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 (13 articles)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2021 06:42:00 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: C40A4F0D-08A3-4946-A984-4692AD11A0D8**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, March 26, 2021 at 6:41:35 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)
'VERY RAPID' REMOVAL OF GASES VITAL TO EXPLOSION PREVENTION DURING BATTERY FIRES
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
OTTAWA POLICE INVESTIGATE FIRE AT 'CLANDESTINE' DRUG LAB
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, clandestine_lab
US MILITARY ORDERED 'CLANDESTINE BURNING' OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS: STUDY
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, environmental
POLICE INVESTIGATING AFTER CHEMICAL-LACED CAT FOOD FOUND IN CALGARY PARK
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, sulfuric_acid
FIRE RIPS THROUGH THAILAND'S INFAMOUS 'AIRPLANE GRAVEYARD'
Tags: Thailand, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MAN MIXING CHEMICALS IN GARAGE SEVERELY INJURED DURING EXPLOSION
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, dust
SOURCES: POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL FOUND AT NEAR NORTH SIDE APARTMENT WHERE FBI, BOMB SQUAD, SWAT CALLED TO HAZMAT AT SCENE OF MAN‰??S EARLIER DEATH
Tags: us_IL, public, discovery, death, bomb, illegal
I-70 IN MOUNT AIRY REOPENS AFTER DEADLY TRACTOR-TRAILER FIRE CAUSED PARTIAL CLOSURE
Tags: us_MD, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
SACRAMENTO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENT EVACUATES HOMELESS
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, unknown_chemical, dust
AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SOUTHLAND PLANT
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, ammonia
FIRE AT RENESAS PLANT FUELS CHIP SUPPLY WOES
Tags: Japan, industrial, fire, response, toxics
EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT ASPHALT PLANT ON LONG ISLAND
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, asphalt
HUGE FIRE IN INCENSE STICK FACTORY IN VADODARA, NO CASUALTY- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
---------------------------------------------
'VERY RAPID' REMOVAL OF GASES VITAL TO EXPLOSION PREVENTION DURING BATTERY FIRES
https://www.energy-storage.news/news/very-rapid-removal-of-gases-vital-to-explosion-prevention-during-battery-fi
Tags: us_AZ, laboratory, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
The challenges of explosion prevention ‰?? with flammable gases needing to be vented ‰??very rapidly‰?? ‰?? in the event of a battery fire have been highlighted at this week‰??s Energy Storage Summit USA.
Speaking at the event, hosted by our publisher Solar Media, Matthew Paiss, technical advisor, battery materials & systems at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), referenced the two most recent high-profile battery fires, with one at utility Arizona Public Services‰??s (APS) energy storage facility in 2019 and one at Ì?rsted‰??s 20MW project in Liverpool, England in 2020.
Both explosions caused a ‰??significant pressure wave‰??, with the APS incident resulting in the injuries of four firefighters and the Liverpool incident causing debris to be thrown between six and 20 meters away according to the fire department‰??s response report.
Paiss explained that there are ‰??many similar battery enclosures operating today that could experience the exact same kind of failure‰??.
---------------------------------------------
OTTAWA POLICE INVESTIGATE FIRE AT 'CLANDESTINE' DRUG LAB
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/clandestine-drug-lab-fire-ottawa-1.5963924
Tags: Canada, public, fire, response, clandestine_lab
A large fire earlier this week at a building in Ottawa's rural southeast is now being linked to an illegal cannabis grow-op and drug lab.
Firefighters and police responded to a 911 call just before 9 a.m. ET Tuesday and found thick, black smoke and flames spilling from the doors of an agricultural building on Renaud Road.
Firefighters used portable water tanks to battle the flames. Hazmat teams were also called in to help and decontaminate firefighters.
On Thursday, Ottawa police said they discovered a grow-op and a "sophisticated clandestine extraction laboratory," but could not specify the type of drugs there because chemical tests have not yet been done.
Police said such labs can be dangerous to the public because of the type of equipment and chemicals they use.
---------------------------------------------
US MILITARY ORDERED 'CLANDESTINE BURNING' OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS: STUDY
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/25/us-military-ordered-clandestine-burning-toxic-chemicals-poor-neighborhoods-study
Tags: us_VT, public, discovery, environmental
New research conducted by environmental justice scholars at Vermont's Bennington College reveals that between 2016 and 2020, the U.S. military oversaw the "clandestine burning" of more than 20 million pounds of Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam in low-income communities around the country‰??even though there is no evidence that incineration destroys the toxic "forever chemicals" that make up the foam and are linked to a range of cancers, developmental disorders, immune dysfunction, and infertility.
"In defiance of common sense and environmental expertise, the Department of Defense (DOD) has enlisted poor communities across the U.S. as unwilling test subjects in its toxic experiment with burning AFFF," David Bond, associate director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College, said (pdf) in a statement earlier this week.
