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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 6:44:46 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 (16 articles)
FARM MACHINERY PULLING ANHYDROUS AMMONIA TANK ROLLS OVER NEAR MARENGO
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
SEMITRUCK WITH NITROGEN TANKER CATCHES FIRE IN PUEBLO
Tags: us_CO, transportation, fire, response, nitrogen
SEMI LEAKS 75 GALLONS OF FUEL, ROADS CLOSE
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, response, gasoline
SMOKE WARNING ISSUED AFTER LARGE FIRE ENGULFS RUBBISH, MACHINERY IN NEERABUP
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
ALGOMA STEEL OIL SPILL POSES PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES ALONG ST. MARY'S RIVER
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils
OLIN'S LOUSIANA CHEMICAL PLANT PARTLY RETURNS TO OPERATIONS
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST IN SOUTHERN IRAN INJURES 133, LEAKY TANK LIKELY THE CAUSE
Tags: Iran, industrial, explosion, injury, sodium-carbonate
WOOSTER CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
WINSTON-SALEM TO UPDATE BUILDING CODES AFTER WEAVER PLANT FIRE
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
ROCKTON COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CHEMTOOL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
NO ONE HURT IN HAZMAT INCIDENT AT GREENSBURG BYPASS ‰?? WRBI RADIO
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, ammonia
LITHIUM-ION BATTERY BLAMED FOR MADISON HOUSE FIRE
Tags: us_WI, public, fire, response, batteries, fire_extinguisher
SOURCE OF SOLVENT THAT KILLED POTENTIALLY HUNDREDS OF FISH IN COQUITLAM CREEK UNCLEAR: CITY
Tags: Canada, public, release, environmental, solvent
DEADLY FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS AT CONTAINER DEPOT IN BANGLADESH
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, death, hydrogen_peroxide, peroxide
LAW PROFESSOR NOMINATED TO CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CHAIR RESIGNS
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
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FARM MACHINERY PULLING ANHYDROUS AMMONIA TANK ROLLS OVER NEAR MARENGO
https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2022/06/14/farm-machinery-pulling-anhydrous-ammonia-tank-rolls-over-near-marengo/
Tags: us_IL, transportation, release, response, ammonia
Fire officials say no injuries were reported after farm machinery pulling an anhydrous ammonia tank, which can be highly hazardous, rolled over near Marengo on Monday.
The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts responded around 4:40 p.m. Monday to the area of Kishwaukee Valley Road and Oleson Road in unincorporated Marengo.
Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts Communication Specialist Alex Vucha said dispatch received a call for leaking ammonia.
Fire crews arrived and located various farm machinery that had rolled over in a ditch.
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SEMITRUCK WITH NITROGEN TANKER CATCHES FIRE IN PUEBLO
https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/semitruck-with-nitrogen-tanker-catches-fire-in-pueblo/article_90b07999-4626-5451-ba0d-510e0e117148.html
Tags: us_CO, transportation, fire, response, nitrogen
semitruck hauling a nitrogen tanker trailer caught fire at a Pueblo truck stop on Monday, according to the Pueblo Fire Department.
Fire crews responded to the scene at Love's truck stop on North Elizabeth and extinguished the blaze before the nitrogen tank was compromised.
The fire department said hot breaks are a suspected cause of the fire.
"PFD crews averted a major incident at the Love‰??s truck stop today. Quick extinguishment and savvy hazmat response kept this from becoming much worse," the Pueblo Fire Department said in a Tweet Monday.
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SEMI LEAKS 75 GALLONS OF FUEL, ROADS CLOSE
https://ksltv.com/496090/a-semi-leaked-about-75-gallons-of-fuel-on-sr201-causing-road-closures/
Tags: us_UT, transportation, release, response, gasoline
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah ‰?? A semi-truck carrying gasoline caused state Route 201 to close with only one lane open Tuesday morning.
According to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden, the truck had its saddle tank punctured, causing about 75 gallons of fuel to spill onto the highway.
The 3200 West onramp was closed, along with the two right lanes.
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SMOKE WARNING ISSUED AFTER LARGE FIRE ENGULFS RUBBISH, MACHINERY IN NEERABUP
https://www.perthnow.com.au/local-news/perthnow-wanneroo/smoke-warning-issued-after-large-fire-engulfs-rubbish-machinery-in-neerabup-c-7172877
Tags: Australia, public, fire, response, unknown_chemical
An out-of-control rubbish and machinery fire which sent plumes of potentially dangerous smoke into the air and triggered a HAZMAT warning in Perth‰??s north has been contained.
