Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Friday, May 27, 2011 8:15:02 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 (23 articles) CHEMICAL EXPLOSION DAMAGE CARGOES AT LAEM CHABANG PORT Tags: Thailand, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical ACID THROWN IN MONROE GARBAGE TRUCK SPEWS SMOKE, SENDS 3 WORKERS TO HOSPITAL Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid AMMONIA LEAK AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS Tags: us_CT, public, release, response, ammonia, flammables HAZMAT TEAM CALLED FOR POOL CHEMICAL FUMES Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, chlorine YOUROTTAWAREGION ARTICLE: STUDENT IN BARRHAVEN EXPLOSION REVIVED Tags: Canada, education, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO BOSTON SCHOOL AFTER AMMONIA SPILL Tags: us_MA, education, release, response, ammonium_hydroxide TRAFFIC CRASH CAUSES HAZMAT SITUATION Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, chlorine TWO WATERFORD RESIDENTS SEVERELY BURNED IN FLASH FIRE AT MOMENTIVE Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical SAFETY PLEA AFTER FACTORY CHEMICAL DEATH Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, death, phenol 05/25/2011: EPA REMOVES CHEMICALS FROM FORMER WABBASEKA SCHOOL Tags: us_AR, laboratory, discovery, response, corrosives, flammables ILLEGAL DUMPING AT LANDFILL UNDER INVESTIGATION Tags: us_TN, public, discovery, response, dust LIVINGSTON TEACHER RE-ARRESTED AFTER POLICE FIND NITROGLYCERIN IN CLASS Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, bomb, explosives MAJOR CHEMICAL FIRE DARKENS JERSEY SKYLINE Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical CITY/GOVERNMENT :: MUKILTEO BEACON NEWS Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, corrosives, waste MAN FOUND DEAD AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN BATTERSEA (FROM YOUR LOCAL GUARDIAN) Tags: United, Kingdom, public, release, death, nitrogen, suicide EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TRANSPORT TWO AFTER FORMALDEHYDE SPILL Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, formaldehyde TRAIN DERAILMENT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY; HAZMAT TEAMS CALLED IN Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, ag_chems LOUISIANA CHEMICAL PLANT WORKERS KILLED Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical GAS LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN NORTH VANCOUVER Tags: Canada, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide OFFICIALS: 12 EXPOSED TO CHEMICALS IN SALINAS Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical CAPITAL FM KENYA: 8 DIE IN KARIOBANGI FACTORY BLAZE Tags: Kenya, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical MAN MIXED DEADLY CHEMICAL COMBO Tags: us_TX, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide PULLEN AQUATIC CENTER CLOSED DUE TO LEAK Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, chlorine --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL EXPLOSION DAMAGE CARGOES AT LAEM CHABANG PORT http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2011/05/26/chemical-explosion-damage-ca rgoes-at-laem-chabang-port/ Tags: Thailand, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical A major fire explosion which burned down many chemical cargoes at the Pier in Laem Chabang Port, was under control to a certain degree as authorities continued to put out the blaze. On 25 May 2011, Police Colonel Sak Rapee Laem Chabang (Police Superintendent) was informed of a fire explosion occurring at the pier in Laem Chabang B3, Sriracha. The fire started at one of the large chemical vessels docking at the pier, the fireman commented. It then spread to more than ten other vessels which were to be transported on a ship called Mol Aqua Japanese, police reported adding that there were over 200 containers docked at Laem Chabang pier. --------------------------------------------- ACID THROWN IN MONROE GARBAGE TRUCK SPEWS SMOKE, SENDS 3 WORKERS TO HOSPITAL http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/05/smoking_monroe_garbage_truck_c. html Tags: us_NJ, transportation, release, injury, hydrochloric_acid MONROE TWP. - Smoke from acid thrown in the back of a garbage truck in Monroe sent three public works employees to the hospital this morning, police reported. While making its runs through a residential neighborhood, the municipal garbage truck picked up hydrochloric acid that had been disposed of in an unknown container, according to police. The acid began smoking around 10 a.m. in the back of the truck as it drove on Forest Park Terrace, and police and firefighters were called. --------------------------------------------- AMMONIA LEAK AT NEW HAVEN BUSINESS http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/ammonia-leak-at-new-haven-busin ess Tags: us_CT, public, release, response, ammonia, flammables New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - A section of Brewery Street in New Haven was closed for several hours overnight after a hazardous materials scare. Hazmat and fire crews were called out Wednesday night to investigate a spill at Maritime International , a food distributor. It happened around 8:30 p.m. There was an ammonia leak in a cold storage unit. Ammonia can cause irritation and even be flammable. