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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 6:29:04 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 (15 articles)
CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM TO SAGE CREEK HOME
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
TAUNTON, HONITON AND CULLOMPTON FIRE CREWS IDENTIFY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN PLYMTREE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS STILL DECREASING SINCE GREENSBORO SPILL
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, runoff
HAZMAT TEAM FINDS DANGEROUSLY HIGH CO LEVELS IN WAREHOUSE IN SYRACUSE
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, batteries, carbon_monoxide, hvac_chemicals
UNITED PHOSPHORUS LIMITED: TOXIC WAREHOUSE IN DURBAN PA...
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
MYSTERY BLAST: SHEPHERD LOSES ALL FINGERS AT HOME
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CLEANUP CONTINUES AT SITE OF MCDAVID TRAIN DERAILMENT
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, response, ammonium_nitrate, calcium_carbonate, sulphur
DEAD TURTLES AND WAVES OF PLASTIC SHOW SRI LANKAN SHIP DISASTER'S DEEP RAMIFICATIONS
Tags: Sri_Lanka, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, toxics
THOROUGHBRED STUD FARMS BRIDLE AGAINST KILDARE BATTERY PLANT
Tags: Ireland, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
CHLORINE CYLINDER TRIGGERS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN LAS CRUCES
Tags: us_NM, industrial, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
MAYOR PROMISES ADDITIONAL FOLLOW UP ON CHLORINE EMISSION THAT SICKENED CHILDREN AT MAPLEWOOD POOL
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, injury, chlorine
FIREFIGHTERS EXPOSED TO DURBAN CHEMICAL FIRE HAD TO UNDERGO HEALTH ASSESSMENT
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHEMICALS IN BURNT SOUTH AFRICA WAREHOUSE CAUSED 'CONSIDERABLE' ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental
WINNEBAGO COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS ADVISE ROCKTON RESIDENTS NOT TO DRINK WELL WATER AFTER ILLINOIS EPA WATER TESTING
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, metals
$1M IN FINES AFTER NITROGEN KILLS 6 AT GEORGIA POULTRY PLANT ‰?? NBC BOSTON
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, liquid_nitrogen
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CHEMICAL REACTION SENDS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TEAM TO SAGE CREEK HOME
https://news4winnipeg.com/chemical-reaction-sends-hazardous-materials-team-to-sage-creek-home/
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, pool_chemicals
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a hazardous materials call just after 9:30 pm Saturday night, July 24, 2021, on Sundog Drive in Sage Creek.
When crews arrived on scene they found pool chemicals were reacting with each other at a residence. Members of the Harardous Materials Response Unit dressed in chemical resistant suits and went into the home‰??s backyard to clean up the area.
Fire officials said that the incident did not involve a spill and that the incident was fairly minor but still needed to be dealt with in the proper manner.
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TAUNTON, HONITON AND CULLOMPTON FIRE CREWS IDENTIFY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN PLYMTREE
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/19468167.taunton-honiton-cullompton-fire-crews-identify-hazardous-material-plymtree/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
THREE fire crews were sent to deal with an incident involving hazardous materials last night.
Crews from Taunton Fire Station, along with ones from Cullompton and Honiton, were dispatched just over the Somerset border to Plymtree in Devon.
Just after 8.30pm, Fire Control received a call from Ambulance Control to reports of a male who had possibly inhaled a chemical substance, causing him breathing difficulties.
A spokesperson for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service said: "Two fire appliances and an environmental protection unit were immediately mobilised, and used breathing apparatus to identify and isolate the substance."
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WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS STILL DECREASING SINCE GREENSBORO SPILL
https://chapelboro.com/town-square/water-contaminant-levels-still-decreasing-since-greensboro-spill
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, runoff
Two weeks of samples taken from Pittsboro‰??s water intake show decreasing concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane in the town‰??s drinking supply since a yet unknown Greensboro source discharged at least two ‰??slugs‰?? of the dangerous chemical into the Haw last month.
The latest round of data indicate 1,4-Dioxane ‰?? a suspected carcinogen derived from industrial runoff ‰?? has been diluted to levels beneath the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s standard of maximally acceptable concentrations for potable water.
On July 14, the most recent sample date as of press time Tuesday, Pittsboro‰??s finished water contained 17.3 parts per billion of 1,4-Dioxane at the Horton water tank, 16.2 ppb at the 1.0M water tank and fewer than 3 ppb elsewhere. The EPA recommends no more than 35 ppb in healthy drinking water based on a one in 10,000 chance of cancer over lifetime exposure.
