| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2021 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill Date: Sun, 16 May 2021 11:20:06 +0000 Author: Monona Rossol |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] These new articles for ACS Chemical Health & Safety are available online. Date: Mon, 17 May 2021 06:22:44 -0400 Author: Ralph Stuart |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, May 17, 2021 at 6:21:29 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 (17 articles)
LONG BRANCH POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH RUNNING METH LAB IN HIS HOME
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab, illegal
SEMI FIRE ON I-15 FORCES ALL-DAY-LONG HAZMAT CLEANUP
Tags: us_UT, transportation, fire, response, flammables, grease
EVACUATIONS ORDERED AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SIBLEY, IOWA
Tags: us_IA, transportation, fire, response, ammonium_nitrate
BILL THAT WOULD LIMIT OHIO FIREFIGHTERS‰?? USE OF FOAM CONTAINING ‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰?? AWAITING HOUSE VOTE
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
HOW SHOULD CHEMICAL MIXTURES BE REGULATED?
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, environmental, pharmaceutical
EPA SHUTS POLLUTING CARIBBEAN REFINERY REOPENED UNDER TRUMP
Tags: us_vi, public, follow-up, environment
I-30 ACCIDENT IN HOT SPRING COUNTY BEING CLEARED OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL
Tags: us_ar, transportation, release, response, flammable
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO HYDROCHLORIC ACID LEAK AFTER 50-CAR TRAIN DERAILS IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA (VIDEO)
Tags: us_mn, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
THYROID AND PROSTATE CANCER IN GEORGIA FIREFIGHTERS LINKED TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL USED ON THE JOB
Tags: us_ga, industrial, discovery, environment, toxic
7 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER 'TOXIC EXPOSURE' AT SHARI'S IN HILLSBORO
Tags: us_or, public, release, injuries, unknown_chemical
NEW PFAS HEALTH RISK LEVELS CEMENT GAP BETWEEN US FEDERAL AGENCIES
Tags: public, discovery, response, toxics, environment
AFTER C&EN‰??S INVESTIGATION INTO WHO PAYS WHEN GRADUATE STUDENTS GET HURT, BOSTON UNIVERSITY TAKES ACTION
Tags: us_ma, laboratory, follow-up, environment
TITANIUM DIOXIDE UNSAFE IN FOOD, EU PANEL SAYS
Tags: public, discovery, Europe, environment
CITY INVESTIGATING CHLORINE CONTAMINATION AT LAKE COOK
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, chlorine
3 MEN CHARGED WITH STORING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, OPERATING DUMP SITE WITHOUT PERMITS
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
ROLLOVER WITH TANKER HAULING HYDROCHLORIC ACID SHUTS DOWN HIGHWAY 36, OLD VICTORY ROAD
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CHEMICAL SPILL IN LAB PROMPTS EVACUATION NEAR GEORGIA TECH CAMPUS
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, waste
---------------------------------------------
LONG BRANCH POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH RUNNING METH LAB IN HIS HOME
http://thelinknews.net/2021/05/16/long-branch-police-officer-charged-with-running-meth-lab-in-his-home/
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, clandestine_lab, illegal
FREEHOLD ‰?? A 19-year veteran police officer of the Long Branch Police Department has been suspended without pay after he was arrested and charged today with various offenses related to manufacturing and maintaining a methamphetamine laboratory at his home, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Christopher Walls, 50, of West End Avenue in the city, is charged with first degree maintaining or operating a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) production facility, second degree possession of a firearm during the course of a CDS offense, second degree risking widespread injury, second degree endangering the welfare of a child, third degree manufacturing CDS (methamphetamine), and third degree possession of CDS (methamphetamine).
‰??Thanks to the swift action of our office, the Long Branch Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police, a very serious risk to public safety has been averted. The collaborative efforts of our agencies dismantled a very dangerous situation. It is particularly distressing that this hazard was caused by a sworn law enforcement officer.‰?? Gramiccioni said.
After learning of the details involving Walls, Acting Long Branch Police Chief Frank Rizzuto immediately suspended him without pay.