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT TEAM CALLED FOR POOL CHEMICAL FUMES http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110526/NEWS/110 529867/-1/news Tags: us_NY, public, release, response, chlorine BULLVILLE =97 A hazmat team was called to a home on Schwehm Court early Wednesday because chemicals being mixed for a pool had produced fumes so intense, three people where trapped in an upstairs room. Bullville fire Chief William Bacon said the homeownerattempted to mix two brands of pool shock in warm water inside the home. The fumes were assumed to be chlorine. Everybody was evacuated and the house was ventilated. Bacon says the lesson is not to mix chemicals inside your house and read directions carefully. --------------------------------------------- YOUROTTAWAREGION ARTICLE: STUDENT IN BARRHAVEN EXPLOSION REVIVED http://www.yourottawaregion.com/news/article/1015429--student-in-barrhaven -explosion-revived Tags: Canada, education, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical A male student has been resuscitated after first being reported dead in a shop class explosion at Mother Teresa Catholic High School in Barrhaven this morning, said Ottawa paramedics. Grade 12 student Eric Leighton, the 18-year-old believed to have died, was resuscitated, but paramedics are reporting he suffered serious head injuries. A second male student is in critical condition in hospital with serious internal injuries, said Darryl Wilton, a paramedic on scene. The 17-year-old male is reported to be Grade 11 student Adam Soliman, said student Adam Sauv=E9. At least three other students have been taken to hospital with trauma-related injuries. The explosion took place in the school=92s automotive shop class, where there could have been as many as 15 students in the class, said Stephanie Jean-Louis, a Grade 12 student at Mother Teresa who wasn=92t present during the explosion. A 45-gallon peppermint oil drum is what is believed to have caused the explosion, said Marc Messier, spokesperson for the fire services. It is believed the drum was to be used to build a barbeque. The blast occurred just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, and the entire school was evacuated as a precaution, said Messier --------------------------------------------- FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO BOSTON SCHOOL AFTER AMMONIA SPILL http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/05/firefighters_re_9.h tml Tags: us_MA, education, release, response, ammonium_hydroxide Boston firefighters are responding to a Hyde Park charter school after a spill of ammonium hydroxide in a closet. The spill was reported at about 12:30 p.m. at the Trinity Academy Charter School on Hale Street, the fire department said. The school's 210 students, who are in grades 6 to 12, have been safely evacuated, the department said in an official tweet. Firefighters plan to don hazmat suits, go into the building, and put the product into a container. The container will be "overpackaged," then taken away and disposed of, the department said. --------------------------------------------- TRAFFIC CRASH CAUSES HAZMAT SITUATION http://www.wlwt.com/news/28036271/detail.html Tags: us_OH, public, release, response, chlorine ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A traffic accident in Arlington Heights created a hazmat incident on Thursday afternoon. Video from an ARTIMIS camera indicated that a car was exiting Interstate 75 when it failed to turn at the bottom of the ramp, instead bumping across a median, crossing two lanes of traffic, going down a hill and hitting a storage shed. Watch Live: Arlington Heights Hazmat Incident The shed contains pool supplies for SunSpot Pools on Elliot Drive, and some containers of chlorine were damaged. Authorities issued a shelter in place order for nearby residents, but no injuries were reported. --------------------------------------------- TWO WATERFORD RESIDENTS SEVERELY BURNED IN FLASH FIRE AT MOMENTIVE http://saratogian.com/articles/2011/05/25/news/doc4ddd6c5894845467637861.t xt Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, injury, unknown_chemical WATERFORD =97 In the early morning hours Wednesday, two employees were severely burned in an explosion and flash fire in the chemical operations area of Momentive Performance Materials. As of Wednesday night, both employees were in stable condition at West-chester Medical Center. At around 2:46 a.m., two employees of the Hudson River Road facility were injured while prepping the systems for maintenance, said IUE-CWA 81359 union president Dominick Patrignani, who traveled downstate with the victims=92 families. =93This is so tragic,=94 he said. =93We=92ve been filing complaint after complaint about safety. Unfortunately, this was coming. I hope our issues will now be addressed.