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Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, October 1, 2012 7:51:31 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 (20 articles)
U LABS AIM FOR A SAFER ENVIRONMENT
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, follow-up, response
LOWER MACUNGIE INDIAN CREEK VILLAGE MOBILE HOME PARK EVACUATION
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, response, meth_lab, waste
11 KIDS PLAY WITH FIRE, LAND IN HOSPITAL
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, pesticides, waste
TEACHING GREEN
Tags: education, discovery, response
MIXED CLEANING PRODUCTS CREATE HAZMAT SITUATION IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON
Tags: us_TX, public, release, death, cleaners
HAZMAT ON SCENE AT HILLCREST INDUSTRIES
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, injury, benzene
CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SOUTHWEST HOUSTON GROCERY STORE, SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, ammonia
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED AFTER IND. CHEMICAL FIRE
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL AND FERTILISERS FACTORY GUTTED IN FIRE
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
WHY DOES LAB SAFETY LOOK DIFFERENT TO CHEMISTS IN ACADEMIA AND CHEMISTS IN INDUSTRY?
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, response
HAZMAT INVESTIGATION AT POINT BORO RECYCLING CENTER
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, pesticides, waste
BROKEN JEWELRY PROMPTS HAZMAT CLEAN AT CONDO
Tags: us_RI, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
2 INDICTED IN DEADLY HAWAII FIREWORKS EXPLOSION
Tags: us_HI, industrial, follow-up, death, diesel, fireworks, waste, wastes
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION, BUSINESS UNDER SCRUTINY
Tags: us_OR, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, pesticides, phosphine
EXPLOSION AT JAPAN CHEMICAL PLANT KILLS 1, DOZENS INJURED
Tags: Japan, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
MAN SUFFERS BURNS IN METH LAB EXPLOSION; GROW HOUSE FOUND
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, illegal, meth_lab
T-BUTYL LITHIUM RESEARCH STORY
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, injury, pyrophoric
FS-WORLD.COM
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
THREE HURT AFTER COMBINE FUEL TANK EXPLOSION
Tags: us_MN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
SABIC OFFICIAL: NO INJURIES FROM PHOSGENE LEAK AT MOUNT VERNON PLANT
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, phosgene
---------------------------------------------
U LABS AIM FOR A SAFER ENVIRONMENT
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/01/u-labs-aim-safer-environment
Tags: us_MN, laboratory, follow-up, response
For department heads at the University of Minnesota, safety concerns are a growing issue in academic labs. Anything from lack of cleanliness and preparation to broken glass can create a more dangerous lab environment.
"[It's] something that I lose sleep over," Department of Chemistry chair William Tolman said.
To address these concerns, two University science departments, in collaboration with the Dow Chemical Company, have launched a new laboratory safety initiative.
It's led by graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in the departments of chemistry and chemical engineering and materials science in collaboration with faculty, department heads and Dow, an international chemical company that recruits heavily from the University.
The initiative, which officially kicked off last week, aims to increase safety awareness and improve safety practices at University labs.
---------------------------------------------
LOWER MACUNGIE INDIAN CREEK VILLAGE MOBILE HOME PARK EVACUATION
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-c-lower-macungie-mobile-home-park-evacuation-20120927,0,5142577.story
Tags: us_PA, public, fire, response, meth_lab, waste
A 34-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning after emergency crews went to his mobile home in Lower Macungie Township for a fire and found a methamphetamine lab, state police said.
Jeffrey Lee Miller Jr., of 5457 Hartford Court, was arraigned Thursday night by District Judge Ronald Manescu on charges of manufacturing meth and risking a catastrophe, among other offenses. He was sent to Lehigh County Prison under $500,000 bail.
Miller admitted to police that he had a meth lab, according to the police arrest affidavit. He said he was trying to remove chemicals and waste products he had stored under the mobile home when they caught fire, the affidavit says.
Miller planned to take the chemical waste in his truck to Hellertown, where he expected to dump the materials in the back of a garbage truck his sister's boyfriend was operating, the affidavit says.
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11 KIDS PLAY WITH FIRE, LAND IN HOSPITAL
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_11-kids-play-with-fire-land-in-hospital_1747283
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, pesticides, waste
Playing with fire literally landed 11 children from Kurla in hospitals with grave burn injuries on Sunday. The incident occurred at around 4.45pm after the children aged 4-15 set a heap of garbage on fire in LIC Colony at Kurla's Achanak Nagar.
A bomb disposal squad and forensic experts rushed to the spot after a small explosion occurred as the fire billowed.
"A half-burnt aerosol can of a household pesticide was found on the spot. Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the aerosol can containing inflammable anti-rust chemical flared up the blaze," said Pravin Salunke, additional commissioner of police, central region.Of the 11 children who were admitted to BMC-run Kurla Bhabha Hospital with injuries, six were later shifted to Sion hospital.
