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Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] CSB Releases New Safety Video Incompatible Chemicals: Explosion at AB Specialty Silicones Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 4:01:01 PM Author: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> |
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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 6:32:17 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)
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL ON STUART HIGHWAY, INGOMAR
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
EX-DIRECTOR OF GAS FIRM FINED OVER 2015 LABORATORY BLAST THAT KILLED CHEMIST
Tags: Singapore, laboratory, follow-up, death, oxygen
FIRE CONTAINED AT IRAN'S OLDEST REFINERY
Tags: Iran, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE IN LAHORE
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CREWS RESPOND TO POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SITUATION IN COLORADO SPRINGS
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
TWO TRANSPORTED AFTER NEARLY 200 GALLONS OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILLED IN SANTA FE SPRINGS
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
SOUTHBOUND I-25 REOPENS AFTER 'RADIOACTIVE' SPILL BETWEEN COLORADO SPRINGS, DENVER
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, radiation
PEOPLE ADVISED TO SHUT WINDOWS AS FIREFIGHTERS TACKLED CHEMICAL PLANT BLAZE
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MEERUT: MASSIVE FIRE BREAKS OUT AT MEERUT CHEMICAL FACTORY; NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, flammables, solvent
US HAS DESTROYED LAST OF ITS VX NERVE AGENT STOCKPILES
Tags: us_KY, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
NEARLY 1,000 GALLONS OF PAINT MESS UP MERIDIAN ROAD
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, paints
A WISCONSIN COUPLE DIED FROM ELECTROCUTION AFTER ATTEMPTING A VIRAL CRAFTING TECHNIQUE CALLED FRACTAL WOOD BURNING
Tags: us_WI, public, fire, death, unknown_chemical
PHOSPHORIC ACID SPILL TRIGGERS HAZMAT ALERT IN ORANGE
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, phosphoric_acid
HOW TO CAPTURE AND USE NEAR-MISS LAB-INCIDENT REPORTS IN ACADEMIA
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
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HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL ON STUART HIGHWAY, INGOMAR
https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/news-and-media/media-alerts/hazardous-material-spill-on-stuart-highway-ingomar-29-april-2022/
Tags: Australia, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical
At approximately 8:15pm on Thursday, 28 April 2022, CFS crews were alerted to a collision between a truck and a van on the Stuart Highway, approximately 150kms south of Coober Pedy.
Upon further assessment of the scene, it was identified that a trailer being towed by the van was carrying a quantity of unknown chemicals, which had spilt across the highway. CFS crews, with the assistance of SAPOL, were quick to cordon off the area.
There are currently CFS crews from Coober Pedy on scene, who are being supported by SES, and additional resources are being brought in from Woomera CFS.
Atmospheric monitoring conducted this morning confirmed there are hazardous materials present. As a result, and to support local crews, six CFS specialist HAZMAT personnel are currently flying from Adelaide to help identify and safely recover the chemicals. They are expected to be on scene within two hours.
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EX-DIRECTOR OF GAS FIRM FINED OVER 2015 LABORATORY BLAST THAT KILLED CHEMIST
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/leeden-national-oxygen-lab-explosion-chemist-killed-director-fined-2655466
Tags: Singapore, laboratory, follow-up, death, oxygen
SINGAPORE: A former executive director of an industrial gas company was fined S$45,000 on Friday (Apr 29) for his part in a laboratory explosion that killed a chemist in 2015.
Gary Choo Pu Chang, 64, was the executive director of Leeden National Oxygen (LNOX), a firm that produces and sells specialty gases. His responsibilities included overseeing the safe operation of the laboratory.
The fatal explosion at the firm's Tanjong Kling premises on Oct 12, 2015 killed 30-year-old Lim Siaw Chian, who had just returned to work after giving birth.
Choo resigned on Aug 12, 2015, before the incident happened, but admitted to not establishing safe work procedures that could have prevented the blast.
Earlier this week, he pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to take measures to ensure the safety and health of his employees at work.
