Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
From: CHAS imap account <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (20 articles)
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2021 06:13:55 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: A0FDF791-5D88-4843-BED2-F47E53E8E81C**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, February 19, 2021 at 6:13:39 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 (20 articles)
WATER LEAK CAUSES CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTH BOSTON PARKING GARAGE
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydraulic_fluid
RUTLAND SOLID WASTE DISTRICT FINED $37,000 FOR MISHANDLING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Tags: us_VT, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste, illegal
RESIDENTS ORDERED TO STAY INDOORS AFTER CHEMICALS FOUND ON BRENNAN COURT, OLDHAM
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
FORD LOSES TRACK OF DANGEROUS AIR BAGS, FORCING 2 RECALLS
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
LOCAL, FEDERAL AGENCIES CLEAR GAINESVILLE POULTRY PLANT TO REOPEN AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, liquid_nitrogen
FIVE PEOPLE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL SOUTH OF BRISBANE
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO 50-FOOT OIL SPILL IN VAL VERDE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, oils, petroleum
DA'S OFFICE REACHES SETTLEMENTS OVER OIL-RELATED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste, illegal
UNEASE AS FIRE ENGULFS ST ANTHONY CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN OSUN ‰?? CHANNELS TELEVISION
Tags: Nigeria, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
AN UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT IN GERMANY BANS ELECTRIFIED CARS
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
FERTILISER LEAK CAUSES CHEMICAL INCIDENT ON URCHFONT FARM
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, ag_chems
UNUSUAL PEPPER-SPRAY ATTACK CAUSES LOCKDOWN IN SEATTLE APARTMENT
Tags: us_WA, public, release, injury, irritant
SPECTER OF ICE LOOMS OVER INVESTIGATION OF FATAL POULTRY PLANT DISASTER
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death
EPA PENALIZES SALINAS COMPANY FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING CHEMICAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal
HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP SPILL IN BLOUNTSVILLE
Tags: us_al, public, release, response, fuel
NORTH HUDSON REGIONAL FIGHTS TWO-ALARM ‰??CHEMICAL‰?? FIRE AT CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY COMPANY
Tags: us_nj, industrial, fire, response, solvents
‰??IT WAS A VERY BIG BOOM‰??: EXPLOSION, LARGE FIRE DESTROYS SEATAC AUTO BUSINESS
Tags: us_wa, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
HAZMAT CALLED TO KAWEAH DELTA MEDICAL CENTER FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
Tags: us_ca, public, release, injuries, ag_chemicals
LANL LOOKS TO REDUCE RISKS OF VOLATILE WASTE
Tags: us_nm, industiral, follow-up, environment, waste
AS FOUNDATION FOOD GROUP PLANT CLEARS SOME INSPECTIONS, SOME WORKERS CONCERNED ABOUT RETURNING TO SITE OF DEADLY NITROGEN LEAK
Tags: us_ga, industrial, release, followup, enviromental
---------------------------------------------
WATER LEAK CAUSES CHEMICAL SPILL IN SOUTH BOSTON PARKING GARAGE
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/18/metro/water-leak-causes-chemical-spill-south-boston-parking-garage/
Tags: us_MA, public, release, response, hydraulic_fluid
A water leak in a South Boston parking garage Thursday morning caused a chemical spill involving more than 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid, spurring a Hazmat response, fire officials said.
The Boston Fire Department received a call for a water leak at 12 Drydock Ave. at 9:15 a.m., said Brian Alkins, a department spokesman. The leak filled the machine room and elevators with water, sending hydraulic fluid into the street. Firefighters were able to stop the fluid from leaking onto Drydock Avenue.
The flow of the fluid was contained and a cleanup company was on its way to the garage, Alkins said. The origin of the leak is under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
RUTLAND SOLID WASTE DISTRICT FINED $37,000 FOR MISHANDLING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
https://vtdigger.org/2021/02/18/rutland-solid-waste-district-fined-37000-for-mishandling-hazardous-materials/
Tags: us_VT, industrial, discovery, environmental, waste, illegal
The Rutland County Solid Waste District has been fined $37,000 for violating the state‰??s rules for managing hazardous and solid waste.
