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From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (13 articles)
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2020 06:11:04 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: FBB349ED-BB72-4E9D-B4E0-C9B306139E7F**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at 6:10:47 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 (13 articles)
HAZMAT TEAM CLEANS UP NITRIC ACID SPILL IN STERLING
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO FUMIGANT LEAK ABOARD SHIP AT PORT TARANAKI
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, pesticides
WORKER SERIOUSLY HURT IN CHEMICAL BLAST AT INDUSTRIAL SITE
Tags: uk, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
CLEANING NOTRE DAME 'WITH LIGHT': EXPERT SAYS LASERS WILL HELP RESTORE CATHEDRAL TO FORMER GLORY
Tags: France, public, follow-up, environmental, dust, lead
GUJARAT: VILLAGERS SHIFTED AFTER FIRE IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN PANCHMAHAL
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, plastics
3 DEAD AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
FILIPINO WORKER DIES IN DRUG FIRM BLAZE
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, explosion, death, drugs
FIRE IN CHEMICAL UNIT TRIGGERS PANIC
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
LELAND STREET HOMES POLLUTED BY GENERAL CHEMICAL ARE BEING DEMOLISHED
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste
AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO AMMONIA LEAK AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS BUILDING
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, ammonia
A REVIEW OF THE LD50 AND ITS CURRENT ROLE IN HAZARD COMMUNICATION
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
3 PFAS DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST PROMISING, US EPA SAYS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, waste
RESIDENTS EVACUATED DURING FIRE WITH MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS IN WEST CENTRAL FRESNO
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
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HAZMAT TEAM CLEANS UP NITRIC ACID SPILL IN STERLING
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/22/metro/hazmat-team-cleans-up-nitric-acid-spill-sterling/?event=event12
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, nitric_acid
A hazmat team was contacted after nitric acid was found leaking from a truck unit in Sterling Tuesday morning, fire officials said.
Shortly after 9 a.m., firefighters and officers responded to a report of a hazardous materials spill at Rafferty Aluminum & Steel on Spratt Technology Way, according to a statement from the Sterling Fire Department.
Upon arrival, crews found a box-style trailer truck unit leaking nitric acid, the statement said. Crews contained the spill and contacted the Massachusetts Hazmat Team, initiating a tier 2 response.
Two neighboring businesses were evacuated as a precaution, fire officials said. As of 1:20 p.m., crews remained on scene cleaning up the spill.
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FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO FUMIGANT LEAK ABOARD SHIP AT PORT TARANAKI
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/123798678/firefighters-called-to-fumigant-leak-aboard-ship-at-port-taranaki
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, pesticides
An investigation has been launched after firefighters were called to a potentially explosive chemical leak on board a ship docked at Port Taranaki.
Emergency services were called about 2.10am, with two fire engines from the New Plymouth brigade and one from New Plymouth West responding, when crew aboard logging ship the Luenho raised concerns about the smell of fumigant aluminium phosphide.
New Plymouth fire brigade senior station officer Jason Crowe confirmed firefighters were initially called after ‰??high levels‰?? of a fumigant gas were detected aboard the ship.
Crowe said firefighters liaised with the ship‰??s captain and port security. They remained at the scene for about half an hour but didn‰??t need to board the vessel.
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WORKER SERIOUSLY HURT IN CHEMICAL BLAST AT INDUSTRIAL SITE
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/industrial-fires-explosions/worker-seriously-hurt-chemical-blast-industrial-site
Tags: uk, industrial, explosion, injury, waste
Emergency personnel were dispatched to a waste treatment facility in Cadishead, England on Tuesday after a chemical explosion occurred that left a worker with serious injuries, local news organizations reported.
The blast at the Cleansing Services Group (CSG) site was reported to officials at about 11:15 a.m., coverage by The Manchester Evening News said. Crews responded to the site and found a 40-year-old man was seriously burned on his hands and face.
‰??We can confirm that there was an incident at our Cadishead specialist waste treatment facility and one person was injured. Currently we await information on their condition,‰?? a company spokesperson told the newspaper. ‰??Police, ambulance, and fire teams attended, and the Health and Safety Executive has been informed. We are cooperating fully with their investigations.‰??
Firefighters closed the area off as they worked to ensure that other buildings and hazardous materials at the facility were secure, according to an account by ITV. People living near the plant told the news broadcaster that they heard a loud explosion at the time of the incident.
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CLEANING NOTRE DAME 'WITH LIGHT': EXPERT SAYS LASERS WILL HELP RESTORE CATHEDRAL TO FORMER GLORY
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/12/21/notre-dame-cathedral-lasers
Tags: France, public, follow-up, environmental, dust, lead
Restoring Notre Dame has led to new discoveries about the cathedral, such as that it‰??s not perfectly symmetrical, she says. And workers have reached the cathedral‰??s vaults for the first time in hundreds of years.