"Two children have suffered 15 to 20%burns on the face and hands," said Dr Kuldeep Gaikwad, casualty medical officer on duty at Sion Hospital.
---------------------------------------------
TEACHING GREEN
http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i40/Teaching-Green.html
Tags: education, discovery, response
A group of educators in the U.S. has grown impatient with the slow headway in integrating the concepts of green chemistry and toxicology into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. They are ready to ask academic institutions for pledges to accelerate that progress through an initiative called the Green Chemistry Commitment.
Colleges and universities that sign the commitment agree to develop goals for implementing a core set of learning objectives, says Amy S. Cannon, executive director of the nonprofit organization Beyond Benign, in Wilmington, Mass., which is leading the initiative. The objectives outline the basics of green chemistry and toxicology that students should take with them to the workplace after they graduate, Cannon says.
---------------------------------------------
MIXED CLEANING PRODUCTS CREATE HAZMAT SITUATION IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8828432
Tags: us_TX, public, release, death, cleaners
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a woman who mixed toilet bowl cleaner with bleach created a HazMat situation at her southwest Houston apartment complex.
The incident happened around 5:30pm at an apartment complex on Timmons Lane near Colquitt.
Police say a plumber responded to a call at the woman's apartment and became concerned when no one answered. He entered through a window and found the woman dead.
"As soon as I seen that, I hopped out, left and called the cops," the plumber told us.
When police arrived and smelled the chemicals, a HazMat crew and a bomb squad were dispatched to the scene.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT ON SCENE AT HILLCREST INDUSTRIES
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/hazmat-on-scene-at-hillcrest-industries
Tags: us_NY, industrial, fire, injury, benzene
ATTICA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Dressed in hazmat gear from head to toe, crews have begun cutting through the burning, mountain of material at Hillcrest Industries in an effort to stop the fire and the spreading stench for good.
EPA Public Affairs Officer Mike Basile says, " it's sad that the company and other agencies involved didn't address an activity like this sometime ago."
Basile from the environmental protection agency says crews are doing live air monitoring at the site. This wasn't until the EPA released results of a recent study showing levels of benzene-- a known carcinogen-- in the Attica air.
"At the present time we don't show anything coming off the site that would inhibit the activities on the site or hurt anyone in the community," says Basile. "What looks like a giant fire hydrant atop the 40-foot high pile, is actually an atomizer. it's one of several set up around the site, spraying water to stop the spread of any particles into the neighborhood."
Crews are also soaking the debris, using water cannons, but neighbor Erin Cecere had to take matters into her own hands.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL LEAK PROMPTS EVACUATION OF SOUTHWEST HOUSTON GROCERY STORE, SENDS 3 TO HOSPITAL
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8829674
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, ammonia
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A busy day at a southwest Houston grocery store turned slightly chaotic Saturday afternoon when everyone inside was evacuated because of a chemical leak.
Houston Fire Department emergency responders were called to Food Town on W. Sam Houston Parkway South at Elmsworth Drive around 2:15pm.
Customers and employees huddles outside as firefighters in HazMat suits rushed into the building.
"They told us, 'everybody drop everything you got and get out of the store now, right now,'" customer James Green said.
"It smelled like strong, strong ammonia and I was like, 'wow,'" said Pamela Jordan, whose mother was evacuated.
According to HFD, some sort of refrigerant started leaking out of a cooling system on the second floor. The chemical was contained to the second floor and officials say there was no danger of it leaking outside.
---------------------------------------------
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED AFTER IND. CHEMICAL FIRE
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iaw5UV_-PZq-ZazV6izqzQr1VhyQ?docId=f97c03f2ee4348bf8cc8c5a808fca433
Tags: us_IN, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) Ñ Hundreds of northern Indiana residents returned home Saturday after spending the night at shelters, hotels or with relatives after a chemical fire at a vacant plant that's in the midst of a federally supervised cleanup ousted them from their homes.
Mishawaka Battalion Chief Mike Croy said the all-clear was given about 7 a.m. Saturday after air monitoring showed it was safe for residents to return home within a one-mile radius of the old Baycote factory.
The fire inside a small area of the factory in Mishawaka released a chemical vapor cloud of unknown substances over the city's south side, prompting officials to order the precautionary evacuation, Croy said.
"They really weren't sure what the chemical was and what effects it might have on people," he said.
Mishawaka is about 10 miles east of South Bend.
Jack Walker, who lives about a block from the idle plant, said he didn't hesitate to load his two dogs into his car late Friday night when officials issued an evacuation order after the fire produced a strange-smelling cloud.
"I was out in my front yard and it smelled funny Ñ it was a smell like I'd never smelled before," he said Saturday afternoon, hours after he returned home. "It was a really weird smell."