Last year, LNOX and the firm's CEO Steven Tham Weng Cheong were fined S$340,000 and S$45,000 respectively for similar offences.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE CONTAINED AT IRAN'S OLDEST REFINERY
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202204289820
Tags: Iran, industrial, fire, response, petroleum
Abadan refinery in south-west Iran, which supplies around 25 percent of the country's fuel needs, caught fire Thursday.
Hakim Ghayyem, the refinery's managing director, told IRNA Thursday afternoon the blaze had been contained with no fatalities or injuries, and that an investigation was underway into the damage and cause. The fire broke out at 10.32am, with some reports blaming faulty insulation.
Abadan, near the Persian Gulf coast, is Iran's largest refinery with a daily capacity of 430,000 barrels of crude, producing liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, jet fuel, furnace oil, bitumen, petroleum solvents, sulfur, and naphtha.
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) signed a $1-billion deal in 2017 to expand the refinery. Work on a second phase of the project was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE CATCHES FIRE IN LAHORE
https://dailytimes.com.pk/927227/chemical-warehouse-catches-fire-in-lahore/
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
LAHORE: A huge fire broke out in a chemical warehouse located in Hamdard Chowk Township of Lahore on Thursday.
As per details, fire department officials said that no loss of life or injury was reported, however, machinery and other equipment worth millions of rupees were burnt to ashes, PTV News Channel reported.
Fire tenders arrived at the spot and extinguished the fire, after which the cooling process started.
Rescue officials said that the incident occurred due to a short circuit.
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CREWS RESPOND TO POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SITUATION IN COLORADO SPRINGS
https://krdo.com/news/2022/04/28/crews-respond-to-potential-hazardous-materials-situation-in-colorado-springs/
Tags: us_CO, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Springs Fire Department's Hazardous Materials team is responding to a potentially hazardous chemical at a home south of the downtown area.
Crews were called to a home near S. Cascade Ave. and Dorchester Dr. That's near Ivywild Park.
The fire department tells KRDO that officials were in the process of evicting someone from the residence when they discovered the potentially hazardous chemical. At this time the fire department wouldn't elaborate on what that chemical is but they noted that in its current form it is not dangerous but has the potential to be in another form. However, crews still ask that people stay away from the area.
This is a developing situation. Stay with KRDO Newschannel 13 for the latest information.
---------------------------------------------
TWO TRANSPORTED AFTER NEARLY 200 GALLONS OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID SPILLED IN SANTA FE SPRINGS
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/two-transported-after-nearly-200-gallons-of-hydrochloric-acid-spilled-in-santa-fe-springs/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid
Firefighters and a HAZMAT crew were dispatched to the scene of a large acid spill in Santa Fe Springs Wednesday evening.
Over 200 gallons of hydrochloric acid were reportedly spilled somewhere on the Phibro-Tech campus on Dice Road, prompting response from Downey Fire Department crews and a HAZMAT scene.
Among other duties, Phibro-Tech handles recycling for permitted waste from the electronics industry.
Two people were taken to a hospital where they were in unknown condition.
---------------------------------------------
SOUTHBOUND I-25 REOPENS AFTER 'RADIOACTIVE' SPILL BETWEEN COLORADO SPRINGS, DENVER
https://gazette.com/news/traffic/southbound-i-25-reopens-after-radioactive-spill-between-colorado-springs-denver/article_92c8f4fa-c65a-11ec-9d9d-532e48ce28ae.html
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, radiation
Interstate 25 reopened after a hazmat incident between Castle Rock and Larkspur shut down the southbound lanes Wednesday afternoon, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
Just before noon southbound lanes closed between the Plum Creek Parkway and Tomah Road exits after a piece of equipment broke off a truck onto the highway, releasing some "radioactive material," Colorado State Patrol said.
Hazmat teams arrived and set up a 300-foot perimeter around the piece of equipment (a density gauge), and crews cleaned up the material and retrieved the gage, state patrol said.
---------------------------------------------
PEOPLE ADVISED TO SHUT WINDOWS AS FIREFIGHTERS TACKLED CHEMICAL PLANT BLAZE
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/people-advised-shut-windows-firefighters-23803021
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
People were advised to close their windows and doors as firefighters tackled a fire at a chemical plant.
