Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google Monday, July 18, 2011 8:15:01 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) POOL-CHEMICAL SPILL IN PORTLAND MET BY HAZMAT TEAMS Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, response, pool_chemicals CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES HIGHWAY Tags: us_MI, transportation, release, environmental, pesticides NORTHPORT RESIDENTS EVACUATED DUE TO FUEL TRUCK ACCIDENT Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, gasoline AMMONIA LEAK SCARE AT OLD SASKATOON DAIRY PLANT Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, ammonia ACID SPILL ON I-44 =AB CBS ST. LOUIS Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid MAN GETS TRIP TO HOSPITAL AFTER SPILLING MERCURY WHILE CLEANING CLOSTER HOME Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, mercury POSSIBLE METH LAB BUSTED AT LOCAL MOTEL Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab HAZMAT CLEAN-UP CONTINUES ON I-70 IN GREENFIELD Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical CO EXPOSURE IN INDUSTRIAL SETTING Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide AURORA APARTMENTS EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL SUICIDE Tags: us_CO, public, release, response, suicide 3 TREATED FOR EXPOSURE TO MIXTURE OF POOL CHEMICALS Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals OSU STUDENT GETS OUT JUST IN TIME Tags: us_OR, education, explosion, injury, batteries VILLAGE EVACUATION STOOD DOWN AFTER 'CHEMICAL' EXPLOSION AT FIRE-RAVAGED MILL Tags: United, Kingdom, industrial, explosion, response, gas_cylinders UC CENTER FOR LABORATORY SAFETY Tags: laboratory, release, response, follow-up --------------------------------------------- POOL-CHEMICAL SPILL IN PORTLAND MET BY HAZMAT TEAMS http://www.pressherald.com/news/pool-chemical-spill-in-portland-met-by-haz -mat-response-_2011-07-18.html Tags: us_OR, industrial, release, response, pool_chemicals Dozens of firefighters, many wearing fully enclosed hazardous materials suits, swarmed the Namco facility on Larrabee Road Sunday after 50 to 60 gallons of toxic pool chemicals spilled. Workers discovered the spill in a storeroom at about 9:40 a.m. A stack of 5-gallon containers of sodium hypochlorite, a pool treating chemical, had toppled, many of them rupturing and leaking their contents, said Public Safety Director Michael Pardue. The handful of employees in the business evacuated the building, as did workers in the nearby Sherwin Williams paint store and Advance Auto Parts. Nobody was hurt. The first entry teams, wearing green, Class B hazmat suits, assessed the spill and made sure the chemicals were not reacting with other substances in the warehouse, said Pardue. Namco, a pool supply company, had technical information about the chemical. In high concentrations it can release a toxic vapor and the liquid is harmful to touch. The company also had neutralizer on site to clean it up, fire officials said. --------------------------------------------- CHEMICAL SPILL CLOSES HIGHWAY http://www.wwmt.com/news/-1393462--.html Tags: us_MI, transportation, release, environmental, pesticides VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Hazmat crews are working to clean up a pesticide spill on M-51, just south of I-94. Deputies say the spill happened around 4 a.m. Friday when a semi hit a tractor and about 400 gallons of pesticide leaked out. No one was injured in the crash and officials say the leak does not pose a public health threat. Traffic is being detoured right now on 64th Ave. and it could take several hours to get this cleaned up. --------------------------------------------- NORTHPORT RESIDENTS EVACUATED DUE TO FUEL TRUCK ACCIDENT http://knox.villagesoup.com/news/story/northport-residents-evacuated-due-t o-fuel-truck-accident/422466 Tags: us_ME, transportation, release, response, gasoline NORTHPORT =97 Route 1 was re-opened to traffic Friday afternoon after police and emergency crews cleaned up the scene of a fuel truck rollover that prompted police to evacuate nearby residents. Maine State Police Lieutenant David Tripp reported that Route 1, which had been closed to traffic since the accident occurred just before 8:30 a.m., was re-opened at about 3:20 p.m. Earlier in the day, Tripp explained that traffic was being re-routed onto the Perkins Road, through the Woods Road and back over to Rocky Road because the fuel truck, which was registered to Thompson=92s Oil out of Waldo, was loaded with 4,250 gallons of gasoline at the time of the accident. Residents were evacuated as a precaution, Tripp said. --------------------------------------------- AMMONIA LEAK SCARE AT OLD SASKATOON DAIRY PLANT http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/Ammonia+leak+scare+Saskatoon+dairy+plant/510 9178/story.html Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, ammonia A man suffered minor injuries Thursday evening after an ammonia leak scare at an old Saskatoon dairy plant in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood. Hazmat teams were called to the scene at the corner of 23rd Street West and Avenue F North around 8:50 p.m. to investigate a report of an ammonia leak. Workers