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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 8:12:56 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 (16 articles)
HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED DOWNTOWN; NO DANGER TO PUBLIC, SAFD SAYS
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, ammonia
2 PEOPLE TREATED AFTER GAS LEAK AT ST. PETERS COSTCO RELEASES HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
Tags: us_MO, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
GARAGE FIRE MONDAY NIGHT REVEALS SUSPECTED METH LAB IN EVERETT
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, clandestine_lab
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT AIIMS NEW DELHI, NO INJURIES REPORTED
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FUELED BY GREASE AND TORTILLA CHIPS, HOLA NOLA FOODS FIRE CALLED BIGGEST COMMERCIAL BLAZE IN RECENT MEMORY
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, flammables, grease
CHEMICAL SPILL AT NAPIER PORT HALTS CONTAINER TERMINAL OPERATIONS
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
PRIVATE COMPANY'S RESPONSE KEY TO CHEMICAL PLANT FIREFIGHT
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
HAZARD FROM DEBRIS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS CHEMTOOL FIRE UNDER EVALUATION
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust
NEWBURYPORT PHARMACEUTICAL PLANT ORDERED TO STOP OPERATIONS AFTER 2 CHEMICAL FIRES
Tags: us_MA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, pharmaceutical
ROADS REOPENED AFTER GAS LEAK PROMPTS CLOSURE ON ELM STREET IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS
Tags: us_tx, public, release, response, natural_gas
OVERHEATED ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT MAY HAVE LED TO JUNE 7 FIRE AT NCL: OFFICIALS
Tags: india, laboratory, fire, follow-up, electrical
ILLINOIS EPA ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION FOR ROCKTON FIRE
Tags: us_il, industrial, follow-up, environment
COUNTERFEIT PESTICIDES
Tags: egypt, industrial, discovery, environment, ag_chemicals
EIGHT DEAD IN APPARENT METHYL FORMATE LEAK AT CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: china, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
U.S. CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum
GRACIOUS APPROACH TO QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF NANOSAFETY DATA
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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HAZMAT INCIDENT REPORTED DOWNTOWN; NO DANGER TO PUBLIC, SAFD SAYS
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/06/17/hazmat-incident-reported-downtown-no-danger-to-public-safd-says/
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, ammonia
SAN ANTONIO ‰?? A strong smell of ammonia brought San Antonio firefighters and a HAZMAT team to the Reddy Ice plant south of downtown on Wednesday night.
Staff members of Reddy Ice and the HAZMAT team went into the facility located on East Cesar Chavez to find the leak.
Officials cleared out the immediate area, but there was no immediate threat since the nearby business were closed.
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2 PEOPLE TREATED AFTER GAS LEAK AT ST. PETERS COSTCO RELEASES HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
https://www.kmov.com/news/2-people-treated-after-gas-leak-at-st-peters-costco-releases-hazardous-material/article_e020185e-cf1c-11eb-a8f0-239578b0c669.html?block_id™0844
Tags: us_MO, public, release, injury, hvac_chemicals
ST. PETERS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- Two people were treated after a gas leak at the St. Peters Costco released hazardous material Wednesday night.
Crews with the Central County Fire and Rescue were called to the Costco after a line supplying refrigerant gas burst and sent hazardous material known as R-22 throughout the building. Officials said this happened at around 7:30 p.m. Employees activated the fire alarm after thinking the gas leak was smoke. The fire alarm helped in getting people evacuated.
Paramedics on scene treated two people for breathing problems. They were not taken to hospitals and no other injuries were reported.
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GARAGE FIRE MONDAY NIGHT REVEALS SUSPECTED METH LAB IN EVERETT
https://myeverettnews.com/2021/06/16/garage-fire-monday-night-reveals-suspected-meth-lab-in-everett/
Tags: us_WA, public, fire, response, clandestine_lab
On Monday night Everett Firefighters were called to reports of a fire in a garage in the 3300 block of Rockefeller. Responding Everett Fire crews found what appeared to be a fire inside the garage that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.
As the fire investigation started inspectors found what was believed to be a clandestine laboratory for methamphetamine. After their initial sweep they found little to no fire damage and requested police to respond.
Everett Police spokesperson Kerby Duncan tells MyEverettNews.com at least two people were detained Monday night but they were not the people who rented the unit where the lab was found and claimed to have no knowledge of it. Both were released to be checked at the hospital.