A fire broke out in an outbuilding at Innospec's site on Oil Sites Road in Ellesmere Port shortly before midday on Wednesday (April 27). Plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky above the company's site.
Fire crews from Ellesmere Port, Chester, Runcorn, Powey Lane and Merseyside attended the scene, as did a number of police vehicles. Firefighters isolated the main gas and electricity supplies and tackled the fire using foam.
At 1.13pm, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service stated the fire had been suppressed and the smoke was not toxic. However, they advised people in the local area to close their windows and doors if smoke was heading their way.
---------------------------------------------
MEERUT: MASSIVE FIRE BREAKS OUT AT MEERUT CHEMICAL FACTORY; NO CASUALTIES REPORTED
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/massive-fire-breaks-out-at-meerut-chemical-factory-no-casualties-reported/articleshow/91136449.cms
Tags: India, industrial, explosion, response, flammables, solvent
MEERUT: A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Meerut's Mawana area on Wednesday. Around a dozen workers were inside the factory when one of the barrels filled with inflammable chemicals blasted.
Over 15 fire brigades rushed to the spot and took four hours to douse the fire in which chemical and property worth Rs 1 crore was gutted. According to the police, the fire broke out around 12:30pm at Aadi Chemical Solvents located in the Mawana area.
The workers rushed outside as the fire spread quickly engulfing the entire factory premises. Additional DM Satya Prakash reached the spot and ordered the nearby colleges and houses to be vacated. SP Keshav Kumar said, 'The reason as to what caused the fire is yet to be ascertained. No casualties were reported.'
---------------------------------------------
US HAS DESTROYED LAST OF ITS VX NERVE AGENT STOCKPILES
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/us-has-destroyed-last-of-its-vx-nerve-agent-stockpiles/4015597.article
Tags: us_KY, industrial, follow-up, environmental, mustard_gas, waste
The US has destroyed the last of its 18,000 VX-filled rockets, meaning it has now eliminated 470 tonnes of VX, sarin and mustard gas ' almost all that remains of the country's chemical weapons stockpile that was once around 30,000 tonnes.
Venomous agent X, also known as VX, is an extremely toxic thiophosphonate. An oily, amber liquid, it is not very volatile. But it is readily absorbed through the skin and even a few milligrams can be fatal, leading to muscle paralysis and asphyxiation. In 2017, it was used to kill Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The US produced most of its VX in the 1960s. Discovered in the 1950s, VX is more potent than sarin, the nerve agent that killed nearly 100 people in Syria in 2017. VX is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and 98% of worldwide stockpiles have already been destroyed ' though not always responsibly. In 2008, it came to light that the US had dumped 112 tonnes of VX in the form of filled projectiles and containers into the Atlantic Ocean in the late 1960s.
Since 2019, the Kentucky-based Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction plant has been working on destroying chemical warfare agents stored for decades at a nearby army depot. Initially, the plan was to incinerate the materials, but after concern from residents and environmental groups, the nerve agents were hydrolysed in a concentrated basic solution instead. The resulting hydrolysate is tested to ensure the agents have been destroyed before being shipped to a chemical waste management facility for further processing.
---------------------------------------------
NEARLY 1,000 GALLONS OF PAINT MESS UP MERIDIAN ROAD
https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2022/04/nearly-1000-gallons-of-paint-mess-up-meridian-road/
Tags: us_OH, transportation, release, response, paints
AUSTINTOWN ' Several agencies spent Tuesday morning and afternoon cleaning up a mess after nearly 1,000 gallons of yellow and white paint fell off a truck.
Austintown fire Chief Andy Frost said his crew, along with the Mahoning County Emergency Management Association, HAZMAT Association and Environmental Services spent seven hours cleaning up a section of North Meridian Road.
Frost said his department got the call around 8 a.m. when a flatbed truck stopped abruptly, causing a few drums of the nontoxic, latex paint it was carrying to the Mahoning County Engineer's Office to fall off. The yellow paint splashed up onto the side of a nearby vehicle and all over the road.
