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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles) Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 10:59:18 PM Author: Daniel Kuespert <000015c40c7f7b23-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU> |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles) Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2022 08:09:32 -0500 Author: Ralph Stuart |
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, January 28, 2022 at 6:33:53 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 (14 articles)
GAS LEAK CAUSES ROAD CLOSURES IN CORAL SPRINGS ' WSVN 7NEWS
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, methane
SMALL EXPLOSION AND CHEMICAL RELEASE CONTAINED AT OXYCHEM
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
FORESTHILL BRIDGE REOPENED AFTER DEADLY HAZMAT INCIDENT, DEPUTY HOSPITALIZED ' CBS SACRAMENTO
Tags: us_CA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, irritant
WARNERS BAY CHEMICAL SPILL LEAVES TWO IN HOSPITAL
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine, corrosives
UNWARRANTED SPILL OPTIMISM
Tags: Thailand, transportation, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
TOWARD IMPROVED SAFETY CULTURE IN ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL LABORATORIES: AN ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATION OF BEST PRACTICES
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
EARTH'S LIMITS PUSHED BY CHEMICAL POLLUTION AS UN ENVIRONMENT MEETING NEARS
Tags: kenya, public, discovery, environmental, plastics
HAZMAT CALLED FOLLOWING GARBAGE TRUCK FIRE IN NORTHEAST FRESNO
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, oils, waste
SIX INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical
3D PRINTERS: INNOVATE. CREATE. BE SAFE.
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, discovery, environmental
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL AT LUBBOCK CHEMICAL FACILITY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
CAUSE DETERMINED OF SULFUR FIRE AT CERES FARM COMPANY
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
ROAD REOPENED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN ADAMS ST. IN AREA OF PEORIA'S SOUTHSIDE
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
NOAA STUDIES AIR QUALITY IN MARSHALL FIRE AREA
Tags: us_CO, public, follow-up, response
---------------------------------------------
GAS LEAK CAUSES ROAD CLOSURES IN CORAL SPRINGS ' WSVN 7NEWS
https://wsvn.com/news/local/gas-leak-causes-road-closures-in-coral-springs/
Tags: us_FL, public, release, response, methane
CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - A gas leak that forced the closure of some roads in Coral Springs, is finally capped.
Wiles Road from 66th Terrace to Creekside Drive had to be closed Thursday afternoon, as hazmat crews worked to find the underground leak.
Crews are on scene trying to fix a broken, six-inch pipe.
Police said a construction crew accidentally hit the line.
---------------------------------------------
SMALL EXPLOSION AND CHEMICAL RELEASE CONTAINED AT OXYCHEM
https://www.kristv.com/news/chemical-release-being-contained
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
Around 1:30 p.m., there was a fire at the Oxychem Chemical Plant that caused a plume that was visible from outside the plant.
According to Sara Williams, the San Patricio County Emergency Management Coordinator, the fire led to a small explosion, and Oxychem was able to contain the fire on-site with their on-site response team.
Oxychem had their staff and staff of the plant next door, Chemours Ingleside Plant, shelter in place, as is standard protocol since the plants are so close to eachother.
Oxychem is now doing air monitoring to ensure there was not residual chemicals that could harm anybody.
---------------------------------------------
FORESTHILL BRIDGE REOPENED AFTER DEADLY HAZMAT INCIDENT, DEPUTY HOSPITALIZED ' CBS SACRAMENTO
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2022/01/27/foresthill-bridge-deadly-hazmat-hydrogen-sulfide/
Tags: us_CA, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, irritant
AUBURN (CBS13) ' A deadly hazardous materials incident closed down the Foresthill Bridge near Auburn for several hours Thursday afternoon.
The bridge began reopening shortly after 5 p.m. A chemical was found inside a vehicle that was parked near the bridge, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies found a warning letter on the car but are not disclosing the details if it. Hazmat crews later found two chemicals mixed together to make hydrogen sulfide in the car.
Additionally, Placer County firefighters broke the window to find a person dead inside.
'In smaller doses, that gas can be a throat irritant, coughing, nausea, vomiting, headaches, but at high concentrations and since the vehicle was closed, it can cause death,' said Battalion Chief Matthew Rea of the Placer County Fire Department.
---------------------------------------------
WARNERS BAY CHEMICAL SPILL LEAVES TWO IN HOSPITAL
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7597761/warners-bay-chemical-spill-leaves-two-in-hospital/
Tags: Australia, public, release, injury, chlorine, corrosives
Five people have been potentially exposed to dangerous chemicals, two of whom were hospitalised, after a spill at Warners Bay on Thursday morning.
Firefighters who responded to the call around 11.30am said a drum of corrosive liquid chlorine was tipped over at a pool services company on Hillsborough Road spilling around 30 litres and reportedly leaving as many as five people with burns.
Paramedics were called just before midday and assessed those exposed, two of whom - a man and woman - were taken to John Hunter Hospital as a precaution, a spokesperson for the Ambulance said.
Meanwhile, firefighters from Charlestown and Cardiff Fire stations donned protective suits and breathing apparatus, and worked for more than an hour to clean up the spill, assess the building and declare the area safe.