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FIRE BREAKS OUT AT AIIMS NEW DELHI, NO INJURIES REPORTED
https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/delhi/story/fire-breaks-out-at-aiims-new-delhi-convergence-block-1815752-2021-06-16
Tags: India, laboratory, fire, response, unknown_chemical
fire broke out at the Convergence Block of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi on Wednesday. 26 fire tenders reached the spot and the blaze was brought under control after an hour and thirty minutes. The fire has been successfully doused and the cooling process is underway.
No casualties have been reported so far. However, the Covid-19 laboratory in the building was completely gutted. Sunil Chaudhary, deputy chief fire officer, Delhi Fire Service, confirmed the same to India Today.
The Delhi Fire Service rushed 26 fire tenders to the scene of the blaze. (Photo: India Today/Ram Kinkar Singh)
"Some labs and offices were destroyed. One lab which was gutted is the Covid Lab. Coronavirus tests were conducted here. There are no wards with patients in this building," he said.
The Convergence Block building mostly houses laboratories and the examination section.
It is basically a diagnostic building with multipurpose labs, examination section as well as an in-built auditorium with AIIMS SET Facility.
---------------------------------------------
FUELED BY GREASE AND TORTILLA CHIPS, HOLA NOLA FOODS FIRE CALLED BIGGEST COMMERCIAL BLAZE IN RECENT MEMORY
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_d799f4a0-ced3-11eb-9638-7f7b3f83d58e.html
Tags: us_LA, industrial, fire, response, flammables, grease
GEISMAR ‰?? The headquarters of regional Hispanic foods maker Hola Nola Foods suffered catastrophic damages in a blaze fueled by grease and tortilla chips that took roughly 100 firefighters more than 20 hours to bring under control.
Authorities said the warehouse building in Geismar housed tens of thousands of gallons of cooking oil along with flour, tortilla chips, cardboard boxes, wooden pallets and other highly flammable materials that were hard to extinguish. Firefighters were still working to douse lingering hotspots Wednesday afternoon.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL AT NAPIER PORT HALTS CONTAINER TERMINAL OPERATIONS
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/chemical-spill-at-napier-port-halts-container-terminal-operations/ZHTL4O3BW3V7GEYZ64XU4CHMKA/
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
A chemical spill from a container at Napier Port halted terminal operations this morning.
Seven fire engines were called shortly before 10am and crews focused on containing the chemical to stop it getting into the waterways.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said the spill was believed to be a type of polyline chemical used to make polystyrene.
"I understand a blistered container within a larger shipping container has split and caused the spill."
---------------------------------------------
PRIVATE COMPANY'S RESPONSE KEY TO CHEMICAL PLANT FIREFIGHT
https://www.fox6now.com/video/945210
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Rockton fire officials reiterated their message that the fire is contained -- in large part due to the arrival of U.S. Fire Pump, a private industrial firefighting company.
---------------------------------------------
HAZARD FROM DEBRIS OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS CHEMTOOL FIRE UNDER EVALUATION
https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/extra/news/hazard-from-debris-of-northern-illinois-chemtool-fire-under-evaluation/article_683ebcdf-9e4f-5c07-98b0-1f0d0d90ea0c.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust
ROCKTON ‰?? Public health officials have lifted an outdoor mask mandate for those within a 3-mile radius of a massive chemical plant fire in the village.
That decision comes after monitoring showed that air quality measurements remained stable in the area around Chemtool, an industrial solvent and lubricant facility that burst into flames Monday.
"All of the measured levels for the volatile organic compounds, the carbon monoxide and the hydrogen sulfide remain below federal standards," Winnebago County Health Department Administrator Sandra Martell said Wednesday afternoon. "There was a slight increase in particulate matter over the overnight, so people will often say that maybe they smelled something a little bit more, but it did not exceed any of the federal limits."
However, the evacuation order for those within one mile of the fire remains in effect. That's because the potential danger from the debris, dust and ash that has fallen on the ground from the fire is still unknown.
---------------------------------------------
NEWBURYPORT PHARMACEUTICAL PLANT ORDERED TO STOP OPERATIONS AFTER 2 CHEMICAL FIRES
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/16/metro/newburyport-pharmaceutical-plant-ordered-stop-operations-after-2-chemical-fires/?event=event12
Tags: us_MA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, pharmaceutical
Newburyport pharmaceutical plant ordered to stop operations after 2 chemical fires
A pharmaceutical plant in Newburyport has been shut down while the fire department investigates the cause of a chemical fire, the second such fire at the plant in just over a year, officials said.
The two-alarm fire at Segens/PCI Synthesis broke out Friday afternoon in the production workshop area of the plant. A Tier 1 hazmat incident was declared, due to the chemicals stored and used in the building at 9 Opportunity Way, according to the fire department.