=94 The incident occurred about seven months after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Momentive eight citations with a penalty of about $36,000. The citations included not following up with a 2004 study which recommended the consideration of installing a flame arrestor in an unidentified location and indicated that the chemical operations east plant operating manual=92s critical alarms section did not reflect the current alarm high and low set points for selected instruments. --------------------------------------------- SAFETY PLEA AFTER FACTORY CHEMICAL DEATH http://www.wyndhamweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/safety-plea-after- factory-chemical-death/2173585.aspx Tags: Australia, industrial, explosion, death, phenol A MAN has died from exposure to chemicals following an explosion at a factory in Laverton North. MFB spokesman John Rees said the man had tried to decontaminate himself by washing the chemicals off in a shower, but collapsed and suffered a heart attack after the incident last Thursday. Paramedic team manager Mark Collins said paramedics treated the man for about 20 minutes, managing his airway and using IV drugs in an attempt to restart his heart. "Unfortunately the man died at the scene." The incident at the Nufarm factory in Pipe Road was the third work-related fatality in Victoria this month, prompting WorkSafe to plead with employees and employers to continually assess their safety. The 54-year-old man ingested molten phenol after working on an exterior pipe when a flange broke and sprayed him with the toxic chemical. --------------------------------------------- 05/25/2011: EPA REMOVES CHEMICALS FROM FORMER WABBASEKA SCHOOL http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/727937320561cc878525789b0065d11 8?OpenDocument Tags: us_AR, laboratory, discovery, response, corrosives, flammables (DALLAS - May 25, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the City of Wabbaseka, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently removed about 300 abandoned chemical containers from a demolished school in Wabbaseka, Arkansas. The chemicals removed included flammables, oxidizers, corrosive acids, corrosive bases, toxics and non-regulated materials. =93People living around the demolished school can rest assured that their health and safety will not be compromised from potentially dangerous materials,=94 said Al Armendariz EPA Regional Administrator. =93Thanks to the collaborative effort of the EPA, ADEQ, FDA, ADEM and the City of Wabbaseka, a potentially dangerous situation has been defused.=94 The site is the former Wabbaseka High School Science Laboratory chemical storage room. The school was abandoned in 1996 and demolished in January 2011. During the demolition, authorities discovered the chemical storage room contained various laboratory chemicals. However, demolition contractors completed demolition of the school building with the exception of the chemical storage room. --------------------------------------------- ILLEGAL DUMPING AT LANDFILL UNDER INVESTIGATION http://www.claiborneprogress.net/view/full_story/13400696/article-Illegal- dumping-at-landfill-under-investigation-?instance=home_news_lead Tags: us_TN, public, discovery, response, dust A case of illegal dumping at the Claiborne County Landfill is under investigation by the Claiborne County Sheriff=92s Office and the Office of Emergency Management/Homeland Security. Friday afternoon, the Claiborne County Sheriff=92s Office was dispatched to the Landfill on a possible meth lab located inside a trash bag. When officers arrived on the scene, they located a yellow powdery substance and other chemicals that were not related to a meth lab but chemicals that are used in a chemistry lab. Officers then called Claiborne County Emergency Management Director David Breeding and along with South Claiborne Volunteer Fire Department who was staged at the scene. The area was treated with extreme caution due to the chemical, potassium dichromate, being highly toxic and flammable when placed in moist areas. --------------------------------------------- LIVINGSTON TEACHER RE-ARRESTED AFTER POLICE FIND NITROGLYCERIN IN CLASS http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/25/1704009/police-livingston-high-school.htm l Tags: us_CA, laboratory, discovery, response, bomb, explosives LIVINGSTON -- Police arrested high school teacher Japhia Smith Huhndorf on Wednesday afternoon after officials say they found a vial of nitroglycerin in her chemistry lab at Livingston High School =97 her second arrest this week. Police said they found about 4 milliliters of the explosive compound during an investigation, which sparked a schoolwide evacuation Wednesday. The 34-year-old chemistry teacher was arrested at her Atwater home the same day. "We brought her here to the high school, and with her cooperation we were able to locate a small amount of nitroglycerin explosives," said Livingston police Sgt. Ray Fong. Nitroglycerin can be used to make explosives and isn't normally found in a chemistry lab, according to Fong. "That's an explosive substance, very volatile. Not really something you want to leave around," he explained. "It can go off with very little provocation." The Merced Police Department Bomb Squad destroyed the nitroglycerin Wednesday afternoon, according to Fong. He said detectives are questioning Huhndorf about why she had the substance in her classroom. --------------------------------------------- MAJOR CHEMICAL FIRE DARKENS JERSEY SKYLINE