Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
From: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (11 articles)
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2021 06:46:46 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 07B44EC9-280D-4B4B-9576-1C864C1749B3**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, October 1, 2021 at 6:46:34 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 (11 articles)
LARGE NATURAL GAS LINE BREAKS, WACO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM ON THE SCENE
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas
UPDATE: TRUCK LEAKING PROPANE CLEARED FROM ROAD IN LAKEWAY
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, propane
2 MEN HOSPITALIZED AFTER GETTING BURNED BY TOXIC MATERIAL AT DORAL WAREHOUSE ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, corrosives
SHEARER'S CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES THREE, EVACUATES OTHERS
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
'MINOR' CHEMICAL SPILL AT SCSU DREW HAZMAT RESPONSE: CAMPUS PD
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL DISCOVERY PROMPTS CALLOUT TO POLICE STATION IN TIMARU
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FINDS TAMPA SMELTER WILLFULLY EXPOSED WORKERS TO UNSAFE LEVELS OF AIRBORNE LEAD, DESPITE EXPERTS‰?? WARNING
Tags: us_FL, industrial, discovery, environmental, batteries, waste
LA PALMA VOLCANO LAVA HITS OCEAN, CREATING A PYRAMID AND TOXIC GAS RISKS
Tags: Spain, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
DEP HITS SHELL WITH VIOLATIONS FOR SMELL IN BEAVER COUNTY
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CHAIR SAYS SHE‰??S REBUILDING AGENCY IMPORTANT TO N.J.
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental
POCKETS OF CAUSTIC SODA LIKELY AFTER KAIMAI SPILL
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
---------------------------------------------
LARGE NATURAL GAS LINE BREAKS, WACO FIRE HAZMAT TEAM ON THE SCENE
https://www.kcentv.com/article/traffic/large-natural-gas-line-breaks-waco/500-17d76f49-9920-4723-b5a3-7503d19cbaf9
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas
WACO, Texas ‰?? The Waco Fire Department and Hazmat unit were called out for a hazmat situation in the 2800 block of Gholson Road Thursday morning.
Waco Fire in a tweet said it has units and a hazmat team operating at a 2" natural gas line break.
Officials are asking for people to avoid the area until further notice.
---------------------------------------------
UPDATE: TRUCK LEAKING PROPANE CLEARED FROM ROAD IN LAKEWAY
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/travis-county/truck-actively-leaking-propane-after-crash-in-lakeway-some-residents-told-to-evacuate/
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, response, propane
LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) ‰?? Police announced Thursday afternoon they‰??re lifting evacuation and shelter-in-place orders for some Lakeway residents after a truck crashed near their homes and leaked propane. The roadway was cleared and back open by 6:30 p.m.
TOP STORIES | Non-emergency calls should go to 311 starting Friday, APD chief says
Lake Travis firefighters said the truck began leaking after a crash happened on Flint Rock Road near Pawnee Pass South, which is west of FM 620 in Lakeway.
A reverse 911 call to residents in the area advised some on Golden Bear Drive to evacuate the area and others to shelter in place. A hazmat team was at the scene, as well.
---------------------------------------------
2 MEN HOSPITALIZED AFTER GETTING BURNED BY TOXIC MATERIAL AT DORAL WAREHOUSE ‰?? WSVN 7NEWS
https://wsvn.com/news/local/2-men-hospitalized-after-getting-burned-by-toxic-material-at-doral-warehouse/
Tags: us_FL, industrial, explosion, injury, corrosives
DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Two workers have been transported to the hospital after being burned at a warehouse in Doral.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to a call referencing a tank explosion at a warehouse along Northwest 33rd Street and 79th Avenue, just west of Miami International Airport, at around 11:20 a.m., Thursday.
Responding rescue personnel located two men who sustained burns from being sprayed by 40 gallons of alkali material that was on the ground.
The victims‰?? skin burned, and rescue crews treated them and rinsed their skin at the scene before transporting them to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
One victim was airlifted to the hospital and the other was transported by ground to JMH.
The two men were separated due to one of the victims having respiratory issues.
Hazmat crews have since responded to the scene to neutralize the toxic materials at the warehouse.
