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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, July 30, 2021 at 8:00:47 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 (19 articles)
THREE FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN NEW IBERIA FIRE, EXPLOSION
Tags: us_LA, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
LAFD HAZMAT SQUAD ON SCENE AT SUN VALLEY RECYCLING CENTER ‰?? DAILY NEWS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste
HAZ MAT INCIDENT REPORTED ON N. COLUMBIA
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
DEP LEVIES $51K FINE FOR MOUNTAINEER XPRESS PIPELINE WATER POLLUTION VIOLATIONS
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
CLIMATE-RELATED INCIDENTS NEED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR IN PROCESS SAFETY
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
LEVERKUSEN EXPLOSION: WHAT EXACTLY ARE DIOXINS, FURANS, PCBS AND PAHS?
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
CHEMTOOL CHEMICALS WILL REMAIN UNKNOWN UNTIL AT LEAST SEPTEMBER
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
THREE PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK AT ALBERTA CAMPGROUND
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
ACETIC ACID ACCIDENT AT TEXAS PLANT KILLS 2 WORKERS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, death, acetic_acid
MAN, FIREFIGHTER HOSPITALIZED AFTER PEORIA HAZMAT SITUATION WITH CHLORINE
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, injury, chlorine
GREAT FALLS FIRE RESCUE RESPONDS TO HAZMAT SPILL WEDNESDAY
Tags: us_MT, public, release, response, chlorine_dioxide
HOW TO SPOT SYMPTOMS IF YOU WERE EXPOSED IN LA PORTE LEAK
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental
DOES DATA FROM ILLINOIS' CHEMTOOL FIRE HAVE YOUR HEAD SPINNING? THIS YOUNG SCIENTIST IS HERE TO HELP
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, environmental
‰??SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE FIXED HERE‰?? ‰?? 3 HOUSTON-AREA CHEMICAL LEAKS IN 1 MONTH RAISE CALLS FOR FASTER FEDERAL ACTION ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
NO INJURIES OR CHEMICAL RELEASES REPORTED AFTER BELLE CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_WV, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
HYDERABAD: THREE INJURED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE AT JEEDIMETLA
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
LESSONS LEARNED‰??LITHIUM SILICIDE HYDRATION FIRE
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, fire, response, hydrogen, metals, sodium
THERMAL HAZARDS OF USING PROPARGYL ALCOHOL WITH STRONG BASES
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, solvent
EXPLOSION IN LEVERKUSEN KILLS AT LEAST 2
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, solvent, waste
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THREE FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN NEW IBERIA FIRE, EXPLOSION
https://www.katc.com/news/iberia-parish/firefighters-on-scene-of-fire-on-hopkins-street-in-new-iberia
Tags: us_LA, public, explosion, injury, natural_gas
Three firefighters were injured on Thursday while responding to a natural gas fire and explosion on South Hopkins Street and West Dale Street in New Iberia.
State Fire Marshal deputies are now investigating the incident at the request of the New Iberia Fire Department. They say the fire and subsequent explosion is at a manufactured home structure used as a commercial business in the 800 block of Hopkins Street.
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The incident has been confirmed as a natural gas fire, according to State Police Hazmat.
Three firefighters are hospitalized with injuries sustained during the response to the initial call, the SFM says. Those firefighters are in different hospitals as of Thursday night; the family members of one man tell KATC he is in a medically induced coma at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette. According to officials, he is the only firefighter in critical condition.
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LAFD HAZMAT SQUAD ON SCENE AT SUN VALLEY RECYCLING CENTER ‰?? DAILY NEWS
https://www.dailynews.com/2021/07/29/lafd-hazmat-squad-on-scene-at-sun-valley-sanitation-yard/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, response, unknown_chemical, waste
hazardous materials team was sent Thursday morning to a recycling center on the 9200 block of Tujunga Avenue in the Sun Valley area, where some people may have been exposed to an unknown chemical, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters evaluated the 49 people who evacuated the building at Waste Management‰??s Sun Valley Recycling Park, and there were no medical complaints, said LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
No one was transported to the hospital, she added.
