Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:15:01 AM

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Table of Contents (17 articles)

THAILAND TOURIST DEATHS LINKED TO PESTICIDE
Tags: Thailand, public, release, death, pesticides

BANNED PESTICIDES FOR SALE IN SMALL SHOPS
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, public, release, death, pesticides

YALE DISPUTES OSHA CRITICISM IN STUDENT'S LAB DEATH
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, death, follow-up

FARGO HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS WHEN POOL CHEMICALS OVERFLOW
Tags: us_ND, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

WSYX ABC6 ON YOUR SIDE TOP STORY
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

FUJIA CHEMICAL PLANT HALTS PRODUCTION IN N 
CHINA|SOCIETY|CHINADAILY.COM.CN
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

SUDBURY: EVACUATION FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, gas_cylinders, 
argon

BLAIRSTOWN TOWNSHIP HOME BURNS DOWN, AMMUNITION EXPLODES IN BASEMENT
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, response, oxygen, ammunition

DYNAMITE FOUND IN PORTSMOUTH HOME
Tags: us_VA, public, discovery, response, explosives

CLEANING SUPPLIES LEAD TO HAZMAT SCARE
Tags: us_NE, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

CHEMICAL INCIDENT ENDS SAFELY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, environmental, plastics

CHILD KILLED IN EXPLOSION
Tags: India, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

BRADLEY CHEMICAL BLAST CAUSED LITTLE DAMAGE
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

METH LAB CAUSES SOUTHSIDE EXPLOSION
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, meth_lab

FIFE DISTILLERY EVACUATED AND SHUT DOWN AFTER ACID LEAK
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, acids

CHLORINE LEAK AT SACRAMENTO WATER PARK INJURES 20; VICTIMS COMPLAIN OF 
BREATHING DIFFICULTY
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine

ACCIDENTAL CHEMICAL MIXTURE LEADS TO EVACUATION AT YWCA
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, chlorine

---------------------------------------------

THAILAND TOURIST DEATHS LINKED TO PESTICIDE
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232800.php
Tags: Thailand, public, release, death, pesticides

Authorities in Thailand say they are still not certain what caused the 
death of six tourists in the northern city of Chiang Mai but suggest 
some may have died from being exposed to pesticide or other toxic 
chemicals.

The deaths include that of a Thai tourist guide, two tourists from 
Britain, one tourist from France, one tourist from New Zealand and one 
from the United States. The tourists were staying in three different 
hotels in the city during January and February 2011. Three other 
tourists also fell ill but recovered.

The latest news comes from a posting on the Thai government's Department 
of Disease Control website on Tuesday, that said the authorities have 
have conducted an investigation into the mysterious deaths but the 
results were inconclusive, and the "specific agents that caused the 
deaths and illnesses in these events cannot be identified". It also says 
the authorities cannot establish exactly how the victims came to be 
exposed to them.

---------------------------------------------

BANNED PESTICIDES FOR SALE IN SMALL SHOPS

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/environment/banned-pesticides-for-
sale-in-small-shops
Tags: United_Arab_Emirates, public, release, death, pesticides

DUBAI // Pesticides which have been banned by the Ministry of 
Environment and Water because they are highly dangerous and capable of 
killing are being sold in shops around the country, industry experts 
said yesterday.

In November 2009, the ministry followed international practices, and 
banned 167 chemicals because they caused a danger to people and the 
environment. Another 32 substances were allowed to be used, but only by 
licenced operators. Yet the sale of these dangerous pesticides is common 
in small shops and on the black market.

Less than a week ago a man died after spraying his apartment with 
pesticide.

---------------------------------------------

YALE DISPUTES OSHA CRITICISM IN STUDENT'S LAB DEATH

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/17/us-yale-student-death-idUSTRE77G
03S20110817
Tags: us_CT, laboratory, release, death, follow-up

(Reuters) - Federal safety regulators say Yale University lab equipment 
responsible for a student's accidental death this spring lacked some 
required safety features, a finding that the school disputed on Tuesday.

Michele Dufault, a senior from Scituate, Massachusetts, was killed on 
April 12 in the student machine shop in the Sterling Chemistry Lab when 
her hair got caught in a lathe as she was working on a project.

The Connecticut medical examiner's office found cause of the accidental 
death to be asphyxia from neck compression.

In a letter dated August 15, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) told Yale the lathe lacked 
required safeguards and that the school's policies and practices for its 
operation were unsafe.

Such missing features could include an emergency shut-off switch as well 
as a guard or shield to protect a person using the lathe, OSHA spokesman 
Ted Fitzgerald told Reuters.

OSHA claimed these items were critical for safely operating the lathe, 
which dates from about 1962.

Officials found other safety flaws in the shop, including warning signs 
that were missing and insufficient record keeping, OSHA said. A person 
operating the lathe alone violates basic safety guidelines, the agency 
added.

But Yale said OHSA's assessment contained "significant inaccuracies."

"The machine in question met ANSI (American National Standards 
Institute) standards, which incorporate both training and personal 
protective equipment for certain types of machines and activities," a 
Yale statement said on Tuesday.