‰??As expected, as we become further removed from the contamination event, we are seeing levels steadily decrease closer to non-detect, <1.0 (ppb),‰?? Town Manager Chris Kennedy said in a statement. ‰??Despite the improvements, town staff will continue to monitor and sample the water until we achieve consistent non-detect results.‰??
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HAZMAT TEAM FINDS DANGEROUSLY HIGH CO LEVELS IN WAREHOUSE IN SYRACUSE
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2021/07/hazmat-team-responds-to-reported-refrigerant-leak-at-byrne-dairy-warehouse-in-syracuse.html
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, batteries, carbon_monoxide, hvac_chemicals
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Firefighters fully decked out in hazmat suits entered a cold storage warehouse in Syracuse Sunday morning after a report that a refrigerant system was leaking, according to the Syracuse Fire Department.
Initially, firefighters believed an employee was inside the building, firefighters said in a news release.
Both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were going off in the warehouse at 606 Oneida St. on the city‰??s southwest side when firefighters arrived at 11:24 a.m., Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief John Kane said.
Firefighters found dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the building.
The department‰??s Hazardous Materials Response Team entered the building using ‰??totally-encapsulating chemical protective suits,‰?? Kane said.
The carbon monoxide issue was apparently caused by battery chargers in the building, Kane said.
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UNITED PHOSPHORUS LIMITED: TOXIC WAREHOUSE IN DURBAN PA...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-07-25-united-phosphorus-limited-toxic-warehouse-in-durban-part-of-special-fast-track-state-investment-scheme-firm-fined-millions-in-india/
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
The Indian-owned toxic chemical plant that blew up and polluted air, rivers and sea around Durban was part of a special ‰??fast-track‰?? economic investment scheme by national government, with no specific environmental or hazardous substance approvals or any local government scrutiny.
Back in India, the company has just been fined nearly R2-million after one of the company‰??s pesticide manufacturing plants was shut down by authorities following an explosion five months ago, which killed three workers and injured many more. The Supreme Court in New Delhi has also ordered it to pay another R20-million for operating a major plant for decades without valid environmental authorisation ‰?? while company lawyers have hounded journalists for decades for publishing ‰??defamatory‰?? stories about its legacy of environmental pollution.
***
Containing up to 1,600 different chemical products ‰?? many of them highly toxic ‰?? the Indian-owned United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) pesticide and agro-chemicals warehouse which blew up in Durban on 13 July was part of a special national government investment scheme in which normal regulatory approvals are ‰??fast-tracked‰?? to attract investors.
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MYSTERY BLAST: SHEPHERD LOSES ALL FINGERS AT HOME
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/mystery-blast-shepherd-loses-all-fingers-at-home/articleshow/84739202.cms
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, other_chemical
Hyderabad: A 19-year-old shepherd was badly hurt and lost all fingers in both hands after a chemical substance he was allegedly handling exploded at his house in Peddemul in Vikarabad district on Sunday. Cops suspect that the boy was trying to make a small explosive to kill wild boars.
The explosion at tenant farmer B Yadaiah‰??s house around 10 am created panic in the SC Colony as it occurred in the middle of a residential area. Locals who reached the house found Yadaiah‰??s son Venkatesh withering in pain. The boy was alone at home when the incident happened, police said. Venkatesh was rushed to a local hospital initially and from there to Osmania General Hospital.
‰??Venkatesh was sitting on the tiles in front of his house when the blast occurred. We do not know exactly what he was holding and what he was trying to do. He lost fingers of both his hands. He suffered injuries to his palms and face. He is not in a condition to talk. Forensic team has collected samples for lab analysis,‰?? said Vikarabad SP M Narayana. The explosion caused a hole in the stone tile on which Venkatesh was sitting. ‰??There was about 2kg of ammonia-based fertiliser in a sack nearby. At the site of explosion, black gel like chemical was found. We suspect that Venkatesh was trying to make a small explosive using locally available chemicals to target wild boars,‰?? a Peddemul cop said. A case was registered.