The LAFD Hazmat Squad was entering the building to look for hazardous chemicals, Stewart said.
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HAZ MAT INCIDENT REPORTED ON N. COLUMBIA
https://www.koin.com/news/hazardous-materials-incident-north-columbia-portland/
Tags: us_OR, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) ‰?? A hazardous materials incident on North Columbia Boulevard in Portland on Thursday morning resulted in traffic being temporarily shut down within a half-mile radius, according to officials.
Portland Fire & Rescue said it happened on the 2300 block of North Columbia.
Traffic was shut down within a half-mile radius as crews respond to the scene; however, North Columbia has since re-opened.
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DEP LEVIES $51K FINE FOR MOUNTAINEER XPRESS PIPELINE WATER POLLUTION VIOLATIONS
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/dep-levies-51k-fine-for-mountaineer-xpress-pipeline-water-pollution-violations/article_4147b01d-c09d-53c9-be2f-b3373fcdcc7a.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
West Virginia environmental regulators have again fined the operator of the Mountaineer XPress Pipeline for water pollution violations.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has assessed Columbia Gas Transmission a $51,560 penalty for violations dating back to July 2020, adding to the TC Energy subsidiary‰??s history of environmental violations that predates the pipeline‰??s March 2019 in-service launch.
The violations include failing to report the release of chemical drying agents into an unnamed tributary of Rush Run in Wetzel County used to repair a slip and not installing sediment control devices in the area of the slip as indicated in a stormwater pollution prevention plan, leading to offsite sediment deposits.
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CLIMATE-RELATED INCIDENTS NEED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR IN PROCESS SAFETY
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/climate-related-incidents-need-to-be-accounted-for-in-process-safety/
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
ENVIRONMENTAL and scientific advisory groups have called on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take stronger action to protect workers and the public from chemical disasters exacerbated by climate change.
The policy brief from the Center for Progressive Reform, Earthjustice, and the Union of Concerned Scientists issues a call for reform on the EPA‰??s response to natech disasters. Natech ‰?? or natural hazard triggering technological disasters ‰?? refers to when natural hazards such as storms or earthquakes contribute to or coincide with a process safety incident at an industrial facility.
The EPA‰??s Risk Management Programme (RMP) regulates facilities that use, store, or manage hazardous chemicals and is responsible for preventing incidents and protecting workers and the community. Currently, 12,331 facilities are regulated under the RMP which include refineries, chemical manufacturers, water treatment plants, industrial agriculture facilities, and pulp and paper mills. The brief identified 3,856 facilities which are located on sites prone to risks from events such as flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires ‰?? all of which are becoming more frequent and more intense due to climate change. The number of vulnerable facilities is likely to be an underestimate as data is currently not available for all natural disaster risks.
The RMP currently doesn‰??t address natech events or require facilities to take action to protect the surrounding communities against these risks. The Obama-era Chemical Disaster Rule would have addressed some of the gaps in the RMP, however the Trump administration rescinded this rule. While the Biden administration is planning to review the RMP, the brief notes that it is unclear what new action might be taken. It says that new rules must strengthen regulations, not just restore the Obama-era ones.
---------------------------------------------
LEVERKUSEN EXPLOSION: WHAT EXACTLY ARE DIOXINS, FURANS, PCBS AND PAHS?
https://www.dw.com/en/leverkusen-explosion-what-exactly-are-dioxins-furans-pcbs-and-pahs/a-58697815
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, environmental, toxics
During an explosion at a hazardous waste incineration plant at Chempark near Leverkusen in western Germany earlier this week, tanks containing chlorinated solvents burst into flames. The solvents, as well as greases, waste medicines, tar and other pollutants are usually incinerated at temperatures of around 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit).
Only when they are incinerated at temperatures of over 850 degrees Celsius can it be ensured that no dioxins, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain in the combustion gases.
But if the incineration is not done properly, certain toxins, which belong to what are known as the dirty dozen of organic environmental pollutants, can remain or even be produced and then be dispersed into the atmosphere.
