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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2020 07:40:59 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 662C179F-0BD5-46A3-A999-33D17A254925**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 19, 2020 at 7:40:46 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 (11 articles)
WHY BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERTS KEEP HAVING TO BLOW THINGS UP ON THIS GOWER BEACH
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, environmental, bomb, waste
KCFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK ON HWY. 99
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL REACTION DURING SINK CLEANING FORCES EVACUATION OF OAKMONT NURSING HOME
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, cleaners
WORKER BURNED IN FLASH FIRE AT GEORGIA PYROTECHNIC PLANT
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, fireworks
FIRE CREWS CLEAR UP MERCURY SPILL ON THEOBALDS ROAD, LEIGH
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, response, mercury
SEMI LEAKING ON I-75 N IN FRANKLIN; HAZMAT TEAM CALLED
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ammonium_nitrate
WHITTIER SCHOOL FIRE RULED UNINTENTIONAL, CAUSED BY OIL-SOAKED RAGS
Tags: us_IL, education, fire, response, waste
MICHIGAN COLLECTS 30K GALLONS OF TOXIC PFAS FIREFIGHTING FOAM
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, waste
FIRE ENGINES USED FOR SANITIZING WORKS ARE NOW DYSFUNCTIONAL
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, environmental, bleach
CHEMICAL FIRE STARTS AT POOL BUSINESS IN GAINESVILLE
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, response, cleaners
CHEMISTRY HELPS RECONSTRUCT THE ORIGIN OF 2017 RUTHENIUM PLUME
Tags: Russia, industrial, follow-up, environmental, radiation
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WHY BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERTS KEEP HAVING TO BLOW THINGS UP ON THIS GOWER BEACH
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/bomb-disposal-experts-keep-having-18433139
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, explosion, environmental, bomb, waste
Another controlled explosion has been carried out at a Gower beach. Bomb disposal units and the Oxwich Coastguard Rescue Team were called to Whiteford Sands on Monday morning after a suspicious object was discovered.
A member of the public came across the suspected ordnance at around 7am before raising the alarm.
The explosive ordnance disposal team examined the object before carrying out a controlled explosion on the beach.
But the first explosion was not successful, meaning a larger charge had to be used in order to dispose of the item.
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KCFD RESPONDS TO CHEMICAL LEAK ON HWY. 99
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/kcfd-responding-to-chemical-leak-on-hwy-99/
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) ‰?? The Kern County Fire Department responded to a chemical leak on northbound Highway 99 just north of Lerdo Highway this morning.
The department said a box trailer was carrying a container with a small amount of liquid chemicals. However, KCFD said the liquid did not pose a threat to the environment or public.
Traffic was impacted due to the spill, causing some lane closures.
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CHEMICAL REACTION DURING SINK CLEANING FORCES EVACUATION OF OAKMONT NURSING HOME
https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/dozens-ambulances-respond-oakmont-nursing-home/IA3OIAK5RNA2PPDFDCIUX2VHHE/
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response, cleaners
OAKMONT, Pa. ‰?? A chemical reaction while cleaning a clogged sink led to the evacuation of a nursing home in Oakmont.
According to Allegheny County emergency officials, maintenance workers were putting drain cleaner into a clogged slop sink. There was a chemical reaction and it started fuming.
This happened just after 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon at Oakmont Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on Ann Street.
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WORKER BURNED IN FLASH FIRE AT GEORGIA PYROTECHNIC PLANT
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/worker-burned-in-flash-fire-at-georgia-pyrotechnic-plant
Tags: us_GA, industrial, explosion, injury, fireworks
BYRON, Ga. - An explosion and flash fire badly burned the head, face and hands of a worker at a pyrotechnic plant in Georgia, an official said.
The unidentified employee at Pyrotechnic Specialties, Inc. in Byron was airlifted Wednesday to a hospital in Atlanta to be treated for the burns, Peach County Fire Chief Jeff Doles told news outlets. The worker‰??s condition wasn‰??t immediately released.
The man was injured while turning potassium nitrate into pellets, Doles said. The chemical is used in fireworks, rocket propellants, gun powder and more.
This isn‰??t the first time a worker has been injured at the plant, news outlets reported. In 2016, an employee was hurt in an explosion, and a subsequent investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found seven violations that resulted in a more than $176,000 fine.
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FIRE CREWS CLEAR UP MERCURY SPILL ON THEOBALDS ROAD, LEIGH
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18524202.fire-crews-clear-mercury-spill-theobalds-road-leigh/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, response, mercury
Fire crews have removed a mercury spill in Leigh.
The mercury spill, a toxic and poisonous substance which is used in thermometers, was cleared by firefighters this afternoon on Theobalds Road.
One team, dressed in Hazmat suits, attended the scene at around 2.45pm.
A spokesman said: "Firefighters were called to a mercury spill in Leigh-on-Sea earlier today.
"On arrival, crews confirmed a small amount of mercury had been spilled and used a mercury spill kit to make the area safe by 2:47pm."
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SEMI LEAKING ON I-75 N IN FRANKLIN; HAZMAT TEAM CALLED
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/semi-leaking-franklin-hazmat-team-called/BiGTHBXVJhSarIpH1Br3sL/
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, ammonium_nitrate
FRANKLIN ‰??