A DFES spokesperson said firefighters managed to border the Neerabup blaze about 2.10pm - but added it could take up to four hours before it is actually brought under total control.
The fire spans an area of about 80m x 80m after taking hold in a rubbish yard. The cause of the blaze is at this point yet to be determined.
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ALGOMA STEEL OIL SPILL POSES PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES ALONG ST. MARY'S RIVER
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/algoma-steel-oil-spill-public-health-1.6488261
Tags: Canada, industrial, follow-up, environmental, oils
An oil spill that started at Algoma Steel's wastewater treatment plant on the St. Mary's River on Thursday poses a public health challenge, said the acting medical officer of health for Algoma Public Health.
"When there's a chemical released into the water that may have health effects it's a lot more difficult to control because you can't do some of the usual measures that we would do, such as a boil water advisory," said acting medical officer of health Dr. John Tuinema.
"If you were to boil the water when there's a chemical in there, it doesn't get rid of the chemical."
Tuinema said the municipality of Echo Bay has been most affected by the oil spill.
Algoma Public Health warns people not to drink water from St. Mary's River after oil spill
Public health has advised residents not to drink the local well water. They've also been advised not to swim in the river or consume any local fish.
But Tuinema added most people who live near the river get their drinking water from sources not affected by the spill.
Ministry of the Environment spokesperson Gary Wheeler told CBC News last week that the oil was an industrial lubricant called 460 gear oil.
Wheeler confirmed Algoma Steel deployed contractors to contain the spill with absorbent booms on the river.
---------------------------------------------
OLIN'S LOUSIANA CHEMICAL PLANT PARTLY RETURNS TO OPERATIONS
https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/olins-lousiana-chemical-plant-partly-returns-to-operations
Tags: us_LA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, chlorine
Chemical maker Olin Corp said on Tuesday half of its facility in Plaquemine, Louisiana has returned to operations, months after it was closed following a fire and chlorine spill incident.
Louisiana authorities had issued a short shelter-in-place order due the spill in April.
The plant, a tenant at Dow Chemical‰??s facility, is expected to return to complete operations in early August, the company said in a statement.
It also said it was temporarily curtailing a significant portion of its ethylene dichloride and related production at its Freeport, Texas facility, citing high power costs and unfavorable market conditions.
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CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST IN SOUTHERN IRAN INJURES 133, LEAKY TANK LIKELY THE CAUSE
https://www.rferl.org/a/chemical-plant-blast-southern-iran/31897935.html
Tags: Iran, industrial, explosion, injury, sodium-carbonate
The blast took place at a sodium-carbonate factory in the city of Firuzabad, about 900 kilometers south of Tehran. (file photo)
An explosion at a major chemical plant in southern Iran has injured at least 133 people and released a cloud of toxic gas into the air, prompting officials to cut links to the area.
The head of the Emergency Center in Fars Province said the blast occurred on June 14 at a sodium-carbonate plant in the city of Firuzabad, about 900 kilometers south of Tehran near the Persian Gulf coast.
The state ISNA news agency quoted Vahid Hosseini, head of the Shiraz Medical Sciences Center, as saying that 114 of the 133 people taken to hospital because of the explosion had already been released.
Most of the injuries, he said, were respiratory and "prompt treatment" minimized the impact on the victims.
The state IRNA news agency said the explosion most likely was triggered by a gas leak in one of the chemical tanks.
---------------------------------------------
WOOSTER CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION
https://fox8.com/news/3-injured-after-chemical-plant-explosion-in-wooster/
Tags: us_OH, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical
WOOSTER, Ohio (WJW) ‰?? Three people were injured after a chemical plant exploded Tuesday morning, the Wooster Fire Department confirmed.
The incident took place after 10 a.m., with fire crews being called to the Quasar energy plant on Secrest Road.
Firefighters said they saw smoke when they arrived on the scene and began to size up the perimeter of the property. They said three people were found to need medical attention, but they not say how severe the injuries were.
Fire and haz-mat mitigations were initiated, and the Wooster fire team says an investigation is underway into what caused the explosion and if there is any environmental impact from a chemical release.
---------------------------------------------
WINSTON-SALEM TO UPDATE BUILDING CODES AFTER WEAVER PLANT FIRE
https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/community/winston-weaver-fire-update-winston-salem-city-considers-rule-udo-policy-changes-manufacturing-facilities/83-251259a2-e13f-4252-8228-abca7c9faeb7
Tags: us_NC, industrial, follow-up, environmental, ag_chems
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ‰?? The Winston Weaver fertilizer fire in January 2022 affected dozens of Winston-Salem businesses and thousands of people living nearby. For a while, firefighters thought the fire could cause a massive explosion. They evacuated everyone within a one-mile radius of the plant. Once the fire was out, investigators found the chemicals from the plant polluted air and water in the area.