http://www.wpix.com/wpix-major-chemical-fire-darkens-jersey-skyline-201105 25,0,3339025.story Tags: us_NJ, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical BAYONNE, NJ (PIX11) -- A major industrial fire erupted early Wednesday evening in Bayonne, NJ, and was visible from miles away with billowing dark plumes of smoke. The blaze appeared to be linked to several power transformers burning at a power cogeneration plant in an industrial area of new jersey. For first responders the immediate goal was to protect several chemical storage tanks, which were very close to the flames. The fire erupted around 7:30 p.m. tonight and quickly leapt to three alarms, triggering road closures and evacuation fears. The smoke was clearly visible on Staten Island, and from Brooklyn and Manhattan's west side. Port Authority police shut down the Bayonne Bridge temporarily and local police briefly closed route 40 from 5th street northbound and 30th street southbound. Authorities quickly declared a hazardous materials situation and established an initial perimeter of at least 1000 feet because of the electrical nature of the fire only foam - no water - was to be used to douse the flames which early on were threatening a 2000 gallon fluoride tank. --------------------------------------------- CITY/GOVERNMENT :: MUKILTEO BEACON NEWS http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/city-government/article.exm/2011-05-25_chemi cal_causes_hazardous_cloud_at_transfer_station Tags: us_WA, industrial, release, response, corrosives, waste Firefighters in hazardous materials suits prepare to enter the Airport Road Transfer Station to collect a chemical sample to test for identification. Tests determined the chemical was potassium hydroxide. A cloud of fumes that rose at a Snohomish County waste transfer station near Paine Field on Wednesday morning were likely caused by a corrosive chemical that had been dumped in with garbage. Hazardous materials teams from several fire departments responded to the chemical spill inside the Snohomish County Airport Road Recycling & Transfer Station on May 18 on the 10700 block of Minuteman Drive, east of Paine Field. Tests determined that the chemical was potassium hydroxide, said Leslie Hynes, spokesperson for Snohomish County Fire District 1. Potassium hydroxide, aka caustic potash, is a corrosive agent with a variety of industrial uses. --------------------------------------------- MAN FOUND DEAD AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL INCIDENT IN BATTERSEA (FROM YOUR LOCAL GUARDIAN) http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wandsworthnews/9051429.BREAK ING_NEWS__Man_found_dead_after_suspected_chemical_incident/ Tags: United, Kingdom, public, release, death, nitrogen, suicide A 49-year-old man has been found dead in his flat following a suspected chemical incident. Residents of Valiant House, in Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, were evacuated from their block this morning after the building's caretaker found a suicide note pinned to the front door of one of the flats. A spokesman for the Metropolitan (Met) Police said: "There was a suggestion that Nitrogen gas had been used so it was treated as a chemical incident." Police, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade all sent specialist teams to the area after the caretaker raised the alarm at 8.05am. --------------------------------------------- EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TRANSPORT TWO AFTER FORMALDEHYDE SPILL http://www.nwherald.com/2011/05/26/emergency-responders-transport-two-afte r-formaldehyde-spill/avsebyp/ Tags: us_IL, education, release, injury, formaldehyde ALGONQUIN - Emergency crews responded this morning to a small chemical spill at Jacobs High School in Algonquin. District 300 spokeswoman Allison Strupeck said that about 300 students from 10 classrooms were moved to a different part of the school building after a teacher spilled less than a liter of formaldehyde in a hallway. "Formaldehyde is not hazardous. It's not dangerous. But it is extremely odorous," Strupeck said. "The students in the surrounding classrooms were moved to another part of the school." Algonquin - Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District personnel were called to the school at 8:35 a.m. regarding the spill, which was cleaned up by school staff. Due to the isolated area and the minimal amount that was spilled, no one was evacuated, the fire district said in a statement released about noon. However, two school district staff members were transported to an area hospital for evaluation after they requested medical attention. Their condition, while not life threatening, is not known, the district release said. --------------------------------------------- TRAIN DERAILMENT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY; HAZMAT TEAMS CALLED IN http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/teams-1285343-called-train.html Tags: us_NY, transportation, release, response, ag_chems WHITECREEK -- A train on the Battenkill Railroad line has derailed in the town of Whitehall. According to Easton-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell, the call came in around noon that four cars carrying fertilizer