The district, which provides waste disposal and transport services to households and businesses in Rutland County, was cited for 13 violations at its Gleason Road transfer station in Rutland following an inspection by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation in June 2019.
Violations included multiple instances of unmarked or improperly labeled substances, improper storage of lead acid batteries, and one case of a transporter handling hazardous waste without holding the necessary permit.
---------------------------------------------
RESIDENTS ORDERED TO STAY INDOORS AFTER CHEMICALS FOUND ON BRENNAN COURT, OLDHAM
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19101886.residents-ordered-stay-indoors-chemicals-found-brennan-court-oldham/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
CONCERNS were raised after a barrel of chemicals was found in Oldham this afternoon.
The fire and rescue service received a call at around 2.40pm after a resident on Brennan Court discovered a barrel near the back of his property, which was marked with chemical symbols.
Two fire engines and specialist hazmat officers attended and the area was cordoned off.
Residents, including at nearby Devon Mill, were asked to stay indoors for their own safety as the chemical may have been hazardous and caused harm to them.
After examining the material in the barrel, it was identified to be a chemical agent used in heating systems, Hollins Fire Station watch commander Turner said.
---------------------------------------------
FORD LOSES TRACK OF DANGEROUS AIR BAGS, FORCING 2 RECALLS
https://www.wwnytv.com/2021/02/19/ford-loses-track-dangerous-air-bags-forcing-recalls/
Tags: us_MI, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) ‰?? Ford has lost track of some older Takata air bags that can explode and hurl shrapnel, so it‰??s recalling more than 154,000 vehicles in North America to check for them.
The company on Thursday issued two recalls, with the largest coming because Ford can‰??t find 45 obsolete air bags that may have been installed on some old Ranger pickup trucks. The company says the air bags were not purged from the stock of service parts and could have been used in crash or theft repairs.
....
Ford said it‰??s not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem. The company said it‰??s checking the vehicles at the request of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Dealers will inspect the driver or passenger air bag units and replace them if necessary. Owners will be notified starting the week of March 8.
Takata used the volatile chemical ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate the air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high heat and humidity and burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister. The air bags have caused at least 27 deaths worldwide, including 18 in the U.S. About 400 have been injured.
The problem caused the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million inflators recalled by 19 automakers. A court-appointed monitor reports that as of early January, 50 million had been repaired or were otherwise accounted for in the U.S. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.
---------------------------------------------
LOCAL, FEDERAL AGENCIES CLEAR GAINESVILLE POULTRY PLANT TO REOPEN AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
https://www.wabe.org/local-federal-agencies-clear-gainesville-poultry-plant-to-reopen-after-chemical-leak/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, liquid_nitrogen
Local and federal agencies have cleared a Gainesville poultry plant, the site of a fatal liquid nitrogen leak last month, to reopen.
The leak on Jan. 28 killed six workers and injured about a dozen others. More than 100 people were evacuated from the building.
An inspection by Hall County Fire Services days after the chemical leak found exit signs that didn‰??t light up, doors blocked by machinery and noncompliant fire extinguishers. A follow-up inspection on Feb. 11 found the violations were resolved.
---------------------------------------------
FIVE PEOPLE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL SOUTH OF BRISBANE
https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/five-people-rushed-to-hospital-after-chemical-spill-south-of-brisbane/news-story/e98fbf7890dbc72323d5ac227cdf9aff
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A chemical spill in a light industrial estate south of Brisbane has forced five people to be taken to hospital.
Half a dozen fire crews and ambulance attended the premises in Bowhill Road, Willawong around 10.30am on Friday.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services representative said tests were conducted on the area before the site was returned to the control of the manager of the premises.
‰??We had scientific officers on site and they did testing and sampling and there were no adverse readings,‰?? they said.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO 50-FOOT OIL SPILL IN VAL VERDE
https://signalscv.com/2021/02/hazmat-firefighters-respond-to-50-foot-oil-spill-in-val-verde/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, oils, petroleum
A HazMat response was called Wednesday morning to a 50-foot oil spill following a leak in Val Verde.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the scene near Del Valle Road and Hasley Canyon Road at around 9:56 a.m., according to Fire Department Public Information Officer Jonathan Matheny.