Noting that scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and even Pentagon officials have warned that "burning AFFF is an unproven method and dangerous mix that threatens the health of millions of Americans," Bond characterized the decision of the military to dump huge stockpiles of AFFF and AFFF wastewater into "a handful of habitually negligent incinerators" as a "harebrained" operation as well as a manifestation of environmental injustice.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE INVESTIGATING AFTER CHEMICAL-LACED CAT FOOD FOUND IN CALGARY PARK
https://dailyhive.com/calgary/chemical-laced-cat-food-calgary-park
Tags: Canada, public, discovery, environmental, sulfuric_acid
The Calgary Police are currently investigating a series of incidents in which chemical-laced cat food has been left in one of the city‰??s parks.
An unidentified man is allegedly placing cat food in and around the trees in Confederation Park, near the 1000 block of 24 Avenue NW.
According to the police, there have been three separate incidents of this nature reported in March. The fact that this park is frequented by families with young children and pets makes this ‰??even more concerning,‰?? the Calgary Police say.
Investigators have been able to confirm that the food found contained chemicals that are not typically present in cat food products.
By working with the Calgary Fire Department HAZMAT team, investigators identified both sulfuric acid and phenyltoloxamine citrate in the cat food.
These substances could cause unnecessary pain, and potentially death, to an animal, if they were to ingest enough of it.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE RIPS THROUGH THAILAND'S INFAMOUS 'AIRPLANE GRAVEYARD'
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/124666112/fire-rips-through-thailands-infamous-airplane-graveyard
Tags: Thailand, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A fire has broken out at Thailand‰??s infamous ‰??Airplane Graveyard‰??.
The wasteland in the capital Bangkok is home to an old Boeing 747 and two McDonnell Douglas MD-82, and is listed on TripAdvisor as one of the most unusual abandoned places in the world to explore.
On Wednesday evening, nearby residents saw black smoke coming from the field and reported strong chemical odours from one of the junked planes.
Fire crews tackled the blaze and brought it under control shortly after 10.15pm (local time). They believe it started in dry grass before engulfing one of the jets.
---------------------------------------------
MAN MIXING CHEMICALS IN GARAGE SEVERELY INJURED DURING EXPLOSION
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/03/24/man-mixing-chemicals-in-garage-severely-injured-during-explosion/
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical, dust
ST. CLOUD, Fla. ‰?? A man suffered severe burns when the chemicals he was mixing in a garage exploded Tuesday afternoon, according to Osceola Fire Rescue.
Officials said the explosion happened in the Live Oak Lake community in St. Cloud and the victim suffered injuries to his hands, torso and abdomen. He was airlifted to a local trauma center for treatment. His current condition is unknown.
[TRENDING: Missing Fla. woman found naked in storm drain | That‰??s not lint: Family finds snake in dryer | So Florida: Gator swims with shark]
After Osceola County deputies found more powdered chemicals in the home, hazmat and the Orange County Sheriff‰??s Office bomb squad were called in to assist and worked late into the night.
The hazmat unit deployed a laser spectrometer to help identify the unknown chemicals but officials haven‰??t released details on what exactly was in the home
---------------------------------------------
SOURCES: POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL FOUND AT NEAR NORTH SIDE APARTMENT WHERE FBI, BOMB SQUAD, SWAT CALLED TO HAZMAT AT SCENE OF MAN‰??S EARLIER DEATH
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-fatal-hazmat-near-north-side-20210325-yw7adly3wve2fmzubzjirqkzdq-story.html
Tags: us_IL, public, discovery, death, bomb, illegal
Chicago police returned to a downtown apartment Wednesday afternoon to follow up on the earlier death of a 30-year-old man and discovered explosive material, prompting the bomb squad, SWAT team and FBI to respond, law enforcement sources said.
One of the sources with knowledge of emergency response said two pipe bombs were found in the unit at 240 E. Illinois St. on Wednesday, more than 12 hours after Theodore Hilk was found dead there.
On Wednesday night, police spokesman Tom Ahern would only acknowledge that ‰??hazardous materials‰?? were found.
The sources said police initially found Hilk dead in his 7th-floor apartment late Tuesday or early Wednesday after one of his parents requested a well-being check on him. When police arrived initially, lab equipment and some chemical substance or substances were discovered, one of the sources said.
Police eventually left the apartment only to return, however, about 4 p.m., to check on it again, and eventually found the explosive material, sources said.
‰??They went back and realized they had observed a hazmat, and that‰??s when they called the FBI,‰?? police spokeswoman Michelle Tannehill said.
