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From: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (10 articles)
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2022 06:57:26 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: F3C97E7F-459D-4BC8-B0AB-A665BAD50117**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, February 4, 2022 at 6:57:11 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 (10 articles)
WHY WAS THE FERTILIZER PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE IN WINSTON-SALEM ABLE TO STORE 600 TONS OF FLAMMABLE MATERIAL?
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, flammables
FERTILIZER EXPLOSION RISK 'GREATLY DIMINISHED,' CHIEF SAYS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
ANKLESHWAR: FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MONARCH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DISMISSED EARLY AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: us_CO, education, release, response, ethylene_glycol, hvac_chemicals
ESTIMATING AVERAGE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM STAFFING AND RESOURCING USING A SERIES OF ITERATIVELY DEVELOPED EVIDENCE-BASED MODELS
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
FUEL TANKER LEAKS HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF OIL ONTO STRASBURG TOWNSHIP ROAD
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel, petroleum
REFRIGERANT LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF PLAINVILLE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, hvac_chemicals
CREWS IN BIRMINGHAM WORKING HAZMAT SITUATION
Tags: us_AL, transportation, release, response, diesel, petroleum
EXPLOSION FEARS REMAIN AS N. CAROLINA FERTILIZER PLANT BURNS
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
EASTMAN CHEMICAL 'STEAM LINE FAILURE' RAINS DEBRIS IN KINGSPORT NEIGHBORHOOD; TRACES OF ASBESTOS FOUND ' TENNESSEE LOOKOUT
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, asbestos
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WHY WAS THE FERTILIZER PLANT THAT CAUGHT FIRE IN WINSTON-SALEM ABLE TO STORE 600 TONS OF FLAMMABLE MATERIAL?
https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/winston-salem/why-was-the-fertilizer-plant-that-caught-fire-in-winston-salem-able-to-store-600-tons-of-flammable-material/
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems, flammables
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) ' People living in Winston-Salem want to know how an 80-year-old building can be packed with 600 tons of flammable material.
Stay on top of breaking news and weather with the FOX8 mobile app.
The building codes in place for the Winston Weaver Fertilizer Plant date back to the late 1930s.
'Building codes today have more detailed requirements as far as chemical process and chemical storage,' said Rick McIntyre, assistant fire marshal.
The only time the owners of the plant are required to bring things up to today's codes is when they add buildings or make changes to existing ones.
A representative from the planning department tells FOX8 the facility has no current or past permit requests for building additions or changes.
'There are five buildings on this site. The original building and several others that were added to after the fact were built in the '40s, '50s and '70s,' McIntyre said. 'It had to meet the building code that was in effect at that time the building was constructed.'
Sprinkler systems and other fire prevention methods weren't required until after most of the facility was built.
'Now, it's much more detailed, and that would be what they would be required to meet today,' McIntyre said.
When inspectors walk through the buildings, they typically look at how chemicals are stored and if there are fire and life safety devices available.
Most buildings are inspected every two or three years. A business like this is required more often.
Inspection reports from the City of Winston-Salem over the last three years show passing scores. In 2020, the only notes state parts of the building are in poor condition and electrical upgrades were being made.
Fire investigators are now reviewing inspections the state and other agencies conducted.
As for how and if people are supposed to know hazardous materials are stored near where they live, local elected leaders say their hands are tied.
The city can't force a business to disclose what materials are on hand, and businesses aren't required to disclose that information.
Mayor Pro Tempore D.D. Adams tells FOX 8 that everything from building to safety codes are governed by general statutes. If people want to see changes, they should contact their state representative.
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FERTILIZER EXPLOSION RISK 'GREATLY DIMINISHED,' CHIEF SAYS
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-02-03/rain-helps-supress-plant-fire-but-explosion-risk-remains
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) ' The explosion threat from a fire at a North Carolina fertilizer plant has 'greatly diminished' now that much of a combustible chemical has burned off and firefighters have returned to the site to spray down what's left, the city's fire chief said Thursday.
