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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, November 22, 2021 at 5:48:21 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 (17 articles)
CHLORINE LEAK REPORTED AT WINCHESTER WATER PLANT
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, chlorine, gas_cylinders, water_treatment
CHEMICAL FIRE AT AG SERVICE CENTER CLOSES SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HIGHWAY
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, ag_chems, sulphur
CHEMICAL WASTE PLANT FIRE SPEWS TOXIC FUMES INTO AUSTRALIAN WORKING-CLASS TOWN
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, various_chemicals, waste
UPDATE: TWO WITH MINOR INJURIES REPORTED IN CINNAMON GARDENS EXPLOSION
Tags: Sri_Lanka, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
LOCAL HISTORY: A HOT DEMONSTRATION, BY ALAN F. RUMRILL
Tags: us_NH, public, follow-up, environmental, fire_extinguisher
THREE-ALARM TX COMMERCIAL FIRE BRINGS HAZMAT UNITS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, solvent
INVESTIGATORS WORK TO CONFIRM SOURCE OF ROCKY CREEK CHEMICAL SPILL
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, petroleum
WEST HAVEN CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER AGREES TO PAY $86,769 TO SETTLE EPA VIOLATIONS WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Tags: us_CT, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste
MASSIVE OPERATION UNDERWAY IN FALLS COUNTY AFTER DEADLY AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
PHASING OUT OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER CHEMICAL URGED
Tags: Taiwan, public, discovery, environmental, fire_extinguisher, silica
CHEMICAL RELEASE IN RUBBERTOWN TRIGGERS LENS ALERT
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
NEW DATA RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT ASBESTOS CONTAINMENT STRATEGY
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, asbestos, waste
EXPLOSION IN CONISTON BLOWS HOLE THROUGH SHIPPING CONTAINER
Tags: Canada, industrial, explosion, response, chlorine
WATER SAMPLES NEAR PITTSBORO SHOW UPTICK IN POTENTIALLY CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL :: WRAL.COM
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
ALGOA BAY OIL SPILL BEING MONITORED, SAYS SA MARITIME AUTHORITY
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, release, response, oils
COUNTY FIRE: NO CHEMICAL LEAK AT UCSB BUILDING
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, chlorine
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTRINSICALLY SAFER METHANOLYSIS/AROMATIC NITRO GROUP REDUCTION FOR STEP 1 AND 2 OF TALAZOPARIB TOSYLATE
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
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CHLORINE LEAK REPORTED AT WINCHESTER WATER PLANT
https://www.wsmv.com/news/chlorine-leak-reported-at-winchester-water-plant/article_0a19b416-4b01-11ec-9a2a-8fa0ba8823a1.html
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, chlorine, gas_cylinders, water_treatment
WINCHESTER, TN (WSMV) - Hazmat crews helped stop a chlorine leak inside the Winchester Water Plant on Saturday morning.
Crews from Coffee County, Manchester and Tullahoma assisted Winchester Fire around 7:30 a.m. Saturday after a call for a leaking chlorine gas cylinder. Crews placed a special device on the 1-ton cylinder to stop the leak.
No injuries were reported in the incident and no gas was released from the building as there are air scrubbers installed to clean the air before it is released from the building.
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CHEMICAL FIRE AT AG SERVICE CENTER CLOSES SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HIGHWAY
https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/chemical-fire-at-ag-service-center-closes-southern-illinois-highway/article_5efef523-2faa-5b60-8054-1f011facb73d.html
Tags: us_IL, industrial, fire, response, ag_chems, sulphur
POCAHONTAS ‰?? A portion of Illinois 140 was closed for several hours Saturday in Bond County due to a chemical fire at a rural Pocahontas agricultural service center operated by CHS Shipman, a farmer-owned cooperative.
"There were some chemicals (in a concrete bin) that caught fire, but it was basically contained to the pile," said Dennie Koberczky, assistant fire chief for Pocahontas-Old Ripley Fire Protection District. "It didn't burn any of the buildings."