---------------------------------------------
SHEARER'S CHEMICAL LEAK HOSPITALIZES THREE, EVACUATES OTHERS
https://www.hermistonherald.com/shearers-chemical-leak-hospitalizes-three-evacuates-others/article_18628e4d-abb5-53c6-ad00-5c5577571ae9.html
Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A chemical leak Tuesday night, Sept. 27, at Shearer‰??s Foods in Hermiston, resulted in three people going to the hospital.
Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 responded to the food processing faculty at 8:45 p.m. with three engines, two medics, a hazmat team and more. Division Chief Richard Cearns said around 20 to 25 employees were evacuated.
It is not entirely common to send out a hazmat team, Cearns said, but this was a case for it, as people reported a chemical smell in the warehouse.
The hazmat team triaged five possible patients. Ambulances rushed three to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermston, and two refused transport, according to Fire Chief Scott Stanton.
Cearns said his team found the cause of the leak and mitigated the problem, though he could not say the exact chemical released. Once the chemical release was stopped, and after affected employees were sent to the hospital, Shearer‰??s was allowed to open at 4 a.m. the following day, Cearns said.
---------------------------------------------
'MINOR' CHEMICAL SPILL AT SCSU DREW HAZMAT RESPONSE: CAMPUS PD
https://patch.com/connecticut/newhaven/minor-chemical-spill-scsu-drew-hazmat-response-campus-pd
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, injury, unknown_chemical
NEW HAVEN, CT ‰?? It was a "minor chemical spill," police said, but drew a major response from New Haven fire, haz-mat, and other first responders Thursday afternoon at the Academic Science and Laboratory Building at Southern Connecticut State University.
According to SCSU Campus Police spokesperson Patrick Dilger, during a class, a student spilled a chemical she was working with that caused some redness to her left hand and arm. She was transported to the hospital as a precaution, Dilger said, but is expected to be "fine." He said the chemical was one that, in the event of a spill, only requires soap and water to clean it up.
To err on the side of caution, there was a full hazardous materials response to the scene.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL DISCOVERY PROMPTS CALLOUT TO POLICE STATION IN TIMARU
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/300420701/chemical-discovery-prompts-callout-to-police-station-in-timaru
Tags: New_Zealand, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
The Hazardous Materials Unit was called following the discovery of a chemical inside containers at the police station on Timaru‰??s North St.
A police spokesperson said containers of unknown chemicals were found at the station and Fire and Emergency NZ was called to attend as a precaution.
The chemical was treated and neutralised before being removed from the site for investigation.
Fire and Emergency assistant area commander Stephen Butler said a ‰??very small‰??‰?? amount of a ‰??generalised chemical‰??‰?? was found in a storage facility at the station and reported to emergency services at 11am on Friday.
When asked what the chemical was, he said it was ‰??a very small amount of a generalised chemical substance‰??‰??.
‰??Trucks from Timaru and Temuka attended as well as the Hazmat [hazardous materials] truck,‰??‰?? Butler said.
Firefighters treated and neutralised the chemical before removing it from the site for investigation.
---------------------------------------------
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FINDS TAMPA SMELTER WILLFULLY EXPOSED WORKERS TO UNSAFE LEVELS OF AIRBORNE LEAD, DESPITE EXPERTS‰?? WARNING
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20210930
Tags: us_FL, industrial, discovery, environmental, batteries, waste
TAMPA, FL ‰?? Despite warnings since March 2020 of unsafe measures of lead exposure, a Tampa battery recycling facility and smelter failed to make changes that resulted in worker exposure to lead inhalation hazards, a federal workplace safety investigation found.
The U.S. Department of Labor‰??s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Envirofocus Technologies LLC ‰?? operating as Gopher Resource LLC ‰?? with a willful violation for exposing workers to inhalation hazards. The company also failed to provide employees with adequate respirators that could have kept worker exposure to hazardous substances at or below the allowable level.
---------------------------------------------
LA PALMA VOLCANO LAVA HITS OCEAN, CREATING A PYRAMID AND TOXIC GAS RISKS
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/world/europe/la-palma-volcano-lava-ocean.html
Tags: Spain, public, release, environmental, other_chemical
Ten days into a volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma, a pyramidlike structure formed on Wednesday just off its coast as lava started pouring into the ocean.
The local authorities called on residents on Wednesday morning to keep their windows shut because a mix of toxic gases and small particles may be released when molten lava comes into contact with cold water. Scientists have also been warning that the chemical reactions between lava and water could cause powerful underwater explosions.
