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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, November 1, 2021 at 6:42:36 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)
AMMONIA LEAK AT MOUNT HOPE BAKERY DRAWS HEAVY FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
TWO DIE IN A MASSIVE EXPLOSION WHILE ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO STEAL FUEL FROM TRANSNET PIPELINE
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, explosion, death, other_chemical
CONDITIONAL REOPENING OF KZN BEACHES AFFECTED BY THE CORNUBIA CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: South_Africa, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
FIRE ON CONTAINER SHIP OUT, WORK TO REMOVE SHORE DEBRIS TO BEGIN, COMPANY SAYS
Tags: Canada, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO IMPROVE THE CHEMISTRY GRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: IMPLICATIONS OF THE ACS SURVEY OF GRADUATE STUDENTS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
DRIVER CITED FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL ON I-70
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, resin
CITY OF JENNINGS NEVER DID INVENTORY OF CHEMICALS INSIDE WAREHOUSE THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
SCIENTISTS CALL FOR IPCC-LIKE GROUP ON CHEMICAL POLLUTION
Tags: Switzerland, public, discovery, environmental, waste
HAZMAT TEAMS BROUGHT IN FOR CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT THE PIER
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
EVACUATIONS RECOMMENDED AS ST. LOUIS COUNTY HAZMAT FIRE RAGES
Tags: us_MO, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
SETTLEMENT RESOLVES HAZMAT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ULTA BEAUTY STORES IN TRI-VALLEY
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste
CHEMICAL INHALATION INJURY AT WATERTOWN HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
Tags: us_SD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN CHARLESTON
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
MORE THAN 100 CONTAINERS FROM CARGO SHIP WENT OVERBOARD DURING B.C. ACCIDENT, COAST GUARD SAYS
Tags: Canada, transportation, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
EXPLORING VARIATION IN WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT AND ACTING TO CONTROL A CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: education, discovery, environmental
US LAWMAKERS PROBE EPA NEW CHEMICALS EFFORTS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
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AMMONIA LEAK AT MOUNT HOPE BAKERY DRAWS HEAVY FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2021/10/31/hazmat-ammonia-leak-mount-hope-bakery-oakrun-farm.html
Tags: Canada, industrial, release, response, ammonia
An ammonia gas leak Saturday night at a Mount Hope bakery triggered a response of multiple units from the city‰??s fire department that lasted through Sunday afternoon.
Fire crews arrived at Oakrun Farm/Aspire Bakeries at 1770 Fiddler‰??s Green Rd., just south of Hamilton‰??s airport, at 11 p.m. (The business had previously been called Aryzta bakery.)
A fire department spokesperson told the Spectator that ‰??all occupants‰?? had vacated the building on their own by the time firefighters arrived, and there were no reports of injuries.
HAZMAT crews remained at the building overnight and all day Sunday, leaving the property just before 5 p.m.
‰??This was a protracted event due to the amount of the leaked ammonia and time it took to clear the building,‰?? wrote assistant deputy-chief Shawn De Jager to the Spectator in an email.
He added that the cause of the leak is still unknown.
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TWO DIE IN A MASSIVE EXPLOSION WHILE ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO STEAL FUEL FROM TRANSNET PIPELINE
https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/two-die-in-a-massive-explosion-while-allegedly-trying-to-steal-fuel-from-transnet-pipeline-35367df1-1db3-4d44-ab28-1e57cb5ed1e1
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, explosion, death, other_chemical
DURBAN - At least two people have been killed in a massive explosion while allegedly trying to steal fuel from the Transnet pipeline, on Horseshoe Road in Jacobs, in Durban on Sunday.
Spokesperson for eThekwini Fire Department, Thabile Zikhali confirmed the two deaths.
It had been reported earlier that one person had died, but the number has since increased.
Zikhali said: ‰??There are two now, because as the incident is ongoing we keep on discovering bodies. This whole incident is happening outside. We suspect that the deceased were the ones trying to steal fuel from the Transnet pipeline.‰??
She added that the explosion was from a Transnet pipeline.
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CONDITIONAL REOPENING OF KZN BEACHES AFFECTED BY THE CORNUBIA CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.news24.com/witness/News/KZN/conditional-reopening-of-kzn-beaches-which-were-affected-by-the-cornubia-chemical-spill-20211030
Tags: South_Africa, public, follow-up, environmental, toxics
Beaches that were closed due to contamination from the toxic chemical spill emanating from the UPL warehouse in Cornubia in July are set to reopen from Tuesday.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Ravi Pillay, said the beaches will be significantly, but not completely, reopened from Tuesday, November 1.