---------------------------------------------
SEMI FIRE ON I-15 FORCES ALL-DAY-LONG HAZMAT CLEANUP
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/semi-fire-on-i-15-forces-all-day-long-hazmat-cleanup
Tags: us_UT, transportation, fire, response, flammables, grease
MILLARD COUNTY, Utah ‰?? Hazardous materials (hazmat) crews were on the side of I-15 all day Sunday after a semitrailer caught fire near Kanosh.
Around 4:30 a.m., the truck was heading northbound near milepost 142 when it caught fire.
There was no shoulder available due to freeway construction, so the driver stopped in the right lane and got out. He escaped with no injuries.
The fire spread to the trailer, which was deemed a total loss, but local firefighters prevented it from spreading to the grass.
However, that was just the beginning.
Utah Department of Transportation and hazmat workers responded to perform field tests on the truck's contents. They found that it was hauling silicone grease, which is flammable and difficult to clean.
---------------------------------------------
EVACUATIONS ORDERED AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SIBLEY, IOWA
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2021/05/16/hazmat-team-called-after-train-derailment-sibley-iowa/5121973001/
Tags: us_IA, transportation, fire, response, ammonium_nitrate
A train derailed in the far northwest Iowa town of Sibley Sunday afternoon, causing authorities to order evacuations in the area.
Aerial video of the scene shows tens of train cars piled up with flames and a large plume of black smoke rising up from the front of the pileup. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Sibley, a town of about 3,000 people in Osceola County, is roughly 200 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The N'West Iowa REVIEW reported that the derailment happened around 2 p.m., and a 5-mile radius was evacuated due to concern about ammonium nitrate being transported by the trains.
The derailment happened on a Union Pacific railroad, according to information from the Iowa Department of Transportation website.
Union Pacific spokeswoman Robynn Tysver told the Associated Press that about 47 railcars came off the tracks during the derailment, but the train crew was not injured. She said the railroad is working with local authorities and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
BILL THAT WOULD LIMIT OHIO FIREFIGHTERS‰?? USE OF FOAM CONTAINING ‰??FOREVER CHEMICALS‰?? AWAITING HOUSE VOTE
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/bill-that-would-limit-ohio-firefighters-use-of-foam-containing-forever-chemicals-awaiting-house-vote/CEL3J6EPKBBRJAGUFUCTIFGVSI/
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A bill that would outlaw the use of firefighting foam that contains a group of harmful chemicals was voted out of committee, and is awaiting a floor vote in the Ohio House of Representatives.
It‰??s not clear when House Bill 158 will go to the House floor, and its sponsor, State Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester, has not gotten confirmation that it‰??s been selected for the upcoming session calendar, his office said.
HB158 proposes that Ohio fire departments be required to find an alternative to firefighter foam containing the group of contaminants known as PFAS. The legislation also proposes that fire departments be limited to using PFAS-based firefighter foam only for testing if the facility at which it‰??s being used has a way to contain the chemical and prevent it from going into the environment.
---------------------------------------------
HOW SHOULD CHEMICAL MIXTURES BE REGULATED?
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/how-should-chemical-mixtures-be-regulated/4013604.article
Tags: United_Kingdom, laboratory, discovery, environmental, pharmaceutical
The natural environment ‰?? our air, water and soil ‰?? hosts an ever-changing cocktail of synthetic compounds originating from a wide variety of sources. Wildlife is constantly exposed to these coincidental chemical mixtures, as are humans. We are also continuously exposed to a concoction of chemicals in our indoor environments too ‰?? from chemicals leaching out of carpets, furnishings and household objects, to those coming from foods, as well as cleaning and personal care products.
This has been known for a long time. It‰??s also well established that exposure to chemical mixtures can cause harm ‰?? to the environment and human health ‰?? even if all the individual chemical components in the mixture are present at concentrations that would be safe if they were met alone.
This isn‰??t a huge surprise ‰?? mixture effects, as they‰??re called, are a well-known issue in pharmaceuticals. The sedative effects of some painkillers and antihistamines, for example, add together to create a larger sedative effect that each one alone. And some antibiotics render the contraceptive pill less effective.
