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Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:08:19 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: 3 Chemical Safety news reports from Google
This first story should be of interest to lab
scientists who believe in the VIP (Vials in Pockets) approach to
transporting samples...
===
Manchester UK
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Airport
terror alert triggered by cow blood
Paul
Britton
JANUARY 29,
2010
THE suspect white powder that sparked an evacuation at
Manchester Airport has been identified . . . as dried cow=92s
blood.
The harmless substance was discovered in the luggage
of a passenger at the BMI check-in desk last Saturday.
Airport
bosses evacuated terminal three and passengers were delayed for six
hours as tests were carried out.
Now it has emerged that the
substance was Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) - a protein made from cow=92s
blood and used in lab tests and medical research.
One
expert said: =93It is a completely harmless and naturally-occurring
protein.
=93The only risk is if the cattle=92s blood has got
any diseases.=94
Airport bosses said they were right to evacuate the
terminal, a day after Britain=92s terror threat level was raised to
=91severe=92.
The passenger had been preparing to board a shuttle
flight from Manchester to Heathrow when he was stopped by security staff
as he answered routine questions.
Nineteen screw-top
cannisters, containing 20kg of the substance, were found in his
bags.
An explosives team attended and found no evidence that
they could be used in a bomb.
The consignment - which the passenger claims has
still not been returned - is believed to be worth around =A35,000. It
is understood he was carrying it for use in a research
project.
The passenger was questioned by police and UK Border
Agency officials, then released.
The fire service declared a
chemical incident but officers said later there was =91no
risk=92.
=93Albumin is very easy to get hold of,=94 a local
research expert said. =93Most biology laboratories will have pots of it
in fridges. It is one of the most widely-used proteins and is used when
growing cultures in laboratories.=94
BSA can also be used for
studies into DNA and to help diagnose diseases.
Airline
BMI said it was unable to confirm whether the substance could be carried
on flights but large quantities were likely to be seized. It is
understood that notification of intent to carry it must be provided to
airlines beforehand.
===
West Virginia
DuPont chemical leaks are unrelated
By The
Associated Press
CHARLESTON (AP) =97 Three recent chemical leaks at a DuPont
plant, one of which killed a worker, don=92t appear to be related, a
federal investigator said Thursday.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board
investigator Johnnie Banks promised a thorough investigation into the
leaks, which prompted the plant=92s temporary shutdown over the
weekend.
The release of about 1,900 pounds of methyl chloride
went unnoticed for five days before the company reported it
Friday.
A worker died after being exposed to phosgene =97 a
chemical used as a choking agent during World War I that now is used in
pesticides and plastics. That worker was exposed Saturday, the same day
the plant reported that less than 20 pounds of sulfuric acid had leaked
from its spent acid recovery process.
The plant
is on a 600-acre site in Belle and employs about 400 workers with an
additional 250 contractors.
The leaks =93were not in close proximity to one other
where there could be a sense of something happening in one building
transferring to another,=94 Banks said. =93=46rom all outward
appearances, they weren=92t related processes.
=93That=92s
what makes this so compelling is that they=92re in disparate parts of
the plant and we=92re trying to figure out if there is a common
theme.=94
The investigation will include a review of equipment
age, maintenance and inspection, as well as the plant=92s monitoring
system.
The chemical board has said it was aware of six
earlier leaks at the DuPont plant since December 2006. Banks said his
team also plans to examine how thorough any investigations were after
those leaks.
No one appeared to be in the immediate vicinity when
58-year-old Carl Fish, a 32-year DuPont employee, was exposed to
phosgene Saturday and died a day later.
=93He was
conducting normal rounds,=94 Banks said. =93There was nothing
extraordinary going on that would give them a sense of dread or
something terribly amiss.=94
Fish was exposed by an 18-inch braided steel transfer
hose that ruptured. Banks said the hose was frayed, but it wasn=92t
immediately determined whether the hose wore down quickly or over
time.
Although company officials confirmed the five-day leak
of methyl chloride, Banks said his team hasn=92t determined how long it
was leaking.
=93We will make that part of our investigative process
to determine how long the leak went and why it wasn=92t detected, if
there was some type of mechanical integrity issue with the monitoring
system,=94 he said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health
Administration also is investigating the leaks.
The
safety board is already stretched thin by 16 other open investigations,
the largest number in its 11-year-history.
Board
member William E. Wright has said the latest case would likely delay
other cases, including those at the Bayer CropScience facility in
Institute, where a worker was killed in an August 2008
explosion.
===
Wisconsin
Gold's
Gym evacuated after chemical mishap
An accidental mixing of
chemicals by a pool maintenance company employee caused the evacuation
of Gold's Gym in Fitchburg Thursday afternoon, with the employee taken
to the hospital for inhaling fumes from the chemicals, authorities
reported.
The accident occurred at about 2:50 p.m. at the
fitness facility at 2920 Hardrock Road, according to the Fitchburg Fire
Department.
All staff and gym members in the facility at the time
of the accident evacuated safely and were not injured.
The
Madison Fire Department HazMat team was called to the scene, and
confirmed the chemicals were no longer reacting and didn't pose further
danger, according to the press release issued by the Fitchburg Fire
Department.
There was no damage to the building or pool equipment,
and people were allowed back into the building a short time after the
incident.
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