Chemical Safety Headlines =46rom Google
Friday, December 9, 2011 7:10:00 AM
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Table of Contents (17 articles)
HAZMAT LEAK AT GILBERT WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, explosion, response, water_treatment
ROUTE 100B IN MORETOWN CLOSED AFTER HEAD-ON COLLISION INVOLVING PROPANE TRUCK
Tags: us_VT, transportation, discovery, response, propane
FIRM, DIRECTOR FINED $154K FOR ACID SPILL THAT KILLED 4
Tags: Singapore, industrial, release, death, plastics, follow-up
GAS LEAK AT GWINNETT BURGER KING SENDS WORKER TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, carbon_dioxide
CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED AT FITE ROAD PLANT; NO INJURIES REPORTED
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, ammonia
HENDERSON, KY.: FLASH FIRE AT WESTERN KY. FACTORY INJURES 4
Tags: us_KY, industrial, fire, injury, plastics
CHEMICAL MISHAP SHUTS DOWN LABSCI
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, injury, metals, tetrahydrofuran, xylene, follow-up
EL CAPITAN HS STUDENT ARRESTED, ANOTHER INJURED IN BOTTLE BOMB BLAST
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, injury, bomb, follow-up
CHEMICAL SPILL FROM UPS PACKAGE CAUSES EVACUATION AT LOCAL FACILITY
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
MAIL MIX-UP TRIGGERS HAZMAT SCARE AT JAGUAR OFFICES IN MAHWAH
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, nitric_acid
HAZMAT SCARE LEFT RESIDENTS OUT IN THE COLD
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
ODOR ON PLANE SENDS 5 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
LEFARGEVILLE CHEMICAL SPILL LEAVES NO INJURIES, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, acids
CHEMICAL FIRE IN PENRYN
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, phosphine
BOTTLE BOMB EXPLODES IN EL CAPITAN HS CLASSROOM
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response, bomb
'UNIDENTIFIED TOXIC SUBSTANCE' CLOSES SOUTH CITY STREET, SICKENS SEVERAL
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
YET ANOTHER LEAK AT ORICA PLANT
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, ammonium_nitrate
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HAZMAT LEAK AT GILBERT WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, explosion, response, water_treatment
GILBERT, Ariz. - The water treatment plant in Gilbert runs into some problems Wednesday night.
Firefighters responded to the plant near Greenfield and Baseline roads.
Crews said machinery inside exploded, and there was a small hazmat leak from the chemicals stored there.
The leak did not affect water supplies.
Responders worked with plant employees to shut the building down and contain the leak.
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ROUTE 100B IN MORETOWN CLOSED AFTER HEAD-ON COLLISION INVOLVING PROPANE TRUCK
Tags: us_VT, transportation, discovery, response, propane
Moretown, VT 12/8/11 =96 Vermont Route 100B in Moretown is closed between Steven=92sBrook Road to the south through old Route 100 to the north for a two vehicle collision. (Click here for a map.) A 911 call came in at approximately 12:45PM this afternoon reporting a collision between a propane truck and another vehicle, just north of the town of Moretown.
Moretown Fire, Waitsfield Fire, and the Mad River Valley Ambulance responded to the scene for extrication, hazmat, and medical response. Vermont State Police troopers from Middlesex Barracks, along with members of the Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene, and continue to investigate the crash.
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FIRM, DIRECTOR FINED $154K FOR ACID SPILL THAT KILLED 4
Tags: Singapore, industrial, release, death, plastics, follow-up
A chemical cleaning company and one of its directors were fined a total of $154,000 on Thursday, for negligence that led to the deaths of four workers from chemical burns and serious injuries sustained by their supervisor.
The court heard that insufficient care had been taken on Feb 27, 2009 in the handling of chemicals used during a routine cleaning of two heat exchangers at Chemic Industries Pte Ltd, a chemical cleaning company in Tuas.