Fire departments from throughout the region showed up to help, as well as hazmat (hazardous materials) units from St. Clair and Madison county emergency management agencies. Crews worked from about 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. No injuries were reported.
"We did have a major road shut down because smoke from (sulfur-containing material) was going right across the road, and it could cause breathing problems if people inhaled it," Koberczky said.
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CHEMICAL WASTE PLANT FIRE SPEWS TOXIC FUMES INTO AUSTRALIAN WORKING-CLASS TOWN
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/20/fire-n20.html
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, various_chemicals, waste
A fire at the Weston Aluminium chemical waste processing factory on November 14 in the town of Kurri Kurri, New South Wales (NSW), sent thick black toxic plumes into the air. A strong wind carried the fumes, fuelled by multiple chemicals stored at the site, across a wide area, potentially affecting nearly 5,000 residents.
The working-class town is situated in the Hunter Valley, a coal mining region, near the port city of Newcastle.
Despite the potential health danger, from the time fire crews arrived it took five hours for a notice to be sent by text warning residents to stay indoors. Several schools and businesses were forced to close the next day while the fire was still active in several parts of the plant.
Due to the danger posed to firefighters by rapid spread of the blaze they were forced to concentrate on containment. Close to 300 firefighters were called to the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This dangerous thermal processing plant is allowed to be located within a kilometre of the town. That demonstrates the lack of proper planning and oversight by governments and departments, including the NSW Environmental Protection Authority, and lack of regard for the health of working people, including those employed in the plant.
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UPDATE: TWO WITH MINOR INJURIES REPORTED IN CINNAMON GARDENS EXPLOSION
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/11/20/update-two-with-minor-injuries-reported-in-cinnamon-gardens-explosion/
Tags: Sri_Lanka, public, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
COLOMBO (News 1st); Police say that two persons with minor injuries were reported after an explosion occurred at a restaurant owned by an international company on the ground floor of the Colombo Race Course this morning.
The Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the two youth were waiting for a taxi at a car park near the scene of the blast.
The two youths have been directed to a hospital to treatment of minor injuries and later returned to the Cinnamon Gardens Police Station to inform Police of the incident, the Police Spokesperson added.
The Police previously stated that a gas leak is suspected to have caused the explosion.
---------------------------------------------
LOCAL HISTORY: A HOT DEMONSTRATION, BY ALAN F. RUMRILL
https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/local-history-a-hot-demonstration-by-alan-f-rumrill/article_10cc27a8-c0da-5e77-95ba-2ac718d8e8fd.html
Tags: us_NH, public, follow-up, environmental, fire_extinguisher
In the spring of 1867, a crowd of local residents gathered on Central Square in Keene to view a demonstration of a new invention. This new machine was a chemical fire extinguisher. Although portable fire extinguishers had been in use for several decades, this new development may have been a soda-acid extinguisher, which was patented the previous year. A committee was appointed by the selectmen to view the demonstration and make a recommendation concerning whether Keene should make use of the extinguishers.
A 12-foot-square shed was built in the middle of the street just south of the Keene common at Central Square. The grand finale of the demonstration was to be the use of the new machines to extinguish a fire in the shed, which had been filled with combustibles. As a preliminary event, however, a pile of oil barrels was set on fire at the northeast corner of the square.
As the demonstrators were spraying the burning barrels, a shout went up that someone had set fire to the shed on the other side of the common. The extinguishing crew abandoned the barrels, which were burning brightly, and ran to the now blazing shed. Just as they arrived at the shed, someone jokingly turned down the valves on the chemical tanks. The fire was so hot that the demonstrators could not get close enough to reach the flames with the diminished spray from the extinguishers. The crew finally gave up and watched helplessly as both the barrels and the shed burned in the street.
