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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 6:57:48 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 (13 articles)
HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS AFTER TANKER OVERTURNS ON HWY. 9
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, petroleum
PROPANE LEAK FORCES CLOSURE OF ROUTE 131, EVACUATION OF HOME IN LOUISVILLE
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, propane
WORKER AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS INJURIES AFTER 'HAZARDOUS MATERIALS' INCIDENT AT BUSINESS PARK
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
BLEVE DANGERS FOR FIREFIGHTERS
Tags: us_NM, industrial, discovery, environmental, gas_cylinders
LIITHIUM ELECTRIC CAR BATTERIES RISK CAUSING FIRES ON CONTAINER SHIPS
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
CHEMICAL SPILL: PUBLIC TOLD TO KEEP AWAY FROM SUNGAI RUGADING IN TUARAN
Tags: Malaysia, public, release, response, waste
SME'S TAUGHT SKILLS IN SAFE HANDLING OF CHEMICALS
Tags: Zimbabwe, public, discovery, response
MANSFIELD CHEMICAL INCIDENT: HUNDREDS EVACUATED FROM BUSINESS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, nitric_acid
SEVEN PEOPLE TREATED AFTER GWYNEDD SCHOOL EVACUATED IN 'CHEMICAL SPILL' SCARE
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
LARGE FIRE OF 'HAZARDOUS MATERIALS' BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL IN EARLY HOURS
Tags: Ireland, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
PROCESS SAFETY BEACON: ??WHAT HAPPENS IF??? AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR HAZARD REVIEWS
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, death, hydrogen
TRANSLATING INDUSTRIAL LAB SAFETY PRACTICES TO ACADEMIA
Tags: us_VA, laboratory, discovery, environmental
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY CAN QUICKLY TURN SOUR
Tags: Ireland, education, discovery, environmental, nanotech
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HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS AFTER TANKER OVERTURNS ON HWY. 9
https://www.9news.com/article/travel/hazmat-tanker-overturns-hwy-9-silverthorne/73-0a2d5960-c100-469f-b00e-1809b208021e
Tags: us_CO, transportation, release, response, petroleum
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. ?? Highway 9 was closed in Silverthorne for several hours Tuesday while crews responded to an overturned tanker.
Summit County Fire & EMS said the semi-truck driver lost control of the brakes on I-70 and did not use either of the two runaway truck ramps along the interstate.
The truck exited at Silverthorne at a high rate of speed and was unable to make the turn, resulting in the rollover.
Colorado State Patrol said at 9:43 a.m. that Silverthorne Police Department had detours in place while hazmat crews worked to clean up about 100 gallons of emulsified petroleum resin that spilled.
Firefighters said the oil the tanker was carrying is used to control dust, is not toxic, and that only a small portion of the thousands of gallons it was carrying spilled.
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PROPANE LEAK FORCES CLOSURE OF ROUTE 131, EVACUATION OF HOME IN LOUISVILLE
https://news.yahoo.com/propane-leak-forces-closure-route-222000879.html
Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, propane
May 10??LOUISVILLE ?? A section of Route 131 in the town of Louisville was shut down after the Louisville Volunteer Fire Department responded to a reported smell of propane.
In a Facebook post, the department said firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 4:30 p.m. Monday and discovered that a 500-pound underground propane tank was leaking.
"The home was evacuated and neighbors were notified. St. Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Matthew Denner responded to the scene and began to request resources," the department said.
Hazmat-trained specialists from the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control from the Oswego and Albany areas responded to the scene.
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WORKER AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS INJURIES AFTER 'HAZARDOUS MATERIALS' INCIDENT AT BUSINESS PARK
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/in-your-area/worker-airlifted-hospital-serious-injuries-23924181
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
A worker was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a 'hazardous materials' incident at North Warwickshire business park. Emergency services, including West Midlands Ambulance Service and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, responded to the 999 call at Birch Coppice Business Park yesterday afternoon (May 10).