The four workers and their supervisor, employees of Chemic Industries, had to be rushed to hospital with burns from an acidic chemical solution.
The exchangers being cleaned were used to manufacture lycra at Invista Singapore Fibres, a fibre and polymer manufacturer. A previous cleaning of the exchangers by another company using water jets had been unsuccessful, resulting in some lycra polymer solution being left in the exchangers
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GAS LEAK AT GWINNETT BURGER KING SENDS WORKER TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_GA, public, release, injury, carbon_dioxide
Carbon dioxide leaking from a fountain drink dispenser at a Snellville, Ga., Burger King restaurant resulted in a worker being transported to the hospital, reports the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Hazardous materials crews who responded to the Burger King in the 2300 block of East Main Street just before 8 p.m. stopped the leak, said Gwinnett County fire department spokesman Lt. Eric Eberly, the newspaper reported.
A female employee was taken to a hospital "for evaluation of a minor complaint," fire officials said.
The restaurant planned to remain closed until maintenance personnel could inspect the site Thursday, Eberly said, the Gwinnett paper reported.
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CHEMICAL LEAK CONTAINED AT FITE ROAD PLANT; NO INJURIES REPORTED
Tags: us_TN, industrial, release, response, ammonia
A leaky valve connecting two ammonia tanks at Osmose, a wood-preservation plant on Fite Road, brought more than 20 Shelby County firefighters to the Millington-area plant after neighbors complained of breathing difficulties Thursday.
Shelby County Fire Department public information officer Brent Perkins said there were no injuries, and those who had noticed the ammonia odor at about 6:10 p.m. were monitored for blood pressure, heart rate and other vital signs. No one required treatment, Perkins said.
The leak was not significant enough to evacuate either the plant at 3450 Fite Road or any surrounding areas, Perkins said. Fire department personnel then used sensors to evaluate the area surrounding Fite and Woodstock roads.
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HENDERSON, KY.: FLASH FIRE AT WESTERN KY. FACTORY INJURES 4
Tags: us_KY, industrial, fire, injury, plastics
HENDERSON, KY. =97 Four people were injured Wednesday in western Kentucky in a flash fire inside a plastics factory.
The accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. CST at Polymer Partners LLC in Henderson, The Gleaner reported.
Company President Blaise Codispoti said in a statement that two of the workers injured were taken to University of Louisville Hospital and one to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A nursing supervisor at Methodist Hospital in Henderson said a fourth employee was admitted to intensive care there and was in fair condition.
"There were some burn injuries," said Henderson Fire Chief Danny Froehlich. "Three burn injuries and one smoke inhalation. As to the extent, I have no idea."
Codispoti said the company's review of the incident was continuing and "no determination as to the cause of the injuries has been made at this time."
Henderson County Emergency Management Director Larry Koerber said the state fire marshal was en route to investigate.
The names of the injured workers weren't immediately released.
The accident happened in the manufacturing area of the facility, and fire crews extinguished a minor fire near a machine, Froehlich said. He did not know if the plant shut down afterward.
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CHEMICAL MISHAP SHUTS DOWN LABSCI
Tags: us_MO, laboratory, release, injury, metals, tetrahydrofuran, xylene, follow-up
The building was evacuated when the Clayton hazardous materials response team arrived at 8:44 p.m. The team, consisting of seven fire trucks and an ambulance, left the scene at 10:37 p.m. Meanwhile, police officers rerouted all traffic around the building.
The incident occurred after a graduate student mixed 30mL of lithium, dibromo-o-xylene and tetrahydrofuran in a 50mL flask on a bench top instead of under a fume hood. The top came off the flask and vapor came out, irritating the student=92s eyes, Backus said. According to Backus, other people nearby pulled the fire alarm and recommended the building be evacuated and ventilation systems turned off.