Pillay said this follows the recommendations of a peer review of the specialists‰?? report on the safety of the beaches and reflects concurrence by the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and the eThekwini and KwaDukuza Municipalities.
He said all beaches from the uMgeni River mouth to Salt Rock have been closed since the toxic spill in July. The specialists‰?? report had recommended that the beaches be reopened for recreational purposes, but that an ‰??exclusion zone‰?? of one kilometre north and south of the uMhlanga estuary mouth, and one kilometre out to sea, in which all activities remain prohibited, should be maintained.
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FIRE ON CONTAINER SHIP OUT, WORK TO REMOVE SHORE DEBRIS TO BEGIN, COMPANY SAYS
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/fire-on-container-ship-out-work-to-remove-shore-debris-to-begin-company-says-4706272
Tags: Canada, transportation, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Any active fires on board the Zim Kingston container ship anchored off Victoria have been extinguished, federal officials and the company managing the vessel said Friday.
Canadian Coast Guard spokeswoman Michelle Imbeau said firefighting crews are continuing to use infrared cameras to monitor hot spots. The fire has been smouldering for a week in containers onboard the Zim Kingston. It broke out after the ship lost 109 of its 2,000 containers on Oct. 22 in bad weather off the west coast of the Island while en route to Vancouver from South Korea.
Onboard, two containers of hazardous materials used in the mining sector have burned, Imbeau said. Two other containers carrying the same materials were among those that fell from the ship and have not been recovered.
Danaos Shipping Co., the Greece-based company managing the vessel, did not provide any details about the fire in a statement Friday, saying only that it had been extinguished.
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POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO IMPROVE THE CHEMISTRY GRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: IMPLICATIONS OF THE ACS SURVEY OF GRADUATE STUDENTS
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00611#
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
STEM graduate education is vitally important in producing the talent needed to fuel our economy and provide solutions for the challenges we face in emerging diseases and climate change. Yet recent research indicates that women and students who identify as members of minority groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM face extraordinary challenges in their graduate careers. This commentary describes ways in which chemistry graduate education could become more supportive and inclusive through changes by graduate students, faculty, departments, funding agencies, and professional organizations. As a result the scientific workforce could utilize the full range of available talent and become more productive.
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DRIVER CITED FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL ON I-70
https://denvergazette.com/news/crime/driver-cited-for-hazardous-materials-spill-on-i-70/article_f580f4f4-3905-11ec-a233-b71d7248c22a.html
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, resin
The driver of a pick-up truck that spilled hazardous materials on Interstate 70 in Vail on Friday has been cited, according to the Vail Police Department.
Authorities were dispatched to mile marker 174 around 8:30 a.m. after a report of an unlabeled 55-gallon drum that was spewing an unknown substances with a strong odor onto the roadway, according to a release.
As a result of the spill, the eastbound lanes were closed.
The driver responsible for the lost drum returned to the scene and told officers they work for ABC Contracting in Denver. The driver advised authorities that the substance was a resin used in concrete construction, police said.
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CITY OF JENNINGS NEVER DID INVENTORY OF CHEMICALS INSIDE WAREHOUSE THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE
https://www.kmov.com/news/city-of-jennings-never-did-inventory-of-warehouse-that-contained-chemicals/article_af37ae48-3810-11ec-af2e-b394a3e221fb.html?block_id™4678
Tags: us_MO, industrial, follow-up, environmental, unknown_chemical
NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOV.com) - A North County warehouse fire restarted fire morning.
The fire first broke out at a warehouse building on Xograph Avenue around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Around 8 a.m. Friday, the fire rekindled. The building was once used to manufacture bowling balls and store items for Kodak. Thursday, a hazmat team was called to the fire because there were still chemicals being housed inside of the building. Up to 20 different fire departments were on the scene assisting in extinguishing the fire. No injuries have been reported.
"The unfortunate incident is kind of speeding things up and exposing some things that we weren't aware of," said City Councilman Terry Wilson.
Wilson says the the now vacant warehouse is something the city inherited and has been trying to redevelop.
"The owner pretty much walked away," Wilson said. "We've been showing it and people that are interested in it, but a lot of people said it's too much work."
News 4 checked property records and found the city took possession in July 2018. Property records list the current condition of the building as poor. Wilson says the city knew there were barrels of chemicals in the basement of one of the warehouses, but in the three years since the city has owned the property, it never took an inventory of the chemicals.