But while the medical and pharmaceutical industries are expected to be very aware of potential issues with drug‰??drug interactions in patients, the chemical industry is largely not. The majority of regulative frameworks set safe exposure levels for chemicals with the assumption that the chemicals are released into a pristine location (in either the body or the environment) where no other chemicals are present. But this is not the case. Regulations may well cover intentional mixtures of chemicals, such as those in detergent or paint formulations, but not those that occur coincidentally after their intended use.
---------------------------------------------
EPA SHUTS POLLUTING CARIBBEAN REFINERY REOPENED UNDER TRUMP
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/15/refinery-pollution-st-croix-us-virgin-islands?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Tags: us_vi, public, follow-up, environment
he Environmental Protection Agency has ordered an oil refinery in the US Virgin Islands to pause all operations, citing ‰??at least four incidents‰?? in which the facility significantly affected St Croix residents. The Limetree Bay refinery, which caused a massive oil spill in the 1980s, first reopened in February under an order from the Trump administration, after eight years idle.
‰??These repeated incidents at the refinery have been and remain totally unacceptable,‰?? said the EPA head, Michael Reagan, noting that residents in St Croix are ‰??already overburdened‰?? by pollution and other environmental harms.
When the refinery reopened, it promised to be well maintained, according to Jennifer Valiulis of the St Croix Environmental Association.
Bill seeks to make Louisiana ‰??fossil fuel sanctuary‰?? in bid against Biden‰??s climate plans
Read more
‰??That obviously [was] not happening,‰?? Valiulis said. In the first week of May, island residents endured the latest round of noxious fumes emanating from the plant, prompting several establishments, including three schools to shut down. The national guard then found elevated levels of sulfur dioxide ‰?? a harmful, toxic gas ‰?? near the refinery. Reuters reports Limetree Bay‰??s own testing found zero concentrations of the pollutant.
---------------------------------------------
I-30 ACCIDENT IN HOT SPRING COUNTY BEING CLEARED OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL
https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/i-30-accident-in-hot-spring-county-being-cleared-of-hazardous-material-spill/
Tags: us_ar, transportation, release, response, flammable
MALVERN, Ark. ‰?? Hazmat crews are working an accident in Hot Spring County that‰??s had traffic backed up for miles Saturday afternoon.
The cleanup is being dealt with by Hazmat crews to remove flammable material that has affected the area following the accident which happened around 3:17 p.m.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO HYDROCHLORIC ACID LEAK AFTER 50-CAR TRAIN DERAILS IN ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA (VIDEO)
https://www.rt.com/usa/523947-minnesota-train-derail-acid-leak/
Tags: us_mn, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
A Union Pacific cargo train carrying mixed commodities has derailed in Minnesota, leaving dozens of cars piled up on top of one another ‰?? some leaking hydrochloric acid ‰?? with a hazardous materials team responding to the incident.
The train derailed about 1:30pm Saturday near Goose Lake in Albert Lea, Minnesota, located 100 miles south of the Twin Cities. At least 28 cars went off the track, according to a Union Pacific spokesperson, who confirmed two of them were leaking hydrochloric acid.
---------------------------------------------
THYROID AND PROSTATE CANCER IN GEORGIA FIREFIGHTERS LINKED TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL USED ON THE JOB
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/the-reveal/firefighters-cancer-causing-chemical-exposure-investigation/85-2c5fdf0d-240b-4c3a-b183-4270df2a6fa2
Tags: us_ga, industrial, discovery, environment, toxic
ATLANTA ‰?? When Mark Johnson signed up to be an Atlanta Firefighter in 1980, he knew the big risks.
‰??Being caught in a flashover or a collapse,‰?? Johnson said, ‰??we‰??re not thinking about the foam agent we might be using.‰??
Fellow retired firefighter Craig Chait didn‰??t think about that either.
‰??I never assumed or thought there were any issues with AFFF or that it could cause cancer or that it could hurt you in the future,‰?? said Chait.