In an effort to prevent future disasters at manufacturing facilities, Winston-Salem's public works committee will consider a change to the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The changes would line up more regulations and restrictions for future facilities.
The committee discussed the idea during its June 14 meeting. Moments before, the committee received an update from the Winston-Salem Fire Department outlining the Weaver plant's history of fire code violations.
---------------------------------------------
ROCKTON COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CHEMTOOL EXPLOSION
https://www.wifr.com/2022/06/14/rockton-community-reflects-one-year-anniversary-chemtool-explosion/
Tags: us_IL, public, follow-up, response, unknown_chemical
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - One year sine the Chemtool chemical plant explosion, the Rockton community looks for ways to move forward as they asses damages that are a constant reminder of the fire.
‰??This June 14th has been a much better June 14th than a year ago,‰?? said Rockton Village President, John Peterson.
Just before 7 a.m. that day, one seemingly small accident set off one of the biggest explosions in the Stateline, as Chemtool went up in flames.
‰??There‰??s nothing there that they can salvage so I suspect it‰??ll be a complete tear down and clean up and that‰??s gonna take a while.‰?? Peterson said.
The building burned for days forcing dozens to evacuate their homes. From the start residents worried about contamination to the air, water and soil. It remains on their minds today.
---------------------------------------------
NO ONE HURT IN HAZMAT INCIDENT AT GREENSBURG BYPASS ‰?? WRBI RADIO
https://wrbiradio.com/2022/06/13/no-one-hurt-in-hazmat-incident-at-greensburg-bypass/?epik=1655202319058
Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, ammonia
GREENSBURG, IN ‰?? No one was injured when two tanks carrying anhydrous ammonia overturned on State Road 3 between US 421 and the State 3/46 bypass in Greensburg around Noon Friday.
Upon arrival on the scene, the firefighting command ordered a 100-foot standoff distance and requested assistance from the Decatur County Emergency Management Agency.
A drone was deployed to perform a scene survey and aerial reconnaissance.
Drone footage shows a wide view of an anhydrous ammonia leak after two tanks carrying the chemical overturned on US 421 at the State Road 3/46 Bypass in Greensburg around Noon Friday. (Photo: Greensburg Fire Department)
It was determined a bent valve resulted in a small liquid leak that turned into gas once outside of the tank.
With firefighters on standby, the leak was contained by a technical specialist with assistance provided by HazMat-trained Greensburg firefighters.
---------------------------------------------
LITHIUM-ION BATTERY BLAMED FOR MADISON HOUSE FIRE
https://www.nbc15.com/2022/06/13/lithium-ion-battery-blamed-madison-house-fire/
Tags: us_WI, public, fire, response, batteries, fire_extinguisher
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A lithium-ion battery started ‰??popping, sparking, and smoking‰?? while it was charging, causing a fire at Madison home early Saturday morning, one of its residents told fire investigators.
The man recounted waking up to sounds of the battery catching fire and racing to make sure everyone else in the home on the city‰??s west side made it to safety. Several of them tried using dry chemical fire extinguishers to put out the flames to no avail, the MFD report continued.
Fleeing the home, they called 911. When firefighters arrived at the house, in the 5200 block of Harbor Court, around 3:40 a.m., they reported seeing smoke coming from the second story window. They got to the room and used a water can to put out the fire and the positive-pressure fans to ventilate the house.
The room where the battery was suffered smoke and fire damage, the MFD‰??s statement indicated, and no injuries were reported.
ADVERTISEMENT
A MFD spokesperson stated the battery was for an electric bicycle. litihium-ion batteries are commonly used in many rechargeable devices ‰?? including, but not limited to, cell phones, laptops, power tools, and even electric vehicles.
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SOURCE OF SOLVENT THAT KILLED POTENTIALLY HUNDREDS OF FISH IN COQUITLAM CREEK UNCLEAR: CITY
https://globalnews.ca/news/8916917/coquitlam-fish-kill/
Tags: Canada, public, release, environmental, solvent
Officials with the City of Coquitlam say they don‰??t know who put a suspected solvent into Booth Creek, killing potentially hundreds of fish fry.
People who live near the creek at Myrnam Street first noticed the dead fish and a strong odour Saturday evening.
Anenette Boulanger told Global News the fish in the creek had been fine when she visited the area around noon the same day.
