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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, May 22, 2020 at 6:01:00 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 (8 articles)
MICHIGAN: THREAT OF TOXIC CONTAMINATION LOOMS AFTER DAM FAILURES TRIGGER FLOODING
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, environmental
LAFD TO INSPECT VAPE, TOBACCO SHOPS AFTER DOWNTOWN EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, butane
'DOG TRAINING SPRAY' CAUSED HAZMAT SCARE: BALTIMORE COUNTY FIRE
Tags: us_MD, industrial, explosion, injury, irritant, waste
STERIGENICS NAMED IN LAWSUIT CLAIMING 'ETHYLENE OXIDE POISONING'
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, injury, ethylene_oxide
EFFINGHAM FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO FIRE AT ADM
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, waste
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT INVESTIGATES AFTER RAIL CAR LEAK CLOSES SAINT JOHN HIGHWAY
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
1 DEAD, 2 HURT IN POWDER-FUELED FIRE AT CHEMICAL LAB
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, laboratory, explosion, death, dust
POTENTIAL EXPLOSION HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUTOCATALYTIC THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE AND ITS MIXTURES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, solvent
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MICHIGAN: THREAT OF TOXIC CONTAMINATION LOOMS AFTER DAM FAILURES TRIGGER FLOODING
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/20/michigan-flooding-dam-toxic-contamination-threat?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Tags: us_MI, industrial, release, environmental
Catastrophic flooding triggered by dam failures in Michigan could potentially release toxic pollution from a site contaminated by the industrial giant Dow Chemical.
Dow‰??s facility in Midland, Michigan, where the company is headquartered along the Tittabawassee River, manufactured chlorine-based products beginning in the early 1900s. The company discharged dioxins, chemical compounds which can cause reproductive harm and cancer, into the river.
The pollution built up in sediment in and along the river and in its floodplains, extending 50 miles downstream through the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay.
The US Environmental Protection Agency‰??s (EPA) superfund program has been overseeing Dow‰??s cleanup of the site since 2012, and the last portion of the project was expected to be completed in 2021.
In the three-mile stretch of contamination closest to the Midland plant, Dow removed some sediment and placed a cap over other sediment.
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LAFD TO INSPECT VAPE, TOBACCO SHOPS AFTER DOWNTOWN EXPLOSION
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-20/l-a-fire-department-to-inspect-smoke-shops-after-downtown-explosion
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, butane
The Los Angeles Fire Department will launch a citywide review of the way certain businesses store volatile materials after an explosion seriously injured several firefighters in a downtown corridor that some consider a haven for supplies used in the creation of unlicensed cannabis products.
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said Tuesday that every fire station in Los Angeles would work to identify businesses similar to Smoke Tokes, an East 3rd Street wholesaler that went up in flames Saturday night.
An explosion there left a dozen firefighters injured, including several who were severely burned. Carbon dioxide and butane canisters were found inside the building, though investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, authorities said.
‰??Those types of businesses pose a threat to the people who work there, the public that goes there, and firefighters if they have to respond there,‰?? Terrazas said.
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'DOG TRAINING SPRAY' CAUSED HAZMAT SCARE: BALTIMORE COUNTY FIRE
https://patch.com/maryland/towson/chemical-release-prompts-hazmat-response-baltimore-county-fire
Tags: us_MD, industrial, explosion, injury, irritant, waste
COCKEYSVILLE, MD ‰?? Ten people had to be decontaminated after a can of dog training spray exploded at a Baltimore County recycling facility Wednesday morning while they were working, according to officials. The warehouse in Cockeysville was evacuated, and up to 20 people were evaluated for minor injuries, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department.
At 8:40 a.m., Baltimore County hazmat crews were called to a warehouse in the 10200 block of Beaver Dam Road that is part of the Baltimore County Central Acceptance facility.
Workers had been separating recyclables that had been collected curbside when a can ruptured as it was moving on a conveyor belt inside the 100,000-square-foot building, according to officials.
The building was evacuated, and Baltimore County hazmat crews ventilated the building.
Between 15 and 20 employees were evaluated by emergency medical personnel for exposure to the chemical substance, later determined to be a nonhazardous irritant that authorities described as a "can of dog training spray."
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STERIGENICS NAMED IN LAWSUIT CLAIMING 'ETHYLENE OXIDE POISONING'
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/sterigenics-named-in-lawsuit-claiming-ethylene-oxide-poisoning/85-ff3c6954-3599-4f08-85fe-f65a739fdc5e
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, injury, ethylene_oxide
ATLANTA ‰?? More than four dozen employees have filed a lawsuit, alleging a medical sterilization company and an associated company exposed them to dangerous levels of a known carcinogenic.