The crowd was highly amused by the disastrous demonstration. The committee appointed for the event did not recommend that the town rely on the extinguishers for use by its firefighters. They did state that such machines should prove invaluable in shops, hotels and factories where watchmen or other employees were available to make use of them immediately before a fire became too involved. Although the fire extinguisher has earned an important place in homes and businesses around the world, it is a good bet that none were sold following the hot demonstration on Central Square in April of 1867.
---------------------------------------------
THREE-ALARM TX COMMERCIAL FIRE BRINGS HAZMAT UNITS
https://www.firehouse.com/operations-training/news/21247462/threealarm-tx-commercial-fire-brings-hazmat-units
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, solvent
A commercial building fire in Houston‰??s Garden Oaks neighborhood went to three alarms and brought a response from the department‰??s hazmat team.
The fire was reported early Friday morning, sending heavy smoke into the air, and responding firefighters set up aerial ladders and pulled multiple handlines for defensive fire operations.
Officials were unsure of what type of business occupied the structure, raising concerns that there may have been solvents inside and prompting deployment of hazmat personnel and a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.
Fire officials lifted the shelter request once firefighters got control of the fire and were able to fully assess the threat.
---------------------------------------------
INVESTIGATORS WORK TO CONFIRM SOURCE OF ROCKY CREEK CHEMICAL SPILL
https://www.wrdw.com/2021/11/19/investigators-work-confirm-source-rocky-creek-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_GA, transportation, release, response, petroleum
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Crews believe they know where a chemical spilled, eventually making its way into Rocky Creek and fouling the water with an oily sheen that killed at least 100 fish and sent out a stench that alarmed neighbors.
Georgia Environmental Protection Division officials believe it all started upstream off a tractor-trailer lot. Crews dug up soil in the area to test it and learn more.
Cleanup continues in the creek after crews spent Thursday vacuuming up tainted water from the creek. The day before, crews had placed absorbent barriers in the water to contain the chemical in the hours after the spill was reported.
The chemical spilled into the creek in an area off North Leg Road near Commerce Drive. Crews were removing soil right across the street on property owned by MDR Trucking of Augusta.
---------------------------------------------
WEST HAVEN CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER AGREES TO PAY $86,769 TO SETTLE EPA VIOLATIONS WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
https://www.newmilfordspectrum.com/news/article/West-Haven-chemical-manufacturer-agrees-to-pay-16633314.php
Tags: us_CT, industrial, follow-up, environmental, waste
WEST HAVEN ‰?? A Connecticut chemical manufacturer was cited by federal regulators for failing to properly label and store potentially hazardous materials at its West Haven facility, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
The EPA announced a settlement of $86,769 with the manufacturer, MacDermid Enthone, for violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. As part of the settlement, the company also certified to regulators that it had corrected all violations and implemented new compliance protocols.
‰??Because of EPA‰??s action, this facility has substantially improved its hazardous waste storage and handling practices,‰?? EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro said in a statement released by the EPA on Wednesday.
MacDermid Enthone‰??s U.S. operations are based in Waterbury, according to its website. The company‰??s West Haven facility produces plating chemicals that are used to make semiconductors, according to the EPA.
---------------------------------------------
MASSIVE OPERATION UNDERWAY IN FALLS COUNTY AFTER DEADLY AMMONIA LEAK
https://www.kxxv.com/hometown/texas/waco-fire-department-assisting-with-overturned-18-wheeler-reportedly-leaking-ammonia-in-falls-county
Tags: us_TX, transportation, release, injury, ammonia
FALLS COUNTY, Texas ‰?? A massive operation is underway in Falls County tonight after a semi-truck carrying anhydrous ammonia ruptured on Friday afternoon.
Sheriff Joe Lopez told 25 News Det. Derick Johnson is recovering in a Hillcrest hospital after falling ill at the scene.
"He's doing good," Sheriff Lopez said. "He's just getting the final word on his treatment and see if he'll be released tonight."
Lopez said Johnson responded to the scene of the rupture unaware of the hidden danger inside the tank and inhaled fumes contaminated with ammonia vapor.
