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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 7:51:51 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 (6 articles)
BEXAR COUNTY HAZMAT TEAMS RESPOND TO HUNT CHLORINE LEAK
Tags: us_tx, public, release, response, chlorine
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS LIKELY CAUSE OF INDUSTRIAL PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_wa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
STOCKPILES OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS ARE BEING STORED MUCH LONGER THAN REQUIRED: FEDERAL AUDIT
Tags: canada, public, discovery, environmental
CLEANUP CONTINUES AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN LILBURN SPARKS CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_ga, transportation, fire, response, ethanol
100-YEAR-OLD REFRIGERATOR CAUSES CHEMICAL LEAK IN ROCKVILLE
Tags: us_md, public, release, response, sulfur_dioxide
ARKEMA MOVES FORWARD WITH CROSBY PLANT REOPENING, AFTER HARVEY CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_tx, industrial, follow-up, enviromental, other_chenical
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BEXAR COUNTY HAZMAT TEAMS RESPOND TO HUNT CHLORINE LEAK
https://www.hccommunityjournal.com/article_e7465028-0d87-11eb-869e-a3055622596e.html
Tags: us_tx, public, release, response, chlorine
Bexar County hazmat teams, representing multiple fire departments,responded to a home on Cave Springs Drive in Hunt after a chlorine leak was reported Tuesday morning.
According to Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas, a resident in the area could smell a chemical in the air and called for assistance.
Thomas said Kerr County has had a mutual aid agreement with Bexar County for decades, so he called for assistance from the specialized team.
"This is a 30-year old chlorine tank," Thomas said. "It appears the cap has rusted through."
Thomas said the Bexar County firefighters were donning protective gear to approach the tank and replace or repair the cap to stop the leak.
Once firefighters are able to contain the leak in the tank, another set of professionals will arrive to remove the tank completely.
According to Thomas, he is working the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for guidance throughout the event.
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MECHANICAL PROBLEMS LIKELY CAUSE OF INDUSTRIAL PLANT FIRE
https://apnews.com/article/fires-tacoma-explosions-c4f6a5c0b667989b90da869d6fef9aec
Tags: us_wa, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) ‰?? Mechanical problems at a Tacoma industrial plant are the likely cause for a fire that triggered explosions and spewed toxic chemicals into the air early Sunday.
KING-TV reports it took several hours for Tacoma firefighters to put the fire out but a special Hazmat Team that prepares for these types of fires helped minimize the impact on the environment and made sure nobody got hurt.
The cause is believed to be a mechanical failure with a supply line and a valve, although investigators say the final report isn‰??t ready. They believe preparation and training kept this volatile from being much worse.
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STOCKPILES OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS ARE BEING STORED MUCH LONGER THAN REQUIRED: FEDERAL AUDIT
https://www.mayerthorpefreelancer.com/news/canada/stockpiles-of-dangerous-chemicals-are-being-stored-much-longer-than-required-federal-audit/wcm/0f0a7f87-c29c-4917-87d8-5f1bdd57e4f1
Tags: canada, public, discovery, environmental
OTTAWA ‰?? Five years after an audit warned that the Canada Border Services Agency wasn‰??t properly managing stockpiles of dangerous chemicals a followup audit shows most problems haven‰??t been fixed, even as the agency has to deal with increasing amounts of toxic products.
‰??The control and disposal of seized goods, including precursor chemicals, is a long-standing issue for the CBSA,‰?? begins an internal audit report dated September 2019 but published on CBSA‰??s website last week.
As part of its mandate, the federal agency is tasked with detecting and controlling imports of certain highly toxic substances called precursor chemicals.
Though these are often used for legitimate products such as pharmaceuticals and fertilizers, they can also be used to manufacture illegal drugs such as methamphetamines, MDMA or GHB, the ‰??date-rape drug.‰??
When the CBSA seizes any quantity of precursor chemicals illegally imported into Canada, federal law requires it to hold and store it for 90 days. In most cases, the chemicals then need to be disposed.
But auditors noted that that rarely happens, and that in some areas, the dangerous chemicals were stored for two and a half years on average. In one case, seized products sat in CBSA storage for 1,681 days, or more than four and a half years.