They both can‰??t stop thinking about it, now.
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) is a special firefighting tool for putting out flammable liquids. It‰??s made with chemicals called perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). They help stop hazardous fires, but that may come at a price.
---------------------------------------------
7 PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED AFTER 'TOXIC EXPOSURE' AT SHARI'S IN HILLSBORO
https://www.kptv.com/news/7-people-hospitalized-after-toxic-exposure-at-sharis-in-hillsboro/article_f17264a2-b5b0-11eb-8721-df19118f3621.html
Tags: us_or, public, release, injuries, unknown_chemical
HILLSBORO, OR (KPTV) ‰?? Multiple people were evacuated after a toxic exposure at a Shari's CafÌ© and Pies in Hillsboro on Saturday, according to Hillsboro Fire and Rescue.
Crews from HF&R, Tualatin Fire and Rescue, Metrowest Ambulance and Hillsboro Police Department responded to the 2100 block of Northwest 185th Avenue just before 10:00 a.m. Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Hazardous Materials team also arrived to assist.
UPDATE: NW 185th incident: **At_Symbol_Here**TVFR HazMat crew with Hillsboro crew re-entering the structure for further assessment. #alerts #pdxalerts pic.twitter.com/8HWUqrQmgL
‰?? Hillsboro Fire & Rescue (**At_Symbol_Here**HillsboroFire) May 15, 2021
At 11:30 a.m., officials said the toxic release might have come from the restaurant's HVAC system, but it's unclear what the chemical was.
---------------------------------------------
NEW PFAS HEALTH RISK LEVELS CEMENT GAP BETWEEN US FEDERAL AGENCIES
https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/New-PFAS-health-risk-levels/99/i18
Tags: public, discovery, response, toxics, environment
division of the US Department of Health and Human Services has finalized health risk levels for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are valuable as manufacturing aids and in consumer products for properties such as resistance to heat, stains, and water. But those properties also mean that they are environmentally persistent, and several have been linked to cancer and other health problems. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) says the minimal risk level for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is 3 Ì? 10‰??6 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, while the level for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is 2 Ì? 10‰??6 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Those levels are an order of magnitude lower than the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s å-advisory safe daily dose levels. For two other substances evaluated by the ATSDR, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), the EPA does not have safe daily dose level!
s. The ATSDR report has been in the works since 2009 and adheres to draft levels released in 2018. The EPA is working on setting enforceable regulatory limits for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
---------------------------------------------
AFTER C&EN‰??S INVESTIGATION INTO WHO PAYS WHEN GRADUATE STUDENTS GET HURT, BOSTON UNIVERSITY TAKES ACTION
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/After-CENs-investigation-into-who-pays-when-graduate-students-get-hurt-Boston-University-takes-action/99/i18
Tags: us_ma, laboratory, follow-up, environment
Daniel Kleinman, the associate provost for graduate affairs, is leading a pilot program for Boston University grad students with the assistance of representatives from various campus offices. The program ‰??may cover up to $2,500 for out-of-pocket expenses or copays associated with‰?? a laboratory injury, according to a university website. The school adds that ‰??reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses is available regardless of fault, and does not constitute an admission of liability by Boston University.‰??
This initiative by Boston University is certainly an important step forward in guaranteeing protection for grad students. We call upon other schools around the country to follow suit.
---------------------------------------------
TITANIUM DIOXIDE UNSAFE IN FOOD, EU PANEL SAYS
https://cen.acs.org/food/food-ingredients/Titanium-dioxide-unsafe-food-EU/99/i18
Tags: public, discovery, Europe, environment
The whitening agent titanium dioxide is not safe for use as a food additive, an expert panel of the European Food Safety Authority concludes in an updated assessment. The new evaluation replaces a 2016 assessment and paves the way for a ban on titanium dioxide in food in the European Union. Titanium dioxide is added to foods such as cake frosting, soups, and sauces to brighten their color. Known as E171, titanium dioxide food additives in the EU can contain no more than 50% of particles less than 100 nm. EFSA previously found data gaps related to the characterization of particle size and particle size distribution of E171. In its latest assessment, the agency says that it could not exclude genotoxicity concerns related to consumption of titanium dioxide particles. ‰??Although the evidence for general toxic effects was not conclusive, on the basis of the new data and strengthened methods we could not rule out a concern for genotoxicity and consequently we could not establish !
a safe level for daily intake of the food additive,‰?? Matthew Wright, chair of EFSA‰??s working group on E171, says in a statement.