The suit, filed May 19 in Cobb County, names Sterigenics, its parent company, Sotera Health, ConMed and others as defendants, and seeks damages for alleged "ethylene-oxide poisoning."
Ethylene oxide, a chemical known to cause higher rates of cancer, is used by the company that specializes in the sterilization of medical equipment.
Sterigenics came under fire last summer after WebMD and Georgia Health News broke the story that the company - and another company, BD in Covington, Georgia - was releasing the chemical into the air, unbeknownst to Cobb County residents near the facility. According to WebMD, the EPA and state regulators never released information about high-risk spots across the country.
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EFFINGHAM FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO FIRE AT ADM
https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/local_news/effingham-firefighters-respond-to-fire-at-adm/article_4c2bf40c-9b00-11ea-976e-eb46850beca7.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, waste
The Effingham Fire Department was called to the scene of a possible commercial structure fire at ADM at 1200 McGrath Avenue at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.
According to Effingham Fire Department Chief Bob Tutko, a small fire started in a dumpster on the fifth floor of the ADM tower.
‰??Apparently, there was some kind of chemical chain reaction that caused a small fire,‰?? Tutko said. ‰??It was mostly smoke than any kind of flame.‰??
Tutko said firefighters only had to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire and didn't have to pull any hoses off of the firetrucks.
He said there was no smoke damage to the building.
He said employees safely exited the building after hearing the fire alarm. Seven firefighters were on the scene in addition to Tutko.
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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT INVESTIGATES AFTER RAIL CAR LEAK CLOSES SAINT JOHN HIGHWAY
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/department-environment-investigates-rail-car-235132744.html
Tags: Canada, transportation, release, response, sulfuric_acid
The Department of Environment is investigating after a leaking rail car filled with spent sulphuric acid from the Irving Oil refinery forced emergency crews to block off a 150-metre area in east Saint John for several hours Monday, including part of Highway 1.
Crews were called to the CN rail yard near Marsh Street around 3:30 p.m. after New Brunswick Southern Railway personnel noticed the liquid spilling from the top of a tanker, said deputy fire chief Mike Carr.
Sulphuric acid is corrosive and toxic, and the spent product from the refining process "may have other chemicals in it," he said.
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1 DEAD, 2 HURT IN POWDER-FUELED FIRE AT CHEMICAL LAB
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/1-Dead-2-Hurt-in-Powder-Fueled-Fire-at-Chemical-Lab-05-19-2020
Tags: Republic_of_Korea, laboratory, explosion, death, dust
One person was killed and two others received injuries during a fire Tuesday at a LG Chem Ltd. catalyst research lab in Seosan, South Korea. Coverage by several local and international news organizations stated that a powder material was involved in the blaze.
The fire is thought to have started in the site‰??s packing room at about 2:20 p.m. when air contacted alkylaluminium, a pyrophoric fine powder material, in a catalyst, fire officials told The Korea Herald. Crews managed to put out the flames by 3:30 p.m.
LG Chem said in a Reuters article that spontaneous ignition of powder led to the fire. Another account by South Korean news agency Yonhap said the catalyst exploded due to high pressure as it was being transported.
Following the fire, the facility was shut down as the company conducts an investigation into the cause of the incident.
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POTENTIAL EXPLOSION HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUTOCATALYTIC THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE AND ITS MIXTURES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00159
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, solvent
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used as a solvent for chemical reactions, as a cosolvent for crop protection formulations, and in medicines for topical administration of drugs. The potential explosion hazards associated with thermal decomposition of DMSO have been well-documented, with early reports dating back to the late 1950s. However, these explosion hazards are still underappreciated and inadequately communicated, as indicated by the fact that numerous severe accidents have occurred on both laboratory and industrial scales over the years. Differential scanning calorimetry studies show that decomposition of pure DMSO is detected at ca. 278 å¡C, while accelerating rate calorimetry analysis indicates that thermal decomposition of DMSO occurs at temperatures around its boiling point of 189 å¡C. Studies also show that the presence of certain substances can significantly lower the onset temperature of DMSO decomposition and also potentially increase the severity of the de!
composition reaction through autocatalytic behavior.
Further analysis of literature information indicates that there is a wide range of substances that exacerbate the thermal decomposition of DMSO, including acids, bases, halides, metals, electrophiles, oxidants, and reductants. This comprehensive review of explosion hazards associated with the thermal decomposition of DMSO and its mixtures will serve as an educational resource to alert researchers about the need to mitigate these hazards and to incentivize research toward its replacement with safer and greener solvents in the broader chemistry community.
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