The Winston-Salem Fire Department tweeted that the voluntary evacuation for a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius around the plant would be reduced to 660 feet (200 meters) Thursday evening.
Earlier on Thursday, Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo said that with the help of experts on the fertilizer ingredient ammonium nitrate, officials determined it was safe for firefighters to get close enough to set up more unmanned sprayers at the site.
Firefighters had worked the blaze after it broke out Monday night but had to pull back because of the threat of the explosion. Since then, it had largely been allowed to burn, with officials monitoring from the air and fire teams on standby. Rain early Thursday also helped with cooling effects.
'The threat of an explosion was greatly diminished overnight through the cooling operations,' Mayo said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
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ANKLESHWAR: FIRE BREAKS OUT AT CHEMICAL PLANT
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/fire-breaks-out-at-chemical-plant/articleshow/89335123.cms
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
SURAT: A fire broke out in an industrial unit of Ankleshwar GIDC on Thursday afternoon. Preliminary police investigation revealed that the fire at the chemical unit started during installation of a plastic tank in the plant. No casualties were reported from the incident.
According to police, at around 12:15 heavy smoke was seen coming out from Amal Limited, a chemical unit located in GIDC, Ankleshwar.
Staff from the fire brigade and police rushed to the spot after being informed. The blaze was doused in around an hour. Three fire vehicles were pressed into action for the fire-fighting operation.
Primary investigation revealed that a Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) tank and a chimney were being installed at the plant when the fire broke out.
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MONARCH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DISMISSED EARLY AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/monarch-high-school-glycol-leak/73-302de597-ba08-452f-9e9d-37d987c8b7cc
Tags: us_CO, education, release, response, ethylene_glycol, hvac_chemicals
LOUISVILLE, Colo. ' Students at Monarch High School in Louisville were released from school early following a chemical leak Thursday, according to school district spokesman, Randy Barber.
Around 9:30 a.m., the school detected a glycol leak in the school's C-Wing which prompted the relocation of the students, according to the school's website.
The school was eventually cleared for reentry by the Louisville Fire Department (LFD) but as a precaution the rest of Thursday's classes have been canceled, according to Barber.
The leak originated in the coils of the school's HVAC system, Barber said.
The smell of glycol was also reported in the Monarch K-8 school which is nearby, but since a leak of the chemical did not happen in the learning area of the K-8 school, classes will continue as normal, according to Barber.
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ESTIMATING AVERAGE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM STAFFING AND RESOURCING USING A SERIES OF ITERATIVELY DEVELOPED EVIDENCE-BASED MODELS
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.1c00087
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
Inherent to the work carried out at institutions of higher education is a set of diverse health and safety risks, which include the use of a variety of potentially hazardous materials. To manage these hazards, colleges and universities typically maintain Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) programs, but objective models for determining the typical amount of organizational resources dedicated to EHS programs are lacking. Summarized here are a series of iterative modeling efforts based on benchmarking data provided by the members of the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA), combined with publicly available institutional data, to produce a series of predictive models for EHS program resourcing. Linear and multiple regression analysis techniques were utilized to develop the models to estimate industry-average college and university EHS program staffing and expenses. Interestingly, the subset of recurrent key predictors identified through the!
se efforts, such as the total net assignable area (TNASF) and the research laboratory area, includes measures that many EHS professionals do not typically have readily available. Although these models do not address the ultimate outcomes achieved by any EHS program, they can assist decision makers with determining a representative level of staffing and resources needed to support university EHS programs.
---------------------------------------------
FUEL TANKER LEAKS HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF OIL ONTO STRASBURG TOWNSHIP ROAD
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/fuel-tanker-leaks-hundreds-of-gallons-of-oil-onto-strasburg-township-road/article_065ca4f2-8452-11ec-8fa5-4bb5bbc32329.html
Tags: us_PA, transportation, release, response, diesel, petroleum
A fuel tanker fell onto its side, leaking hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel off of a Strasburg Township road Wednesday morning, according to the Strasburg Fire Company.