The auditors took note of particularly sizeable stockpiles of six illegal products in various regions across Canada, but that information is redacted.
‰??The primary risk with the precursor chemicals currently stockpiled by the Agency is the degrading state of their plastic storage containers, which can lead to leaks, spills, residues and danger to staff health and safety,‰?? the report reads.
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CLEANUP CONTINUES AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN LILBURN SPARKS CHEMICAL FIRE
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/cleanup-continues-after-train-derailment-in-lilburn-sparks-chemical-fire
Tags: us_ga, transportation, fire, response, ethanol
LILBURN, Ga. - Investigators believe the heavy rains late Saturday night led to an early morning train derailment and chemical fire in Lilburn. CSX crews spent the Sunday evening cleaning up the major derailment after firefighters cleared the scene of any hazards.
It happened around 1:45 a.m. Sunday and sparked a chemical fire that forced the evacuation of a square mile along the track between Camp Creek Road SW and Harmony Grove Road. Lilburn police went door-to-door evacuating homes for several hours.
A pinkish-orange plume of smoke could be seen coming from the area of the fire.
"It‰??s been very difficult to track which wind direction as we're dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Delta. So, we're constantly seeing wind directions change as we continue in this incident," Gwinnett County Fire Rescue‰??s Lt. Justin Wilson said about the challenge of the evacuation.
.....
Fire officials released this drone video of a survey of the scene of a train derailment that led to a chemical fire in Lilburn during the early morning hours of Oct. 11, 2020.
Drone video revealed the crisscrossed mess authorities will spend the next few days untangling after a washed-out track derailed 37 CSX rail cars and two CSX locomotives.
CSX officials confirmed at least two cars carried ethanol which leaked from the accident.
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100-YEAR-OLD REFRIGERATOR CAUSES CHEMICAL LEAK IN ROCKVILLE
https://www.mymcmedia.org/100-year-old-refrigerator-causes-chemical-leak-in-rockville/
Tags: us_md, public, release, response, sulfur_dioxide
Montgomery County firefighters responded to a chemical leak Sunday evening in Rockville caused by a refrigerator from the 1920s.
Occupants of a single-family home were moving an old refrigerator in the basement when the coolant began to leak, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Chief Spokesman Pete Piringer.
First responders evacuated the three people in the home located in the 1900 block of Lewis Avenue. The residents were evaluated, and it was determined that they had not suffered any injuries or illnesses. The Hazardous Materials (HazMat) unit responded to the scene and further assessed the 1920s-era refrigerator upon entry.
Several firefighters were evaluated for potential exposure to the unknown chemical, later believed to be sulfur dioxide, according to Piringer. Two firefighters were transported to the local hospital as a precaution.
‰??Sulfur dioxide, an old-timey refrigerant, absorbs a lot of heat in evaporation & dissolves oil well, but it‰??s toxic & (somewhat) reactive,‰?? said Piringer in a tweet. ‰??70-80 years ago, SO2 was used in one of the earliest electric refrigerators. It‰??s not used today because of toxicity concerns.‰??
The HazMat team removed the refrigerator, and the home was ventilated. MCFRS has not provided any further updates at this time.
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ARKEMA MOVES FORWARD WITH CROSBY PLANT REOPENING, AFTER HARVEY CHEMICAL FIRE
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2020/10/12/383733/arkema-still-working-to-reopen-its-crosby-plant-after-chemical-fire-during-hurricane-harvey/
Tags: us_tx, industrial, follow-up, enviromental, other_chenical
French chemical manufacturer Arkema is still working to resume operations at its Crosby plant, more than three years after a major chemical fire that broke out there during Hurricane Harvey.
A spokeswoman for Arkema said they've been working to repair flood damage and meet Harris County permit requirements.
The plant was not previously in compliance with Harris County floodplain regulations, and they have to meet these permit requirements prior to reopening, according to the Harris County Attorney's Office, which filed a civil lawsuit against the company.
"They had been operating for decades without any permits for floodplain development," said Rock Owens, who heads the County Attorney's Environmental Division.
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