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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 6:22:59 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)
I-10 REOPENS FOLLOWING ACCIDENT INVOLVING HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
MORRIS INDUSTRIAL FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION ORDER
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, batteries
SIERRA CLUB HOSTS FORUM ON CHEMTOOL FALLOUT
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust
INSIDE THE CLEAN-UP OF LAST YEAR‰??S DEADLY BEIRUT BLAST
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, corrosives, waste
TAX FOR CHEMICALS CLEANUP PART OF US INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
UPPER CAPE HAZMAT COLLECTION SEES MASSIVE TURNOUT
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, cleaners, pesticides, waste
EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS ORDERED AMID INDUSTRIAL FIRE IN MORRIS ‰?? NBC CHICAGO
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHAUT. COUNTY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE TEAM ASKS POOL OWNERS NOT TO MIX DIFFERENT FORMS OF CHLORINATING PRODUCTS
Tags: us_ny, public, discovery, enviromental, pool_chemicals
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FACTORY
Tags: india, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
OSHA PROPOSES $12K FINE FOR OPTIMA BELLE FOR WORKPLACE VIOLATION STEMMING FROM FATAL CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
LA CROSSE FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISH BLAZE AT HYDRITE CHEMICALS
Tags: us_WI, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CLEANUP UNDERWAY AFTER BIO-HAZMAT LEAK IN JEFFERSONTOWN
Tags: us_KY, transportation, release, response, waste
AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS EMERGENCY CREWS TO EVACUATE SCARBOROUGH FACTORY
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
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I-10 REOPENS FOLLOWING ACCIDENT INVOLVING HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
https://www.kplctv.com/2021/06/29/accident-involving-hazardous-materials-i-10-west-all-lanes-blocked/
Tags: us_LA, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - A single-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon has been cleared after it blocked I-10 in both directions near the I-210 interchange on the east side of Lake Charles, according to Louisiana State Police.
‰??It actually started from a single-vehicle crash, and the tanker truck was carrying a liquid chemical product.,‰?? said State Trooper Derek Senegal.
The accident, which happened in the westbound lanes, involved hazardous materials, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation.
Senegal, spokesman for Louisiana State Police Troop D, says the chemical has been identified as Neopentyl glycol and says it has no inhalation hazard.
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MORRIS INDUSTRIAL FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION ORDER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-industrial-fire-evacuation-morris-20210629-2fkr4lyc2ranbkxktkto46plfi-story.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, batteries
An industrial fire Tuesday afternoon in Morris has prompted an evacuation order, officials said.
According to The Associated Press, the fire was at a warehouse where large batteries are stored.
Residents in the 900 block of Benton, Douglas, Armstrong and East Street have been ordered to evacuate, according to a Nixle alert from the Grundy County Emergency Management Agency.
The fire, rated severe, poses a significant threat to life and property, according to the alert.
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SIERRA CLUB HOSTS FORUM ON CHEMTOOL FALLOUT
https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/local-news/sierra-club-hosts-forum-on-chemtool-fallout/article_e6d22486-e1e9-5dc4-9fbd-9d23bbce8f36.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, dust
Just over two weeks after the massive industrial fire at Chemtool in the Town of Rockton, residents continue to raise environmental and health concerns in the aftermath of the blaze.
On Tuesday, the Sierra Club, an environmental activism collective with over 3.8 million members, hosted a virtual community forum with environmental activists, health officials and residents for a question-and-answer session with University of Illinois at Chicago Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Peter Orris, MD.
Residents asked various questions regarding the safety of Rockton neighborhoods; the quality of the air and water; implications of long-term health impacts of chemical exposure and how residents could keep themselves safe as more is learned about the fire.
Orris said residents with pre-existing respiratory conditions who have experienced breathing problems from the fire should consult with their family doctor and consider limiting outdoor exercise.
‰??Most of the time we are dealing with risk and comparative risk,‰?? Orris said. ‰??...Even if you don‰??t see dust or smoke, some of these chemicals were getting in your system. There are others that may produce irritation within the central nervous system that are usually short-lived.‰??
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INSIDE THE CLEAN-UP OF LAST YEAR‰??S DEADLY BEIRUT BLAST
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/inside-the-clean-up-of-last-years-deadly-beirut-blast/4013912.article
Tags: Lebanon, public, follow-up, environmental, ammonium_nitrate, corrosives, waste
When an explosion in Beirut killed over 200 people and injured thousands more in August 2020, authorities soon uncovered that the cause was nearly 3000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for years. The disaster made it clear that a massive clean-up effort was needed, and Lebanese officials approached specialist German companies to begin the massive job.
H̦ppner Environmental Protection Consultancy, based in northern Germany, partnered with heavy lift transportation company Combi Lift to inspect 59 containers of concern that had been stored at the port for years, and then securely shipped them to Germany for safe disposal.