---------------------------------------------
SCIENTISTS CALL FOR IPCC-LIKE GROUP ON CHEMICAL POLLUTION
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Scientists-call-IPCC-like-group-on-chemical-pollution/99/web/2021/10
Tags: Switzerland, public, discovery, environmental, waste
Saying industrial chemical pollution and its mitigation are serious global problems, scientists are calling for the formation of a group equivalent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The scientists cite a lack of urgency among the public and politicians regarding chemical pollution, piecemeal chemical regulations around the world, and the current inability of policymakers to prevent pollution.
An open letter seeking creation of a science-policy panel to connect the scientific community and policy-makers and establish consensus on the issues of managing chemical pollution and waste was published in February (Science 2021, DOI: 10.1126/science.abe9090). By October, the letter had garnered support from more than 1,800 scientists worldwide.
In response to this call, the Swiss government plans to submit a resolution on creating the science-policy panel at the upcoming session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in February 2022. It will be up to governments to decide whether to pass the resolution and form an intergovernmental science-policy panel for chemicals and waste management.
Scientists discussed the formation of the panel at a workshop in late October organized by the Swiss nonprofit International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP).
In 2009, a team of international researchers identified industrial chemical pollution as a threat that could render Earth uninhabitable for humans. But governments typically react to contamination until after it has occurred (Ecology and Society 2009, DOI: 10.5751/ES-03180-140232).
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAMS BROUGHT IN FOR CHEMICAL INCIDENT AT THE PIER
https://upstatetoday.com/2021/10/29/hazmat-teams-brought-in-for-chemical-incident-at-the-pier/
Tags: us_SC, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
SENECA ‰?? Multiple hazardous materials teams were brought in Thursday morning after ‰??some chemicals were mixed‰?? at a home at The Pier, according to Oconee County Emergency Services director Scott Krein.
Krein said a resident of Clemson University‰??s off-campus housing mixed chemicals, ultimately ‰??creating a gas.‰??
Emergency officials from multiple agencies decontaminate a hazmat team near a house where officials say ‰??some chemicals were mixed‰?? Thursday morning at The Pier in Seneca.
Officials received a call about the incident around 8:40 a.m.
‰??We‰??re presently going in and trying to make sure we can contain that, so it doesn‰??t spread,‰?? Krein said. ‰??Situation is contained to just the home, and we‰??re working through that to make sure that cleanup and security of the area for the safety of the public is contained.
---------------------------------------------
EVACUATIONS RECOMMENDED AS ST. LOUIS COUNTY HAZMAT FIRE RAGES
https://recentlyheard.com/2021/10/29/evacuations-recommended-as-st-louis-county-hazmat-fire-rages/
Tags: us_MO, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
JENNINGS, Mo. ‰?? The Florissant Valley Fire Protection District is working with other departments to put out a fire at an abandoned commercial building. The Hazardous Materials team has been called to help with the situation.
Smoke is billowing from the structure and the fire is through the roof. The buildings are located on Xograph Avenue. The smoke from the fire is moving to the southeast from the fire in Jennings.
The Buzz Westfall Shopping Center is being evacuated as a precaution. St. Louis County Police recommend that people and businesses evacuate the area. If you are can‰??t leave then close your windows, turn off the air conditioning, and shelter in place.
Trending article: Paula Sims granted parole after 30 years in prison for killing daughters
Florissant Valley Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Mark Flautern says that the smoke is becoming a concern from the fire. There are 14 different fire departments working to put it out. They are using elevated ladders to work on it.
The building is an old bowling ball factory and there are a lot of residual chemicals at the location. Crews have responded within the last couple of weeks for hazardous materials calls.
---------------------------------------------
SETTLEMENT RESOLVES HAZMAT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ULTA BEAUTY STORES IN TRI-VALLEY
https://www.danvillesanramon.com/news/2021/10/28/settlement-resolves-hazmat-allegations-against-ulta-beauty-stores-in-tri-valley
Tags: us_CA, public, follow-up, environmental, waste
Alameda and Contra Costa prosecutors recently joined 32 other district attorneys and city attorneys across California in reaching a settlement with Ulta Beauty, Inc., and its affiliates for alleged hazardous waste violations.
Ulta Beauty store in Livermore. (Photo by Cierra Bailey)
The statewide settlement, which includes $752,000 in civil penalties and other costs, stems from Ulta stores improperly storing, handling and disposing of hazardous and other regulated waste materials, as well as inadequate employee training, prosecutors said. All three Ulta stores in the Tri-Valley were involved in the case.
