disinfect-ramganj/articleshow/75170239.cms
Tags: India, public, release, environmental, bleach
JAIPUR: As Ramganj has emerged as the epicentre of novel coronavirus in the state, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Wednesday carried out a massive operation to disinfect the area.
The operation started early morning after deploying 15 fire tenders. While, 12 tenders were kept for spraying, three were used to refill the empty tenders.
Chief fire officer Jagdish Prasad Phulwari said, ‰??We had deployed fire tenders having capacities of 4,000 litre and 2,000 litre. Around 1% of sodium hypochlorite was mixed to disinfect area. As Ramganj has narrow lanes, bigger fire tenders were used in main markets and smaller ones in other lanes. Fire tenders with 12,000 litre capacity was used for refilling,‰?? he said. Officials claim, the entire Walled City area, including Ramganj, has been disinfected. ‰??On Wednesday, each tender made at least four rounds to disinfect the area. Even though, chemical has been sprayed in entire city area, the operation will continue and four tenders will be deployed on daily basis,‰?? he said.
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DISINFECTANT DEMAND FROM CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS CHALLENGES SPECIALTY CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAIN
https://cen.acs.org/business/specialty-chemicals/Disinfectant-demand-coronavirus-concerns-challenges/98/i15
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
With demand for disinfectant wipes and sprays soaring from medical professionals and consumers seeking to protect themselves from the new coronavirus, producers of quaternary ammonium disinfectant compounds are seeing orders spike. They say their plants are running well, but they are still struggling with the unusually high demand and intermittent problems obtaining raw materials.
Reckitt Benckiser, which makes Lysol wipes, says it faces unprecedented demand for wipes and other disinfectant products and is doing everything it can to produce as much as possible. Its competitor, Clorox, says it is ‰??working around the clock‰?? to meet the surge.
Quaternary ammonium compounds, the active ingredients in many such products, work against viruses by stripping them of their lipid envelope, leaving them unable to penetrate cells. Most disinfectants of this type need about 10 minutes of dwell time to fully disinfect hard surfaces.
The main producers of quaternary ammonium compounds in the US are Lonza, Pilot Chemical, and Stepan. They make quats by reacting tertiary amines with alkyl halides. The tertiary amines are made from ammonia and alcohols.
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