Thus, following this week's explosion, authorities have warned local residents not to touch any particles of soot or eat any fruit or vegetables from their gardens.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMTOOL CHEMICALS WILL REMAIN UNKNOWN UNTIL AT LEAST SEPTEMBER
https://wrex.com/2021/07/29/chemtool-chemicals-will-remain-unknown-until-at-least-september/
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
ROCKTON (WREX) ‰?? Residents waiting to find out what chemicals were inside Chemtool at the time of a massive fire last month will have to wait a little bit longer.
A judge ruled today that documents about the chemicals inside of Chemtool will be made available, but only to attorneys and experts involved in the case.
The documents include a site map which lays out where chemicals were at the site and how much of each chemical was there. The earliest Chemtool could be forced to make those documents public is at the next court date, which is scheduled for Sept. 22.
Earlier this month, Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against Chemtool Inc.
Raoul and Hanley allege that the fire and efforts to control the fire resulted in smoke, particulate matter and unknown quantities of other contaminants being released into the environment.
---------------------------------------------
THREE PEOPLE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER POSSIBLE CHEMICAL LEAK AT ALBERTA CAMPGROUND
https://www.660citynews.com/2021/07/29/possible-chemical-leak-campground/
Tags: Canada, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FORT MACLEOD ‰?? RCMP in Fort MacLeod are trying to figure out what kind of chemical caused several people to need EMS treatment at an area campground over the weekend.
RCMP responded to the campground around 11:20 p.m. Sunday night after several people reported having difficulty breathing.
Ambulances from several surrounding communities were dispatched and assessed six people. Three people were taken to hospital with respiratory issues.
A preliminary investigation revealed a possible chemical leak from an unknown source in the area.
---------------------------------------------
ACETIC ACID ACCIDENT AT TEXAS PLANT KILLS 2 WORKERS
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Acetic-acid-accident-Texas-plant/99/i28
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, death, acetic_acid
Two workers are dead and two remain hospitalized after a pipe with pressurized acetic acid burst July 27 at a LyondellBasell plant in La Porte, Texas.
First responders helped 31 surviving workers undergo decontamination, Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen told reporters shortly after the accident. LyondellBasell says 30 workers were transported to the hospital for medical evaluation. Of these, 28 had been treated and released as of late July 28.
Hours before the incident, workers shut down the acetyls unit at the plant for planned maintenance, LyondellBasell says in a statement. About 7:35 p.m., a cap burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid, forming a chemical vapor cloud, a spokesperson for the Harris County Pollution Control Services Department tells C&EN. The vaporized acetic acid caused most of the injuries, the spokesperson says.
The two workers killed at the scene were contract employees, LyondellBasell says. They are Dustin Don Day, 36, and Shawn Andrew Kuhleman, 32, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The pressurized line spewed a mixture of acetic acid, catalyst, hydrogen iodide, and methyl iodide, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) says in an emailed statement. LyondellBasell says the accident released about 45,000 kg of this mixture, which consisted primarily of acetic acid.
---------------------------------------------
MAN, FIREFIGHTER HOSPITALIZED AFTER PEORIA HAZMAT SITUATION WITH CHLORINE
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/man-firefighter-hospitalized-after-peoria-hazmat-situation-with-chlorine
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, injury, chlorine
PEORIA, Ariz. - A five-gallon bucket of chlorine reportedly exploded at a Peoria home on Wednesday afternoon and it caused hazmat situation, the fire department said.
The incident happened near Beardsley Road and 109th Avenue.
"An adult male stated a five gallon bucket of chlorine exploded at a residence. He was transported in stable condition," a Tweet read from the department.
The man's home was evacuated and neighbors sheltered in place during the incident.
The department says a firefighter was taken to the hospital and is stable after exposure to the chemical.
There's no information on the explosion or the damage that it caused.
---------------------------------------------
GREAT FALLS FIRE RESCUE RESPONDS TO HAZMAT SPILL WEDNESDAY
https://www.khq.com/regional/great-falls-fire-rescue-responds-to-hazmat-spill-wednesday/article_263ffb3f-3fab-5b47-b492-3ec5b1c1fea2.html
Tags: us_MT, public, release, response, chlorine_dioxide
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Great Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR) responded to the Sletten Cancer Center for a small Chlorine Dioxide spill.