The lava entering the water should be treated as ‰??a very dangerous moment,‰?? said Ì?ngel VÌ-ctor Torres, the regional leader of the Canary Islands, an island grouping off northwestern Africa that includes La Palma.
---------------------------------------------
DEP HITS SHELL WITH VIOLATIONS FOR SMELL IN BEAVER COUNTY
https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/2021/09/29/dep-hits-shell-violations-smell-beaver-county/5912901001/
Tags: us_PA, public, release, response
POTTER TWP. ‰?? State regulators say Shell Chemicals violated air pollution laws when a strong chemical odor wafted from its ethane cracker plant into Beaver County last week.
Pennsylvania‰??s Department of Environmental Protection issued the company violations for ‰??malodorous air contaminants‰?? detected outside of the Potter Township construction site. Regulators heard dozens of odor-related complaints between Sept. 22 and 24, prompting an investigation.
The pungent smell ‰?? and a cloud of unconnected dust emanating from construction activities ‰?? was documented outside of Shell‰??s property line, DEP officials said, violating the company‰??s air permit and sections of the Air Pollution Control Act.
The notice ‰??neither imposes nor waives‰?? any enforcement, according to a letter sent to company leaders, and the open compliance issue could result in further action ‰??if appropriate.‰??
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CHAIR SAYS SHE‰??S REBUILDING AGENCY IMPORTANT TO N.J.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2021/09/chemical-safety-board-chair-says-shes-rebuilding-agency-important-to-nj.html
Tags: us_NJ, public, follow-up, environmental
The independent agency that investigates chemical accidents, which had been plagued by vacancies on its board and a shortage of trained staff members, has reduced its backlog of probes and expanded its team of investigators, its chair said Wednesday.
Katherine Lemos, the only remaining member of the five-person Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, told the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee that the agency closed two of its 20 ongoing investigations this year and issued 19 new safety recommendations after none a year earlier.
In addition, the agency hired four new investigators, as well as identify outside experts in specialized areas such as equipment testing that can be called on to assist in investigations without having to hire full-time staff members with expertise in those fields.
‰??We are committed to the CSB mission, we are committed to its growth, and we are committed to ensure that we can respond and react properly to catastrophic chemical events,‰?? Lemos told the subcommittee in her prepared testimony.
NJ Advance Media earlier reported how then-President Donald Trump, blocked by Congress from eliminating the chemical board, failed to fill most of its vacancies, leaving just one of the five board seats filled, and how unfinished accident investigations piled up.
The board is important to New Jersey, a state whose $13.4 billion chemical industry is the largest manufacturing industry, according to the American Chemistry Council. The state is the 10th largest chemical producer in the U.S.
---------------------------------------------
POCKETS OF CAUSTIC SODA LIKELY AFTER KAIMAI SPILL
https://sunlive.co.nz/news/277924-pockets-of-caustic-soda-likely-after-kaimai-spill.html
Tags: New_Zealand, transportation, release, response, sodium_hydroxide
Six thousand litres of sodium hydroxide that spewed from a truck onto a major highway is likely to continue to spill into a nearby stream and experts unable to rule out ‰??further pockets of the chemical‰??.
Six containers ‰?? filled with 1000 litres of sodium hydroxide each ‰?? fell off a truck on the Kaimai Ranges on State Highway 29 on Tuesday morning, closing the highway for much of the day while contractors cleared the site.
Most of the substance ended up on the road or ran onto adjacent land, but some travelled about 2km down hill to M€?hina-a-rangi Stream.
Waikato Regional Council‰??s cleanup team is satisfied most of the chemical is now gone ‰?? diluted in the first few kilometres ‰?? but it can‰??t guarantee more won‰??t arrive downstream after heavy rainfall.
‰??It‰??s been estimated that around 2000-3000 litres would have travelled towards the nearby M€?hina-a-rangi Stream, but it‰??s difficult to be more accurate than that at this point,‰?? Incident response team leader Wayne Reed‰?? says.
The truck is understood to have lost its load between Rapurapu Kauri Track and Kaimai Mamaku Lookout, and the containers blocked the westbound lane, roughly five-hundred metres south of the summit.
---------------------------------------------
---
For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post