‰??No one had actually seen the top of this cathedral close up until now,‰?? she says. ‰??The fire, ironically, as tragic as it was, has become an absolute lesson for a whole range of different artisans and scholars.‰??
The lead roof melted in the fire, and dust coated the entire area. The schools and other buildings in the surrounding area ‰?? one of the oldest parts of Paris ‰?? were decontaminated after the fire.
Researchers believe there‰??s a large amount of lead contamination inside the building, she says. When Walt went inside Notre Dame after the fire, she had to wear a hazmat suit and shower upon leaving.
‰??Every single thing that touches the cathedral cannot be taken back out on the street,‰?? she says. ‰??So they're very, very serious about the lead pollution.‰??
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GUJARAT: VILLAGERS SHIFTED AFTER FIRE IN CHEMICAL FACTORY IN PANCHMAHAL
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/baroda/villagers-shifted-after-fire-in-chemical-factory-7113905/
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, plastics
Nearly 700 residents of Nandarkha village in Kalol taluka of Panchmahals district were shifted to a primary school after a fire broke out at a chemical factory located in the periphery of the village on Monday afternoon.
The fire broke out in the polymers manufacturing section of the plant, leading to thick black smoke due to carbon dioxide emission. However, no casualties were reported, authorities said.
Panchmahals District Collector Amit Arora told The Indian Express that 23 people were in the polymer plant when fire broke out. As nine fire tenders rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control, close to 700 villagers from the Nandarkha village, located about 800 metres away from the site were shifted to a safer location.
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3 DEAD AFTER CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
https://www.powderbulksolids.com/industrial-fires-explosions/3-dead-after-chemical-explosion
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
Three people died in a chemical plant explosion in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Saturday.
The accident occurred just before 1 a.m. Saturday in a workshop of a chemical company in the city of Anda. The blast and ensuing fire left four people injured, including two seriously, according to municipal government officials.
The rescue mission ended just before 4 a.m. after the two missing people were found.
An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion.
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FILIPINO WORKER DIES IN DRUG FIRM BLAZE
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/12/22/2003749159
Tags: Taiwan, industrial, explosion, death, drugs
Shares of drug developer SCI Pharmtech Inc (SCI, ¾?-Œø?e`£1Ú2e`?´) yesterday plunged by their daily limit to NT$112 after a fire broke out on Sunday at the company‰??s plant in Taoyuan‰??s Lujhu District (e`??çÇ1), killing a Filipino worker and causing about NT$800 million (US$28.05 million) in losses.
The fire began at about noon when the production lines were processing chemical solutions, the Taoyuan-based company said.
Because of the chemicals stored in the plant and strong winds, sporadic explosions occurred and the blaze soon spread to the factories of four other companies.
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FIRE IN CHEMICAL UNIT TRIGGERS PANIC
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/fire-in-chemical-unit-triggers-panic/articleshow/79844011.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Vadodara: A major fire broke out in a company making a series of chemicals at Popatpura near Godhra on Monday forenoon. Residents of nearby villages had to vacate their homes as a series of explosions were heard along with the fire.
The fire broke out at around 11.30am at Kusa Chemicals Pvt Ltd‰??s plant one where it manufactures lubricant oil additives. Firemen from across municipalities of Panchmahal district as well as those from private industries located in the nearby areas were rushed to douse the fire.
Ishwar Patel, who is the promoter of the factory, told media persons that the plant was making additives since 35 years. He added that the safety systems of the factory were turned on as soon as the fire broke out and all concerned departments were informed about the incident.
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LELAND STREET HOMES POLLUTED BY GENERAL CHEMICAL ARE BEING DEMOLISHED
https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/2020/12/21/demo-begins-polluted-vacant-leland-street-homes-framingham-general-chemical/3992038001/
Tags: us_MA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste
The demolition of four Leland Street homes abandoned after they were polluted by defunct hazardous-waste management company General Chemical began Monday.
The blighted homes have stood for years as a painful reminder of the devastation wrought on the Southside neighborhood by cancer-causing contaminants that spread underground from General Chemical, which spilled, leaked and possibly dumped the dangerous chemicals it handled on its Leland Street property for decades.
When the contamination reached the houses, located downhill from General Chemical, residents were forced to move out. Since then, the vacant homes have steadily decayed. Windows were smashed. Trash accumulated. Brambles grew up around the homes' foundations.
The demolition, which is being conducted by New Hampshire Demolition, began after Framingham Building Commissioner Michael Tusino issued a demolition permit on Monday.
