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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] EPA Continues to Take Action on PFAS to Protect the Public Date: Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 3:43:43 PM Author: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (8 articles) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:39:31 -0400 Author: Ralph Stuart |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, June 11, 2021 at 6:12:24 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 (14 articles)
NO HAZARDS FOUND AFTER REPORTED CHEMICAL SPILL IN NW ATLANTA
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, unknown_chemical, chlorine
CHEMICAL SPILL AT MISSION VET CLINIC SENDS SIX TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, injury, formaldehyde
WHEATLEY GAS LEAK'S SOURCE STILL UNKNOWN
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LAB INVENTION REDUCES RISK OF BATTERY EXPLOSIONS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
‰??WORRYING, BUT NOT SURPRISING‰??: PAUCITY OF UK CHEMICAL COMPLIANCE TESTING REVEALED
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CITES PHARMA, BIOTECH MANUFACTURER FOR FAILING TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM CORONAVIRUS AT MONMOUTH COUNTY FACILITY
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
ACID SPILL TRIGGERS HAZMAT EVACUATION AT BURBANK AEROSPACE‰?? CO.
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, acids
MISSION VETERINARY CENTER EVACUATED FOLLOWING HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_MO, public, release, injury, formaldehyde
HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED AT FBI BUILDING NEAR BALTIMORE AFTER UNKNOWN CHEMICAL BECAME AIRBORNE
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
TPC REPORTS CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORT NECHES FACILITY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, petroleum
THE CHEMICAL SAFETY OF PROTECTIVE MASKS AGAINST COVID-19 ‰?? EXPLICA .CO
Tags: Spain, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
I-95 CRASH: INTERSTATE 95 IN DELAWARE NOW FULLY OPEN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
Tags: us_DE, transportation, release, injury, peroxide
SANITISERS MAY HAVE AGGRAVATED FIRE AT PUNE CHEMICAL PLANT: OFFICIALS
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
PUNE FACTORY FIRE: POLICE ARRESTS SVS AQUA TECH OWNER UNDER CHARGES OF CULPABLE HOMICIDE
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, chlorine_dioxide, illegal
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NO HAZARDS FOUND AFTER REPORTED CHEMICAL SPILL IN NW ATLANTA
https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-hazmat-crews-respond-to-report-of-chemical-spill-in-nw-atlanta/NQGGBEYNBVHXVKT4OSMIZXG5D4/
Tags: us_GA, public, release, response, unknown_chemical, chlorine
After reports of a chemical spill in northwest Atlanta‰??s Loring Heights neighborhood Thursday morning elicited a strong response from Atlanta Fire Rescue crews, decontamination specialists found no evidence of dangerous materials.
The spill was reported about 11:30 a.m. after a contractor working at the Tanyard Creek Combined Sewer Overflow Facility noticed a smell of chlorine, according to Atlanta Watershed Management Deputy Commissioner Quinton Fletcher. The facility is located at the intersection of Deering Road and Loring Drive and is operated by Clean Water Atlanta, a division of the watershed department.
This summer hotspot is closer than you think
Crews with Atlanta fire were called to the scene, including three engines, a hazmat decontamination unit and a heavy rescue truck. Around 1:30 p.m., a secondary team of firefighters could be seen suiting up in yellow hazmat suits with oxygen tanks to decontaminate the first team as they exited the building.
After inspecting the facility, no hazards were found, according to Atlanta fire Battalion Chief Jason Wozniak.
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CHEMICAL SPILL AT MISSION VET CLINIC SENDS SIX TO HOSPITAL
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article252025738.html
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, injury, formaldehyde
Six people were sent to hospitals Wednesday evening after a gallon of formaldehyde was spilled inside the Mission Veterinary Emergency & Specialty, a fire official said.
Firefighters with Johnson County Consolidated Fire District No. 2 responded shortly after 4 p.m. on a hazmat call to investigate a chemical spill at the 24-hour veterinary clinic at 5914 Johnson Drive, said Deputy Chief Mike Morse.
Arriving firefighters learned that most of the chemical had been cleaned up, but several people who had interacted with the chemicals started to feel ill, Morse said.
The call was upgraded to a hazardous material spill and additional firefighters and ambulances responded, including an Overland Park Fire Department hazmat team.
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WHEATLEY GAS LEAK'S SOURCE STILL UNKNOWN
https://www.chathamdailynews.ca/news/local-news/wheatley-gas-leaks-source-still-unknown
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
The ongoing state of emergency in Wheatley because of a toxic gas leak is now a good news, bad news situation, Chatham-Kent‰??s top administrator says.