Fire Chief Christopher LeClaire said, ‰??The company is cooperating fully with the Newburyport Fire Department. We look forward to working with the company to ensure the safety of the employees and nearby residents in the future.‰??
‰??Production operations are currently stopped until the investigation is completed together with local authorities,‰?? a spokesperson for the company confirmed.
Employees and contractors were on site when the fire started. Everyone was evacuated, and the emergency processes and sprinkler system ‰??worked as expected,‰?? the spokesperson said.
No injuries were reported, the fire department said.
The site had another fire and a Tier 2 Hazmat incident last February when at least six explosions from a chemical production room tore a large hole in its roof, according to the department.
---------------------------------------------
ROADS REOPENED AFTER GAS LEAK PROMPTS CLOSURE ON ELM STREET IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS
https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/gas-leak-elm-ervay-street-downtown-dallas-tuesday/287-152e7ad4-ab8b-4c51-8e4d-294fa8e5f5c1
Tags: us_tx, public, release, response, natural_gas
DALLAS ‰?? Dallas Fire-Rescue says the area of Elm Street and St. Paul and Northbound Ervay at Main Street has reopened after crews repaired a gas line Tuesday afternoon.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, the hazmat unit was called around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday to the 1700 block of Elm Street, after a construction crew struck a 4-inch natural gas line.
---------------------------------------------
OVERHEATED ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT MAY HAVE LED TO JUNE 7 FIRE AT NCL: OFFICIALS
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/overheated-electrical-instrument-may-have-led-to-june-7-fire-at-ncl-officials-7360786/
Tags: india, laboratory, fire, follow-up, electrical
The fire reported at the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) on June 7 could have been triggered by an overheated electrical instrument inside the fume hood at the laboratory in the Organic Chemistry division, according to NCL officials.
There were no casualties in the incident, which occurred at a laboratory inside the institute‰??s main building. The fire had occurred around lunch hours and no student was present at the time of the fire.
But alert students on the campus had spotted the flames and within minutes, were instrumental in dousing the fire along with help from the Fire Brigade, which had rushed to the spot. The Fire Brigade had also relocated several organic solvents from the site.
The NCL‰??s lab safety committee conducted an inquiry into the incident and the findings, shared with The Indian Express, stated, ‰??There were no unattended reactions ongoing inside the concerned fume hood. It is most likely that overheating of the electrical equipment (hotplate stirrer) in the fume hood and the presence of bottled solvent near the site may have caused the fire.‰??
---------------------------------------------
ILLINOIS EPA ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION FOR ROCKTON FIRE
https://khqa.com/news/state/illinois-epa-asks-attorney-general-to-take-legal-action-for-rockton-fire
Tags: us_il, industrial, follow-up, environment
ROCKTON, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) ‰?? The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking the Attorney General to take legal action against the company that runs a chemical plant that is on fire.
The Illinois EPA referred an enforcement action to the Illinois Attorney General's Office against Chemtool, Inc.
A chemical fire has been burning at the plant in Rockton since Monday morning.
An evacuation order was issued for residents and businesses in a one-mile radius of the building.
Gov. JB Pritzker also activated the State Emergency Operation Center and deployed the Illinois National Guard as the result of the fire.
RELATED: Foam set to be sprayed onto burning Illinois chemical plant
The referral cites violations by Chemtool, Inc. of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and Illinois Pollution Control Board Regulations in regards to the chemical fire and release of pollutants into the atmosphere.
The Illinois EPA is asking Attorney General Kwame Raoul to pursue legal action in relation to the fire, as well as require Chemtool to immediately stop the release of pollutants.
Chemtool would also have to provide documentation to the Illinois EPA that details the cause of the fire, as well as an estimate of the pollutants that may have been emitted due to the blaze.
If the Attorney General's Office takes legal action, Chemtool would be asked to develop and implement a work plan to remove hazardous material from the site and address other compliance issues related to the fire.
---------------------------------------------
COUNTERFEIT PESTICIDES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00010
Tags: egypt, industrial, discovery, environment, ag_chemicals
Counterfeit pesticides used in agriculture or public health services have become a worldwide problem. Adulteration of pesticides can occur in several stages of manufacturing the active ingredient (AI) when using poor raw materials and low-quality solvents to produce either the AI or the formulation by avoiding required purification procedures, leading to impurities in the form of stereoisomers (cis or trans). Also, counterfeit pesticide producers can use low-cost materials in manufacturing packaging materials, among other methods of adulteration. Impurities in counterfeit pesticides, such as ethylmethanesulfonate, isomalathion, or nonylphenol ethoxylates, could threaten human health, environmental components, and national economies. Elaborate tests are necessary to distinguish between original and counterfeit pesticides. Organized crime trades in counterfeit pesticides, driven by their great profits. Global revenues from counterfeit pesticide trade are estimated at more than!