A hazardous materials team was called Wednesday afternoon for a semi leaking liquid on Interstate 75.
The semi was hauling urea ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, and a small amount of that was believed to have spilled on north I-75, south of exit 38 in Franklin, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol‰??s Lebanon Post.The leak was reported around 3:15 p.m. and had the right two lanes blocked, but it has since been cleared.The Franklin Fire Department is on scene, and the highway patrol said protocol also required that a hazmat team respond even though the leak was small.
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WHITTIER SCHOOL FIRE RULED UNINTENTIONAL, CAUSED BY OIL-SOAKED RAGS
https://week.com/2020/06/17/whittier-school-fire-ruled-unintentional-caused-by-oil-soaked-rags/
Tags: us_IL, education, fire, response, waste
Discarded, oil-soaked rags are the cause behind a fire at Whittier Primary School at 12:24 a.m. Wednesday.
According to a release, workers discarded used rags in a plastic garbage can containing combustible items.
The combination of heat being given off by the drying, oil-soaked rags and oxygen caused them to spontaneously ignite and catch the contents of the garbage can on fire.
Fire Department Division Chief Stanley Taylor said proper disposal of rags containing oil, gasoline, linseed, mineral spirits or stains includes placing them in a metal can with a proper fitting lid.
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MICHIGAN COLLECTS 30K GALLONS OF TOXIC PFAS FIREFIGHTING FOAM
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/06/michigan-collects-30k-gallons-of-toxic-pfas-firefighting-foam.html
Tags: us_MI, public, discovery, environmental, waste
LANSING, MI ‰?? More than 30,000 gallons of toxic fluorochemical foam has been collected from municipal fire departments and commercial airports in Michigan in an effort that state officials believe is the nation‰??s largest collection and disposal program of its type.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the state fire marshal‰??s office announced the milestone for their per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, foam disposal program on Wednesday, June 16.
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FIRE ENGINES USED FOR SANITIZING WORKS ARE NOW DYSFUNCTIONAL
https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/fire-engines-used-for-sanitizing-works-are-now-dysfunctional-1.4840178
Tags: India, industrial, discovery, environmental, bleach
Thiruvananthapuram: Many of the fire engines which were used to sanitize various places during the COVID-19 times are now in a totally damaged condition. As the vehicles were used to pump the chemical solution instead of water, they became useless.
The Fire Force chief requested the Disaster Management Authority to grant Rs 2 crore for maintenance works. Meanwhile, the local bodies are in a dilemma after it was decided not to use fire engines for sanitizing.
When sodium hypochlorite solution was diluted in a particular proportion and sprayed using the engine as part of sanitizing, the pressure relief system and nozzle of the vehicle was damaged. Many vehicles turned completely useless.
65 fire engines damaged; 25 useless
Among the fire engines used for sanitizing works, 65 were damaged due to rusting and other reasons. Though some of them were repaired, 25 of them were completely damaged.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL FIRE STARTS AT POOL BUSINESS IN GAINESVILLE
https://mycbs4.com/news/local/chemical-fire-starts-at-pool-business-in-gainesville
Tags: us_FL, public, fire, response, cleaners
Gainesville, Fla. ‰?? Gainesville Fire Rescue crews responded to a business on NW 13th Street for a reported chemical fire Wednesday afternoon.
Crews arrived at 12:15 p.m. to Family Pool and Spa, located at 4404 NW 13th St., and had the fire under control by 12:26. District Chief Don Campbell says the fire started from two or more pool cleaners mixing together.
Once the fire was under control, crews worked to ensure the smoke and chemical plume didn't spread. A hazmat team checked the surrounding area and found the chemicals did not leave the premises of the business.
While the structure of the building itself was not damaged, some of the contents inside were. Chief Campbell says the business will remain closed for now.
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CHEMISTRY HELPS RECONSTRUCT THE ORIGIN OF 2017 RUTHENIUM PLUME
https://cen.acs.org/analytical-chemistry/mass-spectrometry/Chemistry-helps-reconstruct-origin-2017/98/i24
Tags: Russia, industrial, follow-up, environmental, radiation
In the fall of 2017, a cloud of radioactive ruthenium slowly spread across Europe, moving from east to west. Levels of the radioactive element weren‰??t high enough to pose a health hazard, but officials were still alarmed. It‰??s taken a long time to piece together what happened, but new evidence published this month suggests the Ru was released after a fire or explosion during processing of spent fuel from a Russian plant.
Reconstructing the path of the radioisotope cloud led French and German radiation protection agencies back to the Mayak reprocessing facility in the Southern Urals in Russia. But Rosatom, Russia‰??s nuclear energy corporation, denied these findings. So a group of scientific detectives started trying to crack the case.
In 2019, Leibniz University Hannover chemist Georg Steinhauser and colleagues examined radioactive isotopes captured in different countries during the 2017 incident. They showed that the plume probably came from spent nuclear fuel that was processed when much younger than normal. This suggested to Steinhauser that the fuel might be related to efforts at Mayak to create cerium-144: Mayak had taken and then canceled such an order.
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