GFFR reports the spill was found in the basement of the Sletten Cancer Center and was caused by a faulty container that the product was stored in that began to leak when it was moved.
The spill was isolated to a mechanical room in the basement and posed no threat to the occupants and patients inside the building.
Hazmat technicians with GFFR made two entries into the area to stop the leak and absorb what was spilled so a clean-up contractor could come to clean up the spill in its entirety.
A team from Libby completed the remediation efforts.
No injuries were reported, and treatments at the center continued as hazmat crews stopped and contained the spill.
---------------------------------------------
HOW TO SPOT SYMPTOMS IF YOU WERE EXPOSED IN LA PORTE LEAK
https://news.yahoo.com/2-dead-dozens-injured-chemical-173258889.html
Tags: us_TX, public, discovery, environmental
As investigators work to find out what caused 100,000 pounds of acetic acid to be released in La Porte, we look into the compound involved. Video clip can be found at this page
---------------------------------------------
DOES DATA FROM ILLINOIS' CHEMTOOL FIRE HAVE YOUR HEAD SPINNING? THIS YOUNG SCIENTIST IS HERE TO HELP
https://www.southernminn.com/around_the_web/news/article_de7a7929-f918-57d9-a5b3-2484da68c928.html
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, environmental
ROSCOE ‰?? A Rockton native leveraged a Severson Dells blog and her scientific training in the days after the June 14 fire and explosions at Chemtool to help residents make sense of the dizzying air and water quality testing data being released.
Although not an expert, Jillian Neece, 21, is a budding biologist skilled at reading, interpreting and explaining tough scientific concepts and data.
Neece harnessed those skills in the aftermath of the fire to write a blog post that served as a cheat sheet to help almost anyone understand the complex environmental testing results that were being shared with the public. She used everyday language to help explain that a "volatile organic compound" is simply a chemical that's easily turned into a gas, that "elevated levels of particulates" in the air could cause health problems and what kind of information wasn't included in the reports.
---------------------------------------------
‰??SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE FIXED HERE‰?? ‰?? 3 HOUSTON-AREA CHEMICAL LEAKS IN 1 MONTH RAISE CALLS FOR FASTER FEDERAL ACTION ‰?? HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2021/07/28/404472/something-needs-to-be-fixed-here-3-houston-area-chemical-leaks-in-1-month-raise-calls-for-faster-federal-action/
Tags: us_TX, public, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
Three chemical leaks along the Houston Ship Channel this month have spewed foul-smelling odors into neighborhoods, forced people to evacuate their homes and, on Tuesday night, killed two workers and hospitalized 30 others.
A slate of proposed revisions to federal chemical safety rules could have prevented the leaks, but the changes have been stalled for years.
The 2013 explosion in the City of West, Texas, led to an interagency review of chemical safety regulations. At the time, Jordan Barab was the No. 2 official with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which began reviewing its "process safety standard" ‰?? a nearly 30-year-old slate of rules intended to keep workers safe around hazardous chemicals.
"OSHA determined that the process safety management standard was in dire need of modernizing, and put it on the regulatory agenda and started work on it," Barab said.
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES OR CHEMICAL RELEASES REPORTED AFTER BELLE CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/energy_and_environment/no-injuries-or-chemical-releases-reported-after-belle-chemical-plant-explosion/article_74f79566-ca04-5f92-aa2b-9a79d5b132ed.html
Tags: us_WV, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
An explosion at a Belle chemical plant Wednesday morning resulted in no injuries or releases of chemicals into the environment, according to officials.
The explosion occurred at the Kureha PGA, LLC plant at the Chemours Company‰??s site in Belle after equipment used for process heating failed, according to plant manager Marcus Phillips.
The equipment was being serviced by an equipment vendor at the time of the failure, and the plant was not in operation at that time, Phillips said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the failure resulted in damaged ductwork.
Phillips reported there were no injuries, exposures or environmental releases from the incident that Kanawha County Manager Jennifer Herrald said happened around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday.