---------------------------------------------
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CLEANUP CONTINUES AT SITE OF MCDAVID TRAIN DERAILMENT
http://www.northescambia.com/2021/07/hazardous-materials-cleanup-continues-at-site-of-mcdavid-train-derailment
Tags: us_FL, transportation, follow-up, response, ammonium_nitrate, calcium_carbonate, sulphur
The environmental cleanup is continuing after a train derailment involving hazardous materials last week in McDavid.
Twenty-five cars of a southbound CSX train derailed in a heavily wooded area a mile north of the West Fraser Sawmill about 10:35 p.m. the night of July 19. Several tanker and hopper cars were among those scattered about the tracks during the derailment.
According to the Florida Department of Environment Management, two of the cars were carrying ammonium nitrate and molten sulfur, both hazardous materials.
‰??None has been released and it remains safely contained within the cars. A small amount of limestone gravel and (nonhazardous) methionine, however, has spilled,‰?? FDEP Press Secretary Alexandra Kuchta told NorthEscambia.com in an email late Friday afternoon.
---------------------------------------------
DEAD TURTLES AND WAVES OF PLASTIC SHOW SRI LANKAN SHIP DISASTER'S DEEP RAMIFICATIONS
https://www.kimt.com/templates/AMP?contentID=574916462
Tags: Sri_Lanka, transportation, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, toxics
For almost two weeks, a thick, black smudge stained the sky off Sri Lanka's western coast -- smoke from a burning container ship nine nautical miles out to sea.
The Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl caught fire on May 20 en route to Colombo carrying 350 metric tons of oil in its tanks and at least 81 containers of "dangerous goods," including nitric acid -- a highly toxic chemical used to make fertilizers.
As the Sri Lankan navy and coast guard teams fought to douse the flames, the inferno tore through the ship's cargo, releasing a cocktail of hazardous chemicals into the air and sea, prompting authorities to issue a toxic rain alert, and compounding fears of an oil spill.
The fire released 80 tons of plastic pellets -- raw materials used to make plastic products -- into the ocean, blanketing beaches along Sri Lanka's western coast. The environmental impact was immediately clear.
Plastic pellets became lodged in fish's gills and mouths. And dozens of rare sea turtles washed up on Sri Lanka's beaches, some with what appeared to be scorch marks on their shells. Fish, dolphins and even a whale were found dead. As of late June, about 200 carcasses had been counted.
Two months on, billions of plastic particles have washed up on nearly every shore of the island and are expected to disperse throughout the Indian Ocean.
---------------------------------------------
THOROUGHBRED STUD FARMS BRIDLE AGAINST KILDARE BATTERY PLANT
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thoroughbred-stud-farms-bridle-against-kildare-battery-plant-jrfd68bfd
Tags: Ireland, public, discovery, environmental, batteries
Several of Ireland‰??s leading stud farms have joined together to oppose plans for a battery-energy storage facility in rural Co Kildare. John Malone‰??s Castlemartin Stud, the Aga Khan‰??s Gilltown and Sallymount studs, the Irish National Stud and the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders‰?? Association have all lodged objections to a proposal for 76 battery-storage units at Dunnstown, near Two Mile House in Co Kildare.
They claim the location of the proposed power plant ‰?? within 5km of 20 stud farms ‰?? is inappropriate due to the risk of fire. The facilities store excess energy from the national grid, and feed it back to meet demand.
---------------------------------------------
CHLORINE CYLINDER TRIGGERS HAZMAT RESPONSE IN LAS CRUCES
https://cbs4local.com/news/local/chlorine-cylinder-triggers-hazmat-response-in-las-cruces
Tags: us_NM, industrial, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) ‰?? The Las Cruces Fire Department‰??s Hazardous Materials Response Unit assisted with a possible faulty chlorine cylinder at the Wastewater Treatment Facility on Wednesday.
Hazmat crews were dispatched to the facility located at 2851 west Amador Boulevard just before 4:00 p.m after staff detected possible abnormalities on one of their one-ton chlorine cylinders.
The Hazmat unit investigated the large tank and found no active leaks or a hazardous environment.
---------------------------------------------
MAYOR PROMISES ADDITIONAL FOLLOW UP ON CHLORINE EMISSION THAT SICKENED CHILDREN AT MAPLEWOOD POOL
https://villagegreennj.com/towns/maplewood/mayor-promises-additional-follow-up-on-chlorine-emission-at-maplewood-pool-that-sickened-children/
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, injury, chlorine
Opening the Township Committee‰??s Meeting on July 20, Mayor Frank McGehee gave an update regarding the events that transpired at the Maplewood Community Pool in the afternoon of July 17, reflecting an evolving response from Township officials while reassuring the public that there would be further investigation.