Fire crews from Nuneaton and Coleshill stations as well as one ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance went to the scene.
They found one man seriously injured in what has been described by the fire service as a 'hazardous materials incident'.
Read more:All the places in our area to be visited by Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games baton relay
A spokesman for Nuneaton Fire Station said: "We attended a hazardous materials incident in Dordon along with a crew from Coleshill Fire Station.
"Firefighters made the scene safe and assisted paramedics with the medical care of two casualties."
Ambulance statement
A West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) spokesman explained that one of the men, who was a worker at one of the units, was seriously injured.
??We were called at 12:53pm to reports of an industrial incident at Birch Coppice Business Park," the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) spokesman said.
"We sent one ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Tatenhill,"
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BLEVE DANGERS FOR FIREFIGHTERS
https://www.firechief.com/fire-products/hazmat-equipment/articles/video-exploding-cylinders-and-bleves-pose-extreme-danger-for-nm-firefighters-dlYMxnH9kjTxBgkN/
Tags: us_NM, industrial, discovery, environmental, gas_cylinders
We tend to associate boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs) with hazardous materials incidents like rail cars or large propane fixed tanks at a commercial or industrial building. The reality is, however, that we can face these situations any place where there are pressurized cylinders.
In our corresponding video, we witness a situation where there are multiple oxygen cylinders present within the residential structure as well as a barbeque with a propane cylinder on the outside. This residential address is a single-story fourplex, which means there could easily be multiple propane cylinders in the backyard of each unit.
The responding Albuquerque fire crews find heavy smoke and multiple hazards that can easily compromise crew and occupant safety.
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LIITHIUM ELECTRIC CAR BATTERIES RISK CAUSING FIRES ON CONTAINER SHIPS
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-10802955/LIithium-electric-car-batteries-risk-causing-fires-container-ships.html
Tags: United_Kingdom, transportation, discovery, environmental, batteries, flammables
LIithium batteries in electric vehicles risk causing fires on container ships, an insurer has warned.
Allianz said the fire containment systems in older ships are not suited to cope with chemical fires or carry lithium batteries which, although usually safe, can heat up and combust.
And the open plan design of these vessels tends to lead to fires spreading much faster. The report from the German multinational financial services company said: ??Lithium batteries are an emerging risk for both container ships and car carriers, which are transporting growing numbers of electric vehicles, given existing counter-measure systems may not respond effectively in the event of a blaze.??
The warnings from the insurer came only two months after the Felicity Ace caught fire and sank into the Atlantic in March.
Porsches and Bentleys were among the 4,000 Volkswagen vehicles on board.
Five people died on the Maersk Honam in 2018 after its chemically flammable material caught fire beyond the control of the ship??s carbon dioxide fire suppression system.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SPILL: PUBLIC TOLD TO KEEP AWAY FROM SUNGAI RUGADING IN TUARAN
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/chemical-spill-public-told-keep-away-sungai-rugading-tuaran
Tags: Malaysia, public, release, response, waste
TUARAN (May 10): Members of the public are advised to steer clear of the Sungai Rugading area here, after a chemical spill was detected at the river on Monday (May 9) evening.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) assistant director (Operations) Misran Bisara said a hazmat detector had discovered the pollution, which was in the form of scheduled waste.
He said the Tuaran Fire and Rescue Station received an emergency call from MERS 999 at 6.34pm, before a team was dispatched to the scene, situated 10 kilometres away.
??Although the pH level of the river water is 6.8 or neutral, another occurrence of chemical spill can change the reading (to polluted). As such, we don??t declare it as safe today,?? he said when contacted by Bernama.
---------------------------------------------
SME'S TAUGHT SKILLS IN SAFE HANDLING OF CHEMICALS
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/05/smes-taught-skills-in-safe-handling-of-chemicals/
Tags: Zimbabwe, public, discovery, response
DEFENCE and War Veterans Affairs secretary Mark Grey Marongwe yesterday said informal traders and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) must be included in programmes to deal with the safe handling of chemicals to prevent accidents.