A 50-foot circle of oil can be seen at the base of a leaking well on Del Valle Road near Hasley Canyon Road in Castaic on Wednesday,
‰??There‰??s an oil well there and there‰??s some oil leaking from the wellhead that is coming downhill,‰?? he said.
The spill was reportedly 50 feet in diameter on the ground ‰??but the situation is static, meaning it‰??s not getting any bigger,‰?? Matheny added.
---------------------------------------------
DA'S OFFICE REACHES SETTLEMENTS OVER OIL-RELATED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL VIOLATIONS
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/das-office-reaches-settlements-over-oil-related-hazardous-material-violations/article_e9c3ca34-716d-11eb-8efd-f32d23525979.html
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste, illegal
Two companies connected to local oil production have agreed to pay penalties totaling $380,000 after an investigation found they, and possibly others, were sending hazardous materials to a Bakersfield facility that wasn't permitted to receive them.
The settlements with California Resources Corp., a Santa Clarita-based oil producer active in Kern County, and pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals LLC were announced Wednesday by Kern District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer.
She said in a news release that a joint investigation by the county Environmental Health Division and the state Department of Toxic Substances continues and that "the district Attorney's Office intends to hold accountable other actors involved in the improper handling of hazardous waste."
CRC agreed to pay $140,000, plus $25,000 to reimburse the agencies for their investigations, after investigators determined the company sent tank bottoms related to its oilfield operations to Las Palmas Oil & Dehydration at 3121 Standard St. Zimmer's release said CRC "contends Las Palmas represented it could accept" the waste.
---------------------------------------------
UNEASE AS FIRE ENGULFS ST ANTHONY CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN OSUN ‰?? CHANNELS TELEVISION
https://www.channelstv.com/2021/02/17/unease-as-fire-engulfs-st-anthony-catholic-school-in-osun/
Tags: Nigeria, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Emerging reports suggest that a fire has ravaged St Anthony Catholic School in the Oke Bode Iwo area of Osun State.
At the time of filing this report, it was unclear what led to the fire but eyewitnesses say the inferno started from the science laboratory of the school.
Residents say all efforts to contact the state fire service proved abortive.
---------------------------------------------
AN UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT IN GERMANY BANS ELECTRIFIED CARS
https://motorillustrated.com/an-underground-parking-lot-in-germany-bans-electrified-cars/70167/
Tags: Germany, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
Banning electrified cars from parking in underground or stacked lots could be an issue in major urban areas
Reasons cited include battery fires which are difficult to extinguish.
These fires can cause extensive damages to the surrounding structure.
This story raises a flag on an issue that is not entirely new however could grow once consumers begin buying EVs en masse. EV battery fires are not commonplace however they are far from unheard of. A fire broke out in a German underground lot last year which shined a light on a potential and serious problem.
In this case, as reported by inFranken, the car that burned was only an old Volkswagen Golf however had it been an electrified car, the aftermath of the fire could have been dire. With the repairs finally completed, the car park has reopened its doors but not all are welcomed:
---------------------------------------------
FERTILISER LEAK CAUSES CHEMICAL INCIDENT ON URCHFONT FARM
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/farmer/19096436.fertiliser-leak-causes-chemical-incident-pewsey-farm/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, ag_chems
A chemical spillage on a farm near Pewsey was attended by two fire crews on Sunday morning (February 14).
Just before 11.30am crews were called to a farm in Urchfont following reports that an agricultural chemical fertiliser was leaking into a stream.
A spokesperson for Devizes Fire Service said: "Mobilised this morning to a small farm chemical spillage in Urchfont.
"Due to the spills nature, a HAZMAT incident was declared.
"We remained on scene until the spills was made safe and we were assisted by our neighbours from Pewsey Fire Station."
---------------------------------------------
UNUSUAL PEPPER-SPRAY ATTACK CAUSES LOCKDOWN IN SEATTLE APARTMENT
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/unusual-pepper-spray-attack-causes-lockdown-in-seattle-apartment/
Tags: us_WA, public, release, injury, irritant
Police were called after someone poured a chemical irritant under the door of an apartment shared by two women, according to the Seattle Fire Department.