‰??A malfunction of our pool‰??s automatic level controller in the filtration system resulted in the sediment release, sudden smell, and liquid chlorine discharge, causing some members to experience various medical symptoms,‰?? he began.
Township officials initially reported that ‰??there was no chlorine or other chemical spill,‰?? in social media posts on the day of the incident. In an email to pool members on July 18 the township noted that ‰??some smelled a strong odor of chlorine‰?? and that children were sickened but did not specify why.
On July 19, the township first mentioned in an email that there was a ‰??liquid chlorine discharge‰?? and ‰??levels higher than normal‰?? of liquid chlorine.
---------------------------------------------
FIREFIGHTERS EXPOSED TO DURBAN CHEMICAL FIRE HAD TO UNDERGO HEALTH ASSESSMENT
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/firefighters-exposed-to-durban-chemical-fire-had-to-undergo-health-assessment-20210723
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
The nine days it took to put out a deadly chemical fire at the UPL Warehouse has left untold damage to the environment in the Cornubia, Umhlanga and surrounding areas.
A team of environmental specialists including officials from government, undertook a site visit to the warehouse yesterday after it was set alight during the height of the unrest between 12 and 13 July.
In a press briefing on Friday afternoon, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) chief director for environmental management Sphume Nowele said that water used to put out the fire ended up contaminating local bodies of water.
"The large volumes of water used to extinguish the fire had led to the plant‰??s containment system being overwhelmed. This led to the contaminated water spilling into the Umhlangana stream below. The contaminated water also made its way into the Umhlanga River and to the estuary."
The pollution also severely affected marine life with scores of fish including crayfish, swordfish and crab.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICALS IN BURNT SOUTH AFRICA WAREHOUSE CAUSED 'CONSIDERABLE' ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
https://www.sapeople.com/2021/07/23/chemicals-in-burnt-south-africa-warehouse-caused-considerable-environmental-damage/
Tags: South_Africa, industrial, follow-up, environmental
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) ‰?? South African authorities said on Friday around 1,600 chemicals were stored at a warehouse of India‰??s UPL Ltd when it was razed during violent looting in KwaZulu-Natal last week, causing potentially harmful air emissions and a greenish-tinged effluent to seep into Umhlanga‰??s protected lagoon.
The warehouse was one of hundreds of businesses attacked and looted in KZN and Gauteng provinces in some of the worst violence in the post-apartheid era, sparked by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma on July 7 for contempt of court.
First noticed in the early hours of July 13, the fire was only completely doused by 5 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday, July 22, officials at KwaZulu-Natal‰??s environmental affairs department said, as tonnes of dead fish were collected in the vicinity of Umhlanga lagoon and beach.
---------------------------------------------
WINNEBAGO COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS ADVISE ROCKTON RESIDENTS NOT TO DRINK WELL WATER AFTER ILLINOIS EPA WATER TESTING
https://abc7chicago.com/winnebago-county-well-water-rockton-chemical-plant-fire/10906686/
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, environmental, metals
ROCKTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Health officials are warning Rockton residents to not drink well water after the Illinois EPA found it contains elevated metal levels following last month's chemical plant fire.
Recent Stories from ABC 7 Chicago
The agency expanded routine testing of water quality in the area following the disaster.
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$1M IN FINES AFTER NITROGEN KILLS 6 AT GEORGIA POULTRY PLANT ‰?? NBC BOSTON
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/national-international/1m-in-fines-after-nitrogen-kills-6-at-georgia-poultry-plant/2439389/
Tags: us_GA, industrial, follow-up, death, liquid_nitrogen
Federal workplace safety officials are proposing nearly $1 million in fines against four companies following a January liquid nitrogen leak that killed six workers at a Georgia poultry processing plant.
U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh announced citations and fines by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Friday.
‰??Make no mistake, this was a very preventable tragedy,‰?? Walsh told reporters.
U.S. & World
He said the penalties imposed in the case were ‰??relatively large but that is not enough.‰?? He said many companies simply write off OSHA fines as the ‰??cost of doing business‰?? and called on Congress to increase them.
‰??These employers were putting profit over safety,‰?? Walsh said.
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