If these containers had caught fire, Beirut would have been ‰??wiped out‰??, interim port chief Bassem al-Kaisi warned in November. In February, Combi Lift‰??s managing director Heiko Felderhoff said that these apparently forgotten hazardous chemicals were tantamount to ‰??a second Beirut bomb‰??.
But before the hazardous receptacles could be despatched, the companies had to carefully examine them to make a full inventory of their contents.
In the 59 containers, significant amounts of highly concentrated hydrochloric acid, and other corrosive materials such as sulfuric acid, formic acid, sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid were found, according to Johannes Melcher, a chemist with H̦ppner whose job was to identify the materials and ensure that they could be handled and shipped safely. Furthermore, he says, acetone and empty cans of methyl bromide were also uncovered.
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TAX FOR CHEMICALS CLEANUP PART OF US INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Tax-chemicals-cleanup-part-US/99/web/2021/06
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental, waste
The US chemical industry is lashing out against a tax on feedstock chemicals included in the tentative infrastructure deal hammered out by President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators.
Chemical manufacturers previously paid the tax to help fund the federal Superfund program for cleaning up toxic-waste sites, though Congress allowed the levy to expire in 1995. It would resume as part of the proposal, unveiled June 24, that sets goals for $1.2 trillion in infrastructure investment in transportation, the electrical grid, wastewater treatment, resilience to climate change, and pollution cleanup.
‰??We strongly oppose the reinstatement of Superfund chemical taxes, which would target all chemical manufacturers‰??and some other industries‰??regardless of whether there is a connection to a Superfund site,‰?? says Chris Jahn, CEO of the largest US trade association of chemical manufacturers, the American Chemistry Council. Less than 2% of the nation‰??s 1,327 sites on the Superfund National Priorities List are associated with ACC member companies, and those firms are paying for cleanup of their sites, he says in a statement.
In terms of land area, the biggest sites on the Superfund list‰??and those facing some of the largest cleanup costs‰??are lands around abandoned hard-rock mining operations, according to the advocacy group Earthworks.
---------------------------------------------
UPPER CAPE HAZMAT COLLECTION SEES MASSIVE TURNOUT
https://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/upper-cape-hazmat-collection-sees-massive-turnout/article_19f8091c-f58b-5207-b7f4-3f133dc28b95.html
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, ag_chems, cleaners, pesticides, waste
The Upper Cape Hazmat Collection saw a large turnout last Saturday at Falmouth High School, taking away 670 truckloads of hazardous household waste.
‰??The turnout was unbelievable,‰?? said Kalliope Chute, hazardous waste materials specialist for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and one of the event's organizers.
‰??This is my seventeenth year in the water quality and hazardous waste program and we‰??ve never seen anything like it,‰?? she said, adding that while the event was only the second out of four planned pickups for 2021, they have already seen nearly a 50 percent increase in hazardous waste collected, compared to 2020.
These regional pick-up events provide residents of Cape Cod with a safe and convenient way to dispose of toxic materials such as pesticides, chemicals, cleaners and paint without fees. Cape Cod Extension also offers assistance to small businesses that need to dispose of hazardous waste, and pick-up assistance for residents who need help getting their waste to the site, according to the Cape Cod Extension website.
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EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS ORDERED AMID INDUSTRIAL FIRE IN MORRIS ‰?? NBC CHICAGO
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/emergency-evacuations-ordered-amid-industrial-fire-in-morris/2543503/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Emergency evacuations were ordered in parts of suburban Morris as an industrial fire burned in the area Tuesday, authorities said.
The Grundy County IL Emergency Management Agency ordered anyone who lives in the 900 blocks of Benton, Douglas or Armstrong streets as well as those who live on East Street to "please evacuate your residence now."
Those in need of a place to go were urged to head to the Grundy County Administration building located at 1320 Union St.
---------------------------------------------
CHAUT. COUNTY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE TEAM ASKS POOL OWNERS NOT TO MIX DIFFERENT FORMS OF CHLORINATING PRODUCTS
https://www.post-journal.com/news/local-news/2021/06/chaut-county-hazardous-materials-response-team-asks-pool-owners-not-to-mix-different-forms-of-chlorinating-products/
Tags: us_ny, public, discovery, enviromental, pool_chemicals
Some incidents caused by a chlorine product shortage is prompting the Chautauqua County Hazardous Materials Response Team to ask pool owners to be cautious when using a brand other than what they have typically been using.
There are four types of chlorinating products. They may look similar but they are incompatible with each other. These are Liquid Chlorine (bleach), Dichlor (granular sodium dichlor-5-triazinetrione), Calcium Hypochlorite (granular and tablets) and Trichlor (granular and tablets trichlor)-5-triazinetrione.