Sgt. Ryan Howard with Texas Department of Public Safety told 25 News the truck driver struck a tree branch, rupturing the hazardous cargo.
Waco Fire Department is working the hot zone right now to contain the deadly chemical, and a spokesperson for the department said efforts would go well into the overnight hours to remove the chemical.
---------------------------------------------
PHASING OUT OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER CHEMICAL URGED
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/11/20/2003768189
Tags: Taiwan, public, discovery, environmental, fire_extinguisher, silica
The National Fire Agency (NFA) should set an end date for the use of crystalline-free silica in fire extinguishers, New Power Party Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (e´?3¾??e`?ø) said on Thursday.
The agency has no regulations in place to control the use of the substance and verify safety data sheets submitted by manufacturers, Chen told a news conference that she held jointly with the Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing and Agent Recharging Industry Union and the Taiwan Water Resource Conservation Union.
Fire extinguisher union president Liao Wei-jen (ŒÈ?Œ??ŠÈÈ) said that phasing out the substance would pose no great challenge to manufacturers, as only four out of 15 companies produce fire extinguishers using crystalline-free silica.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL RELEASE IN RUBBERTOWN TRIGGERS LENS ALERT
https://www.wave3.com/2021/11/20/chemical-release-rubbertown-triggers-lens-alert/
Tags: us_KY, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - At 2:20 a.m. Friday morning, a gas known as a cancer-causing substance sprayed out of a relief valve in the Zeon Chemical Plant on Bells Lane, causing Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department‰??s HAZMAT team to respond.
The gas, formally called ‰??1,3-Butadiene,‰?? was released into the air for three minutes, according to Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District spokesperson Matthew Mudd.
The chemical is used in the production of synthetic rubber products.
The release was caused when a reactor pressurized as an agitator malfunctioned. An employee with Louisville Emergency Services said about 10 pounds of the gas escaped into the air - not enough to be an immediate threat to nearby neighbors.
If the amount of gas is enough to trigger an ‰??excess emissions event,‰?? Zeon would need to submit a detailed report to Louisville Metro‰??s APCD within 15 days.
Neighbors said the release is indicative of the everyday dangers of living in Rubbertown.
---------------------------------------------
NEW DATA RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT ASBESTOS CONTAINMENT STRATEGY
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/New-data-raise-questions-asbestos-containment-strategy/99/i43
Tags: us_PA, laboratory, discovery, environmental, asbestos, waste
When dealing with asbestos waste, digging up and removing large amounts of contaminated soil can be risky, as it can send asbestos fibers into the air. So, rather than remove all the contaminated dirt, the EPA often caps a site with more soil. Scientists thought that these soil caps would trap the long, thin fibers and prevent them from escaping.
Asbestos, a mineral once valued for its heat- and fire-resistant properties, poses serious health risks when people inhale its fibers.
But a new peer-reviewed laboratory study shows a potential escape route for these fibers. The findings, first presented as preliminary data in 2016, demonstrate that the presence of certain organic material in soil can actually enhance the mobility of asbestos fibers (J. Hazard. Mater. 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.hazl.2021.100015). The researchers are concerned that if the fibers can reach groundwater, they could make it to nearby communities via irrigation, or become airborne after washing up and drying out on riverbanks. Experts think more research on this exposure route is needed, including official monitoring of groundwater asbestos, and some say the communities around asbestos waste sites should be notified of this possible risk.
Doug Jerolmack, a geophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania, doesn‰??t think the assumption that soil would trap asbestos fibers was unreasonable. Asbestos moving through soil is like threading a strand of hair through soil‰??it may be long and thin, but eventually it will get caught, says Jerolmack, who was not an author of the study but participated in previous work on asbestos mobility presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2016 meeting. ‰??So even just from a physical perspective, I would have thought that these particles might not be able to make it through soil in groundwater, simply because they might get caught up,‰?? he says.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION IN CONISTON BLOWS HOLE THROUGH SHIPPING CONTAINER
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/coniston-explosion-industrial-park-1.6253596
Tags: Canada, industrial, explosion, response, chlorine
An explosion in an industrial park in the northern Ontario community of Coniston on Thursday morning blew a hole through a shipping container.