there were dismantling old storage tanks for removal when one worker cut a steel line that once supplied ammonia to a tank. He was taken to hospital by a co-worker suffering from minor inhalation and eye irritation from ammonia residue. --------------------------------------------- ACID SPILL ON I-44 =AB CBS ST. LOUIS http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/07/15/acid-spill-on-i-44/ Tags: us_MO, transportation, release, injury, sulfuric_acid SULLIVAN, MO (KMOX) - West bound I-44 was closed for most of Friday night while a Hazmat team cleaned up an acid spill in the Sullivan area. A truck carrying sulfuric acid was leaking and pulled over by Sullivan police. One officer suffered breathing problems and was taken to a hospital, but police tell KMOX he has been taken off of a breathing apparatus and is doing well. --------------------------------------------- MAN GETS TRIP TO HOSPITAL AFTER SPILLING MERCURY WHILE CLEANING CLOSTER HOME http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/closter/Man_gets_trip_to_hospital_af ter_spilling_mercury_while_cleaning_Closter_home.html Tags: us_NJ, public, release, injury, mercury CLOSTER -- A man cleaning out a Chestnut Street home spilled liquid mercury on his hand and was hospitalized Saturday, police said. David Russell was cleaning out the home where an elderly relative had lived until dying recently. Around 11:30 a.m, he came upon a container filled with mercury, police said. Russell spilled the mercury on his arm, and became concerned that the liquid metal might poison him. He called police, which in turn sent a Hazardous Materials Unit to the home. The hazmat team tested the mercury and cleaned up the spill. This grade of mercury did not appear to be particularly dangerous, police said, but Russell was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in water, soil and air. It is often present in fish and animals, and in high doses, can be dangerous. Children and unborn fetuses are particularly susceptible to Mercury poisoning. Mercury is often used in such household items as thermometers, batteries and lightbulbs. Symptoms of Mercury poisoning include skin rashes, tremors, and headaches. --------------------------------------------- POSSIBLE METH LAB BUSTED AT LOCAL MOTEL http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2011-07-16/Hazmat-crews-called-to-No rth-Fort-Myers-motel Tags: us_FL, public, discovery, response, meth_lab NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla.- Hazmat crews were called in to safely remove what they are calling a meth lab at the Motel 6. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, undercover deputies went to the motel to bust a known drug dealer. But the man in the motel room wasn't the one they were looking for. They did find plenty of meth-making materials, but since no drugs were cooked up, the suspect was allowed to go free. --------------------------------------------- HAZMAT CLEAN-UP CONTINUES ON I-70 IN GREENFIELD http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/north_central/hazmat-clean-up-continu es-on-i-70-in-greenfield Tags: us_IN, transportation, release, response, unknown_chemical GREENFIELD, Ind. (WISH) - Hazmat crews were on the scene of a spill on I-70 westbound near at mile marker 102 in Greenfield. Shortly after 12 o=92clock Saturday afternoon, two semis collided. At least one of the semis was carrying hazardous materials that spilled. Indiana State Police say that stretch of road where the spill happened didn=92t reopen until 7:20 Saturday evening. No injuries have been reported. --------------------------------------------- CO EXPOSURE IN INDUSTRIAL SETTING http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1458235 Tags: Canada, industrial, release, injury, carbon_monoxide Four people have been transported to hospital after inhaling carbon monoxide in an industrial building in East Vancouver near Commercial Drive and Pandora Street. Their condition is not believed to be serious but fire officials are having trouble pinning down the source. WorkSafeBC has been called in to investigate further. The call originally came in around 2pm Saturday as a potential freon gas leak. Once on scene HAZMAT crews didn't find any freon, but did detect high levels of carbon monoxide. --------------------------------------------- AURORA APARTMENTS EVACUATED AFTER SUSPECTED CHEMICAL SUICIDE http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18493504 Tags: us_CO, public, release, response, suicide AURORA =97 A suspected chemical suicide forced the evacuation of an apartment complex, one of a small but growing number of such cases nationwide. Residents from 36 units at the Chelsea Park Village apartments had to leave their homes overnight during the investigation and cleanup. All were allowed home by 4 p.m. Saturday. Police and firefighters were called to 12079 E. Archer Place about 4 p.m. Friday, Fire Capt. Allen Robnett said. When they arrived, they found a note taped to a bathroom door saying hazardous materials had been used and to call 911. The building was evacuated, and when the hazardous materials team entered the apartment, members found the body of a woman in the sealed