From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2020 05:27:38 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 907A5AC3-45CA-49E1-A398-48B56DCA8511**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 5:27:18 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)

HAZMAT CLEARS BUILDING AFTER MAN FOUND DEAD AT NORTH FAIR OAKS BUSINESS
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

BENGALURU‰??S BAPUJINAGAR FIRE A WAKE-UP CALL
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, enviromental

‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰?? FOUND IN CHESAPEAKE SEAFOOD AND MARYLAND DRINKING WATER
Tags: us_md, public, discovery, enviromental, other_chemical

RELEASE OF KINETIC ENERGY RESULTS IN HAND CONTUSION AND LACERATION
Tags: us_ID, laboratory, follow-up, injury, metals

OHIOMET FIRE DESTROYS PLANT'S MAINTENANCE BUILDING
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL SPILL AT MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LAB LEADS TO DOZENS BEING EVACUATED
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

FIREFIGHTERS SOUND ALARM ABOUT TOXIC CHEMICALS IN PROTECTIVE SUITS, POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
Tags: us, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

GENERATING STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR THE MANIPULATION OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IN ACADEMIC LABORATORIES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental

BAGHJAN GAS WELL IN ASSAM SEALED FULLY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, natural_gas

DIWALI MISHAPS: 3 MAJOR FIRES IN FACTORIES IN LUDHIANA; NO CASUALTY REPORTED
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

POLICE TO INSPECT ALL CHEMICAL GODOWNS IN BENGALURU
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environment, illegal


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HAZMAT CLEARS BUILDING AFTER MAN FOUND DEAD AT NORTH FAIR OAKS BUSINESS
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/17/hazmat-clears-building-after-man-found-dead-at-north-fair-oaks-business/
Tags: us_ca, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical

NORTH FAIR OAKS ‰?? A hazardous materials team was called to sweep a North Fair Oaks business after a man was found dead amid industrial chemicals at a metal-working business early Tuesday, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff‰??s Office.

Someone called 911 around 7:30 a.m. at a business in the 800 block of Hurlingame Avenue to report the discovery of a deceased man. Sheriff‰??s spokesperson Rosemerry Blankswade said the presence of potentially toxic chemicals on site prompted them to call for a hazmat response.

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BENGALURU‰??S BAPUJINAGAR FIRE A WAKE-UP CALL
https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/second-edit/bengaluru-s-bapujinagar-fire-a-wake-up-call-916931.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, enviromental

The massive fire that broke out a few days ago at a factory in Bengaluru‰??s thickly populated Bapujinagar where chemicals required for the manufacture of sanitisers were stocked once again draws attention to the callousness toward the storage, transpo...

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‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰?? FOUND IN CHESAPEAKE SEAFOOD AND MARYLAND DRINKING WATER
https://www.bayjournal.com/news/fisheries/forever-chemicals-found-in-chesapeake-seafood-and-maryland-drinking-water/article_2aa7a82a-28fa-11eb-ac61-9f14273a6e14.html
Tags: us_md, public, discovery, enviromental, other_chemical

More testing has found so-called ‰??forever chemicals‰?? in a striped bass, blue crab and oyster from the Chesapeake Bay, as well as in drinking water from household taps in Maryland‰??s Montgomery County.

Laboratory analyses released by the nonprofit group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility detected 16 different per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the tissues of each type of seafood collected from Bay tributaries in Southern Maryland. Eleven different PFAS compounds were also detected in tapwater sampled from three homes in Montgomery County, the group reported.

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RELEASE OF KINETIC ENERGY RESULTS IN HAND CONTUSION AND LACERATION
https://opexshare.doe.gov/lesson.cfm/2020/11/17/37024/Release-of-Kinetic-Energy-Results-in-Hand-Contusion-and-Laceration
Tags: us_ID, laboratory, follow-up, injury, metals

In January 2020 a staff member received a contusion and laceration to his right hand while preparing to load test samples into a PNNL prototype piece of equipment that simulates years of material service life in a matter of months. The contusion and laceration occurred when the equipment's ~400 pound counterweight went into a free fall and connected with the impact driver the staff was holding, driving the tool's handle into the palm of the staff's right hand, which forced the back of his right hand into the metal test frame of the equipment.

An extensive review of the circumstances surrounding the event and resulting injuries revealed the project oversight relative to the operation of the laboratory equipment lacked clarity and accountability in whose role it was to conduct and oversee training. The review also found the project had not identified and documented all hazards, controls, and required mitigations and it was not adequately monitoring staff performance to verify the documentation reflected how the work was actually being performed. Read the full story in this Lessons Learned article.
Download Article

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OHIOMET FIRE DESTROYS PLANT'S MAINTENANCE BUILDING
https://chroniclet.com/news/242076/ohiomet-fire-destroys-plants-maintenance-building/
Tags: us_OH, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical

ELYRIA ‰?? A fire broke out at Ohio Metallurgical Service on Clark Street on Monday evening, destroying a maintenance building and causing as much as $1 million in damage before it was extinguished.

Crews were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. to find the building fully engulfed, and initial reports of at least one person still inside the building, Assistant Elyria Fire Chief Joe Pronesti said. All employees made it out of the building safely by the time firefighters arrived.

A supervisor said he was alerted to the fire when one of his employees came into his office and said there was smoke coming from the maintenance building. But when he first looked outside, it didn‰??t look that bad.

‰??My gut told me to evacuate,‰?? he said.

The company's workers stood across the street, watching the building burn before they were eventually sent home. Blue and pinkish flames were seen at the front of the building, and a small explosion that sent some onlookers running was caused by welding equipment stored in the building, officials said.