"Machine tool training provided by Yale was extensive, consistently 
reinforced by professional staff, and confirmed by Yale's expert to be 
exemplary."

---------------------------------------------

FARGO HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS WHEN POOL CHEMICALS OVERFLOW
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/330678/group/homepage/
Tags: us_ND, public, release, response, pool_chemicals

FARGO - A hazardous materials team responded to a north Fargo 
residence Monday night when pool chemicals being mixed in the kitchen 
reacted and overflowed, Fargo Fire Capt. Jason Mehlisch said.

Firefighters spent about half an hour on scene cleaning up the chlorine 
and other chemicals, which had overflowed the container in which they 
were being mixed, he said.

The initial call to dispatchers at 8:13 p.m. reported that pool 
chemicals had exploded in the 2500 block of Willow Road.

The woman mixing the chemicals didn=92t seek medical attention, Mehlisch 
said.

---------------------------------------------

WSYX ABC6 ON YOUR SIDE TOP STORY

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wsyx_vid_
12837.shtml
Tags: us_OH, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

COLUMBUS -- A fast food restaurant had to be evacuated because of a 
HAZMAT scare Tuesday night.

HAZMAT crews in protective suits evacuated the Wendy's on Wilson Road at 
I-70 in West Columbus.

Police tell us it started around 10pm when a woman walked up to the 
counter and set down a bag.

She then told workers there were chemicals inside that shouldn't be 
mixed... and that they better call the police.

The bomb squad came in along with HAZMAT crews.

The restaurant was evacuated while a robot retrieved the bag.

This morning we're told nothing in the bag was dangerous.  But, the 
investigation is still ongoing.

---------------------------------------------

FUJIA CHEMICAL PLANT HALTS PRODUCTION IN N 
CHINA|SOCIETY|CHINADAILY.COM.CN
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-08/16/content_13127353.htm
Tags: China, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

DALIAN - The controversial Fujia Chemical Plant in Liaoning Province, 
which had been ordered to shut down, initiated stop-production 
procedures on Monday, authorities with Dalian municipal government said 
Tuesday.
Although the order to stop production "immediately" was issued on Sunday 
by municipal authorities, the intricacies of the production cycle meant 
that it could not stop directly due to safety concerns.
With the stop-production procedures now in effect, no more raw materials 
have gone onto the production line.
The government will release the final decision about the plant in one or 
two days, the authorities added.
The plant is a producer of PX, a carcinogenic petrochemical used to 
create raw materials for the production of polyester film and fabric.
The PX plant is not horrible in itself but the critical issue is that 
the management, quality safeguard and risk control departments in the 
plant in Dalian are far below standards, said petrochemical industry 
insiders on the condition of anonymity.

---------------------------------------------

SUDBURY: EVACUATION FOLLOWING CHEMICAL LEAK

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/sudbury_evacuation_following_chemical_leak_1_99
6684
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, gas_cylinders, 
argon

A CHEMICAL leak in Sudbury has led to the evacuation of workers from a 
medical supply company.

The fire service sent appliances - including three HazMat vehicles - to 
Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics Manufacturing in Windham Road, 
Sudbury.

The Siemens building was evacuated of eight people and an exclusion zone 
was set up.

Two breathing apparatus teams entered the building to isolate one large 
Argon cylinder which was leaking into the building.

At 9.12am the fire service reported that the cylinder was now isolated.

---------------------------------------------

BLAIRSTOWN TOWNSHIP HOME BURNS DOWN, AMMUNITION EXPLODES IN BASEMENT

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/index.ssf/2011
/08/blairstown_township_home_burns.html
Tags: us_NJ, public, explosion, response, oxygen, ammunition

After a Blairstown Township home caught fire Sunday, ammunition and 
oxygen tanks exploded in the basement aiding in the house's demise, 
police confirmed today.
More than 100 fire personnel from nine different companies in Warren and 
Sussex counties, with 20 pieces of equipment including tanker trucks and 
the Warren County Hazardous Materials Team, responded to a 6:14 p.m. 
dispatch at the home of Jerre and Barbara Riggs at 44 Kishpaugh Road.
Jerre Riggs called the police himself and exited the house safely, 
according to witnesses at the scene.

---------------------------------------------

DYNAMITE FOUND IN PORTSMOUTH HOME

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/portsmouth/family-find-dynamite-in
-portsmouth-home
Tags: us_VA, public, discovery, response, explosives

ORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Two sticks of dynamite were found in a 
Portsmouth residence on Monday.

According to police spokeswoman Jan Westerbeck, members of the HAZMAT 
unit and police department were called to the 3800 block of Yaupon 
Street at 12:18 p.m. about explosives in a home.

Westerbeck said family members of a man who recently passed away were 
cleaning out the house when someone found two sticks of dynamite in a 
dresser drawer.

The Virginia Sate Police Bomb Unit was called in and took possession of 
the dynamite.