The good news, said Don Shropshire, is hydrogen sulphide has not been detected this week by firefighters who remain at the scene.
Palace refuses to back Harry and Meghan in dispute over baby Lilibet's name
The bad news is officials ‰??still have been unable to identify the location of the gases and why it stopped or whether it could come back,‰?? he said on a conference call with media Thursday.
‰??We‰??re in a bit of a difficult position not knowing whether it‰??s safe to allow people to go back into the space.‰??
Twenty-seven people were evacuated from their homes in the immediate aftermath of the discovery. The municipality is caring for four families while the other residents found housing on their own.
The municipality is developing a plan to get back to normal ‰??in a very measured, deliberate way,‰?? Shropshire said.
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LAB INVENTION REDUCES RISK OF BATTERY EXPLOSIONS
https://solarbuildermag.com/products/pacific-northwest-national-lab-invention-reduces-risk-of-battery-explosions/
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
When a lithium-ion battery reaches a critical temperature, the liquid electrolyte inside the battery can vaporize and release toxic, flammable gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and propylene. This process is called thermal runaway. A deceptively simple sensor system developed at the U.S. Department of Energy‰??s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory can prevent dangerous conditions from developing in outdoor battery cabinets. Supported by DOE‰??s Office of Electricity, IntelliVent is designed to be installed in cabinet-style battery enclosures, which are becoming common for stationary grid energy storage.
The new design uses less aluminum, making it a more efficient design that reduces raw materials and decreases logistic expenses.
How it works. IntelliVent responds to smoke, heat, or gas alarms in the battery enclosure and automatically opens cabinet doors to prevent buildup of flammable gases. The technology reduces the risk of explosions at battery installations, which can damage property or endanger lives. Firefighters and utility personnel are at particularly high risk in these hazardous situations.
‰??Depending on the size of the cell, these gases can come out at very high volume, very quickly, and can lead to fire or even an explosion,‰?? said Matthew Paiss, technical advisor for energy storage safety at PNNL and one of the inventors of IntelliVent.
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‰??WORRYING, BUT NOT SURPRISING‰??: PAUCITY OF UK CHEMICAL COMPLIANCE TESTING REVEALED
https://www.endsreport.com/article/1718786/worrying-not-surprising-paucity-uk-chemical-compliance-testing-revealed
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, environmental
So far this year, British local authorities have barely reported any products as dangerous to the public due to breaching chemical safety rules ‰?? compared to hundreds made across the EU.
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Data bear out environmental groups‰?? warnings that the UK was effectively acting as a free rider on the EU system, conducting little product testing itself. Last year, Unchecked UK found that only half of British local authorities had performed any at all within the past three years, failing to uphold their statutory duty.
Introduced in January, Unsafe Product Reports system, run by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPPS) is the post-Brexit successor to the EU‰??s Safety Gate, which collates reports from EU member state authorities.
So far this year, the EU regime had recorded 991 product defects and dangers ‰?? often related to the risk of electrocution due to bad wiring. A total of 264 reports concern chemical risks, many of them Chinese-made plastic toys containing the banned phthalate plasticiser DEHP, with 20 specifically concerning chemical products, such as hand gel and tattoo ink.
Over the whole of 2020, there were 2,220 reports of all kinds, 525 of them related to chemical risks.
A quarter of all chemical reports were for banned phthalates, with the presence of lead, boron (often found in ‰??slime‰?? toys), nickel and cadmium taking up another quarter.
An analysis of last year‰??s results by European results by chemicals industry group Cefic, published yesterday, noted the shadow of the pandemic. Dozens of hand sanitisers were found to breach the Biocidal Products Regulation or classification, labelling and packaging rules, through containing methanol rather than ethanol, or having an insufficient amount of ethanol to destroy viruses.
It also identified that mercury-based so-called skin-lightening products, often imported from west Africa or Pakistan, are a ‰??growing issue‰??. In 2019, they accounted for only 4% of reports for illegal cosmetics. The figure was 18% in 2020.
No such issues have been detected by UK authorities this year, though there is no reason to suspect that the country is immune from them.
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US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CITES PHARMA, BIOTECH MANUFACTURER FOR FAILING TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM CORONAVIRUS AT MONMOUTH COUNTY FACILITY
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20210610
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, follow-up, death, other_chemical
EATONTOWN, NJ ‰?? An Eatontown manufacturer failed to protect employees adequately from workplace exposure to coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Labor‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined, after an investigation into the deaths of two workers and the hospitalization of two others who contracted the coronavirus in the fall of 2020.