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CHEMICAL SPILL AT MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY LAB LEADS TO DOZENS BEING EVACUATED
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/dozens-evacuated-after-chemical-spill-at-melbourne-university-lab-20201117-p56fej.html
Tags: Australia, laboratory, release, response, unknown_chemical

More than 100 people have been evacuated from the University of Melbourne after a chemical spill at a research laboratory.

A Fire Rescue Victoria spokeswoman said about 20 firefighters, including specialist hazmat officers, were called to Grattan Street, Carlton, about 12.15pm on Tuesday and have brought the scene under control.


About 100 people have been evacuated from the University of Melbourne after a chemical spill.CREDIT:SIMON SCHLUTER

A University of Melbourne spokesman said the incident was triggered by a sprinkler system at the Kenneth Myer Building and in an area occupied by the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, which specialises in brain research.

"Water from the sprinkler system has mixed with cleaning materials in a washing facility on the 6th floor," the spokesman said.

"The building was evacuated as a precaution and is closed for cleaning and is expected to reopen tomorrow.

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FIREFIGHTERS SOUND ALARM ABOUT TOXIC CHEMICALS IN PROTECTIVE SUITS, POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
https://wsvn.com/news/special-reports/firefighters-sound-alarm-about-toxic-chemicals-in-protective-suits-potential-health-risks/
Tags: us, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical

Two dozen California firefighters are suing manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, over the PFAS chemical being used in their gear and firefighting foam.

The lawsuit alleges the companies ‰??for decades ‰?| were aware of the harmful impact these substances have on human health,‰?? and they sold it ‰??without ever informing firefighters.‰??

3M sent a statement to 7News: ‰??3M acted responsibly in connection with products containing PFAS and will vigorously defend our record of environmental stewardship.‰??

DuPont has not yet responded.

Ed Kelly, International Association of Fire Fighters Union: ‰??Obviously, we are very upset.‰??

The country‰??s largest firefighter‰??s union is now calling for change.

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GENERATING STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR THE MANIPULATION OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IN ACADEMIC LABORATORIES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00092
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental

Generating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for high-risk chemical processes where toxic, pyrophoric, self-reactive, or energetic materials are used is necessary for academic research safety. When such chemicals are used, the highest level of safety must be employed. The SOP development process provides an opportunity to determine what the reaction setup requirements are, identify potentially unsafe conditions, decide how to properly manage unwanted materials, and perform an overall hazard assessment. Here, we provide suggestions for what SOPs should be developed in academic research institutions and an SOP example for the Grignard reaction (Supporting Information). Developing a complete, shareable library of SOPs, covering common experiments to highly complex techniques, is essential. We strongly believe that the use of well-reasoned and well-written SOPs helps ensure that safe laboratory practices are followed and helps enhance the overall safety culture in academic re!
search departments.

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BAGHJAN GAS WELL IN ASSAM SEALED FULLY
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam-gas-well-killed-fire-fully-doused-after-over-five-months/article33102661.ece
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, natural_gas

Indian and foreign experts on Sunday ‰??killed‰?? a disastrous well of Oil India Limited (OIL) in eastern Assam‰??s Tinsukia district, 173 days after it had a blowout, ejecting natural gas and associated elements uncontrollably from a depth of 3.7 km.

The blowout began at Well No 5 in OIL‰??s Baghjan Oilfield, adjoining the ecologically fragile Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, on May 27. To make matters worse, the well caught fire on June 9.

Also read: Process to kill blowout well begins in Assam

‰??The well has been killed with brine solution and is under control now. Fire has been doused completely,‰?? an OIL spokesperson said from the exploration major‰??s headquarters at Duliajan in the neighbouring Dibrugarh district.

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DIWALI MISHAPS: 3 MAJOR FIRES IN FACTORIES IN LUDHIANA; NO CASUALTY REPORTED
https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/3-major-fires-in-factories-no-casualty/story-K1zaUzVRz6aMf6WkTKVXoI.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

While city residents celebrated Diwali on Saturday by bursting crackers at large, the fire brigade remained on its toes with 33 fire incidents being reported from the district.

Major fires were reported from three factories in the city. Goods and machinery worth lakhs were gutted; but no casualty was reported.

The fires broke out at a blanket unit in Seera village near Rahon road, a hosiery unit on Tibba road and an oil and chemical factory at Pahwa village of Sahnewal area.

At Seera Road, flames ravaged a blanket and shawl manufacturing unit. The fire broke out at around 5.30pm and four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The operation to douse the flames continued for around three hours and no casualty was reported. However, material and machinery worth lakhs perished. The unit was closed when the fire broke out and officials suspect a short circuit.

Flames also engulfed a hosiery unit on Tibba Road at around 9.15pm. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot. No casualty was reported but the fire brigade faced problems as a large number of labourers gathered at the spot.

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POLICE TO INSPECT ALL CHEMICAL GODOWNS IN BENGALURU
https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/police-to-inspect-all-chemical-godowns-in-bengaluru-915998.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environment, illegal

Police will check all chemical factories/warehouses in residential areas.

In a circular on Saturday, Bengaluru police chief Kamal Pant instructed the beat police to conduct a survey to identify chemical warehouses operating in their jurisdiction.

All papers to be checked

If any warehouse appears to be illegal, the beat police should check their documents, such as the requisite permissions from the explosive department, the fire and emergency services department and the pollution control board.
They should also check the prescribed safety measures inside these units and submit a report to the police inspector concerned. Senior police officers should notify the department concerned in case any violations are found.

The direction came days after a massive explosion in an illegal chemical factory warehouse located in Hosaguddadahalli, Mysuru Road, killing a worker.

Five buildings, five cars, one Tempo Traveller and two motorbikes were burnt completely.

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