went off the tracks. The Battenkill Railroad Company train is a non-commuter line. --------------------------------------------- LOUISIANA CHEMICAL PLANT WORKERS KILLED http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southcentral/2011/05/25/186187.htm Tags: us_LA, industrial, release, death, unknown_chemical Louisiana State Police say two workers were overcome by a chemical and died at a chlorine factory being built south of Plaquemine. Lt. Doug Cain says that about 1 p.m. Sunday, troopers received a call on their Hazmat hotline that the two people were unconscious. He says the first person overcome was a contractor who had gone in the confined space to retrieve tools. Cain says a company representative then went into the container and also was killed. He says investigators aren=92t sure what chemical killed the workers. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday. --------------------------------------------- GAS LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN NORTH VANCOUVER http://www.vancouversun.com/health/leak+forces+evacuation+North+Vancouver/ 4833648/story.html Tags: Canada, public, release, response, carbon_monoxide Emergency crews were on scene Tuesday after a carbon monoxide leak reportedly triggered the evacuation of a building in North Vancouver. Workers were forced out of 121 East 18th St. at about 10:30 a.m. when what was described as a =93significant quantity=94 of the gas escaped into the confined space. Police, firefighters, paramedics and a HAZMAT team responded to the call. Two Fortis BC employees were reportedly treated for inhalation. --------------------------------------------- OFFICIALS: 12 EXPOSED TO CHEMICALS IN SALINAS http://www.ksbw.com/news/28008928/detail.html Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, injury, unknown_chemical SALINAS, Calif. -- Twelve people were exposed to chemicals at 435 West Market St. in Salinas just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to county health officials and 911 dispatchers. Workers at Mission Linen Supply became alarmed when their eyes started burning and they struggled to breathe. A truck had just unloaded a chemical called Turbolizer and mixed it with other chemicals. Mixing Turbolizer with the other chemicals caused it to vaporize and employees unknowingly inhaled it. Turbolizer is a highly acidic and commercial-grade chemical used for cleaning clothing, Mission Linen Supply employees were transported to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and other local hospitals, officials said. --------------------------------------------- CAPITAL FM KENYA: 8 DIE IN KARIOBANGI FACTORY BLAZE http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Kenyanews/8-die-in-Kariobangi-factory-blaz e-12941.html Tags: Kenya, industrial, fire, death, unknown_chemical NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 - Eight factory workers were burnt to death in a tragic fire incident that occurred at Picasso Chemicals, a paint factory in Nairobi's Kariobangi estate on Tuesday. --------------------------------------------- MAN MIXED DEADLY CHEMICAL COMBO http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Man-mixed-deadly-chemi cal-combo-1395026.php Tags: us_TX, public, release, death, hydrogen_sulfide, suicide A man mixed chemicals that produced a deadly toxin that killed him Tuesday in what authorities are labeling a suicide. Fire department hazardous materials teams were called to a Northwest Side home in the 4900 block of Port Kenton late Tuesday to investigate a call that dangerous chemicals had been found with a body inside a garage. Investigators said the owner of the residence called police around 9 p.m. when he discovered his tenant dead inside his vehicle. The car was parked inside the residence's garage of the home. Authorities suspect the man killed himself by mixing the dangerous chemicals to produce hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, very poisonous gas with the characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs, according to various Web sites. Neighbors had complained earlier about foul odor coming from the residence. Authorities said the body of the man, who authorities are not identifying until next of kin are notified, had been decomposing for several weeks. --------------------------------------------- PULLEN AQUATIC CENTER CLOSED DUE TO LEAK http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8151193 Tags: us_NC, public, release, response, chlorine RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Pullen Aquatic Center in Raleigh is closed Wednesday morning due to a possible HAZMAT situation. The Raleigh Fire Department was called to the Ashe Avenue center as it opened around 5:30 a.m. when a small leak from a chlorine tank was discovered. Lifeguards told firefighters they had some problems Tuesday night with the chlorine - which is a little bit stronger than what is sold in stores. As of 6 a.m., the complex had been evacuated, but no one in nearby housing was told to leave. Crews were able to stop the leak about 30 minutes later. Employees at the center say they will reopen around 9 a.m. ---------------------------------------------
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