OSHA‰??s inspection found that Avantor Fluid Handling LLC failed to ensure physical distancing and that employees wore face masks in common areas. The agency cited the company for violating OSHA‰??s general duty clause that requires employers to ensure workplaces are free of recognized hazards that may cause death or serious physical harm.
In November 2020, four company employees tested positive for the coronavirus and required hospitalization. By January 2021, two of the workers ‰?? a husband and wife ‰?? died due to complications related to the virus. The other workers recovered. In total, 30 out of 50 employees at the facility tested positive for the coronavirus.
OSHA initiated the workplace safety and health investigation after the company alerted OSHA of the workers‰?? illnesses. OSHA alleges that Avantor failed to enforce safety protocols, such as distancing and mask wearing, that would have mitigated further spread of the coronavirus in the locker, gowning and break rooms at the Eatontown facility. The employer faces $13,653 in proposed penalties.
‰??Two workers lost their lives and others were sickened because their employer failed to take the precautions necessary to keep them safe,‰?? said OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick in Marlton, New Jersey. ‰??Tragically, this case should remind all employers of the importance of fully implementing coronavirus prevention measures.‰??
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ACID SPILL TRIGGERS HAZMAT EVACUATION AT BURBANK AEROSPACE‰?? CO.
https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/acid-spill-triggers-hazmat-evacuation-burbank-aerospace-co
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, acids
BURBANK, CA ‰?? Employees at a Burbank aerospace company had to run from the building due to an acid spill Wednesday morning.
The building in the 2900 block of San Fernando Boulevard had to be evacuated, and a hazardous materials team was called to the scene to secure the building. The business was identified as Senior Aerospace by Fox 11.
Burbank Fire Department crews responded to a water flow alarm at the business at about midnight. Adding water to acid can cause the chemical to boil over violently and splash acid throughout an area.
---------------------------------------------
MISSION VETERINARY CENTER EVACUATED FOLLOWING HAZMAT INCIDENT
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/mission-veterinary-center-evacuated-following-hazmat-incident
Tags: us_MO, public, release, injury, formaldehyde
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ‰?? Employees at the Mission Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center were evacuated after a gallon of formaldehyde spilled inside the building on Wednesday afternoon.
There were 30 employees in the center at the time, and some had to stay inside to finish medical procedures.
Six of the employees were transported to an area hospital for a check-up.
No serious injuries were reported.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED AT FBI BUILDING NEAR BALTIMORE AFTER UNKNOWN CHEMICAL BECAME AIRBORNE
https://news.yahoo.com/hazmat-incident-reported-fbi-building-193730681.html
Tags: us_MD, public, fire, injury, unknown_chemical
An unknown chemical "became aerosolized" at an FBI building in Milford Mill, Maryland.
One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and two others were evaluated at the scene.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
One person was hospitalized after an unknown chemical "became aerosolized" at an FBI building in Maryland, Baltimore County Fire said.
The incident happened at the FBI Building in Milford Mill, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, on Wednesday afternoon, the fire department said.
Fire crews, EMS, and hazmat personnel were all called to the scene.
The person taken to the hospital had minor injuries, Baltimore County Fire told WJZ. Two other people were evaluated at the scene but their current conditions are unknown.
---------------------------------------------
TPC REPORTS CHEMICAL LEAK AT PORT NECHES FACILITY
https://www.panews.com/2021/06/10/tpc-reports-chemical-leak-at-port-neches-facility/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, petroleum
For at least 24 hours last week, butadiene leaked from TPC Group in Port Neches, according to an air emission event report filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The leak was discovered June 2 at 5:05 p.m. when an operator on a routine walkthrough detected an odor in the Block 10 area, the report states.
‰??After further investigating the source of the odor, it was discovered that emissions were coming from a 4-inch process water pipe which is connected to an oily water separator that was previously emptied and degassed,‰?? the document says.
It is estimated that 15 pounds of butadiene leaked until 5:05 p.m. the following day.
---------------------------------------------
THE CHEMICAL SAFETY OF PROTECTIVE MASKS AGAINST COVID-19 ‰?? EXPLICA .CO
https://www.explica.co/the-chemical-safety-of-protective-masks-against-covid-19.html
Tags: Spain, laboratory, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Scientists have analyzed the presence of plasticizing compounds in the masks used to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
The study is the work of the Institute for Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies (IDAEA), attached to the CSIC (Higher Council for Scientific Research) of Spain. It has been published in the academic journal Environment International, under the title ‰??COVID-19 face masks: a new source of human and environmental exposure to organophosphate esters‰??.