---------------------------------------------
CITY INVESTIGATING CHLORINE CONTAMINATION AT LAKE COOK
https://www.alxnow.com/2021/05/13/city-investigating-chlorine-contamination-at-lake-cook/
Tags: us_VA, public, release, environmental, chlorine
After reports of dead fish and birds along the banks of Lake Cook, officials have investigated and found high levels of chlorine contaminating the lake.
According to Raytevia Evans, senior public information for the Alexandria Fire Department, a HAZMAT team on site confirmed high levels of chlorination.
‰??We received notification yesterday evening about a visible fish kill and oil-like substance on Lake Cook‰?? Evans said. ‰??We sent out our HAZMAT team and fire marshal‰??s office to investigate. They are the ones who responded that there were high levels of chlorination detected.‰??
Images posted in the Bring Integrity Back to Alexandria Facebook group showed dead herons, catfish and more along the banks of the lake.
The lake is immediately adjacent to Cameron Run Regional Park, a water park planned to reopen this summer.
Staff at Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority said park management is currently on scene as officials continue to investigate.
---------------------------------------------
3 MEN CHARGED WITH STORING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, OPERATING DUMP SITE WITHOUT PERMITS
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/3-men-charged-with-storing-hazardous-materials-operating-dump-site-without-permits/
Tags: us_OH, industrial, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
SEBRING, Ohio (WKBN) ‰?? A man from New Waterford and two others from Sebring are free on bond now after all appearing in court Thursday morning.
Brothers Brian and Samual Hopper and Richard Sickelsmith are charged with storing hazardous materials and operating a dump site without the proper permits.
Authorities in Sebring say they discovered thousands of pounds of toxic materials during a search of the old Sebring Industrial Plating plant back in March.
We‰??re told Sickelsmith is the plant‰??s former owner and the Hoppers operate it now.
All three are due back in court again next month.
---------------------------------------------
ROLLOVER WITH TANKER HAULING HYDROCHLORIC ACID SHUTS DOWN HIGHWAY 36, OLD VICTORY ROAD
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/rollover-with-tanker-hauling-hydrochloric-acid-shuts-down-highway-36-old-victory-road
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
Colo. ‰?? Highway 36 and Old Victory Road are closed in Bennett after a tanker hauling hydrochloric acid rolled over.
The call came in for the accident at 2653 Old Victory Rd. at 1:41 p.m., according to Colorado State Patrol (CSP).
The tanker driver was initially trapped inside. The driver was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
CSP said the tanker driver was heading southbound on Old Victory Road going too fast around a curve and lost control. He'll be cited, but CSP didn't have details what the citations will be.
Highway 36 is closed between Bennett and Strasburg, and Old Victory Road is closed in the area as well.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL IN LAB PROMPTS EVACUATION NEAR GEORGIA TECH CAMPUS
https://www.ajc.com/news/chemical-spill-in-lab-prompts-evacuation-of-georgia-tech-building/TDIQ3PS5PZBT7ECKZXE6GC4YOE/
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, release, response, waste
A building near the Georgia Tech campus was evacuated Thursday morning following a chemical spill inside a laboratory, officials said.
The incident occurred shortly before noon at Technology Enterprise Park off North Avenue in Midtown, Georgia Tech police said in a tweet. A school spokesman said the spill occurred on the fourth floor of the building.
‰??A waste accident prompted some Georgia Tech staff members to be evacuated from a building adjacent to campus today,‰?? school spokesman Steven Norris said. ‰??The accident happened on the fourth floor and Georgia Tech leases space on the first floor of the building.‰??
---------------------------------------------
---
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