Speaking during the Advanced Safety and Security workshop for African member states hosted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Marongwe said SMEs lacked skills in chemical safety.
??As Zimbabwe, we are pleased that the workshop coincides with the historic 25th anniversary of the coming into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention,?? Marongwe said.
??Our country is an emerging economy and is witnessing an increase in the use of chemicals, particularly by the informal sector and SMEs. This brings to the fore new challenges in safeguarding chemical safety and security as many of these emerging enterprises do not have the capacity to put in place adequate chemical safety and security measures.
---------------------------------------------
MANSFIELD CHEMICAL INCIDENT: HUNDREDS EVACUATED FROM BUSINESS
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/chemical-release-evacuation-hundreds-employees-mansfield-business/287-9cc5f990-5254-492a-8fa4-6d14876aa396
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, nitric_acid
MANSFIELD, Texas ?? Nearly 300 employees at a Mansfield company are safe after a dangerous chemical release on Monday afternoon.
The incident happened at Dura-Tech located at 109 Sentry Drive. Mansfield firefighters are trying to narrow down what led to the chemical release.
An Arlington Fire Department hazmat team also responded to the scene. The team had to be sprayed off in their hazmat suits after being inside Dura-Tech.
The chemical release forced the evacuation of 260 employees. Paramedics treated four employees reportedly exposed to the chemical. But they refused medical transport for further treatment, according to Jeff Smith of the Mansfield Police Department.
Smith shared the chemical release involved nitric acid that can irritate the skin if exposed and can lead to breathing issues. By the time they arrived on the scene, two of the four employees exposed to the chemical had already changed out of their work clothes and showered as a precaution.
---------------------------------------------
SEVEN PEOPLE TREATED AFTER GWYNEDD SCHOOL EVACUATED IN 'CHEMICAL SPILL' SCARE
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/seven-people-treated-after-gwynedd-23909739
Tags: United_Kingdom, education, release, response, unknown_chemical
A secondary school in Gwynedd was today evacuated amid fears of a ??chemical spill??. The scare, at Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, Caernafon, was sparked when a bottle containing chemicals fell and smashed in the school??s chemical storage area.
Acting on specialist advice, the school alerted the police and fire service shortly before 11.30am. An ambulance and a paramedic were also called as a ??precautionary measure??.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said school staff had dealt with the chemicals by the time its crews arrived. The Welsh Ambulance Service treated seven patients at the school but it said no-one was conveyed to hospital by ambulance.
READ MORE: Picture shows huge queues forming along Snowdonia's notorious Crib Goch ridge
It's understood that pupils in year 7, 8 and 9 have been told to stay at home on Tuesday but the school will be open for pupils in older year groups. In a statement, Gwynedd Council said: ??Nobody was injured and every measure followed to ensure the safety of all pupils and staff. The school was evacuated and the emergency services contacted. This was in accordance with specialist advice.??
---------------------------------------------
LARGE FIRE OF 'HAZARDOUS MATERIALS' BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL IN EARLY HOURS
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/large-fire-of-hazardous-materials-brought-under-control-in-early-hours-3685573
Tags: Ireland, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
About 35 firefighters tackled the blaze at a derelict hospital building.
At the time the PSNI advised residents to keep doors and windows closed while they deal with the blaze.
The fire was reported at about 7.30pm.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service group commander Alastair McConville said operations were "hampered" by hazardous materials onsite.
Four fire engines were at the scene along with an aerial appliance, a water tanker and a command support unit.