"Companies must be held responsible for business practices that pose a harm to the environment," Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement Sept. 20. "Ulta was cooperative throughout the investigation and in correcting the issues."
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CHEMICAL INHALATION INJURY AT WATERTOWN HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
https://www.mykxlg.com/news/local/chemical-inhalation-injury-at-watertown-holiday-inn-express/article_9ecad48e-3849-11ec-aee9-e3a98fd06322.html
Tags: us_SD, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
At approximately 12:26 today the Watertown Fire Rescue was called out to the Holiday Inn Express for a male with possible chemical inhalation injury in the pool area of the hotel.
Paramedics arrived on scene and transported one patient to Prairie Lakes Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Watertown Fire Rescue responded with a Battalion Chief and a fire engine with two Hazardous Materials Technicians.
Watertown Fire Rescue ventilated the affected area and ensured it was safe, monitored air quality, and all chemicals were in the proper storage containers upon clearing the scene.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS RESPOND TO CHEMICAL SPILL IN CHARLESTON
https://www.live5news.com/2021/10/28/crews-respond-charleston-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_SC, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Emergency crews responded to a chemical spill Wednesday morning.
The Charleston Fire Department says HazMat crews responded to liquid spilled from a vehicle on Promenade Vista Street just after 10 a.m.
Crews determined the spilled liquid was hydrochloric acid.
Officials say the area has been isolated and clean-up is underway.
---------------------------------------------
MORE THAN 100 CONTAINERS FROM CARGO SHIP WENT OVERBOARD DURING B.C. ACCIDENT, COAST GUARD SAYS
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-more-than-100-containers-from-cargo-ship-went-overboard-during-bc/
Tags: Canada, transportation, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
The Canadian Coast Guard now says that more than 100 shipping containers, at least two of them carrying hazardous chemicals, fell off a cargo ship that later caught fire, and marine experts are concerned fish and even whales could suffer from chemical burning as a result of the accident.
Fire broke out aboard the 13-year-old MV Zim Kingston last weekend and officials initially estimated that two containers carrying a chemical used in mining were the source of the fire, while about 40 containers had gone overboard. But on Wednesday, the coast guard said the number of containers that fell from the vessel is now calculated at more than 100.
‰??Right now, our best count is 109. This is still an ongoing challenge, of course, and it could change because there‰??s a possibility that some were burned up in the fire that we‰??re not aware of yet,‰?? said Mariah McCooey, deputy federal incident commander with the coast guard.
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EXPLORING VARIATION IN WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT AND ACTING TO CONTROL A CHEMICAL REACTION
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00902
Tags: education, discovery, environmental
Chemical scientists and engineers are interested in controlling chemical processes to attain specific goals, from synthesizing a desired substance to hindering a particular transformation. Nevertheless, students typically have few opportunities to develop the understandings and practices that are required to effectively engage in chemical control. In this study, we investigated similarities and differences among individuals with different levels of expertise in chemistry in the ways they think about how to control and act to control a chemical reaction. Our findings revealed that all types of study participants engage in the manipulation of similar control parameters but with different approaches and purposes. In particular, we observed a shift from a focus on physical to chemical factors, from experienced-based to model-based reasoning, from qualitative to quantitative methods, and from trial-and-error to guided investigation approaches in the thinking and acting of the mor!
e novice to the more expert participants in our study.
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US LAWMAKERS PROBE EPA NEW CHEMICALS EFFORTS
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/US-lawmakers-probe-EPA-new-chemicals-efforts/99/i40
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
At an Oct. 27 hearing, lawmakers in the US House of Representatives scrutinized the Environmental Protection Agency‰??s program for reviewing new commercial chemicals before they enter the market. That program is facing allegations that its managers downplayed safety concerns to get chemicals onto the market quickly under pressure from the chemical industry.
The agency is taking steps to address the alleged problems in the new-chemicals program, Michal Freedhoff, the EPA assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention, told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. For one, Freedhoff has told the agency‰??s Office of Inspector General that her office will cooperate in an investigation into the process for new chemical reviews. Also, the staff of the new-chemicals office is undergoing scientific integrity training, she said, and the EPA is creating new procedures for elevating and resolving disagreements on scientific matters.
The new-chemicals program is severely understaffed, Freedhoff told lawmakers at the first House oversight hearing on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) since Congress revised that law in 2016. ‰??We estimate that we have less than 50% of the resources that we need to review and approve new chemicals the way Congress intended us to.‰??
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