bathroom, Robnett --------------------------------------------- 3 TREATED FOR EXPOSURE TO MIXTURE OF POOL CHEMICALS http://citizensvoice.com/news/3-treated-for-exposure-to-mixture-of-pool-ch emicals-1.1176286#axzz1SNMFzHen Tags: us_PA, public, release, injury, pool_chemicals A combination of swimming pool cleaning chemicals poured into a bucket in a West Hazleton home Saturday afternoon created a chemical vapor reaction that sent at least three people to a hospital for treatment. West Hazleton fire Lt. Shawn Evans said a woman and her 13-year-old daughter were inside the home at 202 W. Green St. when two "pop" noises came from the bucket and vapors started filling the home, harming both of them. The woman's husband, who is a trained firefighter, was outside at the time with their two 13-year-old sons and ran inside to save his wife and daughter. Evans said once he got them outside, one of the boys grabbed a garden hose and sprayed the three of them with water to decontaminate them while firefighters and ambulances were en route, Evans said. --------------------------------------------- OSU STUDENT GETS OUT JUST IN TIME http://www.democratherald.com/news/local/article_87f9d783-b2ec-5fec-b722-3 cff8b585194.html Tags: us_OR, education, explosion, injury, batteries Nick Sitts was driving a solar vehicle north along 15th Street toward the formation area of the da Vinci Days parade shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday when he heard a pop. Moments later there was an explosion, and soon the $100,000 vehicle was engulfed in flames. Sitts got out just in time - right after he heard that initial pop, said Hai Yue Han, co-captain of the Oregon State University Solar Vehicle Team, which constructed the vehicle from 2008 to 2010. "If it had been a few moments later, he may have not made it out alive," Han said. Sitts' sister, Danielle, also a member of the team, was in an escort car ahead of solar vehicle when the explosion occurred. She looked back and saw smoke. "I was more scared than I'd every been in my life," she said. "My brother was in a car that was on fire." Sitts' wife, Elizabeth, was in a trail vehicle with their soon-to-be-1-year-old baby Penelope and two others sisters of Nick, Nicole and Cheyenne Sitts. Elizabeth helped pull her husband away from the burning vehicle, Danielle said. Sitts had first- and second-degree burns to his arms and face and some singed hair. "He looked like he had a bad sunburn, she said. "He lost a shoe; it disintegrated." Sitts, 23, a junior chemical engineering major from Scappoose, was treated at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. He was released mid-afternoon Saturday and was resting at home in Corvallis. His parents arrived from the Portland area to assist him. "He seemed to be in very good spirits considering the accident and injuries he suffered," said Steve Clark, OSU vice president of OSU relations. Han believes the explosion was caused by a short in one of the battery cells. Each of the 28 battery packs contains 20 small cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells - a total of 568. Some of the battery cells landed in the OSU parking lot on the east side of 15th. The explosion occurred about 50 yards south of the Kerr Administration Building. --------------------------------------------- VILLAGE EVACUATION STOOD DOWN AFTER 'CHEMICAL' EXPLOSION AT FIRE-RAVAGED MILL http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/262571-chemical-safety-concerns-after- blaze-tears-through-animal-feed-mill-in-fife/ Tags: United, Kingdom, industrial, explosion, response, gas_cylinders Explosions rocked the mill outisde Cupar, after it was engulfed by flames on Friday morning. ... One section of the mill in Cupar contained highly explosive chemicals, including an acetyline cylinder and 10,000l of fuel, firefighters have discovered. The roof of the building partially collapsed in the fire. Fife Fire and Rescue Service received a call about the fire at the ABN Mill in the town at around 10.40am on Friday. Ten engines from local fire stations, as well as an elevated platform, attended and around 80 firefighters battled to put out the flames in the Damside area of Cupar. Although the flames were extinguished at around 1pm, firefighters remained at the site for several hours to assess and cool down the highly explosive materials on site. The mill also contains 3000l of acid, while a 30,000l oil tanker nearby is being cooled after the blaze broke out. --------------------------------------------- UC CENTER FOR LABORATORY SAFETY http://www.cls.ucla.edu/ Tags: laboratory, release, response, follow-up The UC Center for Laboratory Safety (Center) has been created to improve the practice of laboratory safety through the performance of scientific research and implementation of best safety practices in the laboratory. The Center will operate under the oversight of the UC Center for Laboratory Safety Advisory Board with technical support from the UCLA Office of Environment, Health and Safety and the UCLA School of Public Health - Department of Environmental Health Sciences. ---------------------------------------------
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