---------------------------------------------
UNWARRANTED SPILL OPTIMISM
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2254683/unwarranted-spill-optimism
Tags: Thailand, transportation, follow-up, environmental, petroleum
As efforts to save the seas off Rayong continue following an undersea pipeline leak near Map Ta Phut, public scepticism is growing about the kind of preventive measures and crisis management the company, Star Petroleum Refining Co (SPRC), has in place -- as well as in regard to the response from state authorities.
Despite the fact the impact on marine ecology has yet to be gauged, several state agencies have tried to downplay this, insisting the oil leak that began on Jan 25 and has continued since is not as serious as a similar mishap in 2013 when a large slick hit Koh Samet, a major tourist attraction in this eastern province. At that time, delays to the clean-up worsened the problem.
Optimism by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa over the latest oil spill is seen as premature if not out of place, while authorities are working around the clock as they try to stop the oil from drifting to beaches and communities.
"It's not good news, but it's not that bad," the minister was quoted as saying by Thai-language media outlets, comparing this week's incident to the 2013 spill. Chemical dispersants have been sprayed from helicopters in a timely manner, while at around 20,000 litres, the amount of leaked oil is less than previously reported by the company, he said.
---------------------------------------------
TOWARD IMPROVED SAFETY CULTURE IN ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL LABORATORIES: AN ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATION OF BEST PRACTICES
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00064
Tags: us_IN, laboratory, discovery, environmental
Numerous injuries and fatalities in chemical laboratories in the United States over the past few decades have suggested the need to take measures that go beyond mere compliance and toward promoting safer practices. A collaboration between the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources and Purdue Process Safety and Assurance Center assessed the current safety culture in chemical laboratories at their academic and industrial partners by conducting safety surveys. Key areas of improvement were identified from the responses to the safety surveys, which if addressed can mitigate the severity of safety incidents or prevent them from occurring. The findings indicate that a majority of the respondents from academia conduct comprehensive lab safety trainings (‰?1Ú480%), have standard operating procedures for potentially hazardous activities (‰?1Ú490%), regularly discuss safety-related issues during lab group meetings (‰?1Ú485%), or are involved in routine safety!
inspections (‰?1Ú485%). However, fewer of the academic respondents were aware of a database for safety incidents in their departments (‰?1Ú450%) or utilized a standard safety review process for new experimental setups or modifications to existing setups (‰?1Ú470%). The results from industry respondents suggest that improvements to commonly used hazard evaluation tools and increased accessibility to comprehensive databases can increase the effectiveness of hazard evaluation processes. Additionally, recommended best practices and guidelines are provided for researchers within the scientific community to develop key safety documentation that will both strengthen the safety culture and improve safety performance in their laboratories. Taken together, this safety initiative highlights the much-needed attention and effort that are beneficial to promote improved safety culture within academic and industrial chemical laboratories.
---------------------------------------------
EARTH'S LIMITS PUSHED BY CHEMICAL POLLUTION AS UN ENVIRONMENT MEETING NEARS
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/earths-limits-pushed-by-chemical-pollution-as-un-environment-meeting-nears/4015137.article
Tags: kenya, public, discovery, environmental, plastics
The UN Environment Assembly, which will begin in Nairobi on 28 February, will be working to develop a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution. This comes as one study claims that the production of chemicals and plastics has already outpaced our ability to assess and monitor them, and in doing so threatens critical systems that we depend on.
The researchers behind the new study conclude that chemical pollution has crossed a planetary boundary. The idea of planetary boundaries which define a 'safe operating space' for humanity was proposed more than a decade ago. Nine were identified ' including climate, biodiversity and ocean acidification. Breaching those thresholds would cause large scale or irreversible environmental change.
Unlike climate change, no-one's established a quantitative boundary for pollutants like plastics ' now labelled novel entities ' as many of them did not previously exist on Earth.
'We started but we've always stumbled ' it's like a mind-bending exercise, trying to think how would you assess 350,000 chemicals for their potential to disturb the Earth's systems. How would you count that? Now we've realised you can't have a number,' says Cynthia de Wit at the department of environmental science and analytical chemistry at Stockholm University.
The international team of researchers that includes de Wit have instead proposed using a series of control variables, which could be combined to make a judgement. 'Without control variables, you have no way of trying to push for policy or solutions,' she suggests.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT CALLED FOLLOWING GARBAGE TRUCK FIRE IN NORTHEAST FRESNO
https://kmph.com/news/local/hazmat-called-following-garbage-truck-fire-in-northeast-fresno
Tags: us_CA, transportation, fire, response, oils, waste
FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) ' A garbage truck caught fire Wednesday afternoon in northeast Fresno.
According to the Fresno Fire Department, the driver of the truck spotted the fire and tried to put it out but had to ultimately run towards a safer distance. That's when Fresno firefighters jumped into action and put out the flames.
Environmental protection is a high priority for Fresno Fire,' said the organization in a statement, 'second only to immediate life safety.
During the garbage truck fire, officials say Hazmat crews were called to assist after an oil spill began to make its way towards nearby water drains.