---------------------------------------------
I-70 IN MOUNT AIRY REOPENS AFTER DEADLY TRACTOR-TRAILER FIRE CAUSED PARTIAL CLOSURE
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/i-70-lanes-shut-down-in-both-directions-in-mt-airy-for-tractor-trailer-on-fire
Tags: us_MD, transportation, fire, response, petroleum
WASHINGTON (ABC7) ‰?? All eastbound lanes of I-70 have reopened in the Mount Airy area early Wednesday morning after fire crews addressed a fuel truck fire and hazmat situation on the median.
The scene was close to the Mount Airy rest stop, prior to eastbound exit 68 for Ridge Road. The truck belongs to Metro Petroleum, Inc., which is a Mount Airy-based company.
---------------------------------------------
SACRAMENTO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENT EVACUATES HOMELESS
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article250159810.html
Tags: us_CA, public, release, response, unknown_chemical, dust
Authorities evacuated nearby homeless camps and a hazardous materials team was called to the scene after Caltrans workers complained of respiratory irritation after being exposed to a powdery substance in an industrial park area near Old North Sacramento.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Sacramento Fire Department announced that the hazardous materials incident occurred in the 2100 block of Evergreen Street in the Erikson Industrial Park area just south of Arden Way.
The Caltrans workers exposed to the powdery substance and complaining of respiratory irritation were examined by medics at the scene and released, fire officials said.
Homeless encampments downwind from the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure, fire officials said. Authorities closed Evergreen south of Arden as the hazardous materials team worked at the scene.
As of 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, authorities had not determined what was the powdery substance. Fire officials said the unidentified substance had been contained and the area was deemed safe.
---------------------------------------------
AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SOUTHLAND PLANT
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/red-meat/ammonia-leak-prompts-evacuation-southland-plant
Tags: New_Zealand, industrial, release, response, ammonia
An ammonia leak resulted in a full evacuation at a Southland meat processing plant this afternoon.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand southern communications shift manager Simon Lyford said crews were alerted via a fire alarm at South Pacific Meats in Awarua, Invercargill about 12pm.
Two appliances were initially sent from Invercargill and the plant evacuated.
"They responded to a possible ammonia leak possibly due to a power cut.''
A second alarm was then transmitted once it was a confirmed to be a leak and a Hazmat team was dispatched.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE AT RENESAS PLANT FUELS CHIP SUPPLY WOES
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/fire-at-renesas-plant-fuels-chip-supply-woes/
Tags: Japan, industrial, fire, response, toxics
The small city of Naka (pop. 53K), a two-hour train ride from Tokyo on the eastern coast of Japan, was thrust into the international spotlight in the early dawn of Friday morning. A fire broke out among electroplating equipment in Renesas‰??s 300 nm N3 fabrication facility. It was extinguished before breakfast time, and fortunately nobody was injured nor were there any toxic chemical leaks. Only six hundred square meters on the first floor of the plant was damaged, but the entire building has to be closed for repairs. It will take approximately one month to restore normal operations, and CEO Hidetoshi Shibata is ‰??concerned that there will be a massive impact on chip supplies‰??.
Renesas Naka Plant Location
In a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Renesas reports that the source of the fire has been determined, but the details are still unclear:
The casing of the equipment and the plating tank have relatively low resistance to heat, and the equipment ignited due to overcurrent. However, the cause of the overcurrent and the reason for the ignition is currently being investigated.
Semiconductors are already in short supply, as we reported back in January, forcing slowdowns at many auto manufacturers. The Naka plant primarily makes automotive semiconductors, worsening an already stressed supply chain. While the news focuses on the automotive sector, this shortage spills over into many other industries as well.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT ASPHALT PLANT ON LONG ISLAND
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/explosion-and-fire-at-asphalt-plant-on-long-island
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, asphalt
MELLVILLE, N.Y. - Emergency responders battled a chemical fire at an asphalt plant in Suffolk County on Tuesday afternoon.
A tank exploded at Rason Asphalt on Spagnoli Road in Melville around 1 p.m., according to reports.
Video from SkyFOX showed numerous firefighters working to control the fire, which spewed smoke into the sky. At least one tank ruptured and another was damaged.
Firefighters worked to prevent the fire from igniting other tanks, FOX 5 NY has learned.
---------------------------------------------
HUGE FIRE IN INCENSE STICK FACTORY IN VADODARA, NO CASUALTY- THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/mar/24/huge-fire-in-incense-stick-factory-in-vadodara-no-casualty-2280838.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
VADODARA: A massive fire broke out in an incense sticks-making factory here in Gujarat on Wednesday morning, but no casualty is reported, an official said.
The blaze erupted at Shreeji Agarbatti unit located in Makarpura industrial area and spread rapidly due to chemicals stored in a godown on the top floor of the factory, he said.
It took nearly four hours to bring the fire under control, the official said, adding that cooling operations are underway.
"The blaze had spread before the first fire tender could reach the spot after a call was received at 4:30 am.
The fire spread due to the raw material, including chemical drums, which were stored in the godown in the factory.
---------------------------------------------
---
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