Seattle Fire was called after 10 a.m. Wednesday, when a ‰??pepper-spray-like substance‰?? was released under the door of a 10th-floor apartment in the 100 block of Melrose Avenue East, said department spokesperson Kristin Tinsley.
The two women were affected by the chemical irritant, she said, but were able to get to a window and breathe while waiting for the Fire Department‰??s HAZMAT crew.
The women, both adult and one elderly, had some respiratory distress, Tinsley said. They were evaluated by medics but declined further medical attention.
Tinsley said the other residents of the 10th floor were told to shelter in place while the substance was cleaned.
---------------------------------------------
SPECTER OF ICE LOOMS OVER INVESTIGATION OF FATAL POULTRY PLANT DISASTER
https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2021/02/specter-of-ice-looms-over-investigation-of-fatal-poultry-plant-disaster/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death
A senior political appointee from the Trump administration still employed at a federal safety agency investigating a fatal chemical disaster at a Georgia poultry plant has been in communication with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a highly unusual move, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has learned from multiple sources in touch with agency insiders. Details of the communication are closely held inside the agency and unknown to POGO. Sources tell POGO that plant workers‰??many of whom allegedly are undocumented‰??fear being arrested or monitored by ICE while going to and from witness interviews.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is an independent agency responsible for investigating industrial chemical accidents and is commonly referred to as the Chemical Safety Board. But that work at the Gainesville, Georgia, poultry plant could be hamstrung if ICE becomes involved. The fear of an ICE presence is already chilling worker participation in the investigation.
Word of the agency‰??s contact with ICE has spread to local advocates who have warned that any appearance of ICE involvement will potentially undermine the Chemical Safety Board‰??s investigation into the January 28 disaster that killed six.
---------------------------------------------
EPA PENALIZES SALINAS COMPANY FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING CHEMICAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
https://kion546.com/news/2021/02/17/epa-penalizes-salinas-company-for-allegedly-violating-chemical-safety-requirements/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, discovery, environmental, illegal
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas company is facing an $80,000 penalty after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it violated the Clean Air Act.
The EPA said the company, GreenGate Fresh, will need to pay the penalty and bring its facility into compliance with federal law.
The agency said that in July 2019, it inspected the facility and found violations that include:
Evaporators and piping that lacked enough protection from forklift strikes.
Labeling and signage for process piping, equipment and fencing that was considered "inadequate and inconsistent."
Safety information that did not accurately match up with the process at the facility.
‰??It is paramount that facilities properly manage the handling of hazardous substances to prevent accidental releases to the environment and to the surrounding community,‰?? said EPA Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. ‰??The food production industry needs to properly manage chemicals like anhydrous ammonia or face significant Clean Air Act penalties.‰??
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CREWS CLEANING UP SPILL IN BLOUNTSVILLE
https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/hazmat-crews-cleaning-up-spill-in-blountsville/
Tags: us_al, public, release, response, fuel
BLOUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WIAT) ‰?? HAZMAT crews are working to clean a fuel spill in Blountsville Tuesday night.
Around 7:45 p.m., emergency personnel responded to Highway 278 and Highway 231 in Blountsville where 80 gallons of fuel spilled onto the road, Blount Count EMA said.
There are no injuries reported in this accident and officials say this incident is not weather-related. Seek an alternate route if possible.
---------------------------------------------
NORTH HUDSON REGIONAL FIGHTS TWO-ALARM ‰??CHEMICAL‰?? FIRE AT CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY COMPANY
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2021/02/north-hudson-regional-fights-two-alarm-chemical-fire-at-construction-supply-company.html
Tags: us_nj, industrial, fire, response, solvents
Highly flammable chemicals caught fire at a construction supply company on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen Tuesday morning, authorities said.
North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue members responded to White Cap Construction Supply at 10:05 a.m. after two pallets of chemicals had caught fire inside the facility, NHRFR Chief Frank Montagne said. The facility‰??s sprinklers helped to keep the fire under control.
Montagne said the chemicals catching fire created a hazardous materials situation, and the Jersey City Fire Department Hazmat Unit was called in to assist. No workers or firefighters were injured in the incident, Montagne said.