=93My staffer there went in and the only concern we had after vapors had been dissipated was the trace amount of lithium might be present, since that=92s a reactive metal,=94 Backus said. =93We just covered areas of the flask with oil, which smothered it, sealed up lab, [and] cleaned up [the] next day.=94
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EL CAPITAN HS STUDENT ARRESTED, ANOTHER INJURED IN BOTTLE BOMB BLAST
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, injury, bomb, follow-up
A student was injured and another arrested after a homemade bomb exploded in class at El Capitan High School Tuesday.
The bottle bomb was set off inside a trash can just after 2 p.m. according to San Diego County Sheriff=92s Department spokesperson Melissa Aquino.
The teenager who detonated the bomb was interviewed at the Santee Sheriff=92s Station and then arrested and booked into juvenile hall. The teen=92s identity has not been released.
Another student who was passing by the trash can at the time of the explosion suffered minor injuries.
Hazmat was called out to make sure there were no additional threats. After a sweep of the area, deputies determined the explosion was isolated to the trash can in the classroom.
Classes are expected to resume Wednesday.
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CHEMICAL SPILL FROM UPS PACKAGE CAUSES EVACUATION AT LOCAL FACILITY
Tags: us_CA, transportation, release, response, hydrochloric_acid
San Luis Obispo City Firefighters spent the morning responding to a report of a chemical spill from a package at the UPS facility.
The facility is located on Sacramento Drive in San Luis Obispo.
The San Luis Obispo fire marshal tells our reporter at the scene, that sometime after 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, the chemical spill was reported to the San Luis Obispo Fire Department.
The fire marshal says firefighters assessed the situation, and found fuming hydrochloric acid leaking from a package. The chemical has various uses and is used in industrial situations.
Firefighters determined the situation did not require a full hazmat scene, but the building was evacuated as a precaution.
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MAIL MIX-UP TRIGGERS HAZMAT SCARE AT JAGUAR OFFICES IN MAHWAH
Tags: us_NJ, public, discovery, response, nitric_acid
MAHWAH =97 A well-water sample treated with a small amount of acid sparked a hazardous materials scare when it was mistakenly delivered to the Jaguar offices on MacArthur Boulevard on Wednesday, authorities said.
An employee at the Jaguar Land Rover North America headquarters at 555 MacArthur Boulevard opened the package, which contained a bottle of well water that had been treated with nitric acid, said Lt. Stuart Blank of the Mahwah police.
A bag wrapped around the bottle was moist, and the woman said her throat became irritated after she came into contact with it, Blank said. The report sparked a response from several agencies, Blank said.
The woman was treated at the scene and was fine, Blank said. About 15 other employees also were examined as a precaution, he said.
Investigators determined that the package had been dropped off at the facility by accident. The bottle was a well water sample from a house being sold in Freehold.
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HAZMAT SCARE LEFT RESIDENTS OUT IN THE COLD
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, ag_chems, pesticides
Homes on Second Lane were evacuated Tuesday afternoon and evening after pesticides left in a garbage can sent a building inspector to the hospital.
Around 3 p.m., the fire department received a call that a building inspector working at 552 Second Lane had become ill, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
About half an hour later, residents nearby the home were evacuated from the street, according to the Chronicle. The building inspector was taken to the San Mateo Medical Center.
"Nobody was talking," said Patane, who gathered with residents outside the barricades to see what was going on. Patane's home on Commercial Avenue backs up onto Second Lane.
It turned out that pesticides left in a garbage can for unknown reasons caused the chemical smell and illness. Residents watched for hours while the street was sealed off and a Hazmat team from Belmont removed the material.
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ODOR ON PLANE SENDS 5 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_FL, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Officials are investigating a strange odor on board a US Airways aircraft.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units were called out to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Wednesday afternoon, after flight attendants complained of a strange odor on board. Hazmat was also called out to the scene. They inspected the aircraft, but toxic tests came back negative.
Rescue Crews, meanwhile, transported five flight attendants as a precaution to Broward General Medical Center.