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL AND FERTILISERS FACTORY GUTTED IN FIRE
http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/chemicalfertilisers-factory-gutted-in-fire/62757/
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
A major fire broke out today in a chemical and fertilisers factory in Kanchanpur village of Bihar's Nalanda district gutting properties worth about Rs one crore, officials said.
The fire broke out in the factory called Khublal Agro Agency due to spark from a generator set, Sub-Divisional Officer Awadesh Kumar Amar said.
The blaze engulfed all three stories of the building gutting properties and raw materials worth about Rs one crore.
---------------------------------------------
WHY DOES LAB SAFETY LOOK DIFFERENT TO CHEMISTS IN ACADEMIA AND CHEMISTS IN INDUSTRY?
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/2012/09/28/why-does-lab-safety-look-different-to-chemists-in-academia-and-chemists-in-industry/
Tags: laboratory, follow-up, response
Here's another approximate transcript of the conversation I had with Chemjobber that became a podcast. In this segment (from about 19:30 to 29:30), we consider how reaction to the Sheri Sangji case sound different when they're coming from academic chemists than when they're coming from industry, and we spin some hypotheses about what might be going on behind those differences:
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT INVESTIGATION AT POINT BORO RECYCLING CENTER
http://pointpleasant.patch.com/articles/hazmat-investigation-at-point-boro-recycling-center
Tags: us_NJ, industrial, release, injury, pesticides, waste
The Point Pleasant Borough recycling center, just off Route 88 and Bridge Avenue, behind the Stop & Shop strip mall, is off limits for now as local and Ocean County officials investigate a load of pesticides and household chemicals dumped into household trash.
The mixture of pesticides and household chemicals was dumped into trash at a home at the corner of Curtis Avenue and Cedar Street, which led to two Roselli sanitation workers becoming sickened, said Ocean County Fire Marshal and Borough Fire Chief Daniel Mulligan at the scene early Thursday afternoon.
"It looks like someone was cleaning out household chemicals," Mulligan said.
The Roselli workers were treated by Point Borough First Aid Squad and released and did not need to be transported to a hospital, Mulligan said.
---------------------------------------------
BROKEN JEWELRY PROMPTS HAZMAT CLEAN AT CONDO
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/northwest/cumberland-broken-jewelry-prompts-hazmat-clean-at-condo
Tags: us_RI, public, release, response, unknown_chemical
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) -- A small spill of hazardous material brought out crews to a condo complex in Cumberland on Fisher Road Friday morning.
Officials on scene told Eyewitness News an elderly woman living in one of the units dropped and broke a piece of jewelry that had an unknown type of liquid inside it. A day or two later, when a nurse visited, she found the liquid site and wasn't able to identify what the liquid was.
A hazmat crew was called to come and clean the site. Nobody was hurt.
---------------------------------------------
2 INDICTED IN DEADLY HAWAII FIREWORKS EXPLOSION
http://www.knoe.com/story/19669356/2-indicted-in-deadly-hawaii-fireworks-explosion
Tags: us_HI, industrial, follow-up, death, diesel, fireworks, waste, wastes
HONOLULU (AP) - A grand jury in Hawaii indicted two men and a company over their mishandling of seized fireworks that led to a deadly explosion in an Oahu bunker last year, federal prosecutors said Friday.
U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni in Hawaii said 37-year-old Charles Donaldson of Kaneohe, 65-year-old Carlton Finley of Honolulu and Donaldson Enterprises Inc. are accused of treating hazardous wastes without a permit.
The Waipahu-based company did not immediately respond to a telephone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The April 2011 blast killed five Donaldson employees in an explosion so ferocious it scorched trees 40 feet away.
The company had a contract to manage and dispose of 28 pallets of commercial grade fireworks, which had been seized by federal law enforcement. Employees spent seven months breaking apart fireworks and soaking them in diesel fuel after a temporary emergency permit to handle them as waste expired, according to the indictment.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL EXPLOSION, BUSINESS UNDER SCRUTINY
http://www.eastoregonian.com/chemical-explosion-business-under-scrutiny/article_fdca3752-09e8-11e2-a271-0019bb2963f4.html
Tags: us_OR, industrial, follow-up, response, ag_chems, pesticides, phosphine
Multiple state agencies are investigating the chemical explosion Sept. 13 in Pendleton, but a final report is probably months away.
Phosphine gas, a dangerous substance, spewed from a 25-gallon container in the 3600 block of Clopton Road, which runs on the south side of Westgate, where SH Weed & Pest Control conducts some of its operations. Pendleton police and fire closed that portion of Westage for about two hours and some nearby businesses evacuated. A hazardous materials team took the smoldering container to an isolated property on Airport Hill so it could give off gases safely.