Frost said the first step in cleanup was ensuring that paint did not enter into a sewer catch basin.
He said the paint is relatively harmless and would not have caused a major problem.
---------------------------------------------
A WISCONSIN COUPLE DIED FROM ELECTROCUTION AFTER ATTEMPTING A VIRAL CRAFTING TECHNIQUE CALLED FRACTAL WOOD BURNING
https://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-couple-died-electrocution-attempting-231148029.html
Tags: us_WI, public, fire, death, unknown_chemical
A Wisconsin couple died after attempting a viral crafting technique called fractal wood burning.
The process uses high-voltage transformers to run electrical currents through chemical-soaked wood.
Thirty-three people have died from fractal wood burning since 2017.
A Wisconsin couple died from electrocution after attempting a viral art technique in their garage, officials said last week.
The bodies of Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were discovered earlier this month in their garage after officers responded to a fire at their house in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
In a statement last Thursday, the Marathon County Sheriff's Office said the couple died prior to the fire in their home while doing a crafting technique called "fractal" or "lichtenburg" wood burning.
"Foul play has been ruled out and the deaths were found to be accidental in nature and are believed to be caused by electrocution from fractal wood burning ' a technique in which high-voltage electricity is used to burn lightning or tree-like patterns into wood that has been soaked in a chemical solution," the department said in the statement.
---------------------------------------------
PHOSPHORIC ACID SPILL TRIGGERS HAZMAT ALERT IN ORANGE
https://www.foxla.com/news/hazmat-situation-prompts-evacuation-in-orange
Tags: us_CA, industrial, release, injury, phosphoric_acid
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - An employee of an aerospace company in Orange accidentally spilled phosphoric acid Tuesday, triggering a hazardous materials alert.
Firefighters were called at 3:21 p.m. to Collins Avenue and Main Street, where five gallons of the substance was spilled, Orange Fire Department Capt. Ryan O'Connor said.
The floor was designed to absorb the chemical if it spills, so the employee closed the door, got his co-workers out of the building and called authorities, O'Connor said.
The man sustained some skin irritation on the back of his neck and was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Firefighters also evacuated neighboring businesses.
Firefighters from Anaheim and Huntington Beach were assisting in the hazardous materials response, O'Connor said.
Police closed Main Street in both directions from Collins Avenue to Shelley Court during the cleanup.
---------------------------------------------
HOW TO CAPTURE AND USE NEAR-MISS LAB-INCIDENT REPORTS IN ACADEMIA
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/How-to-capture-and-use-near-miss-lab-incident-reports-in-academia/100/i15
Tags: laboratory, discovery, environmental
A near miss'sometimes called a close call or a good catch'is an unsafe event that falls short of causing significant injuries, property damage, or release of hazardous materials into the environment. Local, state, or federal government agencies may require employers to report those more significant incidents. But it's just as important to document events where little or no harm is done, such as equipment failures, minor injuries, and unexpected chemical reactions, because they can point to interventions that may prevent major accidents in the future.
When Tonks and his colleagues at UMN analyzed 5 years of their Learning Experience Reports, which department members use to communicate safety concerns and near misses in chemistry, the team found that the most common incidents involved spills, small fires, and equipment failures. Out of 85 reports submitted to the system, 10 were near misses that warranted further investigation, and 3 necessitated an injury report (J. Chem. Educ. 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00133). Considered in conjunction with the waste spill reports, these results show that, without a way to document near-miss incidents, chemists are missing out on crucial data for improving research safety, Tonks says.
C&EN spoke with researchers and safety officers at five universities that have adopted near-miss reporting programs about the challenges of implementing these systems and the benefits they impart in an academic environment. Representatives from UMN; Texas Tech University; the University of Chicago; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Yale University all agree that it takes time and energy to get a new reporting system off the ground. They also all say that near-miss reporting promotes a stronger, more collaborative safety culture and fewer accidents.
'For other institutions that are thinking about this,' says Texas Tech chemistry professor Dimitri Pappas, 'it's absolutely worth the effort.'
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