Mixing different chlorinating compounds can result in a volatile reaction capable of causing bodily harm and producing toxic vapors.
County officials say pool owners should not use the wrong chlorine tablets in their chlorinator. Placing the wrong type of chlorinating tablets or mixing different forms in a tablet feeder will cause a reaction that produces considerable heat and toxic gasses. The rapid formation of gas inside a tablet feeder can cause enough pressure to blow the lid off the feeder or can be violent enough to cause the feeder to explode.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL FACTORY
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/fire-breaks-out-at-chemical-factory-275554
Tags: india, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A major fire broke out at a chemical factory situated at Shekhein village on Hoshiarpur Road here on Monday. The goods kept in the factory were destroyed in the fire. However, no loss of human life was reported in the incident. As per information, the incident took place at around 5 in the evening and it took almost four hours for officials of the Fire Brigade to douse the flames. Smoke could be seen billowing out of the factory.
The moment the fire broke out, the workers came out and started putting water to douse the fire, but remained unsuccessful. Blasts were heard by the people living nearby continuously for several minutes. A Fire Brigade team reached the spot and after hours of putting in efforts and using several fire tenders, they could succeed in controlling the fire.
The SHO, Patara, said after getting to know about the incident, they reached the spot and asked people to stay away from the spot and did not allow anyone to go near the factory. ‰??We were concerned that no one should get injured in the fire. Fortunately, no human life was lost, but the actual amount of loss will be ascertained by the owner,‰?? the SHO said, adding that the reason behind the fire could not be ascertained.
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OSHA PROPOSES $12K FINE FOR OPTIMA BELLE FOR WORKPLACE VIOLATION STEMMING FROM FATAL CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/osha-proposes-12k-fine-for-optima-belle-for-workplace-violation-stemming-from-fatal-chemical-plant/article_93846361-d502-5d94-8e91-4dcef8ebfaf0.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
John Gillenwater, 42, of Hurricane, was the chemical plant worker killed by the Dec. 8 explosion.
OSHA found that Optima Belle left employees exposed to overpressurization and explosion hazards while operating a chemical drying process.
Employees were conducting a drying process on a solid chlorinated product in a double cone dryer on the night of Dec. 8 at Optima Belle‰??s plant on the Chemours site in Belle when the explosion happened, according to regulators.
The agency has given Optima Belle a July 9 deadline to abate the violation by developing policies, procedures, controls and training to prevent the hazard described from occurring in the future.
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LA CROSSE FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISH BLAZE AT HYDRITE CHEMICALS
https://www.news8000.com/la-crosse-firefighters-extinguish-blaze-at-hydrite-chemicals/
Tags: us_WI, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) ‰?? La Crosse firefighters extinguished a fire in a trailer next to a large chemical storage bin at Hydrite Chemicals shortly after 3 p.m. Monday.
After arriving at 701 Sumner St. after a four-minute response time, members of the La Crosse Fire Department discovered a large amount of smoke coming from the trailer, according to a fire department news release.
Firefighters evacuated all surrounding buildings as the crews also put out the fire and cooled down the storage bin.
No injuries were reported from the fire, fought by a total of 21 firefighters and eight fire department apparatus.
Fire officials deemed the trailer a total loss and assessed damage to surrounding bins as being minor.
Also responding to the fire were the La Crosse Police Department, Xcel Energy, Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance and the Holmen Fire Department.
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CLEANUP UNDERWAY AFTER BIO-HAZMAT LEAK IN JEFFERSONTOWN
https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/bio-hazmat-leak-jeffersontown/417-64caa7d3-0d30-4512-bbb0-e1721ca6b8b4
Tags: us_KY, transportation, release, response, waste
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ‰?? Crews are cleaning up after a bio-hazmat leak in Jeffersontown.
Dispatchers told WHAS11 News a trailer holding medical waste leaked into the parking lot at the Ashley Furniture off Blankenbaker Road on Sunday.
The EPA defines medical waste as blood, bodily fluid or other potentially infectious materials found at healthcare facilities.
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AMMONIA LEAK PROMPTS EMERGENCY CREWS TO EVACUATE SCARBOROUGH FACTORY
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ammonia-leak-prompts-emergency-crews-to-evacuate-scarborough-factory-1.5488020
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
TORONTO -- An ammonia leak prompted emergency crews to evacuate a factory in Scarborough Sunday evening.
Crews were called to the factory on Salome Drive, in the area of Midland Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East, just after 8 p.m. for reports of a chemical leak.
When firefighters arrived, they discovered an anhydrous ammonia leak, prompting a Hazmat Level 3 response.
Toronto Fire said a good quantity of the substance, which is lethal and can cause severe burns, was spilled on the ground.
The leak has been stopped, Toronto Fire said, and crews are now working on removing the material on the ground safely.
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