There were no passengers on board the plane at the time.
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LEFARGEVILLE CHEMICAL SPILL LEAVES NO INJURIES, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Tags: us_NY, industrial, release, response, acids
LAFARGEVILLE =97 A chemical spill in the hamlet Friday released no chemicals into the environment, according to officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation.
In a release from the department, officials were called around 3:22 p.m. Friday about a spill taking place at Crowley Foods, a division of HP Hood, LLC, Route 411.
According to the release, 300 gallons of mixed sulfuric and nitric acid and 100 gallons of sodium hydroxide and caustic acid leaked into a secondary container of their respective tanks.
Plant personnel planned to pump the product back into its original tank and use the chemicals before
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CHEMICAL FIRE IN PENRYN
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, phosphine
Thirty people evacuated at Penryn after fire took hold at a boatyard, are back in their homes.
Four chemical drums caught fire first thing on Tuesday morning at Islington Wharf.
Diversions had to be set up amid road closures in the town. Commercial Road, Church Road and Church Hill are now open again. Some drivers had been reporting delays of around half an hour to get from Penryn to Falmouth.
Fire crews say the situation is now under control and flames are out. A spokesperson for the council said, "The scene has now been left in the hands of the owners who will continue to monitor levels of phosphine throughout the day. The levels are now considered safe. Residents living on the houseboats within the boatyard will be able to return to their homes later today after fire officers have conducted a final check to confirm the drums pose no further threat to the public."
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BOTTLE BOMB EXPLODES IN EL CAPITAN HS CLASSROOM
Tags: us_CA, education, explosion, response, bomb
SAN DIEGO -- An apparent bottle bomb detonated inside a Lakeside high school classroom during school hours Tuesday.
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According to authorities, the device exploded inside a classroom at El Capitan High School shortly before 3 p.m.
Grossmont Union High School District spokeswoman Catherine Martin told 10News a two-litter bottle containing an unknown substance was placed in a trash can inside the classroom during the school's 7th period.
Santee Fire Department officials and San Diego County sheriff's deputies were summoned to investigate and later determined that a pressurized chemical reaction occurred in what appeared to be a bottle bomb, causing the explosion and setting off school fire alarms.
No students or school staff members were seriously injured, but one student was transported after complaining of ringing in the ears, eye irritation and a headache.
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'UNIDENTIFIED TOXIC SUBSTANCE' CLOSES SOUTH CITY STREET, SICKENS SEVERAL
Tags: us_CA, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
An =93unidentified toxic substance=94 closed a South San Francisco street for nearly five hours after a building inspector became ill during a routine inspection.
Second Lane between north to Magnolia Avenue was closed just after 3 p.m. when South San Francisco Fire Department received a call that a toxic odor had made a building inspector sick during a visit to a home at 552 Second Lane, Battalion Chief Arthur Mosqueda said.
The homeowners were interested in doing a remodel, Mosqueda said, but the smell of the toxic substance was so strong the building inspector had gotten sick and called 911. The woman was transported to the hospital and is =93doing fine.=94
Mosqueda said the block was evacuated until around 8 p.m. Crews searched the house and could only find an unknown product at the bottom of a garbage bin.
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YET ANOTHER LEAK AT ORICA PLANT
Tags: Australia, industrial, release, response, ammonium_nitrate
About 20,000 litres of a low hazard substance have spilled on to the ground at the Orica plant near Newcastle this afternoon, prompting a quick reaction by emergency services.
The dilute ammonium nitrate solution, which has been described as being equivalent to garden fertiliser, overflowed from a tank at the plant this afternoon, a spokesman from the Environmental Protection Authority said.
Fire and Rescue HAZMAT crews and NSW Ambulance attended the scene and crews are assisting Orica with the clean-up.
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The incident comes a day after the Office of Environment and Heritage allowed Orica to restart part of the Kooragang Island plant responsible for an ammonia leak last month.
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