The tanker went off-road, crashed through a fence and overturned as it was negotiating a bend in the 900 block of Eisenberger Road, about three miles south of Strasburg, just before 11:45 a.m., Assistant Fire Chief Amos Fisher told an LNP|LancasterOnline correspondent.
About 500 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled onto the ground.
---------------------------------------------
REFRIGERANT LEAK FORCES EVACUATION OF PLAINVILLE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/refrigerant-leak-forces-evacuation-of-plainville-industrial-building/ar-AATpLBh
Tags: us_MA, industrial, release, response, hvac_chemicals
bout 200 people were evacuated from a Thermo Fisher Scientific facility under construction in Plainville Wednesday, where a cracked pipe is believed to have leaked 2,000 pounds of refrigerant, officials said.
A level two hazmat response was declared at the facility located at 5 Commerce Blvd., Plainville fire officials said in a statement.
The leak is believed to have occurred when a refrigerant system being installed on the second floor was activated and a frozen pipe cracked, the statement said.
There were no injuries in the incident that drew a large state and local public safety response.
---------------------------------------------
CREWS IN BIRMINGHAM WORKING HAZMAT SITUATION
https://www.wbrc.com/2022/02/03/crews-birmingham-working-hazmat-situation/
Tags: us_AL, transportation, release, response, diesel, petroleum
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Officials with the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service say they are currently working a hazmat situation on I-65 North near the 17th Street Exit.
Officials say an 18-wheeler overturned, spilling an estimated 80 gallons of diesel fuel. So far, no word on what caused the truck to overturn.
We will continue to update this story as we learn more information
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION FEARS REMAIN AS N. CAROLINA FERTILIZER PLANT BURNS
https://www.startribune.com/explosion-fears-remain-as-n-carolina-fertilizer-plant-burns/600142236/
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, ammonium_nitrate
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ' An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina continued to burn Wednesday, forcing firefighters and thousands of evacuated residents to remain at least a mile (1.6 kilometers) away because there could be a large explosion.
Fire officials said they could not predict when the blaze might die down. And they didn't know how many people have actually complied with calls to evacuate. Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said the city was maintaining its stance in calling the requests to leave the area "a recommended action."
"The fact of the matter is, at the beginning of this incident, there was enough ammonium nitrate on hand for this to be one of the worst explosions in U.S. history," Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo said at an afternoon news conference that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper also attended.
"Our capacity to evacuate is limited," Mayo said. "And that's why we asked people to leave voluntarily."
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EASTMAN CHEMICAL 'STEAM LINE FAILURE' RAINS DEBRIS IN KINGSPORT NEIGHBORHOOD; TRACES OF ASBESTOS FOUND ' TENNESSEE LOOKOUT
https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/eastman-chemical-steam-line-failure-rains-debris-in-kingsport-neighborhood-traces-of-asbestos-found/
Tags: us_TN, industrial, follow-up, environmental, asbestos
A day after residents of Kingsport, Tenn. were rocked by the sound of a loud blast, smoke plumes, raining debris and power outages from a 'high pressure steam line failure' at the Eastman Chemical Plant, company officials distributed fliers saying the incident was highly unlikely to cause health problems while local news outlets captured images of workers outside homes in hazmat suits behind asbestos warning tape.
Five workers suffered minor injuries in the incident, which occurred at about 7:30 a.m. Monday just after a shift change at the plant. On Tuesday, Eastman officials said they had found traces of asbestos in some of the debris, likely from insulation in piping at the plant.
During a Tuesday press conference, conducted remotely, Eastman officials attempted to reassure worried residents. Health problems that result from asbestos are typically due to repeat exposures to high concentrations in an industrial or work environments, said Mark Bogle, vice president and Tennessee operations leader.
'In our opinion we don't believe anyone was exposed to a harmful level of asbestos with this event,' Bogle said.
Local residents are being told not to disturb or clean up any of the debris 'out of an abundance of caution,' he said. The company has asked residents who have seen debris in their homes, yards or on cars to contact the company, which will send out a clean up crew.
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