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AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO AMMONIA LEAK AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS BUILDING
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-fire-department-responds-to-ammonia-leak-at-university-of-texas-building/
Tags: us_TX, laboratory, release, response, ammonia
AUSTIN (KXAN) ‰?? The Austin Fire Department responded to the University of Texas campus Monday afternoon for an ammonia leak.
The Hazmat Taskforce was sent to 200 East Dean Keeton Street around 4:12 p.m., according to AFD. That‰??s the location of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering.
UT said the situation is all clear. At 4:30 p.m., the school said a small ammonia leak was found and contained. Austin Fire crews allowed people to reenter the building.
UT said there is no ongoing threat to the area or campus.
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A REVIEW OF THE LD50 AND ITS CURRENT ROLE IN HAZARD COMMUNICATION
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00096
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
There is a vital safety requirement to appropriately warn users of chemical products that have acute hazards. As there is a very large amount and wide variety of chemical products, there is also a need to generalize acute hazards of chemicals so they can be reduced to a standardized, simple warning that can be found on a safety datasheet or product label. Acute lethality provides one simple, generalized indicator of the toxicity of a chemical product. The acute lethality hazard is typically determined using the LD50 which is defined as the median dose predicted to kill 50% of a given test population. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the LD50, including its history, the current studies used to develop it, and its integrated role in hazard communication. Continual improvement in animal welfare and reduction in animal costs has been one of the primary drivers of change for the LD50 and its regulatory integration. There are currently several well-established a!
nimal testing protocols designed to minimize the number of animals needed to produce an LD50 estimate that is sufficient for acute toxicity hazard communication. The utility of these animal testing protocols is further enhanced by ongoing regulatory adoption of The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) that integrates LD50 data into a common hazard communication language. GHS can allow for multiple regulatory agencies to enforce a single and consistent hazard communication for a chemical or mixture without requiring new animal testing. This paper reviews the current progress and limitations of LD50 integration with GHS as well as approaches that can be taken to better streamline integration.
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3 PFAS DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST PROMISING, US EPA SAYS
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/3-PFAS-disposal-technologies-promising/98/web/2020/12
Tags: public, discovery, environmental, waste
Three technologies offer the best potential for disposing of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) while keeping these ‰??forever chemicals‰?? out of the environment, the US Environmental Protection Agency says.
PFAS are synthetic compounds that resist heat, harsh chemical conditions, or moisture, and they have broad applications in industry and society. Those same properties mean that they don‰??t readily degrade in the environment, creating a challenge when it comes time for disposal.
Burning PFAS as hazardous waste to destroy the chemicals is one of the three technologies the EPA suggests in interim guidance issued Dec. 18. Commercial incinerators, cement kilns, and lightweight aggregate kilns ‰??can potentially achieve temperatures and residence times sufficient to break apart the PFAS contained in the waste stream being thermally treated,‰?? according to the guidance.
But this technology has a big unknownå-‰??what‰??s emitted into the air when these facilities burn PFAS. The EPA says it is gathering information to determine whether these facilities can adequately control potential products of incomplete combustion, including novel PFAS that could form during burning.
A second disposal technology the EPA selected is placing PFAS waste into landfills. Hazardous waste landfills that have extensive pollution controls, such as double liners, leak detection, and collection and treatment of leachate, are more effective at keeping PFAS waste out of the environment than municipal solid waste landfills, the guidance says.
Disposal of PFAS in landfills also has significant unknowns, the EPA says. These include how PFAS waste might interact with and affect the integrity of landfill liners and whether these chemicals might escape from landfills into the atmosphere.
The third technology is disposing of liquid PFAS into deep injection wells. However, a limited number of these disposal wells accept PFAS waste and the cost of transporting liquid waste to them could render this option impractical, the EPA says.
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RESIDENTS EVACUATED DURING FIRE WITH MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS IN WEST CENTRAL FRESNO
https://abc30.com/fire-west-central-fresno/8923622/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fire crews spent hours Sunday morning battling a massive fire that included several explosions in west central Fresno.
The flames broke out at Highway 99 and Olive just after midnight.
By the time they got there, the flames had spread through a storage yard and caused several tanks of some sort of fuel to explode.
Crews called for a second-alarm and began an aggressive attack on the fire while working to keep nearby buildings safe.
"At that point, they went defensive, started evacuating all the nearby structures and hotels to protect everyone in the event that it spread faster," says Shane Brown with the Fresno Fire Department.
Firefighters kept the flames from damaging any nearby buildings or homes.
Hazmat teams are still on scene Sunday morning and cleaning up the damage left behind by the flames.
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