---------------------------------------------
PROCESS SAFETY BEACON: ??WHAT HAPPENS IF??? AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR HAZARD REVIEWS
https://www.aiche.org/resources/publications/cep/2022/may/process-safety-beacon-what-happens-if-important-question-hazard-reviews
Tags: us_IL, industrial, follow-up, death, hydrogen
On May 3, 2019, operators at a plant in Waukegan, IL, were performing a batch operation, manually adding and mixing chemicals in a tank inside a building. An operator pumped an incorrect chemical into the tank. That chemical was incompatible with a chemical already in the tank. The chemicals reacted after they were mixed, and the tank contents foamed and overflowed from the tank top opening. The reaction produced highly flammable hydrogen gas that was released into the building. The hydrogen ignited, and the explosion destroyed the building, killing four employees.
The incompatible chemical was stored in a 55-gal blue plastic drum identical to drums containing the correct chemicals. The only differentiating markings were small labels on the drums and bung caps. The company did not have a written procedure requiring employees to segregate incompatible chemicals in the production building or remove containers after use. In March 2019, two months before this incident, the company had a near-miss involving two chemicals stored in similar 55-gal blue metal drums, in which the wrong material was added to a batch from similar drums. To avoid confusion from similar containers, the company developed a procedure for two people to verify material identity before addition.
This company assessed product manufacturing operations using a technical service request (TSR), which evaluated business and safety risks. However, the TSR did not assess hazards of process operations or establish safeguards, nor was it intended to.
During the incident, workers recognized that a process upset had occurred when the tank overflowed and a fog formed. However, the workers did not recognize the immediate hydrogen hazard created by the upset, which was noted on the safety data sheet (SDS) for the input material.
---------------------------------------------
TRANSLATING INDUSTRIAL LAB SAFETY PRACTICES TO ACADEMIA
https://www.aiche.org/resources/publications/cep/2022/may/translating-industrial-lab-safety-practices-academia
Tags: us_VA, laboratory, discovery, environmental
Many academic lab safety programs have room for improvement. This article demonstrates how to implement certain industrial lab safety practices in an academic environment.
Research laboratories in academic institutions have similar responsibilities to those of the broader chemical industry ?? to create and maintain a safe working environment for their employees, students, faculty, and staff. Over the past few decades, safety practices in the chemical industry have improved and innovations such as incident reporting, data tracking, and benchmarking have contributed to a reduction in the number of serious safety incidents and fatalities. Conversely, academic research labs, which experience fewer serious incidents and fatalities, have generally lagged in their safety innovation.
Recent severe accidents in research labs have raised the profile of safety practices in academia. Emerging research suggests that the number of safety incidents occurring in academic labs is being underreported; such research has also raised questions about safety culture (1). Based on these findings, there appears to be a divergence in the approach to safety between academia and industry. Assuming such a divergence exists, we asked ourselves what would this mean for our own safety program at the Univ. of Virginia (UVA). This article reviews the aforementioned divergence, reflects on the status of our own safety program, and shares perspectives about our journey of continuous improvement in our laboratory safety practices.
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PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY CAN QUICKLY TURN SOUR
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/public-perception-of-nanotechnology-can-quickly-turn-sour/4015617.article
Tags: Ireland, education, discovery, environmental, nanotech
Scientists should be aware of the impact social media could have on their work. A new study shows that to reduce the chance of disruption due to legislative, regulatory or funding changes linked to public opinion, it is important to include social media when considering risk.
Finbarr Murphy, from the University of Limerick in Ireland, and colleagues performed a sentiment analysis of tweets between 2006 and 2020 relating to three areas of nanoscience ?? silver, carbon and titanium ?? to examine the public perception of nanotechnology. They found that overall public perception is slightly positive. But whilst positive events have little to no impact on tweet volume or perception, adverse events caused an increase in the volume of tweets presenting a negative opinion.
If an event is perceived badly enough to generate a twitterstorm, this decrease in public confidence could have far reaching impacts, with legislation, research funding and insurance coverage all susceptible to public opinion. As many research grants are through public funds, a large negative shift in public opinion towards nanotechnology could result in a decrease in funding available for research in that area.
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