An onsite Chemours fire brigade responded and the scene was cleared around 9 a.m., according to C.W. Sigman, director of emergency management for Kanawha County. Sigman said county emergency responders confirmed there were no injuries or chemicals involved in the incident.
---------------------------------------------
HYDERABAD: THREE INJURED IN CHEMICAL FACTORY FIRE AT JEEDIMETLA
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/three-injured-in-chemical-factory-fire-at-jeedimetla/articleshow/84840330.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
HYDERABAD: Three people were injured in a fire that broke out at a chemical factory in Jeedimetla, on Wednesday.
According to Jeedimetla fire station officials, the mishap occured following a reactor blast. Three people who were in the vicinity of the reactor, suffered burn injuries and were shifted to hospital by the factory authorities. Meanwhile as fire started to spread, authorities called the fire department at 8.10 am.
The cause of blast is still being investigated. While the fire fighters along with a fire tender reached the spot soon to douse the flames, they had to call in three more fire tenders subsequently, since the fire was spreading fast, officials said.
‰??It took three hours of firefighting to bring the situation under control,‰?? said Subhash Reddy, fire station inspector, Jeedimetla. ‰??The mishap took place only in one of the three blocks of the factory,‰?? added the inspector.
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LESSONS LEARNED‰??LITHIUM SILICIDE HYDRATION FIRE
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00040
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, fire, response, hydrogen, metals, sodium
Alkali metals, such as lithium, sodium, potassium, etc., are highly reactive elements. While researchers generally handle these metals with caution, less caution is taken when these elements have been ‰??reacted‰??. Here, a recent incident is examined in which a pair of researchers ignited a lithium silicide alloy sample that was assumed to be fully hydrated to lithium hydroxide and, thereby, no longer water-reactive. However, variations in the original chemical composition of the lithium compounds examined resulted in select mixtures failing to hydrate and react completely to lithium hydroxide in the time frame allowed. This gave rise to residual unreacted, water-sensitive lithium silicide which resulted in a violent exothermic reaction with water and autoignition of the produced hydrogen gas. This Article describes this incident and improvements that can be implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
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THERMAL HAZARDS OF USING PROPARGYL ALCOHOL WITH STRONG BASES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.oprd.1c00180
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental, solvent
Thermal hazard screening of a reaction mixture that involves the use of propargyl alcohol as the reactant/solvent along with potassium hydroxide as catalyst resulted in catastrophic thermal decomposition that ruptured an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) test cell. Due to this critical hazard, scale-up of the chemistry was not advisible. In order to enable scale-up, further investigations into solvent and base combinations were carried out. New optimum conditions enabled the synthesis of the desired product in a safe manner. The main purpose of this manuscript is to alert the scientific community to the thermal hazards of this compound.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION IN LEVERKUSEN KILLS AT LEAST 2
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Explosion-Leverkusen-kills-least-2/99/i28
Tags: Germany, industrial, follow-up, death, solvent, waste
Two employees were killed and 31 were injured after an explosion on Tuesday morning at Chempark‰??s chemical complex in Leverkusen, Germany. Five more people are missing. The complex is a major manufacturing hub for Bayer, Lanxess, and about 30 other companies.
The explosion occurred in a tank containing solvents in the complex‰??s waste-management center, which features a sewage system, a landfill, and an incinerator. Organic solvents are stored in containers at the center before being incinerated.
‰??The search for the missing is still going on at full speed. Unfortunately, the hope of finding them alive is dwindling,‰?? Lars Friedrich, manager of the complex, says in a statement.
It is the worst chemical industry accident in Germany since 2016, when three maintenance workers died while working on pipelines at BASF‰??s site in Ludwigshafen.
Authorities and the park‰??s management are now investigating why the explosion occurred. ‰??We are taking samples and are analyzing them together,‰?? Friedrich says.
The explosion caused a fire that took 3 h to extinguish. It left Leverkusen under a pall of black smoke for much of Tuesday. Authorities closed roads and warned local residents to stay indoors because of the risk to health. ‰??We have neighbors who have been terrified,‰?? Friedrich says.
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