SH Weed & Pest Control owner Mike Schult said state and federal investigators are digging into the event, and he declined to say much until the final report is in. However, he added, it was his opinion no one was in immediate danger when the pesticide, aluminum phosphide, released the phosphine. He also said the container performed as it was designed to and allowed the gas to vent.
---------------------------------------------
EXPLOSION AT JAPAN CHEMICAL PLANT KILLS 1, DOZENS INJURED
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/explosion-at-japan-chemical-plant-kills-1-dozens-injured/2012/09/29/5acafdfa-0a21-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html
Tags: Japan, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical
TOKYO Ñ An explosion at a chemical plant in western Japan has killed a firefighter and injured dozens of people.
Police said the explosion was reported Saturday at chemical plant Nippon Shokubai Co. in the coastal industrial area of Himeji, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) west of Tokyo. Plant workers first reported a large bursting noise and temblor after a chemical tank exploded.
The cause of the blast was under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
MAN SUFFERS BURNS IN METH LAB EXPLOSION; GROW HOUSE FOUND
http://www.theledger.com/article/20120928/NEWS/120929310
Tags: us_FL, public, explosion, injury, illegal, meth_lab
AUBURNDALE | Polk County Sheriff's deputies responded to a methamphetamine lab explosion on Thursday at the Fish Haven Lodge campgrounds, located at 201 Fish Haven Road in Auburndale.
The explosion left one man hospitalized for severe chemical burns, and also led deputies to uncover another illegal drug operation nearby.
By the time deputies arrived to lot 56 in the campground, resident Christopher Shrader, 39, already had been transported to Tampa General with chemical burns. He remained hospitalized Friday night.
Deputies said that a portion of a camper on the property had been blown off, which left several items normally used to cook methamphetamine in plain view. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies found meth-making paraphernalia, including a gas mask and lithium batteries, along with a Glock handgun in a safe.
---------------------------------------------
T-BUTYL LITHIUM RESEARCH STORY
http://chemgradblog.blogspot.com/
Tags: us_CA, laboratory, follow-up, injury, pyrophoric
Whenever I hear about lab accidents it makes me feel a little nauseous. This is because I have several inches of permanent scar tissue on my arm and a smaller scar on my face to remind me how chemical burns can have a lasting impact. I don't think about it most of the time until someone I am talking to or waiting in the elevator with fixates on my arm and then turns away like they weren't looking.
---------------------------------------------
FS-WORLD.COM
http://www.fs-world.com/Show.asp?ID=13113&Form=1
Tags: us_NY, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
One of the owners of Tuthilltown Spirits, said they're still open for tastings following an explosion and fire at Tuthilltown Spirits distillery in Gardiner, N.Y. A structure fire at the distillery was located on the second floor, which housed some barrels of liquor. Officials believe vapors collected on the second floor found an undetermined ignition source and exploded, causing the east wall tp blow out along with the barrels on the second floor exploding but the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
---------------------------------------------
THREE HURT AFTER COMBINE FUEL TANK EXPLOSION
http://www.wadenapj.com/event/article/id/28239/group/Tornado/
Tags: us_MN, industrial, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
BATTLE LAKE, Minn. - Authorities say three people suffered burns Monday when a fuel tank exploded as a cutting torch was being used to dismantle a farm combine so it could be crushed.
According to a news release from the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office:
---------------------------------------------
SABIC OFFICIAL: NO INJURIES FROM PHOSGENE LEAK AT MOUNT VERNON PLANT
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/sep/26/no-headline---sabic_gas_leak/
Tags: us_IN, industrial, release, response, phosgene
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. Ñ A leak of phosgene, an industrial chemical used in the production of plastics, occurred Monday at SABIC Innovative Plastics in Mount Vernon, Ind.
Shelia Naab, spokeswoman for the facility, said the phosgene leak was under control Tuesday and no one was injured by the gas, which was used as a chemical weapon during World War I.
Exposure to phosgene can cause blurred vision and difficulty breathing.
"All employees in the area were checked by medical personnel (Monday) and are fine," Naab said.
"We took extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our employees and the community."
The amount that leaked at SABIC was small, Naab said, one-fifth of the level required to be reported to the Environmental Protection Agency for monitoring.
On Monday, the Mount Vernon SABIC site began routine turnaround; numerous inspections were conducted and upgrades made to equipment. Naab said part of this process includes a number of plans and procedures designed to prevent potential issues; and, if necessary, to promptly address those issues to ensure the safety of employees and the surrounding community.
"Highly sensitive badges worn by employees as a safety precaution identified an extremely small amount of chemical in one area of our chemical operations," Naab said. "Our emergency response team acted quickly, and these employees were examined by our on-site medical personnel. No one is showing any effects from the chemical."
The pipe where the leak occurred has been taken out of service, Naab said, and no longer will be used in production.
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