The team analyzed the levels of 16 organophosphate plasticizing chemical compounds in various masks: surgical type, reusable cloth, FFP2 developed by the CSIC, KN95 and FFP3. In addition, the group carried out inhalation tests with mannequins to evaluate the proportion of these compounds that were released from the mask and that, therefore, could be breathed.
‰??The results indicate that reusable cloth masks do not release any of these plasticizers. For their part, surgical masks, FFP2 and FFP3 also show extremely low values ‰??‰??of released plasticizers ‰??, indicates the researcher and co-author of the study Ethel Eljarrat. ‰??Therefore, based on our results and on the recommendations for protection against the virus, the most advisable thing is to use cloth masks in outdoor areas and FFP2 in indoor spaces‰??, proposes Eljarrat.
Surgical, cloth, FFP2, KN95 and FFP3 masks were analyzed in the study. (Photo: CĚ©sar HernĚÁndez / CSIC)
---------------------------------------------
I-95 CRASH: INTERSTATE 95 IN DELAWARE NOW FULLY OPEN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
https://6abc.com/traffic/shelter-in-place-ordered-as-crews-burn-hazardous-materials-off-i-95/10760761/
Tags: us_DE, transportation, release, injury, peroxide
NEWPORT, Delaware (WPVI) -- After an early morning crash brought north and southbound traffic to a standstill and then caused delays for much of the afternoon, traffic is finally moving again in Delaware.
On Tuesday morning, just after 5:30 am, a tractor-trailer traveling northbound just south of Route 141 in Newport, Delaware was hit by a pick-up truck carrying a trailer full of hazardous materials.
The pick-up truck, a 2017 GMC Sierra with a trailer attached, had 1,500 pounds of organic peroxide. The contents spilled onto the highway.
A witness tells Action News that the driver suffered two broken legs.
Throughout the day, traffic was a mess around the area with many drivers simply stuck in place. "It increased my travel time by probably 100% at least," said Matt Mackeprang of West Chester. "If it normally takes me 20 minutes to get from point A to point B I'm looking at two hours."
DelDOT diverted traffic and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) focused on the clean-up. Ultimately, DNREC opted late Tuesday afternoon to burn the organic peroxide off the roadway. DNREC issued a shelter-in-place order for the half-mile radius around the spill while the burn continued for about 45 minutes.
---------------------------------------------
SANITISERS MAY HAVE AGGRAVATED FIRE AT PUNE CHEMICAL PLANT: OFFICIALS
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sanitisers-may-have-aggravated-fire-at-pune-chemical-plant-officials-2459527
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
Pune: A day after 17 workers, most of them women, were killed in a fire at a chemical plant in Pune district, an inquiry committee said on Tuesday that a large stock of sanitisers stored with inflammable materials may have aggravated the fire.
The police, meanwhile, have registered a case of culpable homicide against one of the owners of the firm, alleging "gross negligence", and arrested him late at night.
A case was registered against Nikunj Shah, one of the owners of SVS Aqua Technologies, under relevant section of the Indian Penal Code for "culpable homicide not amounting to murder", said Abhinav Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Pune rural. Shah was questioned and later put under arrest.
The case was registered following an inquiry report submitted by a committee headed by Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sandesh Shirke, the SP said.
The preliminary probe showed that the company had not followed fire safety norms and building permission rules, he said.
There were no emergency exit doors and open spaces (where people can take refuge in case of fire), Mr Deshmukh alleged.
According to some of the workers, the doors of the section where the fire started got locked, and the local people had to use JCB machines to break down the walls to rescue those inside.
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PUNE FACTORY FIRE: POLICE ARRESTS SVS AQUA TECH OWNER UNDER CHARGES OF CULPABLE HOMICIDE
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/pune-factory-fire-police-arrests-svs-aqua-tech-owner-under-charges-of-culpable-homicide
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, chlorine_dioxide, illegal
The Pune Police on Tuesday arrested the SVS Aqua Technologies owner Nikunj Shah in connection with a fire that broke out yesterday in which 18 people including 15 women died. Police have arrested an offence of culpable homicide against Shah who owns SVS Aqua Technologies which manufactures chlorine dioxide among other chemicals and is located in the Pirangut MIDC area of Mulshi tehsil on the outskirts of Pune city.
Pune Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh told Free Press Journal, ‰??‰?? The company owner Nikuj Shah has been arrested under the charges of culpable homicide. All 18 bodies have been kept in the mortuary of Pune‰??s Sassoon Hospital. It is difficult to identify them as they had charred to death in a major fire that broke on Monday. It has been decided to conduct DNA tests which will take at least four days and thereafter bodies will be handed over to the relatives.‰??‰??
According to the police, the names of 17 of the 18, who died yesterday, are known though the name of one is still missing.
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