Jesse Oshell, Greater Sudbury's deputy fire chief, said on Twitter there was no risk to the public and fire crews remained on the scene with hazmat suits.
The City of Greater Sudbury said residents in Coniston were alerted to a loud noise and the strong smell of chlorine due to the explosion, which occurred on Smelter Road.
The city said there is no current threat to the public.
---------------------------------------------
WATER SAMPLES NEAR PITTSBORO SHOW UPTICK IN POTENTIALLY CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICAL :: WRAL.COM
https://www.wral.com/water-samples-near-pittsboro-show-uptick-in-potentially-cancer-causing-chemical/19989410/
Tags: us_NC, public, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
PITTSBORO, N.C. ‰?? A week after a contamination scare, raw water samples near Pittsboro show an uptick in a chemical that potentially causes cancer.
Last week, Greensboro ‰?? which is upstream from Pittsboro ‰?? warned that high levels of the chemical 1,4-Dioxane were found in its wastewater.
Now, town leaders are concerned that test results are going in the wrong direction.
The levels of 1,4-Dioxane found in the Haw River, which serves as Pittsboro's water source, are still well within what the EPA considers safe, but that's small comfort for many residents and others who care about the river's health.
The Haw River has a big thirst to quench, as Pittsboro's population is expected to jump from around 5,000 to around 50,000 in the next decade. That growth is thanks largely to Chatham Park, one of the largest master-planned communities in the state.
---------------------------------------------
ALGOA BAY OIL SPILL BEING MONITORED, SAYS SA MARITIME AUTHORITY
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/eastern-cape/algoa-bay-oil-spill-being-monitored-says-sa-maritime-authority-191e64b1-f927-4e95-8fab-5f120e77bb73
Tags: South_Africa, transportation, release, response, oils
THE South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said on Thursday night that it was monitoring and investigating the oil spill in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.
The oil spill occurred on Wednesday at 1.15pm during a vessel bunkering operation in the Algoa Bay Anchorage Area No1.
SAMSA said the bunker operation between the receiving bulk carrier, MV Solin and bunker barge MV Sea Emperor was immediately stopped after noticing an overflowing fuel tank on the receiving vessel.
It said service providers were immediately deployed and arrived on site at 1.45pm to investigate the spill, deploy oil spill booms and start the recovery and clean-up operation.
---------------------------------------------
COUNTY FIRE: NO CHEMICAL LEAK AT UCSB BUILDING
https://keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/2021/11/18/county-fire-no-chemical-leak-at-ucsb-building/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, chlorine
ISLA VISTA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to several alarms sounding on the UC Santa Barbara campus in Isla Vista Thursday morning.
Just after 6 a.m. alarms in Elings Hall alerted officials to a possible chemical leak. When crews arrived, they discovered a possible chlorine leak in a third-floor lab at Elings Hall.
The entire building was evacuated as fire department teams investigated.
Hazmat crews made entrance into the building and monitored the chemical levels. Firefighters worked to reset the alarm and shut off chlorine tanks on the roof.
After shutting off the chlorine tanks, hazmat crews determined there were no leaks and the focus shifted to the building's alarm sensors.
After several hours of investigation, the scene was cleared and UCSB was given control over the building once again.
---------------------------------------------
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTRINSICALLY SAFER METHANOLYSIS/AROMATIC NITRO GROUP REDUCTION FOR STEP 1 AND 2 OF TALAZOPARIB TOSYLATE
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.oprd.1c00259
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, discovery, environmental, other_chemical
A change in facility for the synthesis of the step 2 intermediate for talazoparib tosylate (1å•TsOH) required the development of an alternative, intrinsically safer process. Rapid route scouting and considerations of process safety enabled the development of a telescoped two-step process that was demonstrated on a multikilogram scale.
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