The California Solid Waste, County of Fresno Environmental Health, and Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District also assisted in the cleanup, which the fire department says was an excellent display of teamwork.
---------------------------------------------
SIX INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT WESTLAKE CHEMICAL
https://www.kplctv.com/2022/01/26/monitoring-reports-explosion-westlake-chemical-plant/
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, other_chemical
Westlake, LA (KPLC) - An explosion at Westlake Chemical's south plant Wednesday morning was felt throughout the area and caused a plume of smoke that stretched across the sky.
Plant officials say an empty Ethylene Dichloride tank exploded around 10:45 a.m. The cause is under investigation.
Six injuries have been reported at the plant, none of which appear to be life-threatening, Westlake Chemical spokesman Joe Andrepont said. One person was treated onsite and five people were transported to area hospitals.
Andrepont said at 11:30 a.m. that the fire had been extinguished, all shelters-in-place were lifted, and there were no vapors in the air
---------------------------------------------
3D PRINTERS: INNOVATE. CREATE. BE SAFE.
https://chemicalinsights.org/3dp/#/lessons/mQ40f3iKq4hIYBXk5AscLj6XqkXeY3tM
Tags: us_GA, laboratory, discovery, environmental
3D printers are a valuable tool. They bring concepts to life and inspire creativity and problem-solving. But as with many new and evolving technologies, they produce some unintended consequences that can negatively impact indoor air quality (IAQ). Specifically, Chemical Insights and Georgia Institute of Technology found that when in use, 3D printers release a complex mixture of pollutants into the air. These emissions include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and very small particles called ultrafine particles (UFPs), which can cause both occupant discomfort and health issues.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILL AT LUBBOCK CHEMICAL FACILITY
https://www.kcbd.com/2022/01/25/hazmat-team-responds-hydrochloric-spill-lubbock-chemical-facility/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Lubbock Fire Rescue Hazmat team, along with EMS, responded to a hydrochloric acid spill Tuesday morning in East Lubbock.
Crews were called to Cotey Chemical Corporation near 44th and MLK just before 9:30 a.m.
According to the Lubbock Fire Department, the spill was contained and there was no further threat to the business or public.
The spill has been classified as accidental.
---------------------------------------------
CAUSE DETERMINED OF SULFUR FIRE AT CERES FARM COMPANY
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article257699048.html
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
The source of a hazardous materials fire that prompted a 12-hour shelter in place advisory for some Ceres residents on Monday was determined to be a light bulb.
An employee at Stanislaus Farm Supply on East Service Road was changing a light bulb inside a 40,000-square-foot warehouse that contained a large amount of fertilizer-grade sulfur, said Dustin Bruley, supervisor of the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.
'In those warehouses they have a lot of dust floating in the air attributed to that product and when you change out a light bulb the simplest spark or static electricity can set off the particulate that floats in the air,' Burley said. In this case the particulate was flammable sulfur.
He said the spark caused flash fire, 'The air around it has this matter floating so when it ignites, anything in that room has the potential to ignite as well.'
A 500-ton pile of fertilizer sulfur began smoldering. Employees tried to put it out but the fire grew larger than they could handle.
---------------------------------------------
ROAD REOPENED AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL SHUTS DOWN ADAMS ST. IN AREA OF PEORIA'S SOUTHSIDE
https://www.hoiabc.com/2022/01/25/chemical-spill-shuts-down-adams-st-area-peorias-southside/
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
UPDATE 5:43 P.M. - The Peoria Fire Department says the leak was caused by a loose valve on a rail car.
Firefighters responded at around 12:09 p.m. to the area for a railcar leaking methyl chloride -- a highly explosive and flammable gas, in vapor form, according to a fire department release.
The Peoria Fire Department Hazmat Team responded to the scene and it was determined a two-block radius of the railcar needed to be evacuated.
An ambulance was stationed on scene to provide medical if needed and a CityLink bus was called to the scene due to the extreme temperatures and extended time on scene.
There ar eno injuries to report.
21 firefighters were on scene.
---------------------------------------------
NOAA STUDIES AIR QUALITY IN MARSHALL FIRE AREA
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/wildfire/marshall-fire/voc-levels-marshall-fire-area/73-8b928e20-84ca-4d2e-84f2-3460776c9402
Tags: us_CO, public, follow-up, response
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. ' An analysis conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found levels of volatile organic compounds in areas affected by the Marshall Fire are comparable to those of ordinary urban air pollution, Boulder County Public Health said Tuesday.
The health department said NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory used a mobile van to sample outdoor air in Louisville, Superior, and affected areas of unincorporated Boulder County 11 to 14 days after the fire.
The department said while NOAA's measurements showed the presence of some VOC gasses, the initial analysis found they were at levels similar to normal air pollution found in and around cities.
The department said NOAA is not planning to do any more outdoor air sampling for VOCs, but the department will conduct future measurements and issue warnings if air quality changes.
While county health officials expect VOC levels to decrease over the coming weeks, they said particulate air pollution may remain a concern for several months. They said snow is keeping potentially harmful particulates on the ground and out of the air now, but as weather changes, the affected areas will dry out.
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