‰??There was some kind of spill, it killed them that fast,‰?? she said. ‰??It makes me feel sick.‰??
Locals called the city, which deployed firefighters and the engineering department‰??s 24-hour response team.
Coquitlam director of utilities Jonathan Helmus said crews put booms and absorbent pads into the creek to soak up the pollutant, and returned on Sunday to replace them. Most of the pollutant was gone, he said.
---------------------------------------------
DEADLY FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS AT CONTAINER DEPOT IN BANGLADESH
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/deadly-fire-and-explosions-at-container-depot-in-bangladesh/4015799.article
Tags: Bangladesh, industrial, explosion, death, hydrogen_peroxide, peroxide
48 dead and hundreds injured as hydrogen peroxide containers exploded
A deadly blaze and several massive explosions have left 48 people dead and nearly 450 injured in Sitakund, near the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The fire began on the evening of 4 June, and took 86 hours to douse with the army‰??s assistance. The explosions killed ten fire service personnel, with a further three among those still missing. DNA tests have been carried out to identify most of the bodies.
Explosions caused by stored hydrogen peroxide threw multiple containers into the air and released deadly fumes
The incident took place at BM Container Depot, a private facility storing clothing and other items for export. The exact cause is being investigated, but hydrogen peroxide appears to have played a significant role. The chemical was being stored in containers ‰?? allegedly without authorisation ‰?? destined for use in the textile industry. As the fire spread, eyewitnesses said that multiple containers exploded and were launched into the air. Clouds of toxic fumes formed, causing burns, eye injuries and deaths.
‰??The massive explosions have traumatised the population the scale of which was hardly ever seen in Bangladesh,‰?? says Muhammad Ali Shahin, an environmental activist with the non-profit Young Power in Social Action based in Chittagong. ‰??Nearly 200 people got critically injured and deaths are still rising, especially among badly burned people.‰??
Civil society organisations have called the fire a ‰??structural murder‰?? and blamed the incident on Bangladesh‰??s apalling industrial safety record, poor infrastructure and institutional preparedness at odds with international safety standards. Activists say that no lessons have been learned from numerous previous accidents in Bangladesh. They expressed anger that eight BM employees were arrested by the police for negligence rather than the facility‰??s owners.
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LAW PROFESSOR NOMINATED TO CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Latina-law-professor-nominated-Chemical/100/web/2022/06
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
US president Joe Biden has nominated Catherine J. K. Sandoval, a Santa Clara University law professor who specializes in energy, communications, antitrust, and contract law, to the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. If confirmed by the Senate, she would bring the five-member board, which investigates chemical accidents, to just one short of its full complement of members.
Sandoval served as a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from 2011 to 2017. As a commissioner, she was part of a team that investigated the root causes of hydrocarbon incidents, such as the natural gas explosion in San Bruno, California, and the methane plume released near Los Angeles at Aliso Canyon, according to her resume. She also was involved in other California agency-led hazard investigations that examined process safety, human factors, record-keeping, risk identification and management, and incident response training.
In a statement to C&EN, she stressed that her experience in infrastructure regulation, fact-gathering, root cause analysis and community collaboration would ‰??contribute to the CSB‰??s mission to promote chemical safety, and protect workers, communities, jobs, investments, and the environment.‰??
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CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD CHAIR RESIGNS
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Chemical-safety-board-chair-resigns/100/web/2022/06
Tags: public, discovery, environmental
Katherine Lemos, chair of the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, resigned June 10, ending a 2-year period in which she was the leader and sole member of the board. She terminated her position shortly after two new board members had assumed positions on the board and a day after a third had been nominated to the board.
The board is supposed to have 5 members, who are nominated by the US president and confirmed by the Senate.
Lemos‰??s resignation followed disagreements with the two new board members over leadership direction and board management decisions, according to several people familiar with the CSB, a non-regulatory agency with authority and responsibility to investigate chemically related, significant accidents. Lemos‰?? senior adviser, Bruce Walker, also resigned. Lemos and Walker came from the aerospace industry, and neither had direct chemical-related industry or academic experience.
The new members are Sylvia Johnson, an epidemiologist with labor union experience, and Steve Owens, an attorney and former federal and Arizona state regulator who focused on environmental, safety, and health issues.
Lemos had been appointed by former president Donald J. Trump, the only CSB appointment he made during his presidency. He attempted to defund the board three times, but each time its budget was restored by supportive members of Congress. Nevertheless, the last several years have been difficult for the CSB given the funding uncertainty. The board has found it difficult to recruit and retain staff, particularly experienced accident investigators, even in less turbulent times.
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