---------------------------------------------

CLEANING SUPPLIES LEAD TO HAZMAT SCARE
http://www.ketv.com/r/28867547/detail.html
Tags: us_NE, public, discovery, response, unknown_chemical

OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha police said cleaning supplies caused an 
early-morning hazardous materials scare on Monday.
Emergency crews were called to the area of 37th and Q streets around 
4:30 a.m. after police found some bottles containing unknown substances.
Traffic in the area was shut down while the investigation was conducted.
Officials eventually determined the bottles were actually cleaning 
supplies that were left in the street.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL INCIDENT ENDS SAFELY
http://www.ennisdailynews.com/?p=14519
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, environmental, plastics

Ennis fire response officials said reports of an explosion at Ennis 
Paint on Friday were exaggerated.
EFD Capt. Gary Howell said the situation, which involved a polymer 
chemical containment system at the plant, had been handled and cleanup 
was well under way as of Saturday after the evening incident.
=93Once it got under control and we let it evaporate out of the 
container, it stabilized itself, basically,=94 Howell said Saturday.

---------------------------------------------

CHILD KILLED IN EXPLOSION
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2359529.ece
Tags: India, public, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

Independence Day celebrations were marred by an incident of an explosion 
that claimed the life of a child at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas 
district of West Bengal.

Seven-year-old Mohammed Akbar was playing with two other children near 
his home on Monday morning.

They chanced upon an abandoned bottle amidst a stack of bricks and 
fiddled with it triggering the explosion, said police officials.

Akbar was rushed to hospital, but died of injuries.

The remains of the bottle will be analysed, but it appears that the 
chemical inside was a compound of potassium, they added.

---------------------------------------------

BRADLEY CHEMICAL BLAST CAUSED LITTLE DAMAGE

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x633534388/Bradley-chemical-blast-caused-little
-damage
Tags: us_IL, laboratory, explosion, response, unknown_chemical, 
follow-up

PEORIA =97
The chemical explosion last week at Bradley University's Olin Hall, 
which caused no injuries, also left little damage, according to Shelley 
Epstein, Bradley's associate vice president of communications.

Epstein said there is no damage estimate yet, but the fire was put out 
quickly and all safety systems worked as they should.

The fire caused some damage to the fume hood, and the cost will be 
assessed by the manufacturer.

The cause of the explosion is still under review.

---------------------------------------------

METH LAB CAUSES SOUTHSIDE EXPLOSION
http://www.news4jax.com/news/28875828/detail.html
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, response, meth_lab

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Sheriff's Bomb Squad was called 
to an apartment complex off Parental Home Road after an explosion there 
Monday night.
Police said a meth lab caused an explosion in one of the buildings at 
the complex. Neighbors told Channel 4 that the building shook and that 
windows blew out of the building into the parking lot.
Neighbors said they also smelled a sweet chemical odor in the air after 
the explosion.

---------------------------------------------

FIFE DISTILLERY EVACUATED AND SHUT DOWN AFTER ACID LEAK

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/266285-fife-distillery-evacuated-and-s
hut-down-after-chemcial-leak/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, release, response, acids

A Fife distillery was evacuated and shut down after 10,000 litres of 
acid leaked from a tank.

The spillage at the Diageo Distillery in Cameron Bridge, near Leven in 
Fife, was caused by a leak in a process storage tank.

Fire brigade and emergency services were called to the scene at 5.30am 
on Monday. The alarm was raised following the discovery of a leak from a 
28,000 litre tank.

Diageo said the plant has been safely shut down while emergency services 
tackle the incident. Nearby residents have been advised to keep their 
doors and windows closed as a precaution.

The chemical is an acid-based cleaning product widely used in the food 
and beverage industries.

---------------------------------------------

CHLORINE LEAK AT SACRAMENTO WATER PARK INJURES 20; VICTIMS COMPLAIN OF 
BREATHING DIFFICULTY

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/chlorine-leak-at-sacramento-water-p
ark-injures-20-victims-complain-of-breathing-difficulty/2011/08/15/gIQAGp6
0HJ_story.html
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, chlorine

SACRAMENTO, Calif. =97 Twenty people, including nine children, were 
taken to Sacramento-area hospitals Monday after a high concentration of 
chlorine was released into the wave pool at Raging Waters, a private 
water park at the state fairgrounds in Sacramento.

At least two of the victims had serious respiratory complaints or 
complaints of burning eyes, said Sacramento City Fire Department 
Assistant Chief Niko King. Three of those taken to hospitals were park 
employees.

---------------------------------------------

ACCIDENTAL CHEMICAL MIXTURE LEADS TO EVACUATION AT YWCA

http://northwestportland.katu.com/news/news/442425-accidental-chemical-mix
ture-leads-evacuation-ywca
Tags: us_OR, public, release, injury, chlorine

PORTLAND, Ore. - The YWCA on Southwest 10th Ave. was evacuated Monday 
night and one person was taken to the hospital after people began 
complaining of breathing problems and eye irritation, according to the 
Portland Fire Bureau.

An employee working on the facility=92s pool accidentally mixed one 
gallon of chlorine with six gallons of hydrochloric acid which caused 
the noxious fumes, a fire official said.

Hazmat crews will ventilate the building all night.

Officials say the person taken to the hospital is being treated for a 
minor breathing problem. There were only five people in the building 
when it was evacuated.

---------------------------------------------

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