‰?Â4.4 billion (US$5.4 billion) annually. On global and national levels, measures and rules must be followed to combat counterfeit and contraband pesticides. This Review describes the process of producing counterfeit pesticides, their health and economic effects, and Egypt‰??s prototypical measures in reducing and stopping this trend.
---------------------------------------------
EIGHT DEAD IN APPARENT METHYL FORMATE LEAK AT CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANT
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/eight-dead-in-apparent-methyl-formate-leak-at-chinese-chemical-plant/4013861.article
Tags: china, industrial, release, death, other_chemical
Three others injured at facility in Guizhou after accidental release during unloading
At least eight people have died and three others were injured after a chemical leak at Wah Yan Hong plant in Guiyang, the capital of southwest China‰??s Guizhou province, on 12 June. Media reports indicate that methyl formate appears to have been accidentally released when a shipment was being transferred at a chemical handling facility.
The incident apparently occurred as workers were unloading methyl formate from a delivery vehicle
‰??Police in Guiyang received a report at 12:12am on Saturday that some people had passed out near a chemical company,‰?? reported China Daily, an English-language newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party. ‰??A preliminary investigation has revealed that a leak of methyl formate happened while workers of the company were unloading the chemical from a vehicle,‰?? the paper added. Local authorities are conducting a full investigation of the incident.
Methyl formate can irritate the nose and throat when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and at high exposures it can lead to unconsciousness and death. It is also a volatile, highly flammable compound that is used as an insecticide and in the past has been used for refrigeration.
---------------------------------------------
U.S. CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
http://www.idevmail.net/message.aspx?d=86&m=2217&e=ralph**At_Symbol_Here**rstuartcih.org&r=15920850
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, response, petroleum
June 15, 2021 - The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is monitoring an explosion and fire event at the Chemtool plant in Rockton, IL that occurred June14, 2021 at 7:15 am CT. All 70 workers in the facility were evacuated without injury. One fire fighter suffered a minor injury and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The facility manufactures petroleum-based lubricants.
The CSB will continue to monitor the incident and tentatively plans to deploy a team to the area early next week to expand dialogue with Federal and State partners, to include EPA personnel, regional OSHA personnel and Fire/Emergency Management personnel. At this point assessments appear to indicate that the incident is a fire event and not a chemical process safety event. Interviews with employees may provide more clarity to the events leading up to this incident and the potentially severe impacts to the community and environment warrant concern.
The air quality at ground level continues to be in the acceptable range. The incident commander reported yesterday that the plan was to allow the volatiles to burn off since the facility is adjacent to the Rock River and there was significant concern surrounding release of firefighting water and suppression foam into the waterway. This initial approach has been reassessed and the plan now is to berm and boom the access to the river and extinguish the remaining blaze. This may add an environmental impact element to the incident dynamic.
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GRACIOUS APPROACH TO QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF NANOSAFETY DATA
https://www.h2020gracious.eu/event/assessing_quality_and_completeness_of_nanosafety_data_for_risk_assessment_purposes
Tags: Europe, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
Using high quality data is essential for performing robust risk assessment of chemical substances, including engineered nanomaterials (NMs). It is important for risk assessors to be aware of the quality of the datasets that they use, but such information is currently not available for most of the available nanosafety datasets.
To address this issue, the EU H2020 project GRACIOUS proposed a methodology to facilitate the evaluation of quality and completeness for sets of NM physicochemical and(eco)toxicological data based on established criteria: i.e., completeness, reliability, relevance and adequacy. This approach is unique in the sense that it can automatically assess data quality and completeness starting from the available (meta)data, thus minimising the reliance on expert judgment. The goal is to further advance the methodology in the H2020 Gov4Nano project and implement it as functionality of the eNanoMapper database to enable real-time analysis of each dataset that is included in it.
To achieve this, we need help from experts!
Therefore, we are organising this virtual workshop to present our approach and collect your opinion on key aspects of the developed quality assessment methodology.
In this workshop you will learn and discuss:
The background and purpose of the GRACIOUS approach for data quality assessment
The detailed methodology for assessing data quality and completeness of physicochemical and hazard datasets
How the approach can help to address stakeholder needs
How we can improve certain aspects of the methodology and its implementation in the eNanoMapper database
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