---------------------------------------------
‰??IT WAS A VERY BIG BOOM‰??: EXPLOSION, LARGE FIRE DESTROYS SEATAC AUTO BUSINESS
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/crews-battling-major-commercial-fire-seatac-auto-shop/CJRGSD3JGFAANKJZAQNR5TZSGQ/
Tags: us_wa, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
SEATAC, Wash.. ‰?? A two-alarm fire, which completely destroyed a SeaTac auto service business, was preceded by a thunderous explosion, according to witnesses.
The fire began before noon Tuesday at Guru Auto Techs ‰?? which customizes Prius, according to its Facebook page ‰?? and caused towering flames to erupt from the building located in the 21200 block of International Boulevard.
People who work in nearby businesses told KIRO 7 the explosion and following fire were so intense that they could feel it through glass doors and windows across the street.
Content Continues Below
‰??It was a very big boom,‰?? said Michael Curry, who was blocks away from the building. ‰??I was at home when it broke out,‰?? he said. ‰??I heard a boom, and it made me look out the front door, and I saw a mushroom cloud.‰??
The people who work at Guru Auto Techs told us off camera there were six workers inside, and everyone was able to make it out unhurt. But the two-alarm fire was hard for even multiple fire departments to control. Multiple cars were burned around the building.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CALLED TO KAWEAH DELTA MEDICAL CENTER FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2021/02/16/visalia-fire-department-called-chemical-exposure-kdmc/6771325002/
Tags: us_ca, public, release, injuries, ag_chemicals
Around 7:30 a.m., the Visalia Fire Department Hazmat team was called to Kaweah Delta Medical Center to help with a patient who'd "accidentally ingested" organophosphate ‰?? widely used in insecticides.
Organophosphate is used in agriculture, home, gardens, and veterinary practice, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Three hospital staff were exposed to the chemical and suffered minor symptoms, Hughes said.
Once the Hazmat team and other fire units arrived, they were told hospital staff had already taken action. Those actions included the decontamination, isolation, and treatment of the patient and the isolation and treatment for the exposed emergency department staff.
---------------------------------------------
LANL LOOKS TO REDUCE RISKS OF VOLATILE WASTE
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/lanl-looks-to-reduce-risks-of-volatile-waste/article_95a9920a-6fae-11eb-a0d4-a3c366d1a50d.html
Tags: us_nm, industiral, follow-up, environment, waste
Los Alamos National Laboratory is taking steps to address the hazards posed by dozens of barrels of radioactive waste mixed with incompatible chemicals, which have the potential to explode.
The lab is responding to a report in October by the federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which found the lab had failed to analyze chemicals present in hundreds of containers of transuranic nuclear waste.
Incompatible chemicals could blend together and cause a container to burst, releasing a high level of radiation that would threaten workers and the public, the report said.
That‰??s what happened in 2014, when a waste container from the Los Alamos lab was packaged in a volatile blend of organic cat litter and nitrate salts, which caused the container to rupture and spew radiation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.
---------------------------------------------
AS FOUNDATION FOOD GROUP PLANT CLEARS SOME INSPECTIONS, SOME WORKERS CONCERNED ABOUT RETURNING TO SITE OF DEADLY NITROGEN LEAK
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/public-safety/foundation-food-group-plant-clears-some-inspections-some-workers-concerned-about-returning-site-deadly-nitrogen-leak/
Tags: us_ga, industrial, release, followup, enviromental
As investigators have released the majority of the Foundation Food Group plant back to the company, advocates in the community say workers are concerned about returning to the workplace that saw six deaths and 12 total people hospitalized.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board told The Times Tuesday, Feb. 16 it had released the majority of the facility which experienced a liquid nitrogen leak Jan. 28.
‰??There is one area which the (chemical safety board) has asked the company to preserve,‰?? according to the chemical safety board. ‰??This area is known as the exclusion zone and the company is able to run the operation without impacting this part of the facility. It is now up to the company to determine their start-up plans.‰??
The chemical safety board said the exclusion zone is a single room that houses a two-stage nitrogen freezer.
‰??If you were to be working at an office or a warehouse or anywhere where your coworkers died in front of you, it‰??s completely understandable that even you or me would have reservations about returning to work,‰?? said Elliot Lepe, outreach paralegal with Southern Poverty Law Center.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post